An Annoucement From Me & Some Questions Re: Withdrawals

[Deleted member 541]

Rach,

I tried to taper for 2 or 3 days and after feeling like crap I decided to do it cold turkey. My reasoning.....I read a lot online and learned that you would feel like crap through out the entire taper, PLUS for several weeks to months after. THAT is why I decided to not prolong the inevitable and get the withdrawals done and over with as quickly as I could. It took a total of about 2 months for all of the withdrawal symptoms to finally be gone.

I hated the brain zaps, but I agree that the *floaty* feeling was the worst. Almost like equilibrium of the brain disappeared...

Hang in there and hopefully things will calm down soon.

 

[linasmom]

Thanks Tude and Wen.

I also notice that I am more *intolerant* without the antidepressants - but, so it goes. There's always a trade, and I guess I'd rather be a bitch than have no personality at all.

ugh, I'm just SO frustrated about all of it. Can you tell??!!!!

 

[Nicolette]

I guess I'd rather be a bitch than have no personality at all.

Isn't that what defines a woman anyhow? :wink:...it just the level of bitchiness which varies :rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[nic]

Wishing you the best, Rach.

 

[Annie]

Hi Rachel, I am new to this thread...just read through it...4 years ago was my first try with any anti depressant and it was Effexor...I did not respond well to it all all...every possible side effect, I had, so after a month and a half on it I quit cold turkey. It sucked major, I had every symptom that has been mentioned here and more...the runs and barfing was the worst though...
it took about a month to get over that...
I was put on Celexa and now it's all good....I have gone up to very high dose and am now back to the min dose necessary to function. I am also on Epival, small dose as well... I am in a day hospital program and one of the things we learned was that Effexor was one of the worst to come off...
Hope all is well with it...

Annie

 

[linasmom]

Isn't that what defines a woman anyhow? :wink:...it just the level of bitchiness which varies :rofl:

:wink: very true. I'll say that I'm rating "high" on the bitch scale, right now. :rofl:




Thanks Nic and Annie. :Hug_emoticon:

 

[trishok]

I took effexor for only a couple of days years ago. Stopped due to heavy head and neck, headaches and electrical stuff happening in front part of my head. Was in bed lying down the whole time as was scared it would cause fitting or worse.

I am withdrawing from Cipramil (citalopram) since yesterday. Doctor said to cut tablets in half so as to reduce dose by half for 5 days.

Would recommend gradually weaning off effexor, but you do know about that, so all the very best with your decision.

Trish

 

[rallynut78]

Oh my God! I can't believe you quit cold turkey! I was on 150mg for over a year then about a month ago I switched to welbutrin and started titrating off of the effexor. The psychiatrist at the VA dropped the ball on this one and only prescribed me 2 weeks worth of 75mg then went on vacation:rolleyes:. then when i got low i asked my counselor there about it and she had another doctor prescribe me a weeks worth of 37.5 and said that would be enough to ween me off. I ran out on a Wednesday and it took until Friday to start feeling sick. not the usual zaps and floatiness but just sick to my stomach and completely out of it. i went home early from work and barfed my brains out for a half hour then spent the rest of the day feeling terrible. i felt better after sleeping for 13 hours so that night I decided to do some strenuous activity with my wife. I began to feel like I was going to pass out then the vomiting set in, this time much worse. I also started sweating bullets (it was literally pouring off of me). I was hyperventilating and couldn't catch my breath. I turned the shower on cold and hoped in then collapsed on the bed w/o drying off. that was what it took to cool me down. it was a full hour before i stopped hyperventilating. for a few minutes there My wife almost called 911. it was that bad.

I know the floatiness and the zaps very well from times i would forget to take it for a few days. that is no picnic but i hope you didn't have any withdrawals like that. hope you start feeling better soon!

 

[Nicolette]

Any updates Rachel...how are you doing?

 

[linasmom]

Hi Nicolette,

Still going....ha! Still not completely off, and I have good and bad days.

 

[UmightKnowMe]

Oh man you poor thing! I once went on vacation and like a dummy forgot to pack my meds one of which is Effexor. BIG MISTAKE! I was so sick..everything I ate was coming out both ends. I was falling off curbs and just wanted to lay down in the dark and not move. Brain zaps..yeah I had those...and I think I was getting to that floating you described right before I got home....it was like if I moved my head it took awhile for my brain and eyes to catch up. Very freaky. And I DROVE once in that condition! I was so glad to get home safely...I was definately impaired.

I have read that some people got down to a certain level of it and then had to actually take their capsules apart and go down by one little bead of the stuff at a time so they could handle it. I hope you are feeling better soon. I dread the day when Efferxor stops working for me. (All the others did eventually)