Help with Effexor Withdrawal
Comments
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I would urge anyone to think long and hard before taking Efexor. (I live in the UK and thats what its called here)
I started taking it when it first came out, around 16 years ago, My husband had died in horrific circumstances and every other antidepressant I had tried didnt help me, but this new wonder drug worked for me very quickly, every time I tried to come off it, I became catatonic, I could not function in any way and had to be hospitalized each time, the consensus was that I was still depressed so I continued to take it.
It was only many years later, and after having spoken to a top psychiatrist that I found out the real reason I could not stop taking it.
Venlafaxine (Efexor) is unlike any other antidepressant, it is not an SSRI (selective serotin re-uptake inhibitor) it is a SSNRI, (selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, what this actually means in laymans terms, is that the drug alters the way receptors in the brain take up serotonin and noradrenaline (the feel good chemicals) so that there is actually more in the brain,so you feel better, what the drug companies and Doctors dont tell you is that with long term use, the receptors in your brain become damaged and DO NOT switch on again after stopping the drug, hence why long term users cannot withdraw from this drug and why short term users have so much trouble coming off them.
I do know this to be fact, and in the UK, Doctors have to work to strict government guidlines in the prescribing of Efexor, as they are very much aware of the dangers from this drug.
After saying all this,even knowing what I do know, I still would have taken this drug all those years ago, for me, it was a wonder drug, it is now to late for me to ever come off it, during my last period of hospitalisation, I had a brain MRI and indeed my brain recepters were inactive, so I will have to stay on it forever. Whilst going through BC and having my ovaries removed, my efexor dose was raised to help with the hot flushes and yes it worked.
So any of you thinking of starting Efexor, please, please do so with an informed mind, DO NOT take it for more than 6 months and be aware that you might have a hard time coming off them, the info is out there now for you to make your own mind up, it wasnt for the 16 years I took it in ignorance of the long term consequences
Happy New Year to All
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Thank you stillstanding! I have been on Effexor XR since Aug...it was my miracle drug too I was so out of control. I see my onc on the 13th and will talk to her about this...I do not want permanent damage or to be on this forever...I am just not sure I am in the right place to mentally to try to stop taking it right now...
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Hi Ladies!
I'm having terrible hot flashes and night sweats and my Dr just prescribed Effexor. At first I was happy that he prescribed it without a blink, but now I'm worried about taking it after reading some horror stories.....what to do, what to do. Do you think the dosage for hot flashes would be less than someone who is taking the drug for depression? The night sweats are the worst, I wake up 4-5 times a night drenched and then freeze! Am I asking for more problems in the end????
Terri
Edited to add: Hey Michelle!
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Typically docs start at 37.5mg for hot flashes and may increase up to 75. For depression the dosage is usually 150 to 325. So yes, it is a lot lower for hot flash relief. I am not sure how this effects discontinuation problems. I would think that it would be easier to come off a lower dose, but that may not be true -- some people who have been on high doses find they can wean down to the 37.5, but stopping that last bit is tough. Not everyone who goes on Effexor has difficulty coming off it, but when you do it can be awful.
I would not hesitate to take it for depression, particularly if you are on tamoxifen, since it inhibits the metabolism of tamox much less than other common antidepressants. I would think twice about taking it for hot flash relief, but what you are describing sounds horrible, particularly with all that interrupted sleep, so it could very well be worth taking the risk of having to work at coming off it down the road sometime.
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Hi Terri!!
Wow we seem to bump into each other on several threads!
I am taking the 37.5 mg daily...I have an appointment with 'a' oncologist on the 23rd (mine is on vacation, so I get to meet a partner
) I will pose the question about some of the long term effects mentioned here, low dosage vs higher dosage and see what he has to say...Let you guys know what I learn.
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Well, my Dr called in the Effexor today and the pharmacy just called me to tell me they were preparing the prescription. I've never been so nervous to take something in my whole life...well, besides the Tamox I guess. I feel like I'm fixing one problem and creating another!
Michelle, let me know what the ONC says.....
Terri
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Hi Again,
I really apologise if it seems I'm scaremongering, I really didnt want it to come across that way.
