What could help with Effexor withdrawal?

JUST DO IT! Yikes It took me many tries to finally escape the addiction effects of stopping Effexor. I took 75 mg for 5 years following chemotherapy for breast cancer. I could not stop weeping....I SHOULD have sought help to deal with the after effects of cancer and chemo but my DOCTOR put me on effexor. I think Docs are the drug pushers in our society that are fueled by the easy remedies of the very lucrative drug companies....now I take NOTHING. I joined a support group and spend more time with my friends...THAT works. I write FEAR inventories, and write a gratitude list instead of complaining....Being DRUG FREE is the only way I can stay sane for me anyway. I hope this helps. hj

I have been on 225mg Effexor xr for five years now. I am trying to get off. I dropped down to 150mg. I actually cut my wrist and I kept hitting myself, etc... My wife is a nurse and is taking Family leave to help me. The doctor can't give me a good answer as to how to wean off of this stuff. I smoke weed when I feel bad withdrawl effects and it helps - but weed is illegal so no one wants me to use it. f**k it. Why can't someone help me. I won't smoke weed if there is something else I can take to get off Effexor. I never had suicidal thoughts before taking Effexor - I was put on Effexor for Syncopase symptoms. God help me in getting off of this. I am very afraid of hurting myself. I have a wife and three kids I love very much. If I did not have children, I don't think I would be here any longer because I can't take the withdrawl side effects. Is there anything I can do? :-(

I actually lost 30 pounds on Effexor. That was the only reason I stayed on it (after my depression did not get any better). I got off by using Prozac 20 mg for 1 week and 10mg for 2nd week. Helps with weaning. Now I'm worried about gaining weight. Crazy how this drug works differently for everyone. I know if you drink alcohol (even 1 drop) while on this drug you will gain weight. I don’t drink and other people that don’t have lost weight taking effexor. Anyhow, thought I'd offer those tips and Prozac wean.
One last thing for men…get your testosterone checked before going on any antidepressants. Low testosterone has exact same symptoms as depression. Google “Low testosterone” symptoms. That was my problem all along. 3 years later of every antidepressant on the market and it turns out to be low testosterone. I learned about this thanks to Google. Using androgel and testosternone shots. Find the right doctor too!
Good Luck all.

Hello to all and thanks for your postings.My name is vasco and i am 36 yaers old.I have been using effexor for the past 6 years now.Effexor really helped me with my depression ,heart palpiations,anxiety,panic attacks,paranoia .I started to have all these symptoms around 11 years ago after a very painful relation breakup and also after the death of some family members.I started the treatment in Portugal my home country and continued in the United States.I found also tremendous help for my depression/anxiety disorder in self help groups ,many times by different reasons i missed Effexor doses,immediately i started to feel withdrawal symptoms ,dizzyness ,lightheaded,confusion ,sweating .Last week i spent 4 days without Effexor and i had all these symptoms times one hundred,I though i was going to get crazy ,i found great help on this blog ,reason why i'm writing a few words.I spoke with my doctor a few days ago and i told her i really wanted to stop Effexor ,she agreed but recomended to lower gradually the dose.I am now back on Effexor but only 75 mg a day ,once in the morning ,i was before in the beginning taking 100 mg twice a day wich i feel now it's a great improvement.I do sports wich helped me a lot now and before i could not do ,i started to have panic attacks .I have very positive friends ,i read th Bible and i will intend to be Effexor free in around 6 months from now.I am very thankful to this site and people's experiences .i will keep coming here in support and hope to help others by sharing my stories as well.Hope everyone gets better ,there is hope.God bless America and God bless you all.  

Hi I just read all of the posts and some of them really helped a lot.

hello folks im 21 and have been on 150mg for three years. For anxiety. Im completely off them now, and was weaned too fast because im pregnant and I have to get off asap. The zaps are brutal, i hate the zaps, and i just generally dont feel right. I feel werid.. I have been takeing gravol and sleeping as much as i can. Oi does anyone know how long this will last

Ever wonder if the people who prescribe this c**p have taken it themselves? My neurologist prescribed it to me for migraines and depression. Its been about a year and a few months ago i started tapering off on the dose and well since id been on one pill for a few weeks i figured it would be ok to stop. Boy was i ever so freaking wrong. the hell ive been going through and putting other people through is pure sh*t! i swear my gf should just dump my ass. The brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, sadness, anxiety, nightmares and paranoia are unf*ckingreal! I cant walk without my ears popping and the sensation of being bumped into left and right, oh and the stomach pains come and go as they please.  i have been reading everything i come across and so far ive heard benadryl, omega 3, and ginger caps will help these symptoms. Others have used different anti depressants to help with the withdrawls. I refuse to take anymore mind controlling c**p. So tomorrow when i get off work imma go get all these things and i will post on my progress. God bless you all. Keep your head up, we'll get through it somehow. Goodnight.

