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Effexor
I am starting my weaning from effexor tomorrow. After all I have read I am a bit nervous about it! Im currently on 225mg and going to 187.5mg tomorrow. Ive recently detoxed from vicoden and I want to try to get off the effexor too just to see what I really feel like!!! I can say that my pain that I originally started the vicoden for has all but gone away! Still some aching in my back but nothing like it was while I was on them! So Im hoping that getting off the effexor will help me to be able to "feel" again! I am a little scared that the depression will come back once I am off but I guess Ill cross that bridge when I come to it! Im still taking Ativan for anxiety so that will be my next med to stop after the effexor. I have a long road ahead!!!! I just wonder if the depression came from the back pain for so long and the anxiety came from worrying about all of it!!! Im hoping that I will be free once I get off everything!!! Just thought Id post for some support and encouragement in the days and weeks to come!!! Karen
WOW Congrats on the 16 months!!! It is so good to know it is possible! Im feeling OK now and will probably stay here for another month and then go down to 150 and stay there for a while! Sure is a slow tedious process!!! But I will be OFF these darn things!!! Thanks so much for your support!!!!
Hello there. It took me ten months to reduce from 150mg. That is quite a big drop you are taking initially.
I live in UK and capsules do not go below 75mg, therefore I went onto generic tablets, and that way I could cut them into smaller and smaller doses.
It was my doctors idea I try and do without anti depressants after 20 years. She was helpful at first, but did not really know how to get me to a really low dose, so I worked it out for myself. I kept charts each day of dosages, and as I said, took me months.
I was on Zoloft myself once, and Effexor after that. I was never on a high dose like you, 150mg was the highest I took.
I just take supplements now, and do not want to ever go back onto anti depressants. About 16 months now since I stopped.
I live in UK and capsules do not go below 75mg, therefore I went onto generic tablets, and that way I could cut them into smaller and smaller doses.
It was my doctors idea I try and do without anti depressants after 20 years. She was helpful at first, but did not really know how to get me to a really low dose, so I worked it out for myself. I kept charts each day of dosages, and as I said, took me months.
I was on Zoloft myself once, and Effexor after that. I was never on a high dose like you, 150mg was the highest I took.
I just take supplements now, and do not want to ever go back onto anti depressants. About 16 months now since I stopped.
Hi and thanks for your response! I am planning on coming off slowly and have already started the supplements so hoping that will help! How long did it take you to get off of it? I am pretty confident in my Dr so hoping that he will help me a lot with the tapering schedule. I went on effexor about 3 years ago....before that I was on zoloft for years. I suppose I have been depressed most of my life as far back as I can remember! I started self medicating with alcohol at 12 and then just went rampant with any and all drugs I could get! That went on for 40 plus years with only 9 months clean in 1991 when I was pregnant! So it will be interesting to see where the depression is at once I am off the effexor and Ativan without anything else in my system! It just may be a whole new world for me!!! Thanks again for your support!!!!
Hello there. I was on Effexor 150mg for years. I have over the 20 years I had depression, taken many different anti depressants.
I stopped Effexor cold turkey once, but the depressio9n came back, and I went back on it. Then a couple of years ago my doctor suggested I try again. This time I took 10 months to withdraw, and that way I did not get any withdrawals at all.
My advice, do as I did, reduce very, very gradually. That way you will not get the withdrawal symptoms like brain zaps, nausea, dizziness, etc, which can be quite severe. If you feel you are getting low again, then the depression might be returning. As I said, in the past it was 6 months before I knew the depression had returned.
This time I have been without medication for 16 months and doing well. Ups and downs, but manageable. Nothing like it was before I started on anti depressants.
I was not on any other medication whilst on Effexor, and have not taken anything since stopping, but take lots of supplements. I took supplements alongside the Effexor anyway.
Like you say, worth trying to do without. I never thought that after 20 years I could be without any type of medication. It is a great feeling. Freedom for the body.
I have arthritis, and back pain. I had a course of physiotherapy at the hospital for quite a few weeks last year. I only ever took paracetamol, nothing stronger, and rub on biofreeze when really bad. I accept the back pain, and live with it. I would rather have that than depression!!
Did you take the Effexor for pain or depression? It is a very difficult drug to come off without experiencing some degree of withdrawal symptoms, but if, like me, you take a long time reducing, you will not get withdrawals, honestly. Most people who have the withdrawals come off too quickly. I cannot emphasise enough that you must do this withdrawal very slowly.
Let us know how you get on.
Take care.
I stopped Effexor cold turkey once, but the depressio9n came back, and I went back on it. Then a couple of years ago my doctor suggested I try again. This time I took 10 months to withdraw, and that way I did not get any withdrawals at all.
My advice, do as I did, reduce very, very gradually. That way you will not get the withdrawal symptoms like brain zaps, nausea, dizziness, etc, which can be quite severe. If you feel you are getting low again, then the depression might be returning. As I said, in the past it was 6 months before I knew the depression had returned.
This time I have been without medication for 16 months and doing well. Ups and downs, but manageable. Nothing like it was before I started on anti depressants.
I was not on any other medication whilst on Effexor, and have not taken anything since stopping, but take lots of supplements. I took supplements alongside the Effexor anyway.
Like you say, worth trying to do without. I never thought that after 20 years I could be without any type of medication. It is a great feeling. Freedom for the body.
I have arthritis, and back pain. I had a course of physiotherapy at the hospital for quite a few weeks last year. I only ever took paracetamol, nothing stronger, and rub on biofreeze when really bad. I accept the back pain, and live with it. I would rather have that than depression!!
Did you take the Effexor for pain or depression? It is a very difficult drug to come off without experiencing some degree of withdrawal symptoms, but if, like me, you take a long time reducing, you will not get withdrawals, honestly. Most people who have the withdrawals come off too quickly. I cannot emphasise enough that you must do this withdrawal very slowly.
Let us know how you get on.
Take care.
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