Getting off of Effexor

Oh man! I can relate to this post for sure. I was on effexor for 5 years and it took me MONTHS to find a doctor who could help me get off of it. The side affects of coming off that anti-depressant were worse then the symptoms I was taking them for. I had brain zaps, within 2 days of coming off I was an emotional wreck and felt like a ticking time bomb. I would be crying for no reasons and literally thought I was stuck taking them the rest of my life because I could NOT get past the withdrawal symptoms. EVERY doctor I talked to said it was all in my head because they didn't have addictive affects! YA RIGHT! It still makes me mad talking about it. It was a horrible horrible experience. Finally, I found a doc who knew exactly what I was talking about because he had other paitents go through the same thing. So he was able to get me off the medication without any issues what so ever. He put me on Cymbalta to come off of the Effexor and I literally had NO side affects and was easily able to stop the Cymbalta few weeks later. I had been trying to get off the Effexor for almost 2 years to no avail. I had even went so far as to open each capsule and reduce the small balls/beads 2 a day in hopes after WEEKS of minimizing the dosage in such small amounts would help. The psychiatrist who gave me the script for Cymbalta was my hero! If I had even went away for a weekend and forgot my medication, I was a wreck within 48 hours. I was on Effexor for anxiety. So really, I am not fibbing when I say the side affects of coming off of it REALLY was worse. The longest I went was a week and by the end of that week I felt suicidal and went back on it. It wasn't depressing kicking in, it was because of the Effexor withdrawal. I am no longer on any medication and haven't been for over a year now. I was and still am, so thankful for the doctor who knew how to get me off that horrible medication without any side affects. 

Man, I would never ever ever, recommend that medication to anyone. Ever. I think it should be banned!!! Doctors don't even listen when you try and tell them because the drug company claims there isn't anything addictive in it. I think they should all be required to take it and then try and come off it a few months down the road.

Sorry this is so lengthy and my opinion is so strong, but it really did mess with my life for a very long time. I am still angry about the whole situation. HORRIBLE medication!

Kim 

Yes. I thought I was nuts or something when I first experienced them. I was away for a weekend picking up my Mom from the airport when it happened. The only thing I had done was forget to take my medication. I figured at the time, that couldn't be it. It felt like a very small electrocution or something. I put two and two together, when I realized the next time I had that feeling, I had also forgotten to take my medication. Then I knew for sure, when I tried to come off of it. Ugh. Yes it was horrible and I hated it too!

OMG I too have been on it for 3 years and recently weaned off it. I can't function. I get brain zaps, I'm throwing up, dizzy, hot than cold, brain shivers, and every muscle aches. I am/was seeing a psych for the script with clonapin for muscle relaxation. I think it is a big mistake.My psych never called my pcp and vice versa. I was having trouble sleeping. I went for a sleep study and they found I was waking 20 times every night. My pcp said it was due to effexor and stop taking it. I weaned off it way too fast. I am having horrible withdrawal. I've missed so much work because of it. The psych  thinks I can drop everything and run to her office WHEN she has office hours not when it's convenient for me. It's horrible. My advice: Never ever take this drug... it's horrible.

Hi all - about six weeks ago I quit cold turkey.  I know one should never do that,but I was so tired of feeling like crap every day (taking Femara).  I'll admit the first four days were bad, especially the brain zaps.  But after that, each day was a tiny bit better.  I have no effects now at all.  And it's like I can see in color again.  I do cry much more easily, but that's a small price to pay for being so much more 'with it'.

As an aside, when I told my doctor what I had done, he told me to immediately go get 5-HTP.  It really does help with the moodiness.  Hope this helps.

It's a supplement.  Got mine at CVS.  To me it really does help, take it at night because it might make you sleepy - it makes me not so mean, like I used to be when I was PMSing.  Might be worth a try for you!  All the best.