Effexor Class Action Lawsuit

Congratulations for getting off that drug. I do believe you about the GI symptoms. My short term memory has been badly damaged. Thanks for the information. I forwarded it to Michael. Hopefully we can get a class action suit going to get rid of this drug. Do you have any problems with depression/anxiety. I have some things for my natural dr. when something starts up. I don't have to use them everyday now though.

Terry

 

I have had depression for years, thus the Effexor. But for the first time in all those years, anxiety has become a problem. I am now on Prozac and it seems to keep the depression at bay, but at times I feel it isn't doing the trick any more. I take anti-anxiety meds daily.

Did you ever consider going to a natural doctor. Mine has really helped me and does consults on the phone. She has given me remedies for anxiety and depression. They have really helped. It's something to think about.

Terry

Hi Michael,

Do you have any advice for Australian residents wishing to be involved in an action? I got off this abomination of a drug several months ago after many failed attempts over a number of years. I was on it for about 10 years in total. A great deal of harm resulted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Yes I have been on effexor150mg daily for 16yrs. at least. Tried many times at least 4 to get off this med. Terrible side effects. Nausea. Eyes hurt and feel like someone is twisting my face. Off balance, crying just plain sick... No nobody told me how difficult it would be to get off of this drug. If they did take it off the market what would we do then?

 

There are natural doctors out there who can treat these symptoms with natural products. If you could find one and then work with him/her, they would be able to help you. I was on it for 12 years and weaned myself off 1 bead less a day and then my dr. put me on some natural things for depression/anxiety. I don't use them hardly at all now and it has been about 4 months since I have been off effexor. I am going to forward your information to Michael Fearon who is organizing a class action suit.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. My dr. does consults on the phone since you live out of the area.

 

My name is Matthew. I took effexor for over two years for anxiety and it destroyed my life, my mental stability, happiness, clean record, sex drive, credit, and all my relationships with family and friends. This past spring ive tried killing myself by overdose, cutting my wrists in every direction, and cutting up two bags of apples for the cyanide seeds. I did all that multiple times and even crushed and boiled the seeds the second time. I absolutely wasnt looking for attention plus i didnt have anyone cause i pushed them all away. Effexor made my life much worse and im afraid my brain and body will never be as before this heinous drug. I was never suicidal before, this drug made me lose my will to live. I just want some money to remove my disgusting scars, theres nothing worse than the look on peoples faces when they notice them. I decided Heavenly Father obviously wasnt ready for me to die so ive recently been saved by His grace and givin my life to him and my life is finally looking up. I never thought i'd be this happy and productive again. I desperately want effexor/wyeth pharmaceutical to be put out of business and banned from making any other drugs. Nobody should ever again be poisoned and ruined by them. Not only does the patient suffer, all the patients loved ones and friends suffer. Even with all the negative information bout this drug, I still got addicted to it before noticing its true evil nature. This tells me it's our responsibilty to stop the production of effexor. Because until we do, they will continue to ruin peoples lives, no matter how much warning information we put out. Thank ya for your time.

Hi Matthew,

I am going to forward your letter to Michael Fearon who has been in touch with lawyers to try to pursue a class action suit. I am really sorry for all you have gone through. It is a crime! I too came to The Lord and I am thankful that has happened to you as well. God is the only one who directed me to the right natural dr. who was able to guide me to get off of this without any side effects. I was on it for 12 years. I removed 1 more bead each day.....started with 240, then next day 239, until I was down to none. The dr. gave me some natural things for depression/anxiety which really helped. Right now I don't use any of them and am doing well. When I was completely off EF. I had a terrible attack of anxiety and the natural remedy for anxiety saved me. Today I am free and I think that is the only way to get off of it. If you can find a good naturopath to help you, that makes a different or you can speak to mine on the phone...she is in PA. Please don't give up...there are more natural way to deal with these things. If you have any other questions let me know. Terry P

 

