Pattiop Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) It has been several weeks since I have tried to withdraw from Effexor. I have weaned myself. At first a buzzy, dizzy head and aches and pains were my constant symptoms. Now it seems to be less aches but chills and then sweating seem to be my problem. Also my feels are intense, especially anger! I have over reacted more than once. I keep wanting to say, I adjusting but wondering if this will s a new norm or will be okay. Edited October 19, 2017 by baroquep 1994-2009 Zoloft for migraines and depression . topomax 25 mg , inc zoloft til ineffective. and . 2009. . Dr put me on Cymbalta and Pristiq. 2 months dropped the pristiq , quickly weaned me from cymbalta. I was so sick. 2009 New Dr. on Effexor up to 150 mg & Xanax .25 mg Dec Effexor and add Trintillix which I tried while .I was really sick from Trintillix. 75mg Effexor and 5 mg Trin. Lots of withdrawal symptoms and nausea and headache from Trintillix . Wanted to stoptaking Trintillix and wean from Effexor. Continued 75mg for week. Then 32.5 mg for two weeks. Then 32.5 every other day til last week. I also take .25 mg Xanax for anxiety . I had had a difficult time which is why I looked up this site. On Jan. 9 went to PC after having flu like symptoms and anxiety. Not the flu or my thyroid. Dr. Suggested 20mg Prozac. I could have taken Effexor but I wanted to get off . I am getting very frustrated and scared with this. Link to comment
AliG Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Hi Patti. Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. You are suffering withdrawal symptoms from tapering off the Effexor. It's likely that it was too fast. SA recommends tapering by 10 % of your current dose with a hold of at least 4 weeks before your next decrease. This is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs. Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Exactly how long has it been since you tapered off and how long did it take you? What method did you use? Was it alternate dosing? Can I ask you to fill out your signature so that we have a brief version of your history whenever you post? Please follow the directions at the link below : Please put your withdrawal history in your signature When we have a little more information we can make some recommendations. It may be that reinstating perhaps 1- 5 mgs will lessen some of your symptoms and then you can taper off gently using the 10 % method once you have stabilized. About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms This is your thread to journal and ask questions. You will find a lot of friendly help and support here. Ali Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
Pattiop Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I followed the Dr.’s suggestions of withdrawal and was completely off by end of October. I did have a lot of flu like symptoms, aches and pains and chills. Then they went away. However just last week I started feeling like I had the flu. I went to the Dr. and was checked out for the flu. I also was having a great deal of anxiety. This is my primary care Dr. The Dr. suggested I go on Prozac for the anxiety. This anxiety is so difficult. I called my Psychiatrist and I am waiting for a call back. I am struggling with the anxiety. It is not my thyroid . I had that checked.Any thoughts. 1994-2009 Zoloft for migraines and depression . topomax 25 mg , inc zoloft til ineffective. and . 2009. . Dr put me on Cymbalta and Pristiq. 2 months dropped the pristiq , quickly weaned me from cymbalta. I was so sick. 2009 New Dr. on Effexor up to 150 mg & Xanax .25 mg Dec Effexor and add Trintillix which I tried while .I was really sick from Trintillix. 75mg Effexor and 5 mg Trin. Lots of withdrawal symptoms and nausea and headache from Trintillix . Wanted to stoptaking Trintillix and wean from Effexor. Continued 75mg for week. Then 32.5 mg for two weeks. Then 32.5 every other day til last week. I also take .25 mg Xanax for anxiety . I had had a difficult time which is why I looked up this site. On Jan. 9 went to PC after having flu like symptoms and anxiety. Not the flu or my thyroid. Dr. Suggested 20mg Prozac. I could have taken Effexor but I wanted to get off . I am getting very frustrated and scared with this. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 13, 2018 Administrator Share Posted January 13, 2018 Hello, Pattiop. If you read the links provided for AliG months ago, you may have saved yourself from developing withdrawal syndrome from going off Effexor too fast. Very few doctors, even psychiatrists, know anything about tapering or withdrawal syndrome. Taking a small amount of Prozac, such as 5mg, may or may not work to stop the symptoms. Reinstating a small amount of Effexor, such as 20 beads from a 37.5mg capsule, is somewhat more likely. Please read the link on reinstatement. Since you have gotten withdrawal syndrome from Effexor twice, your nervous system is likely sensitized to many drugs, supplements, and even foods. Please be very careful. Let us know what you decide to do. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Pattiop Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I took 2 37.5 mg capsule for 7 days, then one for 7 days and then one every other for a week. So Are you saying this was too quick and that is why I am still suffering? Started 9/06/17. I was given 10 mg Prozac daily for the anxiety on 1/11/18. 1994-2009 Zoloft for migraines and depression . topomax 25 mg , inc zoloft til ineffective. and . 2009. . Dr put me on Cymbalta and Pristiq. 2 months dropped the pristiq , quickly weaned me from cymbalta. I was so sick. 2009 New Dr. on Effexor up to 150 mg & Xanax .25 mg Dec Effexor and add Trintillix which I tried while .I was really sick from Trintillix. 