My quest to get off of effexor... A Diary till I'm free!

[MyNameIsntRich]

Well, for a couple years now I have been trying to get off of Effexor. A brief history, I started out 150mg Effexor XR in 03. I stopped this at some point with no adverse reaction that I remember for about 6 months. I then started to take it again as I had a bit of depression and had started having anxiety attacks. Fast forward to early 05' I decide I need to come off this drug as I start to notice the horrid half life and effects of missing a single dose are now controlling my life. Since then I have been trying to get off Effexor. I have found each time I go lower it’s harder to get even lower. I am now taking 1/4 of a 75mg Effexor pill daily, regular not XR. I have been on this for about a year now.


I can not get any lower then this dose, without all the super bad things like being knocked to the floor in the fetal position sick as a dog having brain zaps thinking I'm about to die of a heart attack. So I sit here, another holiday season is going by and I'm under the control of a drug in which I absolutely loath and often wonder if I will ever be able to kick. I was able to kick drugs as a teen and adult in my early twenties. I had no problems at all. I quit smoking cigarettes, while hard and I often want to smoke I still don’t. I just can’t kick the Effexor. The wonder drug my Dr. sold me on over 5 years ago now.


I know I must get off Effexor. I am convinced it adds more to my anxiety and that I am on such a low dose that it does nothing good anyways. The only things it does is keep my blood pressure elevated, aid anxiety, make me sick as a dog if I miss a dose and costs a small fortune.

Every time I try to kick I can make it about 3-4 days before I get so sick and such bad anxiety and brain zaps that I fold and take a bit. Within an hour I am feeling almost better and within 3 Hours I am as if I hadn’t ever missed a dose just a bit shaken up still from the withdraw I had suffered. How can I do it this time I ask myself every day. I have searched hours on the net about coming off Effexor. At this point I have read more then most of my Dr.'s on the subject and often find they hardly know about this horrid drugs effects. I have read every guild out there and even tried a few home remedies that have helped some get off the Effexor.

I am now faced with deciding when I will try to kick Effexor the final time. I know this time will have to be the time I kick it for good as I am so fed up with it controlling my life. It would be like winning the super bowl being able to live Effexor free. So far my only plan is to get myself checked into a rehab facility for chemical dependency. I see no other way I can get off this drug. I hope to enter some time in January or February. I know I will have a bad two weeks and hate life but I also know that after that I will be free of this drug that has controlled my life for too many years.

Checking myself into a chemical dependency rehab seems to be my only choice. My fears are that I will be looked at as a "druggie" this normally wouldn’t matter except for the fact that my ex would love to use that to try and get custody of my son back. I see no other way though. I am trying to feed this idea to my PCP and am going to start to see a shrink in a couple weeks. My goal is to get them to agree to admit me into a program for just the withdraw. I am not addicted to this drug where I want it. It’s quite the opposite. After I get off of it I will do all I can to make sure no other person ever gets placed onto it. I am just scared it will be looked at like I’m a meth addict instead of a person who started a drug that his Dr. prescribed and lead him on to believe that it was a wonder drug.

I will do my best to keep this diary updated as I go on my journey


NotRich

[Cathy V]

Hi NotRich, sorry to hear about your struggle. I went through the same thing way back in the 80s when i was taking Ativan. I reduced the dose over a six month period and went through a battle coping with withdrawal. It did take a while for my body to learn to relax without chemical help but I got there in the end. You will too. Just remember that, as long as you have tapered off in the right way, then any remaining symptoms of anxiety is just your body re-learning to cope with itself without the chemical crutch, and our body's are amazing things. Yours will recover, as it has done before.

I think the diary is a great idea and look forward to reading about your journey.

Best Wishes
Cathy xxx :)

[MyNameIsntRich]

I have had the plan of kicking this crack like drug for a long time and how is my next attempt. I'm tired of being a drug controlled mean zombie. I wanted to use a medical facility to kick but my pcp is a pain in the ass so I don’t think ill be getting that right now. I'm ready to come off though so here is my latest attempt.

