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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by PattyK on March 2, 2001, at 19:34:26
I stopped Effexor XR cold turkey two weeks ago today. I was on 150 mgs, for about 5 months. I never dreamed I woould go through the hell I have, coming off this drug. I am normally a very healthy person...have had very few medical problems in my life. Effexor withdrawal has been one of the worst experiences of my life. The physical, mental and emotional symptoms are like a descent into hell. I used to think that a lot of the people on these message boards who described Effexor withdrawal were exaggerating. Not any more. This has been a very frightening experience. I feel sick most of the time, like I have the flu--exhausted, naseous, achy, just over-all...yuck. I have already missed 2 1/2 days of work because of how sick Effexor withdrawal has made me. I have had horrific nightmares almost every night. The other night I woke up shaking violently from a nightmare. I have had awful hot flashes, that make me feel sick. Emotionally, I feel like I'm going crazy. I am just not myself. I am fighting just to keep my head above water. My emotions are a roller coaster...I go through intense anger, sadness....I just can't even begin to describe how f---up I feel since I have been going through Effexor withdrawal. When will this end? It's been two weeks. How long will I be going through this?
I feel like I'm dying...and I'm not kidding. When I get through this hell, I am going to start the ball rolling to bring public attention to this Effexor withdrawal problem. I can't wait to have my day in court with Wyeth-Ayherst, too. Right now I'm too preoccupied with trying to get through this nightmare. Good luck to you all.
Posted by JahL on March 2, 2001, at 20:37:09
In reply to Effexor withdrawal nightmare, posted by PattyK on March 2, 2001, at 19:34:26
> I stopped Effexor XR cold turkey two weeks ago today. I was on 150 mgs, for about 5 months. I never dreamed I woould go through the hell I have, coming off this drug. I am normally a very healthy person...have had very few medical problems in my life. Effexor withdrawal has been one of the worst experiences of my life. The physical, mental and emotional symptoms are like a descent into hell. I used to think that a lot of the people on these message boards who described Effexor withdrawal were exaggerating. Not any more. This has been a very frightening experience. I feel sick most of the time, like I have the flu--exhausted, naseous, achy, just over-all...yuck. I have already missed 2 1/2 days of work because of how sick Effexor withdrawal has made me. I have had horrific nightmares almost every night. The other night I woke up shaking violently from a nightmare. I have had awful hot flashes, that make me feel sick. Emotionally, I feel like I'm going crazy. I am just not myself. I am fighting just to keep my head above water. My emotions are a roller coaster...I go through intense anger, sadness....I just can't even begin to describe how f---up I feel since I have been going through Effexor withdrawal. When will this end? It's been two weeks. How long will I be going through this?
> I feel like I'm dying...and I'm not kidding. When I get through this hell, I am going to start the ball rolling to bring public attention to this Effexor withdrawal problem. I can't wait to have my day in court with Wyeth-Ayherst, too. Right now I'm too preoccupied with trying to get through this nightmare. Good luck to you all.
>
And the moral of the story is...DON'T_GO_COLD_TURKEY. Talk to yr pdoc about appropriate downward titration & employing the strategy using Prozac, so eloquently described by CamW & Sunnely elsewhere.Your gripe is with yr pdoc for allowing you to stop abruptly (I am assuming you did not take this serious medical decision yourself), not with a company that produces a drug which provides otherwise unattainable relief for countless individuals. Their motives (ie profit), before we go down this road, are irrelevant. It is precisely this motive that (theoretically) drives pharmaceutical innovation & discovery (doesn't always work that way I know), leading to 'better' drugs for me & you.
Please don't add to the (mostly unwarranted IMO) nascent hysteria currently surrounding ADs; you do myself & others who do not yet have the *luxury* of a drug that works, a grave disservice. Lawsuits can engender unhealthy cautioness in pharmaceutical development.
I love the US (I'm UK) but I find this penchant for lawsuits a real turn-off. The rest of the world thinks you spend all day suing each other & I know this isn't a fair reflection.
For the record Effexor made me really ill (much more so than any other med) & probably precipitated my first double depression. However all I can realistically blame is my shitty circumstances, and myself for perservering with a medication clearly deleterious towards my health.
~Perspective.
These are serious drugs for serious disorders & shld not be taken lightly (ie like disregarding discontinuation instructions).
Sincerely,
Jah.
