caracol: new mother reducing Effexor whilst weaning baby

[caracol]

3 minutes ago, manymoretodays said:

Thank you FindRest.

And okay caracol, thank you for the update.

And good, good information so you can get consistent doses from FindRest.

 

I think we gave you how to calculate a 10% reduction.

Multiply dose or weight by 0.90 to get the next dose or weight for a 10% reduction.

 

To go from 146 mgai and just do say, a 2.5 % decrease when that time comes:

 

146mgai X 0.975= 142.35 mgai, which would be your next dose strength with a 2.5% decrease

 

To do a 5% decrease multiply present weight or dose by 0.95

 

With your symptoms, maybe it is somewhat of a Windows and Waves pattern occurring where sometime worse, and sometimes better.  Hoping that you get to a point where there is minimal fluctuation in symptoms.  Where it is the same from day to day, and you are functioning okay.

stability

 

How are you doing with work and baby now?  I think I recall that you work right now too, correct me if wrong.

Next taper, perhaps try just a 1.25% decrease? 

 

 

Yes, do be careful with the marijuana and benadryl both.  Have you tried or are you on omega 3's or magnesium yet?

cannabis-marijuana-hashish-thc-cbd-cannabidiol-or-hemp-oil/

antihistamines-for-withdrawal-insomnia-diphenhydramine-doxylamine-hydroxyzine/

 

It's absolutely best if we can avoid any supplements outside of the omega's or magnesium on a regular basis, and find non-drug and supplement coping.  And if the marijuana seems to then lead to anxiety, it might be time to decrease your use of, and then maybe stop completely.

 

Thanks for the updates.  And shoot, ideally it's so great to see members avoid WD altogether, but unfortunately.....not always the case.

 

Best, L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

is it okay to round down to 142mg ? because it cant be weighed to decimals. 

 

Yes it is like waves and windows. Ill be okay then an hour of symptoms. but I do overall feel weird and irritable. I mean Im glad the more severe symptoms dont happen all day.

 

I am working and work is increasing so I have to go to the office more often and be away from baby. My partner is about to be sent to prison meaning I lose current child care and my work is pretty high stress so things are hard but im managing for now. 

 

Yes I am very dependent on marijuana and have been since i was like 15. I am going to reduce my use and be mindful of it effect on me. It is hard to find the time but I will exercise and try to add in more relaxation time cause I am perpetually burnt out. 

The benadryl was a last ditch effort as the sleep deprivation became too much and it allowed me a nights rest. thank you for the link. 

 

I do have powder magnesium i will begin using. I will purchase omega and amino acids when I get paid. 

 

It looks like my holds will need to be longer than 4 weeks. 

 

I was able to let the pharmacy know to keep the same drug manufacture for me so that is one less thing to worry about. 

 

For my next reduction I may do 1.25% as you suggested especially since I am experiencing a lot of stressful events right now. 

[ChessieCat]

If you are calculating for a 10% reduction, then it is better to round up, not down, so that you do not reduce more than 10%.

 

If you are calculating for a less than 10% reduction, eg 7.5%, then rounding down is okay so long as it doesn't go over the 10% reduction amount.

[FindRest]

Sorry you’ve had a bit of an increase in symptoms. Sometimes this happens, but it should level out as you give it more time. When I first started tapering, I remember how scary it felt, not knowing if the WD symptoms would ever get better. As time went on, I realized that my symptoms always got better if I just gave it more time. 

 

I think you are doing a great job thinking things through and approaching tapering in a safe manner. Congrats on getting your pharmacy taken care of!

 

I do have one question for you. I may have missed it in other posts. Are you taking any other medications or supplements … and/or have you stopped any within the past several months? Just looking for anything that might help explain your symptoms.

[caracol]

15 minutes ago, FindRest said:

Sorry you’ve had a bit of an increase in symptoms. Sometimes this happens, but it should level out as you give it more time. When I first started tapering, I remember how scary it felt, not knowing if the WD symptoms would ever get better. As time went on, I realized that my symptoms always got better if I just gave it more time. 

