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Gregmethod
Starting Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/27/2005 : 14:21:33
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Notes from My Successful Effexor Withdrawal
After doing research on this board and others, I prepared the following withdrawal regime and carried it out, making slight adjustments as I went along. It worked for me, although the withdrawal was not easy. I share it with you all in gratitude for all your advice and sharing over these past months. I hope it will be a help for you preparing to come off Effexor
1. My Situation:
a. Length of Time of Effexor: 5.5 years
b. Dosage: 150 mg XR
c. Reason for Effexor: TMJ, myofascia and migraines due to a displaced jaw disc, lock jaw and stress.
d. Other medications: Flexeril (periodically over the years but not in past year when things are "bad"); Trazodone, for sleep; vitamins and herbs as needed.
e. Status: Age: 43, Height 5'-10"; Weight: 160. Married, no kids, work from home.
f. Reasons to Come Off: Generally feeling better with the help of physiotherapist; life situation has become low-stress and stabile (secure job, good marriage, work from home); side effects of Effexor becoming irritating, especially the emotional distance from my own thoughts/emotions; and simply feel that I cannot be on this drug for the rest of my life.
2. My Withdrawal Regime:
Procedure:
Drop my dosage by 18.75 mg (XR) every two weeks. 4 months total time to get to zero. Divided 37mg pills into two parts to equal 18.75, depositing each part in new empty vegetable gel caps (available at health food store).
In general:
a. No caffeine--not even decaf coffee.
b. No alcohol.
c. Exercise every day (heartbeat up for 20 minutes or more).
d. Steam Room / Sauna / Hot bath or long hot shower every day.
e. 40-50 hour work weeks, nights/weekends off for "down time".
Daily:
a. Vitamins (one dosage each in the morning and night): B Complex (50mg); C (1000 mg); E (400 iu); Omega 3/6/9 (2000 mg); Glucosamine Sulfate; 8 glasses of water.
b. Continued with my Trazodone medication for sleep during entire tapering process, took no Flexeril.
Experience during each tapering of 18.75 mg:
First 24 hours: no side effects.
48 hours: very bad day: grumpy, anger, rage (for someone relatively sweet natured); nausea, dizzy, balance problems, headache; when moving head too quickly would become nauseous; body pains, disrupted sleep with periodic nightmares. The main thing is to be as far from other people as possible since any conversation would rub me the wrong way. Asked wife to take nothing I say personally, agree with whatever I say, or simply "get outta my way". Eventually we found sending her away for the day shopping or whatever to be the best. On these days I would plan to do a lot of non-thinking busy work around the house: fix things, garden, etc. Spent extra time at gym and in steam room.
72 hours: very low energy, dopey, foggy, wanting to stay in bed, body pains. My energy would then slowly gain over the next few days. Some of the above side effects would appear briefly without warning between drops in dosage (anger, bad nights sleep, sluggish).
Once at zero mg.:
Symptoms: All of the above, but slightly increased in all areas.
Acute allergy symptoms--sneezing, headache, stuffed up from morning to night--aches and pains. I took Benedryll during this time which helped a lot.
Detox Period:
Now I had to remove the toxins from Effexor from my body. Regime:
a. Steam Room / Sauna / Hot bath or long hot shower twice every day--with cold shower breaks in between heat sessions to mimic the aspects of fever.
b. Colon cleanser: Triphila and Psyllium husk powder twice a day
c. Dry brush my skin (the skin holds a 1/3 of the body's toxins)
d. 5 day juice fast, with 2 days before and after of raw vegetables/fruits only. Stopped all medications, vitamins, benedryll, colon cleanser, everything during this juice fast. I scheduled the fast approximately 2 weeks after stopping Effexor.
e. Exercise regime every day.
3. Am I Now in the Clear?
Here I am 4 weeks after the end of Effexor (and Trazadone--which I replaced with melatonin). I continue to take vitamins and will do so for quite a while. So ... How am I feeling?
- I don't have words to describe how wonderful it is to have my feelings, emotions and mind back, where I feel that my moods are my own and not manufactured by Effexor.
- Allergies continue to haunt me daily, but each day it gets a bit better, and I take less benedryll.
- No need to remember pill times is wonderful, less dry mouth.
- Still a bit "low energy", but it gets better each day.