Efexor is indeed a marvelous drug, without it, I doubt whether I'd still be here, as nothing at all would even touch the deep dark despair I was in all those years ago, and as I said, if I was asked with hindsight if I would take it again, I would say a definite yes.
I dont believe that the dependance or damage to brain receptors is dependant on dosage, but more on the overall length of time that the receptors are 'out of action' as to how they recover when the drug is withdrawn.I only ever took 37.5mg but the problem was, I took it for 16 years!
I would never ever presume to tell anyonr what to take, or to scare them, I'm sorry if I have done that,I just thought that after the many years of research Ive done, and speaking to physicians who are in the know, I would like to share the outcome,I'm just so suprised that no one else has heard of the dependance issues, In the UK, we are far very far behind the US on research and medical news, in fact, the most information I ever got was from American websites where some people had banded together to confront the makers of Efexor to address this issue, I believe there have also been lawsuits against the makers for not warning peopke of the long term effects.
But as with all medications and drugs, not everyone will be affected the same and we all have to make decisions regarding risk v benefit, such as, would I have agreed to Taxotere chemotherapy if I'd known that there was a risk that my hair would never grow back? luckily this didnt happen to me, but it does to 10% of the people who take it.... Yes, I would still have agreed to it, because my life was on the line, and it was the most aggressive treatment available at that time, do you see what I mean?
So, yes, take the Efexor, its a great drug, with very little side effects,its brilliant for hot flushes, but take it knowing that it will be only be short term, or an agreed period of time, and if youre really worried discuss it with a psycholgist/psychiatrist rather than an onc, as they dont seem to be very specialised in the area of mental health, good luck everyone x
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I follow antidepressant research fairly regularly, and I have not heard this about damaging the receptors in your brain permanently. Do you have any articles about that you could post?
The discontinuation syndrome is well know in the mental health field, but you are right that oncologists don't seem up on it. I will also say that in the US, that someone has filed a law suit does not mean there is scientific evidence for their position! Most people who take Effexor are able to wean off of it without debilitating or long-term symptoms.
I would also like to correct your statement about Taxotere. If 10% of the people using it never grew back their hair there would be a lot of us running around permanently bald! It is a very rare side effect -- more like 1 in 10000 than 1 in 100.
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Stillstanding, thank you for your encouraging words. I in no way was referring to your comments when I said that I was scared to take Effexor, it's just me...I'm not really the pill popping type and ANY medication I take is thoroughly researched before I take it. I'm sorry to hear of the circumstances that made you start taking it in the first place.. that must have been very hard to deal with - my heart goes out to you. I guess everyone does what they have to do to get by. I'm also sorry that you'll have to remain on it forever.
As of yet, I still haven't made my way to the pharmacy
Maybe tomorrow?
Terri
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Revkat, thank you for correcting me so eloquently, I appreciate your learned input.
I will try to get in touch with the consultant psychiatrist that I saw in London,(around 4 hours from where I live) to ask if he could search out and find the research that had been circulating around his teaching hospital regarding the serotonin and noradrenaline receptors failing to resume their normal processes after many years of being suppressed, a lot of the terminology was alien to me, but I was fortunate enough to have the Professor explain it to me in laymans term, If, and its a big if, I can get him to find these research papers and post or email them to me ,would you like me to post them here as they are? Or would you be able to decipher the medical jargon?
I know there are a few books in publication regarding the whole issue of antidepressant withdrawal, the ones I prefer and often refer to are by Dr Joseph Glenmullen, in both his books,'coming off antidepressants' and 'the antidepressant solution, he describes the receptor phenomenon, have you read these books in your research?
I must admit, that I know almost nothing about how the US judicial system works, so am unaware that a lawsuit is not based on scientific evidence, I only know that Ive read of many people who have gone down that route.
As for the Taxotere % that you so rightly and diligently corrected me on, the point I was trying to make was not about the amount of people who had severe side effects, but that the list of possible side effects that were explained to me before I signed for my chemo made very worrying reading, but even knowing that, I still decided to go ahead, because I felt it was a risk woth taking,I was in fact trying to make a parallel with deciding to take Efexor, and that it was better to be informed about the POSSIBLE consequences of taking it long term, weighed against the many benefits of an excellant drug.
I thought perhaps I was helping the ladies here by recounting my experience, but I can see now that I was not,I apologise and will return to the UK site where posters there dont seem to feel the need to rip you to shreds.