I am so grateful I found this forum. I have been weaning off Effexor for 6-8 weeks now. I have never been through such withdrawls. Even Cymbalta wasn't this bad. All of the symtoms I have read about, I have had, expect nightmares. My daughter, who is a mgr for Vitamin World, is putting a packagetogether for me of supplements that have been known to help. i will post what she sends and if it helps.

The thing that gets to me the most is the way the  sympthoms come and go. Right now, 8 am, I feel ok. I am dizzy and scattered, but not to bad. Of course, I am sitting still an havent really started my day, but I could function if this was as bad as it get.  As I consider what I need to get done today, my mind just freezes up. I can't get anything done because I cant think of anyone thing for more than a second or two. And if I do move around, or even look around, my sight and mind do not move at the same speed.

Another thing that I just don't understand is after cutting down as far as 37.5 once a day, I was doing ok. Not great, not normal, but diffinetly managable. The when I cut those out, the withdrawl got 100 time worse. If I take 1/4 of a pill every other day, it helps for a few hours, but then I start to spiral again. I WANT OFF THIS STUFF. How much slower do i have to go. I don't want to take the 1/4 pill, and put it off for as long as I can, but if I don't take it eventually , well, I'm ready to self admit into a pshy ward. Am I just prolonging the inevitable? Should I not take it at all? How long will this last if I dont take any of it?
I am so glad I am not losing my mind. I hope and pray this does not last forever.

I agree with you on this.  It is IMPERATIVE that you WEAN off.  Cold turkey will make you feel crazy.  I actually often ended up skipping a dose, so I went from 112.5 a day, down to 75 a day over a month.  I then did 75 every other day for a month.  Then cut this in half, still every other day.  I finally went to one day on, two days off.  My only side effect was dizziness/light-headedness.  Once I was completely off, though, the physical symptoms kicked in.  Mostly body aches, like I had worked out all day!  Weird, huh? 

I'm not going back on it ever again, and I'm happy I'm off.  No severe depression symptoms, just the regular day-to-day stuff that we ALL experience.  It's called STRESS. lol.

I also went on a nutritional program to reboot my system with the proper nutrients, vitamins and minerals, to make sure I wouldn't have any relapses.  It was Isagenix, and it saved my life.

 

I was put on Effexor in July for what I thought was mild depression after moving to Atlanta alone. I used to compete in natural figure/bodybuilding and was an EXCELLENT personal trainer and role model for health. I am 5'1" and was 115 in July 2011. By November 2011 I was just over 150. I had to stop weighing myself because it made me so depressed. I can't fit into any of my nice clothes and I'm embarrased to even let anyone see me who I used to train or those who looked up to me before. This is awful and I feel like my life has been taken from me. Last week I had my first session with a therapist who suggested that this medication is not a good one for me to be on. Does anyone know if the weight will be any easier to get off when I'm off of this drug? I'm not the same anymore and I've lost so much of my confidence and self esteem. It's the first time in my life I've felt like it's not even worth it to care about how I look. Every week I'm noticing another part of my body that feels different or now has rolls of fat covering what used to be a perfect body,

And yes, Effexor gives me terrible headaches, since on it I feel like I'm pregnant all the time from the nausea, dizziness, and light-headedness. I wish I would have read about it before I started taking it.

Three words for you: GET OFF IT!

It IS possible Holliedollie! I'm shocked that you were prescribed such a strong anti-depressant for mild depression. Just make sure you WEAN yourself off it. Use your amazing knowledge of alternatives to wean off. I highly recommend a nutritional program to reboot your system at the same time. Isagenix helped me immensely in this.

All the best, Holliedollie! I'm rooting for you!!!

I was on 75 mg effexor xr for about 8 yrs. I wanted off!!! Nurse practitioner at psych office, you NEVER see the psychiatrist, he is only there because he is Medicare cerified and can bill. NP cut me back to 37.5 mg effexor xr for a month, then 37.5 mg tabs to cut in half and take twice a day. After a month, I went in and she told me I could stop taking them. I have brain zaps about every 5-10 min, oddly in groups of 3, anger, aggitation, crying, dizziness, I saw my therapist and she said I am not the same person!! My answer "DUH" I jumped up yelled for her to prepare the bill, and ran out of her office. I have a very important appt tomorrow. The woman from the office told me not to come in with my voice slurred. I didn't realize it was. This is a horrid med. Wyeth/Pfizer did a 6-8 wk study, they didnt know which, and ALL THE PEOPLE HAD THE SAME REACTION. Yet, it is still on the market. $$$$$

Hi Hollie,

Ive been taking Effexor XR for about a year. Im 4'10 and 3 months ago, i was about 100 lbs. I had a very nice body. Today, none of my clothes fit and it seemed to happen over night. I seriously want to cry every time I have to undress. I thought i was just imagining it, but no, I have rolls appearing in places i've never had. The only thing I can possibly attribute this to is the minor alcohol intake i've been doing (a glass or wine or beer a couple times a week) I never really drank much before.