Terry and Matthew, It must be by the grace of God i saw your posts and just hours ago feeling like the dots were connected about what has been going on with me and my health. Effexor. Friday i left my job because i was so terrified for my health. Short story: on 75 mg a day for long time and had all the normal withdrawel symptons. In the begnning of 2009, my doctor switched me to Pristique. Within days, i was panicking, shaking, naseous, cryning uncontrollably etc. I thought i was dying and friend took me to emergency room twice. A new doctor upped my doseage to 150 in addition to Xanax four times a day. I subsequently weaned myself off the Xanex, stayed on the 150 effexor because panic subsided. Over the course of a few months, i fell into deep depression and was a millimeter from committing suicide. I could not sleep having such massive night sweats. Overnight my skin went wacko. Sores on my face that would not go away. And my weight. My hair changed. Everything changed. I went to yet a different phyciatrist who upped medication to 300 mg and prescibed trazadone for sleep. Skin issues got worse. The fear, crying, not being able to string two thoughts together..everything others describe. In january of this year i was contacted about a new job in Houston and they relocated me from Atlanta. Before leaving, i went to my obgyn to get annuals done. They came back abnormal with enlarged blood cells. He did general thyroid test said thyroid fine but thought maybe i might be experiencing memopause at 37 and told me to find endocrinologist in Houston. Upon arriving in Houston, my body broke out in massive hives. I was knocked out for days on benedryl. An allergist determined not allergies but probably related to the menopause issues. I frantically searched for an appointment with an endocrinologist in Houston and without realizing it landed an appoitment with Dr. Rida Arem, a world reknowned expert in hypothyroidism. In 24 hours he tested me - ultrasound on my thyroid which was enlarged and real tnyroid stimulating test that showed hypothyroidism. other doctors told me thyroid in " normal" ranges. I also had high lsh levels (menopause hormone), high prolactin levels and barely normal cortisol levels or the stress hormone related to adrenal function. The prolactin overload he immediately had me do mri becuase he was highly certain i had tumor in my pituitary gland. That was normally what he had seen cause that. The mri showed clear. H Three days of being on thyroid med, i felt better. We discussed that i needed to stay on effexor while trying to fix thyroid levels and know what was causing what. When i read about hypothyroidism symptons and side effects of effexor tney were in many cases the same. I was livid. No doctor in Atlanta thought to check hormonal issues and just stuffed me with effexor. I thought i was going insane. Dr. Arem indicated we needed to monitor effects of armourthyroid the first three months. Then we needed to do a sleep study. He was concerned about sleep apnea with my major sleep problems. And then do an adrenal stress test to evaulate cortisol levels. This can cause adrenal failure or fatigue. First three months, my night sweats subsided and i felt better. During this time, i was on armour thyroid and the 300 mg dose of effexor. I returned after three months. Prolactin and lsh back to normal. He could not explain it. Thyroid still off so he augmented with another tnyroid med. Over past three months with this combination, i reduced effexor to 150. It was a nightmare. I was so busy with work, my stress so high, the symptons so bad. I wasnt having nightsweats, but i could not go to sleep and woke up over and over. When i was still i felt pslpitations in heart, a tenseness, heightened anxiety, fear. I simply could not get comfortable and would take sleeping and alcohol to fall asleep and even this did not work. On thursday, i went in for third appointment with dr arem. I expressed even more seriously about the effexor the mixing with the thyroid meds, the sleep. I was at my wits end trying to manage, didnt know what the hell was going on with me i felt so horrid. He ordered me sleep study and recommended doctor to evaluate chemical reactions of effexor. On friday i became so scared about my health, i left my job, knowing i could not handle it and something bad would happen if i continued damaging my body. Over the padt two days, i started digging. Every sympton i have had can be linked back to effexor including thyroid failure, pituitary issues, skin lesions, hives, hair changes. Someone needs to contact me because i am so mad and so sure with every fiber of my being it is effexor that has caused all this. 

 

Like all of you, I have also been a victim of this horrific drug for the last 15 yrs. I have tried to get off twice without success, due to its severe withdrawal side effects. I do have something new to add:

 I was first advised to try effexor for the first time, after being diagnosted with post partum depression. This was around 15 yrs ago and when I believe it this drug was introduced. I have to say that, it did help me out to improve my quality of life with out any side effects while taking it. However, after taken it for 2 yrs. I decided I did not neede it anymore and I stop taken it,  cold turkey without any withdrawal side effect what so ever. I know this sounds unreal, but it is true.

