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mshep: effexor, heart palpitations


mshep

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I am experiencing heart palpitations months after quitting effexor and was looking around to see if anyone could give me some advice or tell me how long it should take for this to stop. It's messing with my head and I need some help. Seeing doctors about it, tests come up clean, had an EKG, they want to put me in a halter monitor. Anyway hi.

Edited by Gridley
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  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome to SA, mshep.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.  Please include whether you tapered to stop Effexor or quit cold turkey, the date of your last dose and the amount of your last dose.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

It's good you had your heart checked out medically.  Heart palpitations are a common antidepressant withdrawal symptom.  Here's a link.

 

Irregular heartbeats, palpitations, tachycardia, bradycardia ...

 

For other links on the subject, Google SurvivingAntidperessants.org heart palpitations.

 

Unfortunately, there's no way to predict how long withdrawal symptoms will last.  Some recover fairly quickly, while others take longer.  The symptom is not permanent.  Once you've completed your signature with the requested information about your stopping Effexor, we'll be in a better position to advise you.

 

Here is some information on withdrawal and the healing process.

 

 

 

When we take psychiatric medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

These explain the healing process really well.

 

 

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can complete your drug signature, ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg 

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg  

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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  • Gridley changed the title to mshep: effexor, heart palpitations

 

I was on Effexor 150's then went down to 75's then decided to quit after about 15 months on it. Doc put me on 37.5's for a month then I stopped completely. That was three months ago.  I have not reinstated and I've read if I were to do so I wouldn't want to start on a much smaller dose than what I was on when I quit. Brain zaps started right away and I had a lot of other symptoms like itchy legs at night, mysterious stinging pains, the heart palpitations are by far the most bothersome and persistent. No sign they're getting better. I don't really know who to trust on this, since listening to my doctor got me here in the first place.

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  • Moderator Emeritus
10 hours ago, mshep said:

I have not reinstated and I've read if I were to do so I wouldn't want to start on a much smaller dose than what I was on when I quit.

At this point you have two choices:

 

1.  Wait it out. Withdrawal eventually goes away, but there's no way to predict a timeline. 

2.  Reinstate a very small dose of Effexor.  Reinstatement works most predictably within 3 monthsm of your last dose, though it can work farther out.  Sometime it works and sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it can make matters worse.  It is very important not to reinstate too large a dose.  Your brain has gotten accustomed to not being on the drug and reinstating too much can overwhelm your system and destabilize you further.  If you close to reinstate, I'd reinstate 5mg Effexor--no more.  Please read:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

The following link explains how to get small non-standard doses of Effexor such as what you would need for a reinstatement.  One method wold be to count the number of beads in a 37.5mg capsule and calculate how many beads 5mg would be.  You would put those beads in a size 0 gelatin capsule for your dose.

 

Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

It takes 4 days for a reinstated dose to reach full strength in your bloodstream and a bit longer for it to register in your brain.  So be patient give the reinstatement a chance to work.  Keep in mind that the purpose of reinstatement isn't to eliminate symptoms completely (though it does for some) but rather to make them tolerable.  If, after giving the 5mg a chance to work, you need to increase the dose it will be a simple matter of adding an extra bead and seeing if that helps.  If you feel worse after reinstating, stop the reinstatement immediately.

 

 

 

 

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg 

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg  

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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@mshep, I am not an expert in anything related to WD or psych drugs, but I experience a lot of heart related stuff and palps in my own journey. Firstly, I think that you need to rule out anything that may be medical wrong with your heart. Once you've done that, have you tried beta blocker like propranolol? It can help normalize heart rhytm. I used to take it earlier when my palps were unbearable but they have since calmed down so I don't take it currently. Thirdly, if this is related to discontinuing efexor, they will go away. I am trying to reassure myself that it is just WD and will not hurt me. I hope that you feel better soon!

My thread: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/24990-surviving82-my-story-wd-from-antidepressants-please-help/

2016-2017: sertraline for approx. 1.5 years for anxiety and OCD outbreak following birth of my son (all the way from 2mg to 200mg), rapid tapered from 150mg for about 6 weeks without issues. Approximately 2 years psych drug free.

 

Nov 2019 - Feb 2020: fluvoxamine to prevent anxiety/OCD outbreak following birth of my daughter. Had to go off due to constant somnolence.

Feb 2020 - Dec 2020: started escitalopram while rapid tapering fluvoxamine. After 9 months decided to get off due to weight gain, rapid tapered from [I think] 15mg for about 6 weeks without immediate issues.

March-April 2021: started excessive strenuous exercise and dieting regimen for weight loss. Was doing great (or so I thought) for 3 weeks until early April 2021 when out of nowhere massive panic attacks, other dysautonomia symptoms. AWFUL CRASH.   

Mid-April 2021: fluoxetine 10mg for 1 week then 20mg for 1 week. Massive side effects, suicidality. Was told to go CT. Side effects gradually started resolving.

Mid-Late May 2021: sertraline for 11 days, fine at low doses but same side effects as prozac at 25 to 50mg. Was told to either drop CT or hold at 1/4 of a 25mg pill. 

April-May 2021: trazodone 50mg PRN for sleep. Do not take every day, the only side effect I noticed is dry mouth.

June 8, 2021: stopped all psych meds. Truing to trust that with God's help, my body will heal on its own. 

September 9, 2021: reinstated escitalopram 1mg. Gradually worked up to 2.5mg by September 30. Reinstatement seems to be helping!

Other: Hashimoto thyroiditis for 11 years (on levothyroxine varying doses, between 88mcg and 125mcg), history of anxiety/GAD including health anxiety, OCD. History of autonomic dysfunction (migraines, vasovagal episodes).

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