Effexor....
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Yes, I stopped taking it about 2 years ago after being on it for years. I didn't have any effects from stopping.0
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Yes, I stopped taking it about 2 years ago after being on it for years. I didn't have any effects from stopping.
Did you gradually taper off? If I miss it for more than two days, I'm incredibly dizzy and vomiting...0 -
Is that some sort of birth control?0
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Is that some sort of birth control?
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
Is that some sort of birth control?
*LMAO* No, love... it's an antidepressant.
I've been on it for at least 8 years? I threw my head through a windshield which resulted in uncontrollable, constant panic attacks... which always result in my passing out. I want to see if they come back if I kick the drug...0 -
I tried it 10 years ago. I had what they call an "allergic" reaction to it. It makes me psycho angry. Like yelling, throwing things, just becoming enraged. that's not me at all because I'm very mellow. Dr.'s took me off it right away.0
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Curious - has anyone effectively gotten OFF Effexor? I swear, it's worse than heroin...
I work with many adoloscents that have taken it and the Dr. always tapers them off it but quite a few didn't have any adverse reactions to the taper. Of course, they were always in counseling as well to help deal with the depression.0 -
I went off lexapro for a while with no side effects. i guess it's not as strong?0
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You gotta taper off any of those really really slowly, or you'll start to feel really loopy...get a good doc to recommend how slowly, and how to do it.0
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You gotta taper off any of those really really slowly, or you'll start to feel really loopy...get a good doc to recommend how slowly, and how to do it.
I love my doc... she's given me 1/2 strength of current dose, but two/day so I can try kicking it at my own pace.
But I swear, this is the worst of any of the priors I've been on.
grrrr *LOL*0 -
No I just stopped taking it. YMMV though. I have also taken Paxil and Prozac and never had any trouble stopping either of them. Maybe I'm just weird.
Did you gradually taper off? If I miss it for more than two days, I'm incredibly dizzy and vomiting...Yes, I stopped taking it about 2 years ago after being on it for years. I didn't have any effects from stopping.0 -
I went off lexapro for a while with no side effects. i guess it's not as strong?
It really depends on the 1/2 life and dosage of any of these kinds of drugs
But effexor sucks *LOL* 0 -
prescription drugs are just as addictive (and harmful) as street drugs. Please try - even IF Effexor is as strong as heroin, you have hope, because people get off of (and recover from) drugs all the time... and other abuses like alcohol. It CAN be done, but you'll need patience and a lot of support. Do it! Do it! Do it!!!
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No I just stopped taking it. YMMV though. I have also taken Paxil and Prozac and never had any trouble stopping either of them. Maybe I'm just weird.
Did you gradually taper off? If I miss it for more than two days, I'm incredibly dizzy and vomiting...Yes, I stopped taking it about 2 years ago after being on it for years. I didn't have any effects from stopping.
I'm going with weird *LOL*
Here's some info on it so I consider you to be extremely lucky. And wish I had your luck on this!
here's a few things to keep in mind about Effexor withdrawal symptoms:
Severe withdrawal symptoms can develop from patients on any level of dosage, so if you're taking a low dose don't think you're necessarily safe.
Effexor withdrawal symptoms can easily last two months or more, and some people don't feel back to normal even after a year of discontinuation.
Because Effexor has a 'half-life' of about five hours, withdrawal symptoms can develop from missing only one dose.
Five hours is a frighteningly short half-life for a drug of this nature. It almost guarantees problems.
One Harvard study found 78% of patients experienced withdrawal symptoms from discontinuing Effexor XR making it the only drug worse than Paxil in this regard.0 -
Is that some sort of birth control?
*LMAO* No, love... it's an antidepressant.
I've been on it for at least 8 years? I threw my head through a windshield which resulted in uncontrollable, constant panic attacks... which always result in my passing out. I want to see if they come back if I kick the drug...
Ill tell you what you need...........let me break it down for you.
:bigsmile:
you need the company of an awesmely tanned man! Alittle latino heat in your life by a 6'0 230lb hombre and all will be well............damn! Im feelin sexy!0 -
No I just stopped taking it. YMMV though. I have also taken Paxil and Prozac and never had any trouble stopping either of them. Maybe I'm just weird.
Did you gradually taper off? If I miss it for more than two days, I'm incredibly dizzy and vomiting...Yes, I stopped taking it about 2 years ago after being on it for years. I didn't have any effects from stopping.