This is why, after having my second child and had being diagnosed with postpartum depression again (10 yrs ago), I requested from my doctor to prescribe effexor for me again. This time, I did notice that it took a while to see any improvement of my depression and anxiety symptoms. As a matter of fact, I got sicker before I felt better. Doctor raised my doses from 75mg to 150 and then to 210mgs. I could not understand why if years before I was able to manage with 75mgs I now needed to tripled up the doses. I honestly thought and felt this was a totally different drug.

Once my depression and anxiety symptoms were under control, I started developing new symptoms: insomnia, lack of sex drive, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and finally fibromyalgia symtoms. After painful years and expensive medical tests, no doctor was able to come up with a real cause for all of the above symptoms.

I was convinced  that I should take effexor out of my system once and for all. I did not think about it twice and just like the first time, I first tried to go cold turkey. OMG! my life was turned into a living hell. I do not need to explain the withdrawal symptoms I experienced since they are exactly as you experienced them.

Six months later, I tried again, this time started weaning off the doses until arriving to 37mgs. 2 months later I had to be put back into the drug because the hallucinations I had at night were so severe and violent that I will fight and physically hit my husband while sleep. I felt I could not control what I did while sleeping anymore and this really scared me.

 I begged my doctor to help me get rid of the drug but her answer was, why would you want to get off something that has helped you with your depression. You may need to take it for life!  Not only that, but since my join pained increased as well (coincidence?) I was put under Lyrica;  according to my doctor I had fibromyalgia.

Ever since, I had gone downhill with my health, to the point of not being able to leave my bed for over a month because of the mirages, lack of energy and join pain. I had been tecnically disable to do anything at all. 

A week ago, I felt that I had arrived to my lowest point. I have I a family and I decided that I needed to  retake control of my life. The first thing I decided to do was, to stay away from doctors. I then changed my diet and start to detox my system. I stop taken Lyrica cold turkey, and I started a vegan diet. I stop drinking coffee and instead, I am drinking ginger tea throughout the day. I actually use ginger root when brewing it. I have seen drastic results just by doing this. One week doing this and I am not taking any pain medication at all. It's been a while since I had not have pain and I am able to walk or even skate with my children!

Next on my list is, Effexor. I will be doing  "The Fat Sick and Nearly Dead detox juice diet"(google it and watch the documentary) and I will start weaning off again getting off again the "demonic effexor". 

I honestly think that we all had been guinea pigs for the Wyeth people. I  think that when these people first launched  this drug to the market, its formula was different but it had been modified with addictive ingredients.

Wyneth must not only pay for all the lives they had ruined, but also, they must provide us with the antidote to contrarest the withdrawal side effects. I will e-mail you my name and info that you need. To whom I may address it?

Mr. Michael Fearon, how are you doing after being afflicted by effexor? Id like to hear more of your story before, during and after paying to be poisoned like a lab rat. Id also really appreciate you to contact me and keep me updated with the class action lawsuit you're setting up. I know I have a strong case to back you up, I used to be in perfect health and im only 26. Thank ya for your time, may Heavenly Father continue to bless you

 

I'm sorry for what you have been through. I was able to wean myself off by removing 1 more bead each day. I started with 240, then 239, then 238 until I was down to none. I was helped by a natural dr. who had given me remedies for anxiety/depression and it helped when I was done. I don't use them everday now and have had no side effects. This the only way I was able to do it. It would help if you could find a natural dr. to help you too. If not, mine does phone consultations and she is very good. You can let me know. If you want to join the class action suit, please give us your full name and city & state where you live. Michael Fearon is trying to organize that. If I can be of anymore help, please let me know.

Terry P

 

are there any class action suits in toronto ontario?

Hi

Michael Fearson, who is handling this, is from Canada. We will need your name and address....please send that and I will forward it to him.

Thanks,

Terry P

Hi, I have been on Effexor 150mg/daily for about 15 years.  I have attempted to go off of it once before, but the withdrawal symptoms were horrible and I gave up.  I was able to reduce my dosage to 75/mg daily, however.  That was about 3 years ago.  I am once again in the process of weaning myself off and I am determined, with God's grace, to get off of this awful drug.  I hope that the damage it has done to me is not irreversible.  

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