Effexor withdrawal is Hell (anybody else experience this)?

[kitthekitten128]

I stopped it three days ago. Was on three of the 37.5 mg pills for two and a half weeks. Not a lot, but so far have been crying uncontrollably, had an upset stomach, hot flushes/prickly feelings all over my skin, been sweating, have cramps, very congested, crazy appetite. Very depressed too. I am wondering if this is withdrawal or not. Not sure what can be done. Because of the congestion I haven't slept much for three days. Feel very hopeless right now.

what are other people's experiences? What helps? Did you have similar symptoms?

[humanoid]

I had bad withdrawal from effexor, too. I experienced a lot of what you're describing, and also irritability/anger, and major brain zaps. I don't remember if there was anything special I did, just once I started experiencing the withdrawal, I started a much slower taper. I ended up opening the capsules and pouring like, half the beads into yogurt and then eating it, which made for a slower taper.

I'm sorry you're experiencing this right now, I know it's certainly not fun and horrible to go through.

[lysergia]

effexor withdrawal was a very special hell for me. i swear i had every w/d symptom listed, and probably more, and it took a long time.

i'd ask your prescribing doc a few things. first, ask about a slower taper schedule. it might mean taking a pill every second day, or as humanoid said, dividing up those little beads (not normally recommended), or even what's called a water taper. you haven't been on effexor for very long, so i don't expect you'll be asked to try anything that complicated, though.

i'd also ask if it's okay to take benadryl. it did help me somewhat during that time.

i promise you that you won't feel like this forever.

[andie]

IT. IS. HELL.

List of symptoms I experienced while going off Effexor:

• Chills and sweats
  
• Dizziness/lightheaded
  
• Confusion
  
• Weird lapses in memory
  
• Saying one word for another (forget what that's called)
  
• Extremely emotional and aggressive
  
• The worst insomnia I have ever experienced, ever. Like, not sleeping for two days because your eyes don't close insomnia. Like, wake up every hour insomnia.
  
• Exhaustion
  
• HUGE weight loss in a short amount of time that triggered a relapse into my bulimia
  
• The almighty brain zaps that have brought me to tears
  
• Photosensitivity
  
• And my favorite symptom, hallucinations. Full-blown visual and touch hallucinations. I saw my cat and felt him touching my leg despite the REAL Chairman Meow sitting across the room meowing at the window.
  

Easily the WORST experience of my life. NEVER going on Effexor again. It should be burned to the ground forever.

[Cattitude]

I agree with the other posters who said to taper down more slowly. I'd say down by 37.5 at a time, and wait at least 4-5 days before going down by a pill. At the end, take one pill every two days, then three, and so on until you're at a week. You will feel side effects at the end, but that's normal and they go away within a couple of weeks if you stop at a lower dose.

My worst exp with Effexor withdrawal (I've been on it 3 times) was when I was taking about 300 mg without a drug plan. My pdoc was giving me samples at first but then wrote a script and told me from now on I'd have to buy my own. Once I couldn't afford it and I cut it off cold turkey. My symptoms then:

- brain zaps so bad I could barely hear

- extreme disorientation

- hallucinations and "grey patches" interfering with my vision

- barely able to speak a sentence because I didn't know the words

- sweating all the time including night sweats that soaked the sheets and my pajamas

- hideous nightmares that caused me to shout and scream in my sleep

I managed to get to my pdoc's office (umm I drove, very bad idea) and beg him for samples. He could see what rough shape I was in and gave me some. After that, no more refusal to give me samples.

[kitthekitten128]

Ok. Yes, its bad. I am super emotional (crying right now), very anxious and depressed. I feel like I have no antidepressants in me, like nothing is working, when it usually does work.

[lilymu]

Effexor withdrawls are HELL! Everything everyone has said are true. Low and slow, only way to get off of it.

[Velvet Elvis]

How long were you on it?

For the record, here's how to get off Effexor.

1. While on Effexor start taking a low dose of prozac or another serotonic drug with a long half life.

2. Slowly taper down off the Effexor over a period of a couple months.

3. Once you're done with discontinuation symptoms from the Effexor, taper off the prozac.

I read this on a fairly well respected bipolar site written by a well known psychiatrist but for the life of me I can't remember who it was.

[The Emperor]

How long were you on it?

For the record, here's how to get off Effexor.

1. While on Effexor start taking a low dose of prozac or another serotonic drug with a long half life.

2. Slowly taper down off the Effexor over a period of a couple months.

3. Once you're done with discontinuation symptoms from the Effexor, taper off the prozac.

I read this on a fairly well respected bipolar site written by a well known psychiatrist but for the life of me I can't remember who it was.

I was only on 150mg for a month, so this might be useless, but I didn't experience any withdrawal whatsoever. I mentioned to p-doc that I heard that Prozac was often used when one was discontinuing Effexor to help with the withdrawal, so he prescribed me some Prozac. I didn't have physical discomfort at all. I had emotional problems, but I think that was just linked to me being very sensitive to SSRI's, not the Effexor withdrawal, I could be wrong, though.

I hope you get it straightened out so that you don't feel like hell anymore.

[kitthekitten128]

Thank you. I feel way better! Prescribed Prozac too. Love that stuff. Abilify worked too! Thank you for all the help!

[The Emperor]

Glad it's better for you, kit!