I'm going with weird *LOL*
Here's some info on it so I consider you to be extremely lucky. And wish I had your luck on this!
here's a few things to keep in mind about Effexor withdrawal symptoms:
Severe withdrawal symptoms can develop from patients on any level of dosage, so if you're taking a low dose don't think you're necessarily safe.
Effexor withdrawal symptoms can easily last two months or more, and some people don't feel back to normal even after a year of discontinuation.
Because Effexor has a 'half-life' of about five hours, withdrawal symptoms can develop from missing only one dose.
Five hours is a frighteningly short half-life for a drug of this nature. It almost guarantees problems.
One Harvard study found 78% of patients experienced withdrawal symptoms from discontinuing Effexor XR making it the only drug worse than Paxil in this regard.
Holy carp! I guess I am lucky then. I wonder if it's related to the fact that it didn't really work for me as an antidepressant?0 -
This topic is one of the reasons I wonder why Marijuana is listed as a schedule 1 drug??? Really??? I could go on and on about this but I'll leave it alone.
I hope you are able to kick it with out any bad side effects
You could always try the perfectly natural way I listed above to calm the problems, what state do you live in LOL:drinker: 0 -
prescription drugs are just as addictive (and harmful) as street drugs. Please try - even IF Effexor is as strong as heroin, you have hope, because people get off of (and recover from) drugs all the time... and other abuses like alcohol. It CAN be done, but you'll need patience and a lot of support. Do it! Do it! Do it!!!
And thank you for this! As I told my friend... I really want to be drug free. I haven't been able to in 13 years now... but every time I've tried in the past the panic attacks come back, so I have to go back on. They're so bad that I ended up losing my license and stuff b/c they were so uncontrollable and unpredictable. It actually kind of seems like all of a sudden I have a seizure... It's really bizarre. And i have no "triggers" it's not like I'm freaked out in large groups, or in a car, or something like normal people w/ panic attacks *LOL* My neurologists literally think it's from the damage done to my brain in the accident, so it may not be something I can ever control without meds *shrug* which would just suck. But I really want to give it a whirl.0 -
That's scary cause my dr just put me on it...did you have any insomnia with it? or weird dreams?0
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That's scary cause my dr just put me on it...did you have any insomnia with it? or weird dreams?
Ya know, I've been on it for so long, I really don't know? I have both insomnia & weird dreams but don't know if it's associated with the Effexor or not. They do, however, think that my long term use of it has led to some other problems - mainly with my lymph nodes becoming hyperactive and extremely bad night sweats. Which is why we're going to try to get me off of it and see what happens next ;-)
I would honestly say, if you do not need to go on Effexor (if you're able to find other outlets like therapy, exercise, punching someone...), don't take them. And feel free to PM me with any questions, I've been on a vast array of things over these 13 years *LOL*0 -
Curious - has anyone effectively gotten OFF Effexor? I swear, it's worse than heroin...
I had to be weened off under the supervision of a psychiatrist. He debated institutionalizing me during the process so that I could be activly monitored but decided to wait, I had to tranfer colleges to come off that ****.0 -
Curious - has anyone effectively gotten OFF Effexor? I swear, it's worse than heroin...
I had to be weened off under the supervision of a psychiatrist. He debated institutionalizing me during the process so that I could be activly monitored but decided to wait, I had to tranfer colleges to come off that ****.
I'm reading about more and more people actually having to be at an in-house rehab type of controlled environment to get off of it. Ridiculous....0 -
Yep, I came off of it, no problem, it was while on it I developed problems. I know have a fine motor tremble. I had the crazy dreams. I hated it and insisted the doc take me off of it at once! Of course I had to be tapered off, but felt better almost immediately. Good luck!0
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prescription drugs are just as addictive (and harmful) as street drugs. Please try - even IF Effexor is as strong as heroin, you have hope, because people get off of (and recover from) drugs all the time... and other abuses like alcohol. It CAN be done, but you'll need patience and a lot of support. Do it! Do it! Do it!!!