Posted by dee mb on March 5, 2001, at 1:29:07
In reply to Effexor withdrawal nightmare, posted by PattyK on March 2, 2001, at 19:34:26
I accidentally took two 37.5 mgs 3 hours apart and became violently sick for two days. I called my MD and she said it would be okay to stop taking it all together. Later I discovered that yes, there are withdrawl effects. I believe my MD should have tapered off the effexor although I am already sensitive to meds. I am disapointed because it really did work well until I got so sick. Now I cannot even take 12 mgs without getting really sick to my stomach.
> I stopped Effexor XR cold turkey two weeks ago today. I was on 150 mgs, for about 5 months. I never dreamed I woould go through the hell I have, coming off this drug. I am normally a very healthy person...have had very few medical problems in my life. Effexor withdrawal has been one of the worst experiences of my life. The physical, mental and emotional symptoms are like a descent into hell. I used to think that a lot of the people on these message boards who described Effexor withdrawal were exaggerating. Not any more. This has been a very frightening experience. I feel sick most of the time, like I have the flu--exhausted, naseous, achy, just over-all...yuck. I have already missed 2 1/2 days of work because of how sick Effexor withdrawal has made me. I have had horrific nightmares almost every night. The other night I woke up shaking violently from a nightmare. I have had awful hot flashes, that make me feel sick. Emotionally, I feel like I'm going crazy. I am just not myself. I am fighting just to keep my head above water. My emotions are a roller coaster...I go through intense anger, sadness....I just can't even begin to describe how f---up I feel since I have been going through Effexor withdrawal. When will this end? It's been two weeks. How long will I be going through this?
> I feel like I'm dying...and I'm not kidding. When I get through this hell, I am going to start the ball rolling to bring public attention to this Effexor withdrawal problem. I can't wait to have my day in court with Wyeth-Ayherst, too. Right now I'm too preoccupied with trying to get through this nightmare. Good luck to you all.
>
Posted by Leonardo on March 7, 2001, at 3:05:20
In reply to Effexor withdrawal nightmare, posted by PattyK on March 2, 2001, at 19:34:26
Hi Patty
How are you getting on? What does your doc say? The best solution in this case is usually to go back on the drug (temporarily), and come off it gradually by reducing the dose every few days for a minimum of 1-2 weeks, maybe longer. I found that when I had problems coming off Paxil (headaches), they went away as soon as I took a small dose of Paxil, when no headache pills had any effect. This is not the same as being addicted, you just need to give your body time to adjust gradually the change.
As Jah mentioned, if you still have problems getting off Effexor even by tapering, some people have succeeded by gradually switching to Prozac, then coming off the Prozac.
I think it is likely that you will continue to have withdrawal effects for a long time if you don't go back and do it gradually. In all seriousness you will get nowhere in a legal case against the drug manufacturer because they specifically advise not to stop taking it suddenly. There are however many other seriously pissed off people - See http://www.socialaudit.org.uk/9425vfx.htm#RE and linked sites http://members.tripod.com/bwarner/effexor.html and http://www.effexorfx.freeuk.com/
Good luck
Leonardo> I stopped Effexor XR cold turkey two weeks ago today. I was on 150 mgs, for about 5 months. I never dreamed I woould go through the hell I have, coming off this drug. I am normally a very healthy person...have had very few medical problems in my life. Effexor withdrawal has been one of the worst experiences of my life. The physical, mental and emotional symptoms are like a descent into hell. I used to think that a lot of the people on these message boards who described Effexor withdrawal were exaggerating. Not any more. This has been a very frightening experience. I feel sick most of the time, like I have the flu--exhausted, naseous, achy, just over-all...yuck. I have already missed 2 1/2 days of work because of how sick Effexor withdrawal has made me. I have had horrific nightmares almost every night. The other night I woke up shaking violently from a nightmare. I have had awful hot flashes, that make me feel sick. Emotionally, I feel like I'm going crazy. I am just not myself. I am fighting just to keep my head above water. My emotions are a roller coaster...I go through intense anger, sadness....I just can't even begin to describe how f---up I feel since I have been going through Effexor withdrawal. When will this end? It's been two weeks. How long will I be going through this?
> I feel like I'm dying...and I'm not kidding. When I get through this hell, I am going to start the ball rolling to bring public attention to this Effexor withdrawal problem. I can't wait to have my day in court with Wyeth-Ayherst, too. Right now I'm too preoccupied with trying to get through this nightmare. Good luck to you all.
>
This is the end of the thread.
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