JasonK: 1 year 2 months after adverse reaction to Effexor

[JasonK]

Hi everyone,

 

My name is Jason and I am based in London.So here is my story :

 

In November 2016 I was close to work burnout and I have visited a neurologist who prescribed me Effexor XR due to low mood and anxiety.I was not depressive but he suggested that Effexor will help with anxiety and boost my energy.I bought the the pills but I didn’t use them as I have met my wife on December 2016 and I was going through one of the best periods of my life.Me and my wife decided to get married on September 2017 and as I was quite stressed because of the wedding preparations on August 2017 I have took one pill of Effexor XR 37,5 mg which didn’t give me any serious side effects apart from some mild light sensitivity.I have decided not to take it again.

 

All good till October 2017 where many big changes happened within a weeks time and my anxiety has over the sky.So I have decided to take another pill of 37,5 mg of Effexor XR but this time I was stupid enough to take the pill with the wrong way.I did not read the leaflet and I thought is safe enough to try and bite the capsule so I can take half of the pill.While I was trying to bite it in order to cut in half I guess some of the small bits have already opened while still inside the capsule.So once the capsule opened while on my tongue most of the bits (*by bits I mean the tiny beads that the capsule contains) landed in my tongue and as already mentioned I guess some of the bits already opened.Some other bits fell in the floor but most of them still in my mouth.So I took a glass of water and swallowed them.The taste was disgusting!!

 

30 -40 minutes later my life changed and what I have experienced I don’t wish to my worst enemy.I was already in a book store next to my house and suddenly I couldn’t focus my eyes to the book I was reading and my vision was blurry!I had a panic attack,I was sweating and I had a bad nausea, I felt heavily depersonalisation and derealization and complete lack of orientation.

 

Somehow I have managed to get back home and stayed in the couch for a 2-3 hours till I calmed down.After feeling a bit better ,I went outside to meet some friends for a pint.While I was with friends I was feeling more anxious than normal  but nothing extreme.I think the way I took the pill released the substance rapidly into my brain instead of extended.

 

The next couple of days though I have realised I was super anxious and feeling spaced out ,nauseous and vomiting with no reason.My vision remained blurry since that day.A month later I have got severe migraine (never had migraine history) on the right temple of my head and on the back of the head as well as stiff neck and mild tinnutus.Then I was not able to sleep for several days and iIwas feeling that wherever I was looking by brain was delaying in processing the info from my eyes.Then I realised that I have developed visual snow,many floaters and light sensitivity.

 

All the blood tests/Brain MRI came back normal.I went to a psychiatrist and he suggested serequel but I have decided not to take any drugs after this bad experience I have had with one single pill of the lowest dose of Effexor XR.

 

By August 2018 things start getting better.Balance issues,migraines,tinnitus,anxiety,insomnia,brain fog have completely gone.

 Depersonalization and derealization have been reduced significantly.

 

It’s January 2019 and almost all my symptoms are gone except visual snow and light sensitivity which annoys me the most.I still don’t understand how one single pill at the lowest dose can mess me up so much .I do understand that the way I have ingested it was the wrong one but all the doctors I have been (ophthalmologist,neurologist,neuro-ophthalmologist,psychiatrist)ensured me that one single pill can not cause a permanent damage.But the more I read online that visual snow is permanent once it occurs the more I freak out.

 

Please let me know based on your experience if it’s possible to have caused a permanent damage and how I can fix the issues I am experiencing(it’s being a 1 year and 2 months since October 2017).Thanks in advance for your time.

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason 

 

* added information from following post by member

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by ChessieCat
added *

[JasonK]

Apologies for some spelling mistakes.

 

By bits I mean the tiny beads that the capsule contains.

 

Thanks in advance 

 

Jason 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Jason and welcome to SA,
 

3 hours ago, JasonK said:

took one pill of Effexor XR 37,5 mg which didn’t give me any serious side effects apart from some mild light sensitivity.

 

This is related to the eye and the brain and so is this:

 

3 hours ago, JasonK said:

suddenly I couldn’t focus my eyes to the book I was reading and my vision was blurry!

 

so the fact that a similar thing happened each time you took Effexor seems more than a coincidence.

 

It does sound like you had a bad reaction to Effexor.  Other people have reported, both here and elsewhere on the internet, to having a bad reaction to taking just one pill.  The broken beads would have become immediate release.  However, because you had already reacted the first time you took Effexor, the blurry vision might have happened anyway when you took the second dose later on.

 

vision-symptoms-floaters-snow-blurreddimmed-vision-twitching-and-pain

 

Sensitivity to light, sound etc

 

It's good that you stopped taking them and haven't tried any other psychiatric drugs.  If it was me, I'd be staying well away from them.  You have been noticing improvements and that is a good sign that healing is happening.