 

I think you are doing a great job thinking things through and approaching tapering in a safe manner. Congrats on getting your pharmacy taken care of!

 

I do have one question for you. I may have missed it in other posts. Are you taking any other medications or supplements … and/or have you stopped any within the past several months? Just looking for anything that might help explain your symptoms.

I suspect it is what you had suggested about taking the medication at different times. I think on the day of really bad symptoms I had taken it late either that day or the day before. I also tend to have a spike in irritability and headaches around end of period and during the ovulation phase of my cycle. When I had what I will call a panic/withdrawal attack it started with someone speaking to me about a stressful topic.  and I did not take time to pause and regulate myself. I just finished making a symptom tracker excel sheet so that should help me narrow things down going forward. 

 

I am only taking a prenatal vitamin called New Chapter because I am exclusively breastfeeding. No other supplements though I am planning on starting a magnesium regimen tomorrow and I will look at buying omega and amino acids

[FindRest]

Yes, hormones can impact WD symptoms, unfortunately. 
 

A word of caution with magnesium. It helps many here, but for some of us it can increase anxiety and make us feel jittery. I found I could not tolerate magnesium glycinate (which is the one most commonly recommended here). It reduces anxiety for many, but for me and others it had the opposite effect. You might just want to pay attention to it. Start out with a low dose. Luckily, I was later able to start taking Calm (a magnesium citrate powder). As my system settles a bit more, I plan to try magnesium glycinate again to see if I can tolerate it now.

 

Great idea about the Excel spreadsheet to track symptoms. I’ve been using one since the beginning. It has been very helpful.

[caracol]

Wow I had to clue it could have that impact on people. I have the calm powder which i used while pregnant. I took some before bed but It is hard to tell what it did for me as I went to bed late and was pretty tired. I will have to keep at eye out. 

If magnesium citrate works for you why plan to try magnesium glycinate? 

[FindRest]

11 hours ago, caracol said:

If magnesium citrate works for you why plan to try magnesium glycinate? 

 It is better absorbed than the citrate and more usable to the body. It also helps with anxiety and muscle tension more than the others … unless your system is super sensitive, like mine was.

[caracol]

I held my first 2.5% for 9 days in addition to the four week hold until I leveled out. 

On Saturday I took my first dose with my new reduction of 2.5% so now I am at 440MGPW or 142MG. I was scared to do another reduction due to migraines but I think a lot of it is due to hormones and work picked up and I am looking at screens a lot more now. So far so good besides hot flashes today. Hoping it does not hit me hard at the end of the hold like last time. If it goes well I might try a 5 % reduction next month because at this rate I wont be off these meds for 5 years and that seems so long. But I do not want to risk a nervous system injury so we will see. 

[caracol]

I forgot to add. My baby is well but he is more hyper than most babies like tired but wired often and he is not under weight but I feel like he should be more chubby and eating more. Like I have feeling the norepinephrine is impacting him but his pediatrician tells me there is no way to test his blood for the medicine which I know is untrue. Americans are increasingly on anti depressants and doctors and hospitals are not educated AT ALL on the risk for pregnant women and newborns. It is so frustrating

[manymoretodays]

On 11/1/2022 at 2:01 PM, caracol said:

Americans are increasingly on anti depressants and doctors and hospitals are not educated AT ALL on the risk for pregnant women and newborns. It is so frustrating

 

I know.  We are all in the same choir here.  It can feel/ and is very frustrating.  I am so glad your baby is doing so well.

On 11/1/2022 at 2:01 PM, caracol said:

I forgot to add. My baby is well but he is more hyper than most babies like tired but wired often and he is not under weight but I feel like he should be more chubby and eating more. Like I have feeling the norepinephrine is impacting him but his pediatrician tells me there is no way to test his blood for the medicine which I know is untrue. Americans are increasingly on anti depressants and doctors and hospitals are not educated AT ALL on the risk for pregnant women and newborns. It is so frustrating

My boy/man did have one period of where he was not gaining weight like he should be.  It did get better though, he began gaining more fairly quickly without really any intervention needed.