And thank you for this! As I told my friend... I really want to be drug free. I haven't been able to in 13 years now... but every time I've tried in the past the panic attacks come back, so I have to go back on. They're so bad that I ended up losing my license and stuff b/c they were so uncontrollable and unpredictable. It actually kind of seems like all of a sudden I have a seizure... It's really bizarre. And i have no "triggers" it's not like I'm freaked out in large groups, or in a car, or something like normal people w/ panic attacks *LOL* My neurologists literally think it's from the damage done to my brain in the accident, so it may not be something I can ever control without meds *shrug* which would just suck. But I really want to give it a whirl.
Are you in a better place in your life? Have you dealt with your trauma? I see medicine like neosporin, it just helps things heal faster. I had high anxiety, and as my situation changed, I was able to control it more. Now I'm just ADD . . .
I would say, if you're coming off slowly and she has you on 1/2 doses 2x per day and knows you're trying to come off, start with the morning pill and cut that dosage in half, let it go for a few weeks, then cut the evening dosage in half and let it ride for a few weeks. you can't really afford to be in-patient right now, unfortunately.0 -
Honestly...Effexor was the hardest one for me to get off of....it was the hardest drug all together in regards to side effects, lack of improvement. Ick.0
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prescription drugs are just as addictive (and harmful) as street drugs. Please try - even IF Effexor is as strong as heroin, you have hope, because people get off of (and recover from) drugs all the time... and other abuses like alcohol. It CAN be done, but you'll need patience and a lot of support. Do it! Do it! Do it!!!
And thank you for this! As I told my friend... I really want to be drug free. I haven't been able to in 13 years now... but every time I've tried in the past the panic attacks come back, so I have to go back on. They're so bad that I ended up losing my license and stuff b/c they were so uncontrollable and unpredictable. It actually kind of seems like all of a sudden I have a seizure... It's really bizarre. And i have no "triggers" it's not like I'm freaked out in large groups, or in a car, or something like normal people w/ panic attacks *LOL* My neurologists literally think it's from the damage done to my brain in the accident, so it may not be something I can ever control without meds *shrug* which would just suck. But I really want to give it a whirl.
Are you in a better place in your life? Have you dealt with your trauma? I see medicine like neosporin, it just helps things heal faster. I had high anxiety, and as my situation changed, I was able to control it more. Now I'm just ADD . . .
I would say, if you're coming off slowly and she has you on 1/2 doses 2x per day and knows you're trying to come off, start with the morning pill and cut that dosage in half, let it go for a few weeks, then cut the evening dosage in half and let it ride for a few weeks. you can't really afford to be in-patient right now, unfortunately.
Thing is, this was never a "psychological" issue that anyone has ever been able to pinpoint (insert laughter here). I'm a very happy, social person. No issues with driving or cars despite the accident. No generalized anxiety - just random uncontrollable panic attacks out of NO WHERE. I'd have them sleeping. So *shrug* it just doesn't really seem to matter. We're just going to taper off and see what happens. At the end of the day I may have to go back on something. But I would hate for that to be the case...0 -
Honestly...Effexor was the hardest one for me to get off of....it was the hardest drug all together in regards to side effects, lack of improvement. Ick.
It seriously sucks. Of everything I've been on, though, it works wonders for controlling my panic attacks. But the side effects are *kitten*.0 -
I had a brief fling with Paxil - a similar SSRI. When I decided that feeling painful emotions was better than being an emotional zombie, I quit. And within a day had I vertigo, room spinning etc. I tapered over the course of about 10 days and was fine.0
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I had a brief fling with Paxil - a similar SSRI. When I decided that feeling painful emotions was better than being an emotional zombie, I quit. And within a day had I vertigo, room spinning etc. I tapered over the course of about 10 days and was fine.
I gained so much weight when I was on Paxil *LOL* Took me a good month or so to taper off of that one...0 -
*LMAO* No, love... it's an antidepressant.
I've been on it for at least 8 years? I threw my head through a windshield which resulted in uncontrollable, constant panic attacks... which always result in my passing out. I want to see if they come back if I kick the drug...
I was in the same boat after a head injury and car accident. I tapered off Celexa, and still experienced symptoms. They were only present during triggers and not a daily thing. They were enough to impact my life and work, though. So I had to go back on SSRIs after 6 months of trying life without.
Tapering off wasnt very painful, even though I had withdrawal symptoms for accidental skipped doses in the past. A planned cessation was simple and painless. When I got back on anti-depressants, I chose Cymbalta, which supposedly helps with my back & neck pain too.
FYI - Cymbalta made me have no appetite for 3 weeks, and I lost weight. No gain.0
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