 

Please see this topic are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

Healing isn't linear is happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

The only supplements that SA recommends are Magnesium  and Omega-3 Fish Oil.  Try a small amount, one at a time, to see how you respond. 

 

An analogy:

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

 

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made. 

 

 

[JasonK]

Thanks for your reply Chessie!Based on Brass Monkeys post he mentioned that all  of the adverse reactions victims have been fully recovered.Taking under consideration that this post is a bit old, it would be great if other experienced members of this community can confirm that this is the case.I pray day and night that visual snow and light sensitivity will be gone one day🙏🏻🙏🏻 

[JasonK]

Anyone with any advice to offer ?

 

Best Regards,

 

Orestis

[eymen23]

Jason,

 

I’m sure one of the moderators will respond when they have a chance, but usually the only real solution is time. 

 

You have seen A LOT of improvements. Don’t forget that people will often say DP/DR has no known cure and can last forever, and you note that has reduced significantly.

 

Have you ever tried magnesium or fish oil as recommended by Chessie? 

[JasonK]

Hi eymen,

 

Thanks for your response!Yes,I am taking fish oil and magnesium the last couple of months on a daily basis.My main concern is that visual snow has been increased while on dark places and light sensitivity while driving during the night also has been increased.I pray day and night for a full recovery.It’s unbelievable  how a single 37,5mg Effexor XR pill can mess up some people’s brain 🧠 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[eymen23]

It’s awful, indeed. Sad that is so much suffering is being caused by these drugs. 

 

Hopefully you start to get relief from these remaining symptoms in time. Do you find that anything in particular makes them worse? Stress? Caffeine? Alcohol?

 

Or are they consistently troublesome? 

[JasonK]

They are consistently troublesome!Light sensitivity is getting worse after work due to long hours in front of the screen but I don’t have an option(based in Canary Wharf)

[eymen23]

Sorry to hear that. I know some people wear sunglasses to help light sensitivity but I doubt that’s a solution in the case your issue is the lights at night. 

 

Hope one of the mods or experienced members is able to offer more advice.

 

Canary Wharf? What do you do if you don’t mind me asking? Banking by any chance? 

[JasonK]

Yes, banking.Long hours (from 9 to 10+) in front of a screen.

 

 

[JasonK]

Any advice from the moderators would be highly appreciated 

 

Thanks in advance 

 

Jason

[ChessieCat]

3 hours ago, JasonK said:

due to long hours in front of the screen 

 

I use a computer and wear gaming glasses at work, the blue light blocking ones and I sometimes where them at night when using the computer at home so that I don't mess up my sleep so much.  I don't know how they would be at night time, I haven't tried them.

 

You might also be able to get something with a different coloured tint that might help.  I did have a pair of sunglasses which were a very light brown tint and I used those when driving at night.  I know SpecSavers have a range of reasonably priced tinted glasses.  If you went to a street front shop at night you would be able to test to see how they are for you.

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Success stories: Recovery from withdrawal

 

I did a search for light in the above forum and found these.  I only checked the first couple of pages of the search.

 

matisse-80-90-of-my-symptoms-gone

 

pug-your-miracle-is-coming-hang-on

[JasonK]

Thanks for your reply chessie!Reinstating a couple of Effexor beads you think that will not work in my case, right?

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

[eymen23]

1 minute ago, JasonK said:

Thanks for your reply chessie!Reinstating a couple of Effexor beads you think that will not work in my case, right?

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

 

Jason,

 

Given how severely you reacted to two pills previously and that it’s been well over a year since the last pill, I’m not sure that sounds like a good idea. 

 

Definitely wait for the mods to weigh in on this one! 

[ChessieCat]

6 hours ago, JasonK said:

Reinstating a couple of Effexor beads you think that will not work in my case, right?

 

From my previous post:

 

On 1/4/2019 at 11:17 AM, ChessieCat said:

It's good that you stopped taking them and haven't tried any other psychiatric drugs.  If it was me, I'd be staying well away from them.

 

 

You had an adverse reaction to the drug.  You aren't suffering from withdrawal symptoms.  Reinstatement is to reduce withdrawal symptoms.  If you take more of the drug it may make things worse, or at the very least set your healing back.

 

From Post #1 of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

On 10/9/2012 at 10:17 AM, Altostrata said:

 

If you have an immediate bad reaction, reduce or stop taking the drug.

 

 

 

On 1/4/2019 at 11:17 AM, ChessieCat said:

 

You have been noticing improvements and that is a good sign that healing is happening.

