safe detox of effexor while pregnant

It is better to be weening off the drug than to continue taking it when you're pregnant. Effexor is harmful to a baby, especially when you are in the later stages of pregnancy. Here is a quote from a site:
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Quote:

Effexor may be harmful to an unborn baby, and may cause problems in a newborn baby if the mother takes the medication late in pregnancy (during the third trimester). Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

I think it is good to call your pharmacist if you want to know more. They should know!

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Hi, I have the same question. I'm going to wean off slowly, so I don't have awful withdrawal. I think it's safer for my body and baby to keep my sanity and go off over a couple months. Then any dose to the baby will slowly go down too, so as not to shock it. This is just me opinion.... but you have to do what's right for you and be healthy, body AND mind.

hello to answer you worried question everyone is different but i took 150 mg of effexor everyday when i was pregnant the whole time and my baby was very healthy and nothing was wrong with her. she is ahead in everything she does i hope this helps a little

I am pregnant and I've made the decision to go off my effexor and, hopefully, switch to a lower dosage of another antidepressant that has been studied better during pregnancy. I've been on 225mg effexor daily for over 8 years now and I'm terrified of the effects that ssri's and snri's can have on the newborn: seizures, uncontrollable crying, pulmonary complications, longer neonatal icu stays, and more. I have had a horrible time with withdrawal the times I missed doses - these were due to lack of money. I had horrible shiver-things that just took over my body. Headaches. Disorientation. I just can't imagine putting my baby through that kind of withdrawal.



My psychiatrist believes that the mother's emotional stability is extremely important during pregnancy and that it is in my best interest to just stick with the effexor during the pregnancy. Due to hormonal shifts in pregnancy, it is better to wait until after the pregnancy to begin experimenting. Regardless, she has set me up on a taper plan for the effexor and starting zoloft. I remember taking zoloft in college. It left me a little flat (flat affect) and my libido was nil, but it was not a problem going off the zoloft. This way, I can at least say that I have made my strongest effort to ensure that my baby will have a healthy start.



This is week #2 of the taper. Week #1 was 200 mg: 150mg extended release and 50 mg direct release. 4 hours after my morning dosage, I crashed for a full 40 minutes - I think that was the direct release dose doing that. This week, I'm taking 175mg: 150mg extended release and 25mg direct release. 4 hours after my dose, I'm crashing, but it's not as severe, thank goodness. I'm scheduled to take a total of 2 months to taper off the effexor. I have to admit I'm feeling a little bit down. I'm not supposed to start the zoloft until next week, but I may start a little sooner.



I wish there was a support system for pregnant women trying to come off anti-depressants.

A lot of mothers to be actually end up having healthy babies with no effects. I think it's possible but if you can go off the Effexor prior to your third trimester that is even better, sadly not everyone is able to do that.

But if you are able to taper off, likely the better.

I took 150mg effexor during pregnancy, and strongly recommend NOT the drug. We all know how we feel if we forget it for a day or two. Just imagine the withdrawl that baby would feel. I was never told about the excessive crying etc. by my doc. Just that the pro's outway the etc..The uncontrollable crying is really mind blowing. Its hard/exhausting as a parent to enjoy your last child (3rd) when your constantly trying to figure out what might be causing this excessive crying. My son now 2 1/2, still has excessive crying/whining, sensitivity to clothes etc. Needless to say after trying everything imaginable I know it was the effexor that caused this!

I was on 150 mg for most of my pregnancy. My doctor also told me that we had weigh the pros vs the cons. I wished maybe they had pushed for counseling rather than the medication. My son, now 4, also cried excessively after he was born. He still does this at 4! I have always noticed abnormal behavior problems with him and have always blamed it on the medication. I wish there was more research on this drug to back it up and to also give some of us moms answers to some of the behaviors we have to deal with in our kids. Maybe it will make the next person think twice about getting on it while pregnant and seek out different solutions.

im 8 weeks and 5 days pregnant. my dr seemed to think its ok to have me quit cold turkey on my effexor. ive been having withdrawls, im severly depressed and can barely get out of bed in the morning to care for the children i already have leaving my husband to do it all. i dontfind this fair and my dr says there isnt any other anti depressant that they can give me but a drug called buspar which i feel is harming me and the unborn baby more than it is helping. i need some advice, or a new dr apparently...

im needing advice on this issue of the effexor during pregnancy. im feeling dissoriented, irratable, dizzy, i cry alot, i cant sleep, i cant eat and im barely able to get out of bed in the mornings due to the depression and the effects of having to quit this medication cold turkey. im very worried.. does anyone have any good advice? thank u.

 

Yes, you need to wean really slow, you're having withdrawal effects, I would say they would fall in the severe category. Your wean shouldn't make it hard to function day to day. Sometimes taking away 2 or 3 beads per day is all you should do. Get the book "The Antidepressant Solution" by Dr. Glenmullen, he teaches you how to safely wean off of effexor. It can take up to 7 mos. for some people (me). I'm on month 5 and I'm 3 mos. preg., I"m down to 37.5 mg taking away only 1 bead per day. But, you may be able to go a little faster. Good luck, I do know how hard it is, I feel for you and all the others going through effexor wean. Can you update soon?

what do you mean taking away one bead per day? I am on 37.5 mg of effexor and i am having a very hard time coming off of it, i tried not to take it for one day and i had a panic attack. But i am very scared of what could happen to the baby. I am very scared to have panic attacks cause ive had them alot in the last 8 years and i know effexor is the only thing that works. But i would rather go through some withdrawals than cause harm to my baby, but i would like to know how to wean myself off easier. So i wanna know what your one bead per day is all about..

Beads are the medicine inside the pill capsule. If you take thenm apart you can count them and take one away everyday.

I got down to 37.5 of effexor xr when I was pregnant (from 75). My baby, now 2, was fine the whole time and is a happy and healthy boy.I still take 37.5 I still have down times, but everyone does. Good luck!

Hello, well in the past that I have been on Effexor, I have suffered 2 miscarriages....went for testings and found out their is nothing wrong with my uterus and I believe that my effexor could have been the source of the spontaneous miscarriages....Now I am pregnant again (still in the early weeks) and started to wean off my medicine...it SUCKS! I am vomiting, dizziness, massive headaches, no energy, tremors, etc....I do hope that when my 7 week ultrasound comes up, that everything is healthy and going off my effexor will help me have a successful pregnancy....the waiting sucks, and the withdrawals suck...but I have read enough and by experiences, that it is best to go off effexor while pregnant.