I'm glad you are keeping to all your appointments with the pediatrician none the less.  The first year for babies is so packed with growth and changes.......I think it's so good if you can keep the check ups with the pediatrician.  I don't know if it would be worth changing to one who is more aware of what we are aware of???  Chances are, yours just has zero time to keep up with more reading and following research than he or she does now.......and just hasn't been exposed to information.  Maybe you can find some information to share with them, references.  We have some here.  Not so many specific to Mom's and Babies and AD's and WD though.

 

Oh.  Just remembered, you could space your dosing from any BF/nursing or pumping........as a precaution.  That might help.  That's what I did.  What time do you take your dose?

At least 92% of venlafaxine is absorbed following single oral doses of immediate-release venlafaxine. Absolute bioavailability is 40% to 45% due to presystemic metabolism. After immediate-release venlafaxine administration, the peak plasma concentrations of venlafaxine and ODV occur in 2 and 3 hours, respectively. (from quick google search)

 

And.  Unlikely that baby is getting anything close to the dose that you are.  So try not to worry so much.  How old is he now?  Maybe this is his little personality beginning to show through.  Not wired but just an alert little inquisitive fellow.

 

 

 

Here's our main topic on:

Antidepressants/withdrawal during pregnancy

and mainly just putting it here to remind me to work on it soon, or add to it, find references and things.

You can help me caracol......work on it too, if you want.  Maybe someday soon.  I know you are busy and me too......busy time of year.

 

On 11/1/2022 at 1:57 PM, caracol said:

On Saturday I took my first dose with my new reduction of 2.5% so now I am at 440MGPW or 142MG. I was scared to do another reduction due to migraines but I think a lot of it is due to hormones and work picked up and I am looking at screens a lot more now. So far so good besides hot flashes today. Hoping it does not hit me hard at the end of the hold like last time. If it goes well I might try a 5 % reduction next month because at this rate I wont be off these meds for 5 years and that seems so long. But I do not want to risk a nervous system injury so we will see. 

 

Okay.  I'm seeing this.  Good observations.  You'll be down 1/2 way in about a years time, doing 10%.

And if less, it takes a bit longer, but it's well worth it caracol.  It is.  The harm reduction and cautious way.

 

to do 5% from 142mg, it would look like this:

142 X .950 = 134.9, which would be the mg in dose of a 5% reduction

 

And best. L, P, H, and G,

Smooth sailing for you and baby now........rooting for that.

mmt

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by manymoretodays

[caracol]

On 11/2/2022 at 1:08 PM, manymoretodays said:

My boy/man did have one period of where he was not gaining weight like he should be.  It did get better though, he began gaining more fairly quickly without really any intervention needed.

I'm glad you are keeping to all your appointments with the pediatrician none the less.  The first year for babies is so packed with growth and changes.......I think it's so good if you can keep the check ups with the pediatrician.  I don't know if it would be worth changing to one who is more aware of what we are aware of???  Chances are, yours just has zero time to keep up with more reading and following research than he or she does now.......and just hasn't been exposed to information.  Maybe you can find some information to share with them, references.  We have some here.  Not so many specific to Mom's and Babies and AD's and WD though.

 

Oh.  Just remembered, you could space your dosing from any BF/nursing or pumping........as a precaution.  That might help.  That's what I did.  What time do you take your dose?

At least 92% of venlafaxine is absorbed following single oral doses of immediate-release venlafaxine. Absolute bioavailability is 40% to 45% due to presystemic metabolism. After immediate-release venlafaxine administration, the peak plasma concentrations of venlafaxine and ODV occur in 2 and 3 hours, respectively. (from quick google search)

 

And.  Unlikely that baby is getting anything close to the dose that you are.  So try not to worry so much.  How old is he now?  Maybe this is his little personality beginning to show through.  Not wired but just an alert little inquisitive fellow.

