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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 colin wallace on February 27, 2002, at 14:13:46
Reading all these effexor withdrawal posts reminds me of the 'unpleasantness' of the experience, but more so, the infuriated feeling of conveying this withdrawal reaction to a doc.
I enquired about withdrawal prior to embarking on the effexor 'shuttle', and was told that it was no less problematic than, say, prozac.
When the time came, I was advocated a regime of a 37.5 mg decrease every week.Bearable, until that niggly last 37.5, which as you know, refuses to be ditched without putting up one hell of a fight.When reduced to a croaking, shiverring wreck hardly capable of speech, my doc. casually informed me that this was 'just the seratonin settling down.'the removal of the seratonin blockade'. Hah! sounds fairly innocuous doesn't it, sort of like 'you may get a mild headache.How about, 'you'll sit bolt upright in bed for 6 days without food or sleep and wish you were dead'...well, not strictly true, as I did drink masses of alcohol, with no good effect.Anyway, my first attempt failed- small wonder, as 'just stopping' that last 37.5 is, I believe, asking for it.
I personally treated effexor withdrawal in the same manner as many use for coming off benzo's;
splitting 37.5 pills into smaller and smaller amounts, over a period of a few weeks.
This way, the trivial 'removal of the seratonin blockade' can be (almost) as painless as many docs. would have us believe.Especially if done under cover of prozac.
Posted by JohnX2 on February 28, 2002, at 15:47:01
In reply to effexor withdrawal...it's only seratonin!!?, posted by colin wallace on February 27, 2002, at 14:13:46
Col,
It seems as though the worst withdrawl stories
are Paxil and Effexor. These are the 2 medicines
I absolutely could not stand to be on (2 months). But I had
no withdrawl problems. I just stopped the them and
the "pain" went away. Do you think its because my
body never could get over the start-up side effects to
begin with?-John
> Reading all these effexor withdrawal posts reminds me of the 'unpleasantness' of the experience, but more so, the infuriated feeling of conveying this withdrawal reaction to a doc.
> I enquired about withdrawal prior to embarking on the effexor 'shuttle', and was told that it was no less problematic than, say, prozac.
> When the time came, I was advocated a regime of a 37.5 mg decrease every week.Bearable, until that niggly last 37.5, which as you know, refuses to be ditched without putting up one hell of a fight.When reduced to a croaking, shiverring wreck hardly capable of speech, my doc. casually informed me that this was 'just the seratonin settling down.'the removal of the seratonin blockade'. Hah! sounds fairly innocuous doesn't it, sort of like 'you may get a mild headache.How about, 'you'll sit bolt upright in bed for 6 days without food or sleep and wish you were dead'...well, not strictly true, as I did drink masses of alcohol, with no good effect.Anyway, my first attempt failed- small wonder, as 'just stopping' that last 37.5 is, I believe, asking for it.
> I personally treated effexor withdrawal in the same manner as many use for coming off benzo's;
> splitting 37.5 pills into smaller and smaller amounts, over a period of a few weeks.
> This way, the trivial 'removal of the seratonin blockade' can be (almost) as painless as many docs. would have us believe.Especially if done under cover of prozac.
Posted by colin wallace on March 1, 2002, at 5:05:48
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal...it's only seratonin!!? » colin wallace, posted by JohnX2 on February 28, 2002, at 15:47:01
Hi john,
I've been on certain ssri's that I absolutely rejected from day one aswell; I recall from discussions elsewhere (solely about effexor) that some lucky individuals had taken it successfully for years, and suffered only minimal
'distress' when coming off the stuff.Others, as you probably know, go through awful experiences following only a few weeks of its use.I think in the main though, withdrawal does seem to be a serious problem for a substantial number of people (hence the FDA forced labelling changes to Wytheth Amerst, or whoever they are).
I'd be way out of my depth guessing why you and others come away unscathed - it doesnt seem to be dose related either (I was only on 75mg for four or five months!)You may have something there though- perhaps because you seemed to reject it outright,and never became 'reliant' upon it, those withdrawals never manifested.Me, I became totally reliant upon it in order to function at all (so perhaps I shouldn't gripe, eh?!)Hence the nasty withdrawals.Just a fumbling guess though- no one has yet accounted for it , except in the vaguest terms.
(incidentally, it did wonders for my anxiety-I was able to drop xanax successfully whilst taking it-but alas it
kept causing angry mood swings)
Posted by jenni.39 on November 15, 2002, at 18:21:57
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal...it's only seratonin!!?jx, posted by colin wallace on March 1, 2002, at 5:05:48
> Hi john,
>
> I've been on certain ssri's that I absolutely rejected from day one aswell; I recall from discussions elsewhere (solely about effexor) that some lucky individuals had taken it successfully for years, and suffered only minimal
> 'distress' when coming off the stuff.Others, as you probably know, go through awful experiences following only a few weeks of its use.I think in the main though, withdrawal does seem to be a serious problem for a substantial number of people (hence the FDA forced labelling changes to Wytheth Amerst, or whoever they are).
> I'd be way out of my depth guessing why you and others come away unscathed - it doesnt seem to be dose related either (I was only on 75mg for four or five months!)You may have something there though- perhaps because you seemed to reject it outright,and never became 'reliant' upon it, those withdrawals never manifested.Me, I became totally reliant upon it in order to function at all (so perhaps I shouldn't gripe, eh?!)Hence the nasty withdrawals.Just a fumbling guess though- no one has yet accounted for it , except in the vaguest terms.
> (incidentally, it did wonders for my anxiety-I was able to drop xanax successfully whilst taking it-but alas it
> kept causing angry mood swings)
i am an 'angry depressive' ie i get angry instead of taking to my bed, angry and aggressive...have come off anti deps b4 but am scared of depression returning..seems like a catch 22, i am anxious anyway, higher than normal but it is a necessary thing, am thinking do people adjust to the anti deps therefore cant cope with own levels of anxiety when withdrawing? i don't want to be on them forever but the thought of slipping into depression again is so scarey....being a highly anxious person i suppose it would be....arrrgghh catch 22!!
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