Stopped my Medication

[sadie]

Hi Bryan,

You have such a great way putting things into perspective...in such a way that puts a nice smile on my face.

Im not the most patient of people as hubby would tell you..I want these symptoms to pass like yesterday but I know they wont.

What is funny about all this is I actually found myself saying to myself today....give me panic attacks symptoms as I now understand them and feel I can cope with them now..but these weird feelings just scare me!!!

I just wish that when a GP prescribes these pills to you they explain how they will make you feel at the beginning, middle and end of the course...mines didnt and I would never have taken them if I know what I know now!! For anyone who has felt real peace from taking medication then I am sorry for my comments but I just wish I had never agreed to it.

The tears have stopped for the moment..Ive taken some parecetomol for my head which has helped a bit..hopefully these symptoms will pass soon!1

How long did your sister feel awful?


sadie

[benoo5]

well,my sister had secretly been taking high doses of diazepam,for about two years,after the breakup of her marriage.

she went to get her repeat script,and her gp,said no,you need to stand on your own two feet...thats when i heard about it,for the first time,as a few days later,she came to me,in a terrible state.

i took her to my doctor,and he couldnt believe wot had happened..i explained to the doc,that i would wean her off the tablets,over eight weeks,and he agreed...after that,she had no withdrawals.

meg will tell you,that its not possible for us to tell you,how to come off medication,its between you,and your doctor,and no one else should interefere with that,as its unethical.

all we can tell you,is that your getting withdrawal symptoms,which everybody gets..they can be mild,or they can be fearce,my sister was actually shaking so bad,she couldnt stand up...i know your worried,my friend,but the symptoms wont harm you,and they will ease in time...try taking bach rescue...,and vitaminB complex..both should help,with your symptoms..shops open late tonite,ask hubby to pop to the chemist...best wishes..bryan.

[sadie]

So do you think I am best going back to the doctors and asking to be weaned off them better?? I am so confused about my medication..I HATE IT!!!!!

As i mentioned before, I asked him about stopping the medication and about side effects etc and he said I would be fine..but obviously I am not.

I have Bach rescue in the house but not the VitaminB complex..will get that and hopefully this will make me feel a bit better.

I feel ok when I am sitting down..its when Im standing I feel dizzy..etc.etc. If these symptoms will last for more than 1 week I will go back to the doctors but if they will pass within that time..I think I will just cope with them.

I think its just the time of year that this has happened that is making it all seem so much more worse...I just dont feel like myself

thanks again Bryan, I am sorry for this...Hope you are ok and had a nice xmas.

Take care



sadie

[apricot]

Hi,

I don't know whether this will help but I have now 3 times taken myself of meds, gone cold turkey, although it is not advised. You should gradually cut down the dose. I have been put on Prozac twice and Seroxat once. My thoughts are, well if you've got to get over it you might as well feel the full force, but there are times, and I have been there, when you are so desperate for some sort of release from the fear that you would do anything, if it is going to help. The symptoms that I got all three times were a feeling like an electric shock going through you body, hazy head, not quite feeling with it and a buzzing feeling. All these symtoms passed within a few weeks but you do have to perserve and if at any time you feel really bad, that you can't take anymore, go back to your GP for more meds, as sometimes people can become lower than they were before. Just take one hour, one day at a time. It may be just as well to get a repeat so if you do start to suffer badly you can take a pill. This was how I realised that the feelings were withdrawal - I'd forgotten to take my meds for 3 days and on the 3rd day I began getting all the above, yet when I took a pill within a couple of hours I felt 'normal' again. I have been off my last medication, prozac, since August and really do not want to go back on any again. I have had some really low times but know that I have to start trying to walk before I can run and that once I can run it will be easier without the stick to help that are meds.

Take care and beleive in yourself, you can do it.

Turn 'what ifs' into 'I can' and you will.

[benoo5]

ime sure bach rescue,will help,just a few drops in a small bottle of mineral water,you can carry it about with you,just sip all day,and nite,keep it next to the bed ,and have a few sips if you wake up.

remember,you cant overdose on this,and it will take the edge off your symptoms..come on..start sipping!

best wishes..bryan.

[sadie]

Thanks Bryan, again for your help and support.

Apricot (hope I got that right!)

The symptoms you are listing are exactly the ones that I am feeling. They are not nice at all but I will get over them...just like you have done and as Bryan and Meg have explained, so have many others.

I decided to find out some info for myself regarding withdrawal symptoms of Venlafaxine. I cam across this message forum which was similar to this one...but no way as good. Anyway, people were listing their symptoms whilst taking this med and stopping it and its scary[:0]

Everyone discusses an electric shock sensation intheir body but others were talking about vivid nightmares and hearing voices, seeing lights etc...This is what I mean when GP's dont tell you of the side effects these type of meds can cause. Who in their right mind would take pills if they new that they would experience these side effects...I know if I was given the option I wouldn't and Ive only been taking this medication for 2 mths. Some people like yourself have been taking it for years.[:0]

Well I hope these symptoms will pass quickly...and that 2004 will be a drug free and happier year than this one has been for us all.
[8D]

Hope you have a good New Year.