 

I will definitely bring some reading material to the pediatrician next time. But the baby is thriving. He is 9 months old and crawling and saying mama and dada. His personality is coming out and I probably am worrying too much. I will keep an eye on it and try to keep an open dialogue with the pediatrician. 

 

I take my dose at 8 AM. Nursing is not on any schedule really so spacing around it may be difficult but something to look into if I continue to be concerned. 

 

Thank you for the link and encouragement! Slow and steady is definitely best.  

[caracol]

-I am currently at 125mg or 387 mgpw. I started at 150mg. I began doing a reduction of 2.5% every 14 days instead of every 28 days and it has been going relatively well. it took a bit to get into the rhythm as I forgot whether or not i did a reduction at one point and then I was vomiting and having migraines. I got an app called care clinic that i use to track my medication everyday and log symptoms and it has helped me stay on track. 

-I figured out I cannot drink anymore caffeine than is in a soda or else i will get ill so once I stopped caffeine i leveled out and was not so confused about effexor withdrawal 

-Now the withdrawal is mostly non existent except for exactly one week after each dose reduction I get a nasty migraine and feel a little nauseous but then it goes away by the next day typically. 

-also I recently had my first covid infection which I am suffering after effects from.  during the infection I became too sensitive to marijuana even the 2.5mg of thc I was using. I have used marijuana every single day for over 9 years. I completely quit 11 days ago and do not plan to restart. i am suffering withdrawals from it but am very hopeful quitting will make my journey of getting off antidepressants safer, easier, and more clear as I wont have some other drug interfering.

-I just ordered magnesium glycinate and I hope that will help me. 

-I am considering reduction by 3 percent every 14 days because I am a bit disheartened by how long this will take but I will hold off st least until I am done withdrawing from thc 

-my baby is 14 months and we are still breastfeeding. i am hoping the effexor isn’t impacting him too much but he is happy and healthy.

[Onmyway]

@caracol

You might want to take a break from tapering for a couple of months after Covid recovery especially if you've also stopped THC at the time.  This will allow your brain to adapt and hopefully bring you back to the uneventful taper rhythm that you've established. 

 

Omw 

[caracol]

7 hours ago, Onmyway said:

@caracol

You might want to take a break from tapering for a couple of months after Covid recovery especially if you've also stopped THC at the time.  This will allow your brain to adapt and hopefully bring you back to the uneventful taper rhythm that you've established. 

 

Omw 

thank you thats sounds good. I am definitely struggling and need to take it easy. I will hold off for a few months then check in. Happy Saturday. 

[caracol]

Making an update on my progress since getting covid and quitting weed at the end of March. I waited until the end of may to begin reductions. Since then I have been doing 2.5 percent redux every 14 day. 

right now im at 359 mgpw i started that one on tuesday July 11 ( yesterday). 
This week has been so funky though. Monday I came home from work around 345 and realized I hadnt taken the effexor in the morning like i normally do around 730am. i felt horrible and took the dose I missed, I vomited several times but eventually felt better. Tuesday I took the effexor with the new reduction in the morning and things were fine. Today wednesday at about three I grabbed my pill organizer to take with me to stay the night with my family and noticed todays pill was still in there but I could have sworn i took it. I wasnt sure if i took pills from another day slot, so I took todays effexor. I wasnt feeling withdrawl really though so i suspected I took two doses of my meds today ugh. 

I usually measure out my dose each morning but i did it ahead of time last sunday for the next 4 days or so and that completely threw me off. Anyways I feel weird now but hopefully ill be okay and will be able to make the next reduction as scheduled. 

I know february 2024 is far away but really it isnt and by then I will be at half my starting dose and that makes me really happy

[Onmyway]

This happens to all of us so not to worry. It will even itself out. Will setting an alarm help you remember? 
OMW

[caracol]

On 7/12/2023 at 7:56 PM, Onmyway said:

This happens to all of us so not to worry. It will even itself out. Will setting an alarm help you remember? 
OMW

yes it will. alarm is set and i am being more conscientious of my new routine. however now i have a new issue. I went to the pharmacy today and got my script and it is from a new manufacturer. the pharmacy said the previous company camber is not contracting with them anymore or somethings on hold. 