I'm on day 3, recently I have cut down to about 1/5th of a 75mg pill daily. I am feeling like now is the time to quit. Today I tried to keep busy but have felt sluggish all day. It’s hard to concentrate on anything and I feel as if my minds jumping from one place to another. The withdraw is coming in full effect at this point. My mind knows it’s going to get much worse over the next 24-48 hours but my heart hopes it doesn’t. My goal is being Effexor free I can right now say that am. However any crack head who hasn’t used in 2 hours can say they are on a sobriety streak.

I will rate my days on a scale of 1-10 of how bad I felt. 1 being I felt great. 5 being that I am ok but having more bad time then good. 10 being on the breaking point.

Over all today was a 3, I took some xanax to calm down but kept busy. I felt some hints of zaps but wouldn’t know what they were if I hadn’t had them before. So far I get only the rush before the zap. I also have started getting the whole out of body feeling as well. It’s not too bad but I see it coming soon and to be honest I am flat out scared s**tless. My stomach is turning and I am going through sunflower seeds like crazy. I can feel myself having a less controllable and shorter temper. Nothing too bad yet but I know it coming. I just hope it’s not too bad.

[MyNameIsntRich]

Well, I guess that I'm on day 5 or 6 now. I have been doing everything to keep my mind and body super busy. I have been quite dizzy and withdrawn from normal life to get off this crap. My parents are helping with my son thank god cause I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. This is the farthest I have ever gotten to getting off this stuff and I am so happy that I am. While looking into the sky today I felt like I was once again able to see in color instead of black and white. Obviously my eyes are fine but it was an odd feeling. As if my body was trying to come back to normal. A normal it hasn’t known for quite a few years now. I’ll report back soon.

Today was a 6-7 it has been wearing on me quite a bit and I for sure am quick to snap. I find myself saying and thinking quite mean things right now but am trying my best. I hate being light headed and dizzy all the time. I will report and am damn happy to report that the brain zaps are nothing like I had previously had. My concentration and time perception is zero though. I can’t wait to be free of this poison.


ps... i cant type for s**t!!!


This post has been automatically edited by the NMP post filter

[MyNameIsntRich]

day 7, it sucks

[MyNameIsntRich]

I guess im on like day 18-20 or something. I am so happy that im not stuck on this stuff for life now. I have been a bit irritable at times, the brain zaps kinda hit me when im super tired still a bit. I have noticed the biggest thing of all is that I am super tired now. After being up for about 12 hours i am just ready to crash out completely. I have a friend who mentioned the same thing after he got off an ssri. It seems to be quite common for about a month after quitting.

I will say that i am really happy about not being on this or any drug anymore. I am able to think freely and do as i wish. The anxiety doesnt go near the extreme as it has while on the drugs either. I hav not been off long enough though i guess to accuratly attribute that. I will report back on this in a week or two maybe a month.

Hang in there to anyone trying to quit!!! If i can do it you can too!

i forgot to add that I have become super impulsive. Odd... Quick to spend money too that i shouldnt. Maybe its a new adopted way of thinking. I hope i curb it fast though.

[barrowcumbria31]

Ive Been Off Them 5wks Saturday And Am Ok Really.no Side Effects Anymore/for Wks. Been On About 5 Different Antidep Over 12yrs And Went On Them After Seroxat To Come Off Tabs To Try For Baby. Over 2mnths N Still Not Preg Yet And Got Leqaking Boobs And Irregualar Operiods Instead So Now Have Hormone Probs To Boot. Having Progesterone Test In 2 Wk

[juju357]

Hi NotRich

Im so sorry to hear about your problems, Effexor is a hard drug and horrifically addictive, I wouldnt wish Effexor withdrawal on my worst enemy.

I found 5HTP and Omega 3 helped a lot with brain zaps. The best thing I found when I was in withdrawal is to do NOTHING, a nice warm blanket, a dark room and something mindless on the TV.

The brain zaps take a long time to go away, it took about 8 months for them to leave me completely but they fade more and more each day. I found depression was the worse thing in the months following stopping, so make sure you have a good strong support network around you.

Best of Luck.