Take care


sadie

[sadie]

Hi Bryan,

Took your advice last night..put some Bach remedy in a some water and sat it next to my bed. i was a bit worried about going to sleep in case I got a bad nightmare etc as I have read some info on the net about withdrawal symptoms of Effexor and thats what a lot of people describe they suffered.[:0]

Anyway...managed to have a great sleep last night..no bad dreams, no waking up in a panic etc. Maybe these symptoms will pass quicker for me as unlike many others I have only been taking these meds for a short period of time and not at a particularly high dosage (fingers crossed)[:I]

Well I feel ok at the moment...bit of a sore head but no electric shock sensations in my head yet....thank god!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to help me yesterday..I really appreciate it. I was at a very low ebb yesterday!![V]

Thanks again!

sadie

[apricot]

Hi Sadie,

See you can do it! Just take minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. If you do get any of the sensations again, just try to reason with you mind...these feelings mean that my body is returning to normal, they will not last, they are only feelings and they can't hurt me, I got through this yesterday and I can do it again today...this is my new start and Panic is not going to control me again...I am in control. I also find if you can get angry with it, it helps. I found that in someway getting angry and having an arguement in your mind with the Panic defuses it somehow?

Anyway you are doing brill, take care, you are well on your way.

Nikki

Turn 'what ifs' into 'I can' and you will.

[pauline]

Hi All

After reading all the posts i'm in more of a mess than ever. Have suffered with anxiety and panic for 14 years. Got better and then 6 years ago everything came back, ended up leaving job and being in a constant state of panic 24/7. Slowly over the years i have got so much better and now work. But all of this is local nothing to far away. So after having a stressful 2 weeks with partner making me feel bad about not going to works christmas partys because they were about 45 min drive away. I decide that i had to do something, and went to my doctor to ask for something have to say that over the years have tried different tabs but nothing has helped me that much. My doctor has also said how proud he is of me that i try without med. Anyway my councellor told my doctor to give me Citalopram and i thought right i'm taking as cannot stand the way i am anymore. But when you read the posts i wonder what the heck am i doing starting tabs. Here's lots of you getting of them and here's me going on them, i suppose i was wondering should i take them will they help me. I just do not know anymore. Feel more confused then an ever. Has anyone here had the fear of going away from the home and gotten over it? If so how did you managed it? I just feel so much terror at the thought of being so far from home, and i cannot say its because i feel panic free at home as i still have panic attacks at home.

Take care
pauline

pjpriest

[sadie]

Hi Pauline,

I am so sorry If I have made you feel more confused about taking your medication. What has happened to me over the last few days has been due to the fact that I have had no tablets to take as I ran out and was unable to get anymore from my GP. The result being that I have suffered horrible withdrawal symptoms. In normal circumstances these symptoms would not really present themselves to the extent they have as I would be weaned off them properly.

Pauline I am also a bit like you, I have suffered anxiety and panic attacks for over 3 yrs now and never taken any medication to help with the symptoms as I always thought the cure lies within me. However, I lost my job recently after months of bullying etc at work and I suddenly felt that I just couldnt cope anymore...thats why I finally agreed to take soem pills for a short period of time.

However, I never felt that good on the medication, I seemed to suffer a lot of side effects etc..I realised that I did not want to take these pills. That is why I have tried to wean myself off them but not that successfully as you have probably guessed.

Anyway, that is my story but there are lots of people who have found great peace when taking medication and its seems to help them cope with their anxiety. The choice is yours to make, only you know whether its the right thing for you to do. A good friend recently told me, I can not make your mind up for you, I can only offer help and support when you need it.

What is right for one person does not necessarily mean it is right for another. You should read lots of different posts on this forum on coping strategies etc and you will find that some people cope successfully through taking medication, others through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Counselling which you are recieving. Its through trial and error that you find the right one for you.

I have been a member of this great forum now since November and for me this has been the best medicine ever. There is so much advice, help and support that you just cant get from anything else. I know that in the end, its down to me to cope with my anxiety and its only me that can do it but I know that when times are hard I can come here for just a bit of help and support to help me stay focused.

Whatever, you decide to do always remember we will be here to help you the best we can and the only way we know how. Remember you are not alone in this...we all truly know what you are feeling and that we all can get better together.

The best advice I was given by Meg and that I can pass on to you is to look after yourself emotionally, physically, spirituality and nutritionally and you will be making a head start in your recovery.

Take care



sadie