I keep all my discarded capsule contents in a jar and on days that i am late to get my prescription i weigh out my dose from those beads and empty a vitamin capsule and use that to hold the beads and then i take it. so i can do that for a while but eventually ill have to use the effexor from this new manufacturer.

I am assuming i’ll need to get a new average capsule content weight and then figure out what my total percentage reduction is so far since ive tapered from starting dose,  and then take that percentage and reduce from the pill weight of a 150 mg capsule of the new stuff. does that make sense or sound right? 

 

[Onmyway]

Hi @caracol

the issue with the new pills is not just about measurement but also about the bioavailability varying between drugs. Even the exact dame dose can be bound to different chemicals which slow/speed up/impede/improve the absorption. Now that is not an issue for most people but because of our hypersensitivity it becomes an issue in WD. So your situation is not ideal. But the variation is not very big so when you change manufacturers we recommend not changing the dose for an extra month or so. If this happens again, you may want to switch pharmacies. My regular pharmacy tried to convince me that the manufacturer that I was using was not available on their system any more at all but a different pharmacist was able to get me my drugs the next day. So while manufacturers do stop producing drugs sometimes, check multiple pharmacies to see if they can get you what you need. 

Since you have some of your old pills, you may also want to do a transition month where you use half of your old pills and half of the new ones or 25% of the new one/75% of old one for a week, then 50-50 for one, then 75-25 and then 100-0 of the new-old. Do you have enough of your old ones to be able to accomplish a smoother transition like this? 

 

 

 

[caracol]

48 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

Hi @caracol

the issue with the new pills is not just about measurement but also about the bioavailability varying between drugs. Even the exact dame dose can be bound to different chemicals which slow/speed up/impede/improve the absorption. Now that is not an issue for most people but because of our hypersensitivity it becomes an issue in WD. So your situation is not ideal. But the variation is not very big so when you change manufacturers we recommend not changing the dose for an extra month or so. If this happens again, you may want to switch pharmacies. My regular pharmacy tried to convince me that the manufacturer that I was using was not available on their system any more at all but a different pharmacist was able to get me my drugs the next day. So while manufacturers do stop producing drugs sometimes, check multiple pharmacies to see if they can get you what you need. 

Since you have some of your old pills, you may also want to do a transition month where you use half of your old pills and half of the new ones or 25% of the new one/75% of old one for a week, then 50-50 for one, then 75-25 and then 100-0 of the new-old. Do you have enough of your old ones to be able to accomplish a smoother transition like this? 

 

 

 

I dont have the old pills but I have the beads i discarded from reductions in a jar. I just weighed out my dose for the next 5 days with those, i am not sure how much is in the har i can weigh the entire contents later and then divide by my current dose to see how many days worth i can get. 

i called another pharmacy that says camber (my regular manufacturer) isnt on their list but that they could try to special order it with a doctors note. the issue is either way my insurance will probably not cover the cost because i just refilled the prescription. Ill have to check with more pharmacies either way. 

 

if i can’t find Camber or find it and cant afford it ill have to do the transition you mentioned with what i have left of camber and this new epich pharma stuff. im wonderinng if i should ask to get phizer or something that is a big brand that may be more widely available so i dont keep running into the issue

[Onmyway]

If you get accustomed to a new manufacturer, best bet is to keep taking that one. If you can get the brand name that would be best - it is unlikely to go out of business but getting the brand name (Pfizer) may be more expensive and depending on your insurance company may not be allowed or may have a higher copay. They may also require your doctor to write - do not substitute - on the prescription. See how you do on this one and go from there. It might not be as bad as you expect. 