 

 

Please read this written by our esteemed moderator BrassMonkey, who has been with SA since  December 2012, and before that was a member of Paxil Progress.

 

On 5/22/2018 at 5:07 AM, brassmonkey said:

 

But I only took it for a Week

(6)

 

I think that some of the most unfortunate members we have are the ones who only took the drug for a short time and had an Adverse Reaction. Over the years I’ve seen a good number of members join who have taken their drugs for one day to a week and then stopped.  Yet they are suffering very acute symptoms.  This is an Adverse Reaction, acute symptoms that hit immediately and hard.  Some people’s chemical makeup just isn’t compatible with psych drugs and their body immediately tries to reject them, but in doing so throws itself into chaos.

 

The good news is that their body will sort itself out and they will return to normal.  The bad news is, it’s going to take a long time and there is nothing that will speed up the process.  There are a lot of coping strategies and tools that will help soften the experience, but time is the only thing that will cure it.  By time, we are looking at a minimum of eighteen months, but more than likely two to three years for a full recovery

.

That may sound very bleak, but it’s not going to all be pain and suffering.  These people tend to have a more liner recovery. The first several months will be acute.  Then things start to improve is a noticeable manner, with life starting to resume and get back on track.  All the members I have known have made full recoveries.  They then go on to graduate college, attend med school, and start successful careers in a variety of fields.

 

There is a variation to this theme and that is the ones who have taken the drug for a month or two.  They didn’t have the immediate Adverse Reaction, but the drug is not treating them well and they decide to stop taking it because of the way it makes them feel. Because they have only been on the drug for a short time and with their doctor’s encouragement they stop the drug cold turkey. After a “honeymoon period” this throws them into withdrawal and a whole carousel of doctor’s visits and new drugs typically follows. But that’s a different topic.

 

Psych drugs work by making physical changes to the body, affecting every system and every cell.  They start to make these changes from the first dose and by the end of the first month they have been quite successful in doing so. By the end of two months the changes have been significant. The upshot being that even after only two months a proper, slow 10% taper is required.  Yes, that means that you will be on the drug for several years longer than you took them originally.  But those changes, that were quick to happen, require a lot of time to sort out and undo without causing undo symptoms.

 

For those people who are at the one month mark it’s sometimes possible to do a quick taper lasting only a few months.  This is a very iffy proposition though, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t it will take many months to find out it hasn’t, many months to stabilize from an updose/reinstatement and then the long slow 10% taper.

 

 

 

[JasonK]

Thanks for your reply.Lets hope that visual snow and light sensitivity will gone one day 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[ChessieCat]

Just been doing a search and found this:

 

cg-recovered-from-prozac-withdrawal

 

However I suggest caution with this suggestion by CG:

 

"Consider fasting for 1 to 10 days. Fasting detoxifies your body"

 

See:

 

From:  intermittent-fasting-to-grow-new-neurons

 

 

On 3/17/2012 at 5:10 AM, Altostrata said:

Consider fasting for 1 to 10 days. Fasting detoxifies your body

 

and:

 

liver-detox-gallbladder-flush-internal-cleansing-enemas-fasting-other-purification-methods

 

diets-that-may-cause-problems-restriction-ketosis-raw-low-carb

 

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChessieCat
fixed up quote which looked like it was Alto's but was CG's

[Altostrata]

1 hour ago, ChessieCat said:

Just been doing a search and found this:

 

cg-recovered-from-prozac-withdrawal

 

However I suggest caution with this suggestion:

 

 

See:

 

From:  intermittent-fasting-to-grow-new-neurons

 

 

 

and:

 

liver-detox-gallbladder-flush-internal-cleansing-enemas-fasting-other-purification-methods

 

diets-that-may-cause-problems-restriction-ketosis-raw-low-carb

 

Wait a sec, I was quoting somebody else. I personally do not advocate fasting or detoxification protocols.

 

Note from CC:  Now fixed

 

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by ChessieCat
added note

[ChessieCat]

41 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Wait a sec, I was quoting somebody else. I personally do not advocate fasting or detoxification protocols.

 

Oops, I didn't notice/think about it looking like a quote by Alto.  I'll fix up the post.  Thanks for pointing that out.

[Ahms]

On 1/3/2019 at 8:06 PM, JasonK said:

Hi everyone,

 

My name is Jason and I am based in London.So here is my story :

 

In November 2016 I was close to work burnout and I have visited a neurologist who prescribed me Effexor XR due to low mood and anxiety.I was not depressive but he suggested that Effexor will help with anxiety and boost my energy.I bought the the pills but I didn’t use them as I have met my wife on December 2016 and I was going through one of the best periods of my life.Me and my wife decided to get married on September 2017 and as I was quite stressed because of the wedding preparations on August 2017 I have took one pill of Effexor XR 37,5 mg which didn’t give me any serious side effects apart from some mild light sensitivity.I have decided not to take it again.

