Coming off effexor

[muffins37]

Hi everyone, i discovered this board while looking for info about ADD. I saw a doctor a while ago so he could help me with my ADD and he prescribed Effexor XR to me (currently 75mg a day). Not only it didnt help but now i have bad side effects. I tried stopping but my first attempt didnt even last 24 hours. I am trying again and i feel really dizzy. I just wanted to know, is there any real danger to stop effexor suddenly?

[null0trooper]

Hi everyone, i discovered this board while looking for info about ADD. I saw a doctor a while ago so he could help me with my ADD and he prescribed Effexor XR to me (currently 75mg a day). Not only it didnt help but now i have bad side effects. I tried stopping but my first attempt didnt even last 24 hours. I am trying again and i feel really dizzy. I just wanted to know, is there any real danger to stop effexor suddenly?

Two things I want to point out from the start:

First, feeling like hell because you stopped taking a medication isn't a side effect, it's a discontinuation effect. This is one of the medications for which there really is a difference.

Second, "I tried stopping" sounds like you decided on your own to stop taking a prescribed med. That's just stupid. Luckily, Effexor is one of the medications for which it's not lethally stupid to pull that stunt unless the person becomes suicidally depressed. For many people it's just a nightmare, as I'm sure you're finding out, no matter whose idea it really was.

*sigh*

Your best bet is to work out with your doctor a plan for slowly tapering off on the dose over a course of weeks, possibly backing it up with a low dose of an SSRI with a longer half-life (e.g., Prozac) and then tapering that medication. If you search this site you shouldn't have any trouble finding discussions of tapering off Effexor.

Personally, I probably wouldn't go back to a doctor who would prescribe Effexor as the first medication for person whose only problem is ADHD. For adult ADHD the approved medication is Strattera. For depression+ADHD, I think most psychiatrists would try Wellbutrin first.

[muffins37]

Luckily, Effexor is one of the medications for which it's not lethally stupid to pull that stunt unless the person becomes suicidally depressed.

Thats a good thing to hear!

Your best bet is to work out with your doctor a plan for slowly tapering off on the dose over a course of weeks, possibly backing it up with a low dose of an SSRI with a longer half-life (e.g., Prozac) and then tapering that medication. If you search this site you shouldn't have any trouble finding discussions of tapering off Effexor.

Personally, I probably wouldn't go back to a doctor who would prescribe Effexor as the first medication for person whose only problem is ADHD. For adult ADHD the approved medication is Strattera. For depression+ADHD, I think most psychiatrists would try Wellbutrin first.

I live in Qu

[null0trooper]

For the moment, i just want to stop being dizzy without having to go wait 8 hours in a clinic to see anyone...

Now something i would like to know: Can i drive and go to work?

If you're still dizzy tomorrow morning, it may be best to call in sick. Driving and dizziness do not go well together.

It's possible that a 5HTP or St. John's Wort supplement may act enough like an SSRI to ease some of the symptoms, but that's entirely guesswork on my part.

[muffins37]

Thanks for the support, it's really appreciated. This afternoon i tought about it all and decided to check with my pharmacy for some help. The guy told me to keep taking it every other day.

something i dont get about all this: why is this stuff on the market? I've read horror stories about it.

The other thing i dont get: why did the doctor put me on this crap for ADD? It wasnt helping and it was turning my love life to crap...

[null0trooper]

something i dont get about all this: why is this stuff on the market? I've read horror stories about it.

Almost all of the horror stories involve discontinuing the medication. For SSRI-responsive depression, it works fairly well, and has a broad dosing range. At higher doses, it starts affecting noradrenaline levels. That's something the SSRIs do not do, and the TCAs and MAOIs can do only as long as the side effects or med/diet restrictions can be tolerated.

The other thing i dont get: why did the doctor put me on this crap for ADD? It wasnt helping and it was turning my love life to crap...

It's hard to tell what was going through his mind. If he thought you just wanted prescription speed, he should have just told you to leave.

Otherwise, most ADD symptoms also match symptoms of depression, bipolar, Asberger Syndrome, thyroid disease, disregulated blood sugar levels, and about 100 other illnesses. Many of them do not respond well to stimulants or activating antidepressants. ADHD is commonly thought to have something to do with noradrenaline and dopamine levels in the frontal lobes - and Effexor can increase levels of the one, at least.

The catch to all of that is that ADHD doesn't usually respond to serotonergic medications, and bipolar patients can be badly destabilized by an SSRI (like lower-dose Effexor.)

I might assume one of the symptoms you reported was anxiety or irritability - both of which are usually made worse by noradrenergic ADs and stimulants... But if the 1-in-20 underlying cause is ADHD + attendant psychological bad habits, those same meds can be, um, calming.

So, the first thing to do is to find out what your actual diagnosis is.

Then, you're going to have to communicate with your doctor all the problems you've had with the current medication, including rating their importance.

Based on all that, discuss your treatment options with your doctor. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion or to research a new medication before starting it.