[caracol]

17 hours ago, Onmyway said:

If you get accustomed to a new manufacturer, best bet is to keep taking that one. If you can get the brand name that would be best - it is unlikely to go out of business but getting the brand name (Pfizer) may be more expensive and depending on your insurance company may not be allowed or may have a higher copay. They may also require your doctor to write - do not substitute - on the prescription. See how you do on this one and go from there. It might not be as bad as you expect. 

ive called a few pharmacies and so far no one has camber. i might need to just go on this epic pharma stuff. im nervous because i see people talking about how their adderal from epic pharma made them sick. 

The average weight for my starting dose for epic pharma is higher than with camber. with camber it was 463 mgpw and with epic pharma its about 486. how do i accurately get to the same dosage with this new manufacturer ? i know i can mix them to start but im worried i wont be getting the same mgs 

[Onmyway]

Hi Caracol, the math is the following 

 

If you were taking 359.4496/463  then now the new weight would have to be the same ratio with the new whole pill weight. 

If your new pill weight dose is X then we need to solve for X/486=359.4496/463. 

That gives you 377.31

 

That's what weight of the new pill you need to take. 

OMW

[caracol]

5 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

Hi Caracol, the math is the following 

 

If you were taking 359.4496/463  then now the new weight would have to be the same ratio with the new whole pill weight. 

If your new pill weight dose is X then we need to solve for X/486=359.4496/463. 

That gives you 377.31

 

That's what weight of the new pill you need to take. 

OMW

thank you! my current mgpw is 350 . Ah i have to figure out how to do that math. From there can i just plug it into the microdose calculator at 2.5 percent reduction every 14 days to make new schedule? im due for another reduction on the 25th

[caracol]

8 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

Hi Caracol, the math is the following 

 

If you were taking 359.4496/463  then now the new weight would have to be the same ratio with the new whole pill weight. 

If your new pill weight dose is X then we need to solve for X/486=359.4496/463. 

That gives you 377.31

 

That's what weight of the new pill you need to take. 

OMW

im watching a video on how to solve a ratio now lol. Also i always round down to the whole number just for my own ease so i never deal with the decimals . hopefully thats fine

[Onmyway]

Then you need to solve for 

X/486=350/463

 

 

X=(360/463)*350

 

X=367.39 and if you round down then it's 367 - then you do the percentages

 

Edit: there is a mistake in the above though the final answer is correct. 

 

X=(486/463)*350

 

 

 

Edited April 17 by Onmyway

[caracol]

2 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

Then you need to solve for 

X/486=350/463

 

 

X=(360/463)*350

 

X=367.39 and if you round down then it's 367 - then you do the percentages

 

 

 

yay just got the same solution, wild how I havent done maths in so long but now i remember how to solve a ratio. thank you so much for your help. 
I think i may just start on the new stuff completely for my next reduction as mixing the beads seems very difficult. 

should i keep my discarded beads from this new manufacturer in a different jar from the discard beads from the previous manufacturer? 

[caracol]

Hello its a been a while. currently on 95mg down from 150mg. im still doing 2.5 percent reduction every two weeks but am currently on a hold. I had a stellate ganglion block which is supposed to help kind of reset the nervous system so i wanted to take a break from reduction. 

It seems like by day 3 or 4 after a reduction I get headaches and fatigue. It feels crappy but I have gotten mostly used to it. my two year old is still breastfeeding and I notice he gets fussy after reductions too. I plan to keep breastfeeding but am working on a plan to night ween him so he consumes less of my breastmilk. I wish sometimes i stopped breastfeeding earlier but its a big source of coregulation for my child and I. I am autistic and struggle with regulating myself. But i am try to start reduce his milk intake because I am scared for the impacts on his brain. 

I am currently using 3 plant medications. Reishi tincture, turkey tail tincture and japanese knotweed tincture for inflammation and health to treat fatigue and other symptoms following covid infections. I worry about interactions but do not understand well enough about CYP3A4 inhibitors to really know. 

I quit using marijuana in march 2023 but started again at the end of 2023 then quit again February 3rd. I am always irritable and fatigued its my constant state pretty much.