Good luck to all of you in your journeys, over and out
SS
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I am sorry if you felt I was ripping you to shreds. I am actually quite interested in information regarding receptors being permanently suppressed by treatment. I agree with you that being aware of potential side effects is an important part of making informed decisions. I will look up the books you mentioned.
I corrected the taxotere statement because I didn't want someone who was just contemplating treatment to be scared off by the idea that they had a 10% chance of being permanently bald!
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SS, you have helped and your input is greatly appreciated. I for one am very interested in hearing what you have to say and who better to hear it from than someone with first hand experience....
Terri
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SS - I ditto my560sel - I really appreciate your input and experience...I have learned so much from the postings here that is never discussed by the doctors and I appreciate your willingness to post your story.
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I'm dragging this back to the top to shed a little hope on the whole thing. I went to my new doctor a few weeks ago. He couldn't believe that no one had discussed Neurontin with me - and immediately wrote a scrip for it. He also changed my HBP meds to Clonodine.
Hmmmmmmm, a skin itch that I've had for years is gone (former HBP meds), the pain in my joints from the neuropathy is virutally gone, my blood pressure is good, and the hot flashes are almost gone.
It was really nice to go to a doctor who listened (spent over an hour with me!) and cared. He also hooked me up with an excellent Oncologist that said no more AI's, no tamoxifin - my pathology and prognosis are great without.
Just the slight change in meds is amazing. I still avoid caffiene - my head doesn't like it any more since getting off the effexor. But there are no more brain zaps,and there is hope that I'll be normal soon.
I told the Doctor that I felt 100% better in just days, but then I learned that that doesn't mean I can do 100% more every day!!!! LOL
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Harbor...so good to see you here and hear that you found a good, listening and evidently effective new MD! Hooray for you!!
I have heard from others that neurontin can do wonders....glad it is working for you, too!
Take it easy...take it slow....but take it as you can!
God Bless!
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Hi all
My med onc whom I really like keeps on top of everything in the journals & research. My PCP was trying me on different antidepressants (Celexa, Amitriptyline) because Imipramine (15 years of that) was no longer working like it had ... then before I filled the Rx for Amitriptyline, my onc said wait, let's try Effexor -- he uses it on a lot of his BC patients with hot flash issues (such as I have) and it purports low weight gain. I've been on it 3 days now (75 mg) and have not seen any SEs other than sleeplessness, which I was experiencing before anyway. My PCP also has me on Restoril nightly to help induce sleep, and if things get horrible (no sleep at all) I take an Ativan. What can you comment on this regimen? I have a lot of respect for my onc but he did not seem at all concerned about withdrawal SEs such as mentioned here.
Gayle
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Benadryl is listed as one of the drugs that affects tamoxifen. I just finished a couple of articles on the effects of antidepressants on tamoxifen. Here is the link to the most recent. Near the end of the article is a link to a tamoxifen page which lists all the meds affecting tamox. I'm not sure if you're on tamox but thought I'd let you know.
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Do doctors ever prescribe Celexa instead? Anyone have experience with this antidepressant?
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Hi Ladies,
Decided to check in after my last post in December (I think). As of today, I'm taking 18.5mg of EffexorXR about every third day.I literally open the capsule and divide up the medicine. If someone walked in on me I swear they would think I was cutting up cocaine! If I go any longer than three days I have extreme nausea/diarrhea/vertigo. I've come to the realization that I need something to help with the hot flashes, moodiness and occasional anxiety.I also take Femara, which I believe means I can't take neurontin. I'd welcome any suggestions for a decent med that will help my physical and emotional issues, but not have the horrendous withdrawal symptoms of EffexorXR. I'm seeing my Oncologist in about 6 weeks and I'd love to come with some suggestions (that I can research ahead of time). Thanks to all of your posts. This board has been a tremendous support the past 2 years.
Kathy
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PugMum...wish I could help you....I am on Effexor for about 2-3 months now. I stuck with one at night time instead of upping to 2 as suggested. I actally missed a dose last week, and had the best sleep I had in months. That was a surprise!
Wishing you luck...troll the other threads...I bet yo uwill find some suggesitons..
God Bless!
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