Lisathelobster
19-08-13, 02:26
Hi everyone
I decided to register with this site after reading some of the posts about Venlafaxine. Ill try keep this as brief as possible, but please forgive me if it turns into a rant. Basically I was on Venlafaxine for 5 years and they really helped me beyond anything I could've imagined. I had been through the whole nhs process and all the meds they try out, but none of them worked, so i went private for a short time (could hardly afford it, but it didn't take too long to get a recommendation from the psychiatrist as to what medication I should be on). So I started out on 37.5 mg of Venlafaxine a day and gradually went up to 225mg. Don't get me wrong, it didn't complete take away the depression, but for the most part it did, I'd have a few dark spells, but the majority of the time I felt we'll enough to function and actually feel good. But my doctor moved and I ended up with a choice of the doctors that were left at the practice who weren't so helpful, understanding or interested. The doctor I started seeing asked me " do you even need this medication" to which I wasn't entirely sure how to answer. But I did think that maybe I should see how I am without them. I had heard the withdrawals were pretty bad and I drive for a living so I wasn't too happy about coming off them and working so I took 2 1/2 weeks off work hoping that would be enough. The doctor I was seeing decided she wanted me to go down to 75mg from 225mg and didn't seem to care all that much about any concerns I had regarding withdrawals. All I got was " oh every medication has to withdrawals". I decided to stop the medication completely and never went back to her again.
The withdrawals were horrible, I was sick every time I moved, I was horrendously dizzy, my head felt like it was folding in on itself and I sat unable to move for the best part of 2 weeks. I had one huge zap, but only one. So I can say as horrible as it was, it wasn't as horrible as some people have experienced, so I was very very lucky that way. That was in February this year and at first, after the withdrawals wore off, I felt quite positive. I didn't sleep as much and felt like I had more energy generally, but all that stared wearing off after about a month and ever since my anxiety has gotten so much worse. I have a huge knot in my stomach all the time. I cry everyday for no reason, I'm extremely snappy and get worked up easily, I've found myself wanting to self harm again, but have managed so far to talk myself out of it but its getting harder and harder. I'm also terrified of everyone (if I'm not at work I don't leave the house and I have no one round), I can't enjoy anything even though I want to. I've really been trying to work through things, trying to reason with myself or just allow my thoughts to come through without fighting them, but they just intensify.
Apologies, I see the above is not exactly brief, but I'm nearly done......
I though I might start to feel a bit better or at least have somedays where I was more upbeat than others, but one day just goes into another and I am constantly feeling sick with anxiety and I hate my existence. I'm beginning to think about going back to the doctors and asking to go back on them. Has anyone else come off Venlafaxine to later go back on them again? I don't want to undo all the time I spend coming off them, but I don't want to feel like this for the rest of my life.
I decided to register with this site after reading some of the posts about Venlafaxine. Ill try keep this as brief as possible, but please forgive me if it turns into a rant. Basically I was on Venlafaxine for 5 years and they really helped me beyond anything I could've imagined. I had been through the whole nhs process and all the meds they try out, but none of them worked, so i went private for a short time (could hardly afford it, but it didn't take too long to get a recommendation from the psychiatrist as to what medication I should be on). So I started out on 37.5 mg of Venlafaxine a day and gradually went up to 225mg. Don't get me wrong, it didn't complete take away the depression, but for the most part it did, I'd have a few dark spells, but the majority of the time I felt we'll enough to function and actually feel good. But my doctor moved and I ended up with a choice of the doctors that were left at the practice who weren't so helpful, understanding or interested. The doctor I started seeing asked me " do you even need this medication" to which I wasn't entirely sure how to answer. But I did think that maybe I should see how I am without them. I had heard the withdrawals were pretty bad and I drive for a living so I wasn't too happy about coming off them and working so I took 2 1/2 weeks off work hoping that would be enough. The doctor I was seeing decided she wanted me to go down to 75mg from 225mg and didn't seem to care all that much about any concerns I had regarding withdrawals. All I got was " oh every medication has to withdrawals". I decided to stop the medication completely and never went back to her again.
The withdrawals were horrible, I was sick every time I moved, I was horrendously dizzy, my head felt like it was folding in on itself and I sat unable to move for the best part of 2 weeks. I had one huge zap, but only one. So I can say as horrible as it was, it wasn't as horrible as some people have experienced, so I was very very lucky that way. That was in February this year and at first, after the withdrawals wore off, I felt quite positive. I didn't sleep as much and felt like I had more energy generally, but all that stared wearing off after about a month and ever since my anxiety has gotten so much worse. I have a huge knot in my stomach all the time. I cry everyday for no reason, I'm extremely snappy and get worked up easily, I've found myself wanting to self harm again, but have managed so far to talk myself out of it but its getting harder and harder. I'm also terrified of everyone (if I'm not at work I don't leave the house and I have no one round), I can't enjoy anything even though I want to. I've really been trying to work through things, trying to reason with myself or just allow my thoughts to come through without fighting them, but they just intensify.
Apologies, I see the above is not exactly brief, but I'm nearly done......
I though I might start to feel a bit better or at least have somedays where I was more upbeat than others, but one day just goes into another and I am constantly feeling sick with anxiety and I hate my existence. I'm beginning to think about going back to the doctors and asking to go back on them. Has anyone else come off Venlafaxine to later go back on them again? I don't want to undo all the time I spend coming off them, but I don't want to feel like this for the rest of my life.