I have realized that one of the side effects of effexor is racing thoughts which have increased for me over time and marijuana worsened it though it happens without marijuana use as well.

I have gained a lot of weight and wonder how much effexor has contributed. 

I will start on my reductions in two weeks or once i feel a little more level

[Jessie23]

2 hours ago, caracol said:

 

Hello its a been a while. currently on 95mg down from 150mg. im still doing 2.5 percent reduction every two weeks but am currently on a hold. I had a stellate ganglion block which is supposed to help kind of reset the nervous system so i wanted to take a break from reduction. 

It seems like by day 3 or 4 after a reduction I get headaches and fatigue. It feels crappy but I have gotten mostly used to it. my two year old is still breastfeeding and I notice he gets fussy after reductions too. I plan to keep breastfeeding but am working on a plan to night ween him so he consumes less of my breastmilk. I wish sometimes i stopped breastfeeding earlier but its a big source of coregulation for my child and I. I am autistic and struggle with regulating myself. But i am try to start reduce his milk intake because I am scared for the impacts on his brain. 

I am currently using 3 plant medications. Reishi tincture, turkey tail tincture and japanese knotweed tincture for inflammation and health to treat fatigue and other symptoms following covid infections. I worry about interactions but do not understand well enough about CYP3A4 inhibitors to really know. 

I quit using marijuana in march 2023 but started again at the end of 2023 then quit again February 3rd. I am always irritable and fatigued its my constant state pretty much.

I have realized that one of the side effects of effexor is racing thoughts which have increased for me over time and marijuana worsened it though it happens without marijuana use as well.

I have gained a lot of weight and wonder how much effexor has contributed. 

I will start on my reductions in two weeks or once i feel a little more level

Hi you’re not supposed to take herbs or use marijuana while breastfeeding. I work in lactation and that is definitely unsafe 

[caracol]

16 minutes ago, Jessie23 said:

Hi you’re not supposed to take herbs or use marijuana while breastfeeding. I work in lactation and that is definitely unsafe 

The fact that you are more concerned with the use of marijuana and herbs while breastfeeding than with effexor is exactly what makes people who “work in lactation” and obgyns completely useless. Effexor is far more dangerous. I dont use marijuana anymore and there is little to mo evidence of absorption in breastmilk. As far as herbs go your statement is vague. My lactation consultant early on recommended certain herbs to boost my milk production. so it depends on the age of the infant the type of herbs and dosage. Thanks for your incredibly misleading and judgmental useless response. 

[Onmyway]

@caracolthe fact that effexor is potentially bad for a breastfeeding infant doesn't make other herbs and marijuana safe. It's your choice what you want to do for your baby and yourself but others  may have opinions on it and they have the right to their opinions as well.

 

[caracol]

3 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

@caracolthe fact that effexor is potentially bad for a breastfeeding infant doesn't make other herbs and marijuana safe. It's your choice what you want to do for your baby and yourself but others  may have opinions on it and they have the right to their opinions as well.

 

unsafe based on what? Please show me peer reviewed studies about marijuana in breastmilk. I have done my research. you sound like the typical expert or professional dulling out advice without evidence. I know effexor being unsafe not “potentially unsafe” does not make other things safe. You use potentially unsafe for effexor unsafe for marijuana which tells me you are poorly researched. most people here are looking for opinions based on fact or research. It was the opinion of my lactation consultant that moringa was safe for use based on research. 

[Onmyway]

@caracol

I never said marijuana use was unsafe. We don't have evidence that it's safe either. We would need long term studies that looked at children's developmental milestones in large groups of exposed and unexposed children. That still doesn't exist so we don't know that it's safe or unsafe. There are reasons to suspect that psychoactive substance exposure will impact child development the way alcohol or cigarettes do. 

 

We all choose to read research that justifies choices. For example THC is detectable in breast milk despite your claim claim that it is not. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30150212/ 

 

If you read the literature most studies would claim that effexor is safe in breastfeeding as well. 

