Tweed9674 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 1 minute ago, caracol said: 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. Good to know! My advice still holds. One withdrawal at a time is enough. I think you should hold your curent dose of effexor maybe a bit longer just to be safe. Stopping marijuana is very nice, lets keep it that way! Just my opinion, of course. Take care! Supplements: Vit D3, Fish oil, Magnesium bisglycenate 200mg (when needed), Melatonin 2.5mg, Camomile tea (1 - 2 times a day) Started effexor in 2011. Stopped effexor in 2012 (fast tamper). Got back on effexor in 2012. Tried stopping effexor again in 2014 (I'm not sure?), fast tamper again. Started effexor again in 2014. Switched to Escitalopram in 2016 I believe Stopped Escitalopram 10mg cold turkey on January 3 2024. Reinstated Escitalopram 5mg on april 2 2024. Down to 1mg on april 3 2024, 1.25mg on april 11 2024 Link to comment
caracol Posted April 17 Author Share Posted April 17 Just now, Tweed9674 said: Good to know! My advice still holds. One withdrawal at a time is enough. I think you should hold your curent dose of effexor maybe a bit longer just to be safe. Stopping marijuana is very nice, lets keep it that way! Just my opinion, of course. Take care! I agree a hold is definitely for best. Thank you! 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
caracol Posted April 17 Author Share Posted April 17 16 minutes ago, Onmyway said: @caracolyou're quoting the wrong person here. Please take care with your posts. I apologize I get confused with the layout here. I apologize it is a sensitive topic for me and I was too reactive. Thanks for the information. 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
Moderator Onmyway Posted April 17 Moderator Share Posted April 17 No worries @caracolunderstand. Please take care of yourself "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment
caracol Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 Hello I am looking for some advice. For a little over a month now I have not made any reductions on my effexor. For two weeks now ive had brain zaps. I am now ill and it appears to be covid. I have seen several people experiencing brain zaps and reduced serotonin due to covid and some studies suggesting ssri treament may restore serotonin. https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2023/october/penn-study-finds-serotonin-reduction-causes-long-covid-symptoms Basically I am wondering if I should go back to my previous dose of effexor to help myself. I have several symptoms but the brain zaps and brain fog feel exactly like snri withdrawl however ive had no reductions in over a month. 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
Moderator Onmyway Posted Wednesday at 11:35 PM Moderator Share Posted Wednesday at 11:35 PM The only thing I got from that article is that we don't know sh*t and lots of people speculating about all kinds of things. Brain zaps are a withdrawal symptom and I'd advise stopping any tapering for a while. You may go to the previous dosage if you want but I usually prefer holding. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't use any speculation especially such wild ones based on animal models for medical decisions. Double blinded, preregistered large randomised controlled clinical trial for me. "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment
caracol Posted Wednesday at 11:47 PM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 11:47 PM 9 minutes ago, Onmyway said: The only thing I got from that article is that we don't know sh*t and lots of people speculating about all kinds of things. Brain zaps are a withdrawal symptom and I'd advise stopping any tapering for a while. You may go to the previous dosage if you want but I usually prefer holding. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't use any speculation especially such wild ones based on animal models for medical decisions. Double blinded, preregistered large randomised controlled clinical trial for me. Yeah seems like holding is the best plan. a few of my friends who are not on ssris shared that they got brain zaps with covid. and it seems to happen to others My son just tested positive one hour ago so im assuming when I test Ill be next. It is so strange. I am also no longer taking herbs in case they are causing any issues. Thank you 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
Tweed9674 Posted Thursday at 12:38 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:38 AM Hi Caracol! That suck.... I'll echo Onmyway... I also think that holding is your best bet. Updosing while sick would make your symptoms harder to distinguish. if you are anything like me while I was on effexor, it might get a bit rough. Effexor was giving me crazy withdrawal symptoms as soon as I had a fever and I was not even tapering. This is something that still haunt me today, but it's a bit more tolerable with escitalopram for me. Anyway, my point is that getting sick can make withdrawal symptoms worse. If it happen to you, don't panic and wait until you aren't sick anymore to decide what to do next. I wish you and your loved one a quick recovery! Supplements: Vit D3, Fish oil, Magnesium bisglycenate 200mg (when needed), Melatonin 2.5mg, Camomile tea (1 - 2 times a day) Started effexor in 2011. Stopped effexor in 2012 (fast tamper). Got back on effexor in 2012. Tried stopping effexor again in 2014 (I'm not sure?), fast tamper again. Started effexor again in 2014. Switched to Escitalopram in 2016 I believe Stopped Escitalopram 10mg cold turkey on January 3 2024. Reinstated Escitalopram 5mg on april 2 2024. Down to 1mg on april 3 2024, 1.25mg on april 11 2024 Link to comment
caracol Posted Thursday at 03:53 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 03:53 AM 3 hours ago, Tweed9674 said: Hi Caracol! That suck.... I'll echo Onmyway... I also think that holding is your best bet. Updosing while sick would make your symptoms harder to distinguish. if you are anything like me while I was on effexor, it might get a bit rough. Effexor was giving me crazy withdrawal symptoms as soon as I had a fever and I was not even tapering. This is something that still haunt me today, but it's a bit more tolerable with escitalopram for me. Anyway, my point is that getting sick can make withdrawal symptoms worse. If it happen to you, don't panic and wait until you aren't sick anymore to decide what to do next. I wish you and your loved one a quick recovery! Thank you! its helpful to know I’m not the only one. I will keep my hold going. 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
Tweed9674 Posted Saturday at 05:28 PM Share Posted Saturday at 05:28 PM Hi @caracol I hope you and your little one are okay. Did you also test positive for covid? How is everyone doing? Supplements: Vit D3, Fish oil, Magnesium bisglycenate 200mg (when needed), Melatonin 2.5mg, Camomile tea (1 - 2 times a day) Started effexor in 2011. Stopped effexor in 2012 (fast tamper). Got back on effexor in 2012. Tried stopping effexor again in 2014 (I'm not sure?), fast tamper again. Started effexor again in 2014. Switched to Escitalopram in 2016 I believe Stopped Escitalopram 10mg cold turkey on January 3 2024. Reinstated Escitalopram 5mg on april 2 2024. Down to 1mg on april 3 2024, 1.25mg on april 11 2024 Link to comment
caracol Posted Sunday at 03:22 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 03:22 AM 9 hours ago, Tweed9674 said: Hi @caracol I hope you and your little one are okay. Did you also test positive for covid? How is everyone doing? Hi @Tweed9674I did test positive. It seems like the brain zaps peaked as the infection came to a head and began effecting my stomach and intestines. We are still ill but resting a lot. extremely exhausted but my brain is more or less normal now. Still feel a little zapped of dopamine but its kind of the typical long covid feeling Ive had since out last illness. Thanks for checking in. 1 2013 effexor 37.5MG to start, 2014 effexor 75MG, 2016 150MG 2016 75MG but withdrawls so added 37.5MG 2021 went to 150MG daily Starting dose 150mg 463 mgpw On a 2.5% reduction every 4 week schedule. now on a reduction schedule of 2.5% every 14 days Current dose 95mg daily i use plant medicine reishi mushrooms, turkey tails mushroom and japanese knotweed Link to comment
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