I had to reply to you because our situations are a bit uncanny, except the effexor helped me to keep my weight down until I started drinking a bit. and once I did, bam, I was hit with the butter cream. it went straight to my belly and boobs (not always a bad thing, but in my case, i hate boobs, i had a breast reduction 15 years ago so I know better about having biggens). If you've been drinking some to socialize like i have, that might be the deal with the unusual and rapid weight gain.


The past week, I sort of went into this rebellious state with my psychiatrist. He's wanted me to come in every month or two while on this med. it's the same deal each month, I tell him things are great, i feel good, no other side effects *other than horrible night sweats*, and basically no changes from the last appt. I fork out 35$ each time for a less than 10 min appt while he types away on his laptop. all to tell my insurance to go ahead and refill the script.


I'm over it. This to me is a great waste of my money and it has depleted the personal time i off accrue at work. While the medication really has helped me a great deal, im concerned what it's going to do to the "real" me. I did need it to get over a devastatingly abusive relationship that pretty much left me close to death, but now I'm much happier, in a better place, and I believe able to live without the crutch.


the withdraws are horrid, btw. What you are experiencing as the 'pregnancy effect', i'm going through now. I seem to have an insatiable hunger, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness like i'm on a people-mover with my eyes closed, but they're wide open. The vertigo is almost intolerable, and the electric pulsing i feel in my brainstem and cranium, i've recently found others refering to as "brain zaps or brain shakes" it's weird...

Maybe you are not taking the pill the same time everyday or forgetting to take it here and there? it only has a 5 hour half life.. so withdraws are immediate.


oh yea, normally, i'm a very fluid and flowery writer. Only 3 days off this med, cold turkey, and i'm all over the place and find it difficult to get my work outfit together or focus on the most simplest of things. i'm lucky to have a supportive boyfriend in my life right now helping me through it. Otherwise, i dont know how I'd manage.


im starting to take some appetite suppressant and belly-fat-targeting pills i got at GNC. I told the dude i'm coming off of serious meds, withdraws include insatiable appetite and extreme dizziness so I can't work out...he pointed me to "Ab Cuts" and said they'll work and I won't have to exercise.


if you want, i'll let you know if they help at all. Im on the first day taking them.. Do yourself a favor though, take the effexor only as long as you need to get over the hump, then get off. Doc recommend tapering off, but the withdraws will be the same over and over until your off completely. Id rather deal with them and get off asap then to drag it out.

I recently went off Effexor 75 mg. I had been on this med for about 8 years, and had tried unsuccessfully 3 times before to go off of it, but the side effects always kicked my butt and I started taking it again. But with the help of a pharmacist/herbalist, I have been off of it for 3 weeks now. I weaned myself from 75 to 37.5 daily, then began extending the 24 hour period between doses by a couple of hours each day, until I got to the point of 48 hours between doses. I took a multivitamin, 5-htp and Vitamin b6. (I took one of each in the morning, then another 5 htp and b6 a couple of hours before bedtime.). I included exercise, lots of water, and a bit of prayer, and it all worked to the good. I continue to take the supplements, and I feel better than I have in a very long time. More energy, better quality sleep, and just a good feeling of being able to kick the med. :-)

WOW I am in awful shape right now! About a week ago I missed an appt with my psychiatrist. The place I go to requires that you go through your "therapist" to even contact your psychiatrist, so I left a message for her saying I need to reschedule asap, but she works part time and has not gotten back to me. I realized I didn't have enough Effexor so I started taking 1/2 my prescribed dose per day last week and starting getting slight withdrawl symptoms. As of 2 days ago, I have had no Effexor left. Now this withdrawl is unbearable. I just called crisis, it's now 2:15AM, spoke to an on-call person who couldn't do anything for me. But I remembered I have "as needed" Xanax so I just took one. Although reading this forum helped me feel not alone, I was sobbing the whole time and now I am shaking violently. On top of the rest - the zaps, motion sickness, severe sweating now, headache, can't stop eating, can't stop crying.. I really can't even make coherent sentences now, and I"M A WRITER! God help me. God help us all. Feeling pretty doomed. But I will check back in, and have subscribed to this thread. I wish I could've said all I wanted to here but can't stop shaking long enough  to type more...