 

If you're here looking for advice based on research, I'm afraid you're in the wrong place. There isn't much research done on withdrawal and if you trusted the existing research a large portion of it states that withdrawal doesn't exist beyond a couple of weeks. 

 

I have no desire to argue with you. You do what you want to your body and child - it's your choice and responsibility. But to claim that your choices are safe without significant research that's missing is as wrong as saying that it's unsafe. We simply don't know. 

 

And if you post about your choices here people will have opinions. You don't have to agree with them but you do need to behave civilly on the forums if you want to participate here. 

 

Omw

[Tweed9674]

Breastfeeding a child while tapering AD can't be easy.

 

 

Did your symptoms got worse when you stopped marijuana? I ask because THC do cause withdrawal ( I experienced it first hand) a few weeks (4 to 6?) after you stop.

About the weight, I believe effexor can cause it for some people. Marijuana use can also be responsible for part of it... and being a parent also doesn't always help

 

I think that your main concern right now should be to stay as stable as possible. Holding a little bit more might be a good idea.

[caracol]

2 minutes ago, Onmyway said:

@caracol

I never said marijuana use was unsafe. We don't have evidence that it's safe either. We would need long term studies that looked at children's developmental milestones in large groups of exposed and unexposed children. That still doesn't exist so we don't know that it's safe or unsafe. There are reasons to suspect that psychoactive substance exposure will impact child development the way alcohol or cigarettes do. 

 

We all choose to read research that justifies choices. For example THC is detectable in breast milk despite your claim claim that it is not. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30150212/ 

 

If you read the literature most studies would claim that effexor is safe in breastfeeding as well. 

 

If you're here looking for advice based on research, I'm afraid you're in the wrong place. There isn't much research done on withdrawal and if you trusted the existing research a large portion of it states that withdrawal doesn't exist beyond a couple of weeks. 

 

I have no desire to argue with you. You do what you want to your body and child - it's your choice and responsibility. But to claim that your choices are safe without significant research that's missing is as wrong as saying that it's unsafe. We simply don't know. 

 

And if you post about your choices here people will have opinions. You don't have to agree with them but you do need to behave civilly on the forums if you want to participate here. 

 

Omw

you did in fact say it was unsafe “

Hi you’re not supposed to take herbs or use marijuana while breastfeeding. I work in lactation and that is definitely unsafe”  To call using herbs while breastfeeding inherently unsafe is just false. A lot of what I have read does not say effexor is safe while breastfeeding.

 

[Onmyway]

1 minute ago, caracol said:

you did in fact say it was unsafe “

Hi you’re not supposed to take herbs or use marijuana while breastfeeding. I work in lactation and that is definitely unsafe”  To call using herbs while breastfeeding inherently unsafe is just false. A lot of what I have read does not say effexor is safe while breastfeeding.

 

@caracolyou're quoting the wrong person here. Please take care with your posts. 

[caracol]

2 minutes ago, Tweed9674 said:

Breastfeeding a child while tapering AD can't be easy.

 

 

Did your symptoms got worse when you stopped marijuana? I ask because THC do cause withdrawal ( I experienced it first hand) a few weeks (4 to 6?) after you stop.

About the weight, I believe effexor can cause it for some people. Marijuana use can also be responsible for part of it... and being a parent also doesn't always help

 

I think that your main concern right now should be to stay as stable as possible. Holding a little bit more might be a good idea.

The first time I stopped marijuana It was very hard. I quit because it was causing me anxiety especially while I had covid and I had wanted to stop. I had all the paws. it took a few months to break through the thick of it. I did not know how to cope with my triggers so i started again. this time around stopping felt much easier and I thought about it a lot less. I think it is perhaps making me more irritable and giving me strange dreams but I do not feel as impacted as the first time I quit. 

I am working a lot now on regulating myself and practicing emotional awareness. It is helping with my parenting as well as my Effexor withdrawals.

I will do my best to reduce breastmilk intake of my baby while weening off effexor. the benefits of extended breastfeeding are so great but obviously i have safety concerns.