Posted by andre172 on February 5, 2003, at 8:27:02
I've been taking effexor xr for about 6 months, working my way up to 225mg. I had no noticeable effects so my doctor has recommended slowly discontinuing use (he was concerned with the effects of combining effexor with my daily alcohol use). I'm now only on 75mg/day.
The only effect I've noticed during the last 6 months is a very strange taste in the back of my mouth - almost bitter. My hands shake (which is very difficult for an artist to deal with) and ejaculation takes a very long time.
I decided to stop taking it for two days and the withdrawal was very uncomfortable. My hands itched uncontrolably. If I moved my eyes left, right, up, or down, I would feel a nervous shock in my head. I would also hear a swooshing sound that coincided with the eye movements. Fortunately, after taking my next dose, the symptoms went away.
My doctor had no knowledge of these side effects and of course you'll not read anything about this from the drug manufacturer.
I read similar posts from other members here which helped me during that day of withdrawal. I was glad that these symptoms were not particular to me.
I hope this helps someone avoid possible pain.
poster:andre172
thread:2507
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030203/msgs/2507.html