75mg Effexor and 5 mg Trin. Lots of withdrawal symptoms and nausea and headache from Trintillix . Wanted to stoptaking Trintillix and wean from Effexor. Continued 75mg for week. Then 32.5 mg for two weeks. Then 32.5 every other day til last week. I also take .25 mg Xanax for anxiety . I had had a difficult time which is why I looked up this site. On Jan. 9 went to PC after having flu like symptoms and anxiety. Not the flu or my thyroid. Dr. Suggested 20mg Prozac. I could have taken Effexor but I wanted to get off . I am getting very frustrated and scared with this. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Pattiop how long did you take the Effexor for? 6 months ? 6 years? 18 years? You might like to put the start date in the drug sig. Be great if you can put dates into the drug sig else 'last week' could mean different times to different people. Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Pattiop Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 Over 10 years. Zoloft for several years before that. 1994-2009 Zoloft for migraines and depression . topomax 25 mg , inc zoloft til ineffective. and . 2009. . Dr put me on Cymbalta and Pristiq. 2 months dropped the pristiq , quickly weaned me from cymbalta. I was so sick. 2009 New Dr. on Effexor up to 150 mg & Xanax .25 mg Dec Effexor and add Trintillix which I tried while .I was really sick from Trintillix. 75mg Effexor and 5 mg Trin. Lots of withdrawal symptoms and nausea and headache from Trintillix . Wanted to stoptaking Trintillix and wean from Effexor. Continued 75mg for week. Then 32.5 mg for two weeks. Then 32.5 every other day til last week. I also take .25 mg Xanax for anxiety . I had had a difficult time which is why I looked up this site. On Jan. 9 went to PC after having flu like symptoms and anxiety. Not the flu or my thyroid. Dr. Suggested 20mg Prozac. I could have taken Effexor but I wanted to get off . I am getting very frustrated and scared with this. Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 11 hours ago, Pattiop said: The Dr. suggested I go on Prozac for the anxiety. This anxiety is so difficult. I called my Psychiatrist and I am waiting for a call back. I am struggling with the anxiety. Wow you have certainly had a long term exposure to psych drugs. And I personally believe that with 10 plus years and several switches no one can walk away from these drugs with a 4 week taper. Imo the anxiety you speak of is not anxiety it is withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes they are delayed sometimes they can manifest quickly. You doctor is simply repeating what has happened in the past. Too fast taper, withdrawal symptoms then reinstate with a new drug to cover the wdl symptoms keep renewing patients prescriptions (no questions asked or assessments done)for many years then repeat. Can I put this tapering in perspective for you. To get from 150 mg to 1mg via the 10% taper method would take 48 months (that's right we are talking years!) all going well. NOT one month as your doctor has done. I doubt whether the pdoc will have anything helpful or insightful to say. He wont for he doesn't acknowledge withdrawal symptoms off these drugs. Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted January 14, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hi Pattiop and welcome to SA from me too, It would be helpful if you could amend your signature and use the following format. This allows us to see your history at a glance and we can make suggestions based on your individual situation: A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature - ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly? Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. I also tried to reduce my drug too quickly, which is when I searched online and found SA. These drugs change our brain. It is a physiological dependence (not physical like caffeine or nicotine). Three weeks after trying to reduce my Pristiq from 100mg to 50mg I was unable to type. Being a professional typist I knew that something was wrong. SA had suggested taking additional Pristiq, which I did, and after about 4 hours I was able to type again. That was back in October 2015. I've been tapering slowly since then and am now down to 14mg. Please read Post #1 of this topic: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms If you decide to reinstate, please let us know and we can suggest a small dose for you to try. The idea of reinstating isn't to get rid of withdrawal symptoms completely but to bring them to a bearable level. Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization Withdrawal Normal Description Stabilising - What Does That Mean? I have found that understanding what is happening is really helping me: Brain Remodelling Video: Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery It is important to learn and use Non-drug techniques to cope. This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Pattiop Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 I am willing to do what I need to do to stabilize. This has been very difficult to experience this especially since I thought after I finished end of October and had a bout of withdrawal that I was okay. 1994-2009 Zoloft for migraines and depression . topomax 25 mg , inc zoloft til ineffective. and . 2009. . Dr put me on Cymbalta and Pristiq. 2 months dropped the pristiq , quickly weaned me from cymbalta. I was so sick. 2009 New Dr. on Effexor up to 150 mg & Xanax .25 mg Dec Effexor and add Trintillix which I tried while .I was really sick from Trintillix. 75mg Effexor and 5 mg Trin. Lots of withdrawal symptoms and nausea and headache from Trintillix . Wanted to stoptaking Trintillix and wean from Effexor. Continued 75mg for week. Then 32.5 mg for two weeks. Then 32.5 every other day til last week. I also take .25 mg Xanax for anxiety . I had had a difficult time which is why I looked up this site. On Jan. 9 went to PC after having flu like symptoms and anxiety. Not the flu or my thyroid. Dr. Suggested 20mg Prozac. I could have taken Effexor but I wanted to get off . I am getting very frustrated and scared with this. Link to comment
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