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Giving Up Effexor, Second Try

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Chincho

MyPTSD Pro
I've been taking Effexor for about four years. It has worked very well for me, but lately I've been noticing that it is affecting my brain. I keep forgetting some people's names, can't seem to find the words I want to say sometimes, and forget what I'm talking about in the middle of a conversation.

I also gained about 20-25 pounds, but I guess that's not all Effexor's fault as I don't exercise as I should.

My psychiatrist agrees that it's time to give it up. She wants me to change to Brintellix.

I first tried to taper down in 2013, taking beads out of every capsule, but the side effects were horrible so we decided that I should keep taking it. It was too much to cope with: the Effexor and my hubby's cancer.

This time, I'm doing it differently. I was on Effexor XR 150 mg in the morning and 75 mg in the afternoon. One week ago, I went down to 75 mg in the morning and 75 mg in the afternoon.

I started with a huge headache 3 days after I lowered the dose. On the fourth day, I thought I'd lost my brain somewhere because I couln't think or remember things like locking the car, or even if I'd eaten lunch! That same day I went to bed at 6pm and slept until 9am the next morning. Yesterday, the 5th day, I still had the headache and my neck hurt. Today, I'm short tempered, but all symptoms are gone!

I will probably lower the dose again in a couple of weeks although I know that side effects might get worse.

If you have any experience with Effexor and any advice you can give me, I'd be really thankful. :)
 
I am on week 3 of cold turkey Effexor stopping. I found that the worst of the physical withdrawals last about 5 days. That was pretty bad, not the worst I've ever felt, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

It's only been in the last couple of days that I have begun to feel the anxiety and depression taking hold again. I remember why I started taking the Effexor in the first place, haha.

Be careful for that, it snuck up on me. I still don't regret quitting this drug. I had the opposite problem to you, I was losing weight. Just couldn't eat. The last two weeks I was on it, I literally lived off red bull and cigarettes. I haven't tried tapering off of it so I can't tell you what that would be like to do. I have read mixed things about this as well, some people say it's the best way, others said it only prolongs the agony.

I have also heard taking Fluoxatine (Prozac) as you come down or quit, can keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay, whether you can do that while taking something else as well, I have no idea. You may wish to ask your doctor about that though.

Good luck, hope you make it. This is a hard one to quit.
 
Thank you for your answer @Neverthesame! You are really brave for stopping Effexor cold turkey!

Physical symptoms seem to have gone away suddenly, but deppression appeared out of nowhere today. That and a bit of paranoia and anxiety. Now I remember why I started taking Effexor too!

I'm determined to stop taking it. As long as nobody visits or talks to me, I think I'l be fine. :laugh: :wacky:
 
The mood effects of Effexor don't start leaving the system for about 2 weeks post-discontinuation, and then they titrate down (if you are titrating). So that feeling of "oh, it used to just be my body feeling bad but now my emotions are screwy, except I stopped taking it awhile ago, what's up with that?" - is, in fact, clinically normal.
 
@joeylittle Absolutely, I just found it surprising due to the slow steady nature with which this drug operates. When I quit Paxil for example, I had weeks of rapid intense mood swings. With Effexor, it has been a very slow drop in mood. You just don't notice it until you go to do something outside of normal routine. Then it's "why do I feel like I want to run off and hide?... Oh, yeah."

Ever hear that story about how a frog placed in boiling water will immediately jump out. Yet a frog placed in cool slowly heated will sit there until it boils to death?
(I have no idea if this actually works, I just can't ethically do that to a poor little frog. Especially since I don't care for the way they taste.)

@Chincho Glad your doing alright. When you get one of the downward mood swings, I highly recommend setting up something in your environment that is positive. Like a funny movie, happy music or anything else that just makes you happy. I have found it makes a huge difference. Even if I don't feel like I want to, after a few minutes I found the negative mood just lifts. For me this has been hugely helpful.

Also, since your going about this in a far safer method than I. I would suggest you mention all of this to your doctor when next you see them. They may just need to adjust your dosages a bit, could save you alot of discomfort. If you haven't already, you might also want to let someone you see frequently know what's going on. I hate talking about my issues with the people around me, but I have been doing this myself. Mainly due to the fact that I am doing this cold turkey, without my doctors assistance. Having informed people around me is just a good safety net in case I go off the deep end without realizing it. Despite having heard the same lecture 100 times about how bad an idea this is, it's a minor nuisance for some peace of mind.
 
Thank you @joeylittle! Effexor withdrawal presents one side effect after another...

Thak you for your advice @Neverthesame! I'll have something positive for when I'm down.

I have told people around me about the physical symptoms and will tell them about the mood swings tomorrow. The (not) funny thing is that my mother is visiting, she's in absolute denial of my PTSD and keeps looking for reasons for the withdrawal that have nothing to do with reality. :mad:

I'm also making a list of all the physical and mood symptoms for my psychiatrist. It will also help me know what to expect next time we lower the dose.
 
I went cold turkey with it. Effexor messed with my creative thinking (stole my voice) and gave me tremors (which would have stolen my career and passion). It helped my OCD thoughts and thus my trauma issues and eating disorder immensely, but it wasn't worth it. The symptoms go away soon enough, but remember that you have to have more tools in place and use them frequently in order to face the mind that Effexor was quieting. Some days are hard and I want medicine again, but I just have to remember the cost and I push through. You can do it, too. Just take care of yourself.
 
I thought I would keep posting in case someone else needs this information later on. If it's not okay, I guess mods can shut down the thread.

It has been two weeks since I first lowered my Effexor XR dose. Yesterday I lowered it even more. Now, I'm taking 75mg in the afternoon, down from 75 in the morning and 75 in the afternoon.

Yesterday, I also started on 10mg Viibryd (Vilazodone). This will go up to 20mg in a week and it will replace Effexor completely in about a month. At least that's the plan I agreed on with my psychiatrist.

In the last week, all my physical withdrawal symptoms dissappeared, although I'm sure they will show up again in a couple of days.

But now I remember why I started taking Effexor in the first place!!! I've been pretty depressed lately and my anger returned. What's even worse is that I'm feeling helpless again, absolutely vulnerable. I feel I need a mother figure asap! (Not my mother, obviously!!!).

If any of you have any advice for me, please let me know.
 
Same thing happened to me. It doesn't so much pass as it is probably the depression you have anyway. It's probably more so now that you are falling below the therapeutic dose become more noticeable. What little your still taking is likely no longer helping with the depression.

I have had to fall back pretty heavily on the breathing and calming exercises. It's been working for me so far. But, it has definitely been a challenge. It is taking alot of effort not to give in to the anxiety and depression, now that I have to do it all by myself.

Definitely keep communicating, this is the dangerous part of switching meds. It's so easy to give into the hopelessness. You have to keep fighting. Don't forget you always have the option of help, should you feel out of control. Seek that help. Your health is the most important. Above all, do what's best for you.
 
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