- Mood is upbeat, feeling hopeful and looking forward to clear windshields everyday!
I hope this help those of you out there planning to come off this drug. I am grateful for Effexor for all it has done to help me over the years. I wished they warned me about the withdrawal. I am grateful for all your suggestions and comments that helped me research and put this regime into place. It worked for me and I probably wouldn't change a thing if I were to do it again.
--Greg  |
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| fiona™©
Full Member (100+ posts)
105 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2005 : 16:23:08
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Wow Greg,
You have done exceedingly well with your withdrawal from effexor xr. I am at present on 300mgs of the drug. I need it right now, I would be a severe mess without it, but I dread the time I have to come off it. Your story of dealing wiht the withdrawal is amazing. You hvae givenme hope for the time that is right for me to begin the cessation of this medication. You did it, you were successful. I can do it too. I know I can, I will do this.
Thank you so much for your help with this.
Fiona xx
Fiona |
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| Isthisnormal
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2006 : 19:39:36
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I was in the same boat. I was on every combo of psych meds out there. My last combo (as of July 15th) was:
150mg of Effexor twice a day
300mg of Lithium (forget how often)
20mg Abilify at night
1mg of Klonipin four times a day
100mg Topamax twice a day
Trazadone 100 at night
180mg of Allegra
20mg of Nexium twice a day
Birth Control
Vitamins
I finally had enough, and dropped it all. Yes, at once. OK, not safe, but who cares, right?
Now I'm on:
180mg Allegra (AM)
20mg of Nexium (AM)
Birth Control (PM)
GNC Women's ultra Mega Active (AM and PM)
Vitamin C 1000mg Time Released w/Rose Hips (PM)
GNC Bone Formula (AM and PM)
GNC Mood Formula (AM)
Having nightmares, panic and anxiety attacks daily, but I'm coping. Any recommendations for adjusting to my new meds free life?
~Kristina |
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| learningmore
Starting Member
9 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2007 : 11:56:58
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| Wow that was brave dropping all at once. You might want to check out the b3 and b-complex vitimins. I take 1 b complex with b-6 400mg and b-3 or called niacin 3 500mg spread thru day. There sems to be some evidence to support the b3 need and it makes sense, from what I have found. but I suppose to be schizophrenic, so the jury is still till my next episode, if have one. In withdraw from Resperidal, I would get a slight 'pumped' up feeling once and a while, so I started the bs and I think it is helping, there is no other sign of the smyptoms, except for headaches but I had some on resiperdal. I'm hoping I have a life not manufactured by J&J, but not sure yet. |
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| Lorelei711
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2013 : 16:53:35
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I was prescribed 150mg of Effexor 10 years ago after a breakup with my then-fiance. Come to find out, my depression, OCD, and social anxiety are genetic and run in my family. It was like night and day once I started taking Effexor and I felt like "normal" for the first time in my life.
Fast-forward to now.....
My husband passed away suddenly 5 months ago and the grief process is like nothing I've ever been thru  I finally reached a point where I just didn't care about anything and would tear up at the drop of a hat. My therapist got me in to see her Nurse Practitioner and she switched me to 20mg of Celexa to take instead of the Effexor. Scared the crap outta me since I read up on the withdrawal symptoms, but I trust my therapist and she trusts her NP...so here I am on my 3rd day without the Effexor.
I'm having all the usual withdrawal issues, but not quite as bad as everyone else has described (knock on wood). In addition to the Celexa, I'm taking a multi-vitamin 2x/day, combination Omega 3*5*6*7*8*9*11 fish oil 2-3x/day, ibuprofen if needed, and antacid tablets as needed. I'm also drinking more water, giving myself permission to sleep more if I want, and taking it easy until I go back to work on Tuesday.
I have the brain "swish" when I turn my head and an over-all yucky feeling, but it's not debilitating. I've learned to think of the odd dreams over the years as entertaining so they've not been bad. The sweating is no worse than it's been since I started taking Effexor, but I think I'm just so used it that it's become a way of life (but I do really hope that goes away all together after withdrawal).
These symptoms were more intense the first day, but have been a little bit better each day since then. So, am I just extremely lucky or can I expect the withdrawal to suddenly get worse as time goes on?? |
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Notes from My Successful Effexor Withdrawal