 

All good till October 2017 where many big changes happened within a weeks time and my anxiety has over the sky.So I have decided to take another pill of 37,5 mg of Effexor XR but this time I was stupid enough to take the pill with the wrong way.I did not read the leaflet and I thought is safe enough to try and bite the capsule so I can take half of the pill.While I was trying to bite it in order to cut in half I guess some of the small bits have already opened while still inside the capsule.So once the capsule opened while on my tongue most of the bits (*by bits I mean the tiny beads that the capsule contains) landed in my tongue and as already mentioned I guess some of the bits already opened.Some other bits fell in the floor but most of them still in my mouth.So I took a glass of water and swallowed them.The taste was disgusting!!

 

30 -40 minutes later my life changed and what I have experienced I don’t wish to my worst enemy.I was already in a book store next to my house and suddenly I couldn’t focus my eyes to the book I was reading and my vision was blurry!I had a panic attack,I was sweating and I had a bad nausea, I felt heavily depersonalisation and derealization and complete lack of orientation.

 

Somehow I have managed to get back home and stayed in the couch for a 2-3 hours till I calmed down.After feeling a bit better ,I went outside to meet some friends for a pint.While I was with friends I was feeling more anxious than normal  but nothing extreme.I think the way I took the pill released the substance rapidly into my brain instead of extended.

 

The next couple of days though I have realised I was super anxious and feeling spaced out ,nauseous and vomiting with no reason.My vision remained blurry since that day.A month later I have got severe migraine (never had migraine history) on the right temple of my head and on the back of the head as well as stiff neck and mild tinnutus.Then I was not able to sleep for several days and iIwas feeling that wherever I was looking by brain was delaying in processing the info from my eyes.Then I realised that I have developed visual snow,many floaters and light sensitivity.

 

All the blood tests/Brain MRI came back normal.I went to a psychiatrist and he suggested serequel but I have decided not to take any drugs after this bad experience I have had with one single pill of the lowest dose of Effexor XR.

 

By August 2018 things start getting better.Balance issues,migraines,tinnitus,anxiety,insomnia,brain fog have completely gone.

 Depersonalization and derealization have been reduced significantly.

 

It’s January 2019 and almost all my symptoms are gone except visual snow and light sensitivity which annoys me the most.I still don’t understand how one single pill at the lowest dose can mess me up so much .I do understand that the way I have ingested it was the wrong one but all the doctors I have been (ophthalmologist,neurologist,neuro-ophthalmologist,psychiatrist)ensured me that one single pill can not cause a permanent damage.But the more I read online that visual snow is permanent once it occurs the more I freak out.

 

Please let me know based on your experience if it’s possible to have caused a permanent damage and how I can fix the issues I am experiencing(it’s being a 1 year and 2 months since October 2017).Thanks in advance for your time.

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason 

 

* added information from following post by member

 

 

 

 

JasonK, I developed visual snow along with palinopsia, BFEP, nyctalopia excessive floaters after stopping venlafaxine aka effexor. It's been been 9 months. The visual snow initiative are working to find a cure/treatment. You can google them. If you need more help, PM me. 

[Carmie]

How are you doing Jason?💚

[Lloyd]

Hi Jason, If you were taking Effexor XR (Extended Release) Brand with the small capsule that contains lots of tiny beads. The slow release action is on the coating of the individual beads and not the capsule itself. The fact that the capsule split wouldn't make any difference to how fast the Effexor was absorbed. Hope this puts your mind at ease a little.

[JasonK]

Hi Lloyd,

 

maybe because I was biting the capsule as I was stupid enough to think that way will open some of the beads at have  already opened/crashed  in my tongue so the absorption occurred faster.

 

what you think?

[Altostrata]

Don't bite the capsule.

[JasonK]

Hi guys,

 

This week I am celebrating 3 years after my adverse reaction to Effexor XR 37,5 mg.

 

After all these years, I still have visual snow / eye floaters and blue entoptic phenomena.

 

Looks like one single pill was strong enough to cause me a permanent imbalance in the serotonergic transmission in the brain regions important for visual processing.

 

The below journal proves my statement.

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00228-020-02996-9
 

I still pray for that day to come when I will wake up and see normal again.

 

Best Regards,

Jason

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Please create your drug signature so that whenever you post other members can see your drug history. Thank you.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature
Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature