John: Effexor withdrawal on a delay?

[Rhiannon]

Grab a copy of Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker as soon as you can and read it. That will answer your questions about how, if this is such a problem, you didn't hear about it, and why doctors don't know or don't believe it. (Answer: $$$, and arrogance. The worst excesses of corporate greed.)

 

Then get Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Peter Breggin.

 

The Whitaker book is exhaustively researched and documented, you can find lots of stuff that you can follow to the source there if you want. I'm not as familiar with the Breggin book. I don't think it's as readable and I don't think it covers the "history of psychiatric meds" stuff as well as Whitaker does.

 

Also look through this forum. There's a section called From Journals and Scientific Sources. There's also a wealth of information scattered everywhere throughout the forum. It's all here, over and over. Someone else may have time to recap it all for you, but I don't today.

 

Do you have an Intro thread, or is this your first post in this section? Hi. :-)

[John]

Grab a copy of Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker as soon as you can and read it. That will answer your questions about how, if this is such a problem, you didn't hear about it, and why doctors don't know or don't believe it. (Answer: $$$, and arrogance. The worst excesses of corporate greed.)

 

Then get Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Peter Breggin.

 

The Whitaker book is exhaustively researched and documented, you can find lots of stuff that you can follow to the source there if you want. I'm not as familiar with the Breggin book. I don't think it's as readable and I don't think it covers the "history of psychiatric meds" stuff as well as Whitaker does.

 

Also look through this forum. There's a section called From Journals and Scientific Sources. There's also a wealth of information scattered everywhere throughout the forum. It's all here, over and over. Someone else may have time to recap it all for you, but I don't today.

 

Do you have an Intro thread, or is this your first post in this section?

 

Thanks for that info.  Im going to buy that book right now.  Sometimes it seems like people are splitting at hairs and are desperate to find an answer as to how they feel, so it seems like sometimes its made up, and am not sure if i'm getting accurate info.  Don't get me wrong; i'm all for believing all this; after all look at what happened with benzos.  Maybe 10-20 yrs from now they'll admit it with SSRIs.

 

 I thought I had an intro thread here over 3 yrs ago.

[mammaP]

Hi John. here's your intro thread, I moved your post here as it's one thread per person in the introductions forum.

 

I'm sorry you are still in a wave, I recommend that you read those books, another one is Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre.

There are lots of links in the current affairs and controversies  topics. I promise you that once you start looking at them

you will be shocked at what you find, and will finally make sense of all this suffering. Not that any of it makes sense,

I mean you will understand it more. 

[Altostrata]

John, our basic position on this site is that the experts and the common wisdom about psychiatric drugs is wrong, you most likely will get bad information from a physician when you try to discuss long-term iatrogenic damage from drugs, and we are the evidence that there is a gap in the medical knowledge.

 

So many people are confused about whom to believe. Listen to your body. If you have had bad reactions to psychiatric drugs, your body is trying to tell you something.

[btdt]

Every psychologist, psychiatrist, MDs, friends, and the majority of websites I encountered agree on one thing; that I need to up the dose again, or switch meds!

 

Last week I went to my Dr to show him the very high cortisol levels, and my high manganese levels and to get a blood test, and told him recently i've been having problems again with "anxiety", and he totally dismissed me, and said that its all psychological, and I need to reup the dosage or switch meds.

 

For the first time in my life, my blood pressure is elevated, and my pulse rate was 100bpm. He said "of course your cortisol is high; you have an anxiety disorder." To humor me, he gave me a referral to an endocrinologist and a sleep dr since I told him that i've been told that I stop breathing when I sleep.

 

But lately i've been wondering if this is the truth. These SSRIs have been around since the 80s; how in the world are there no studies, no evidence and no acknowledgements that they create protracted withdrawals, or cause all the symptoms that everyone on here is saying?

 

I find it hard to believe that after all this time there is none if WDs are true. How could I of gone cold turkey 3 years ago, then 2 months later started getting withdrawals? Then 2 months after that, I retinstated, and for 4 months felt the same, THEN started getting better?

 

How after a year of that I started tapering this time less than 10%, actually 5%, then 3% that I felt almost all better, and when I reached 40mg in September starting feeling bad, then held, and continued to get worse and worse to a point where I almost was 3 years ago?

 

Since September I stood at the same amount, and this past week im a basket case. The other day I had a limited symptom panic attack, and now have constant fear and dread, with no reason whatsoever.

 

I was given these ADs over 10 years ago from a general MD who noticed my pulse rate was high. When he told me, I said it was because I get a little nervous when I go to the dr. He told me he had just the thing for me and came back with a handful of samples of Effexor.

 

I never had the issues I have now before or even during the Effexor until 2 months after I stopped it over 10 years later cold turkey.

Could it be that this was going to be my fate whether or not I took these pills and went cold turkey?

 

When I first cold turkeyed, I saw a psychologist and he said I had this a long time coming, and yet when I asked what he diagnosed me with, he said almost unsure "anxiety NOS".

 

Could it be that when I went CT, my original disorder came back? And could it be that when I reinstated it took 4 months to start to feel better because the Effexor was working on my disorder? And could it be that i'm now now doing well because I so far cut my dosage in half, and it's not strong enough to treat me?

 

I'm not trying to sound hopeless or negative, I'm just trying to be realistic. I don't want any false hope, and am not sure what the truth is, and what I should do.

 

At the same time, I don't understand what these feelings are exactly; they're not ruminations, worry, OCD, panic disorder, depression, GAD, yet I feel extremely tense, inner rumblings, fear, and dread. What makes it even more confusing, it's timed to start about 2 hrs after I get up, and to end about 830pm at night. Now is that what any form of anxiety does? Do anxiety disorders begin at 38 while you're looking in the mirror out of nowhere?

 

I never had a traumatic event as a child, have no money problems, a good family, and am even getting married in April to a wonderful woman. We just bought a beautiful house, and even fixed it up to our liking!

 

If you start taking ADs before you get a disorder, can the disorder emerge while you're on them and be hidden until you stop them?

I'm looking for answers, yet I do understand that no one really has any answers, since even physicians do not. At the same time, I see that benzodiazapine withdrawal wasnt recognized for about 30 yrs till fairly recently.

 

So tell me; does my story sound like a withdrawal case, or am I just another statistic of the millions of people with anxiety disorder?

Hi John I would like to address this, "

 

"I was given these ADs over 10 years ago from a general MD who noticed my pulse rate was high. When he told me, I said it was because I get a little nervous when I go to the dr. He told me he had just the thing for me and came back with a handful of samples of Effexor.

I never had the issues I have now before or even during the Effexor until 2 months after I stopped it over 10 years later cold turkey.

Could it be that this was going to be my fate whether or not I took these pills and went cold turkey?"

 

A high heart rate is not enough to dx a person with an anxiety disorder for starters.  And if he was worried about your heart rate this would be the wrong antidepressant to put you on given this information... Effexor increases heart and pulse rate.  see links

 

1. Effexor (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride) Drug Information: Warnings and ...

   www.rxlist.com/effexor-drug/warnings-precautions.htm‎

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   Venlafaxine treatment is associated with sustained increases in blood pressure in ...Cases of elevated blood pressure requiring immediate treatment have been  ...
2. Side Effects of Effexor XR (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride Extended ...

   www.rxlist.com › home  › drugs az list ‎

   •  
   •  

    

   Find a comprehensive guide to possible side effects when taking Effexor XR ... agitation, hallucinations, fever, fast heart rate, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting .... to discontinuation in at least 1% of the Effexor XR-treated patients at a rate at  ...
3. Does the medication Venlafaxine cause increased heart rate ...

   ca.answers.yahoo.com › All Categories  › Health  › Mental Health ‎

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   May 10, 2010 - Hi, I am on a very high dose of venlafaxine daily. It is known to increaseheart rate and usually people who are on it really should have their bp ...

    

   On subsequent visits did he check your heart rate an see that Effexor had lower the rate?

    

   Did he check medical reasons for a high heart rate? 

Short of having a pulse that exceeds 100 times per minute, your father is to be commended for having a "normal" EKG at the age of 85. The presence of your father's rapid heart rate, however, warrants some attention. Without having seen your father's EKG, I am assuming that the cause of this rapid heart rate is sinus tachycardia. Normal sinus rhythm, with a rate between 60 and 100 times per minute, implies normal cardiac electrical activity. When the sinus node begins firing electrical stimuli at a rate faster than 100 times per minute, sinus tachycardia is said present.

Sinus tachycardia typically occurs as a result of some bodily stress, which causes the heart to beat fast enough to address the body's increased energy demands. Conditions classically recognized to cause sinus tachycardia are anemia, fever or serious infection, overactive thyroid function, acute blood loss (as in hemorrhage) and dehydration, pulmonary embolism, chronic deconditioning, anxiety, and various medications. Many times, one of these conditions is easily recognized as a predisposing risk factor for sinus tachycardia. Correcting this underlying factor often resolves the sinus tachycardia. For those cases that don't resolve, an intrinsic abnormality of the sinus node may be present and require further evaluation. In this circumstance, medications may prove helpful to slow the sinus node and relieve symptoms.

Now I am not saying you have a heart issue but maybe you were dehydrated or maybe like you said you were nervous. This actually says 100 is normal... so much for the high rate.  60- 100 is normal over a 100 needs to have some testing. 

 

I will also say I was put on antidepressants for pain initially... I had NO psych issue before.  After a severe adverse reaction to the first med I had years of chasing a mental health issue as I did not know I had an adverse reaction to a medication.  After 18 years drugs I had accumulated about every psych dx there is... at one point or another anxiety depression ptsd.. I know believe all these things were side effects or withdrawal affects from the medication.  Other who have started taking antidepressants for non psych reason have also been dx as having a mental illness AFTER they took the antidepressant and some only when they went off them.  

It is very common if you keep reading sites like this you will see it over and over again.   

All the symptoms you have are common withdrawal symptoms that others withdrawing have had.  It is not linear it comes in waves see the thread titled windows and waves it may help you to understand this better. 

[John]

Thanks guys, you're the greatest.  You members, admins, and this messageboard are great helps, and highly appreciated.  I think because the majority of you are women, and women tend to be more caring and reassuring than men!

I don't want to sound like a broken record ,and I know that I said some of this before, but i'm kind of on the fence if this is a withdrawal.  The reason I say this is because of the way this all came about, and the length of time that it took to begin.  What I mean is that 3 years ago when I went cold turkey, I did immediately get zaps and some panic attacks.  But this only lasted a month or so and then resolved.  But the sheer horror that began was 2 months later.  2 months after that, I reinstated the Effexor, and didn't start to feel better for at least 4 months after that.  It slowly and progressively got better as the months went on, until I was able to begin to enjoy life again.  I took this Effexor for 2 years, and in February 2012, began to taper.  I began at 10%, but quickly went to 5%, and now for the last year have been doing 3%. In September I began having some of those feelings I had from the cold turkey, so I stopped tapering at about.  I stopped at about 41mg from my original 75. Then this past November is when the symptoms I mentioned began with a vengeance. This makes this taper 2 years so far this February.  Yesterday I added 4 pellets from now on hoping it'll reduce the symptoms.  I have extreme anxiety, and some lightheadedness, but this can be due to the anxiety.  I feel like i'm jumping out of my skin, and since benzos or any other drugs are out of the question, the anxiety gets even worse, since I feel trapped in this hell.  I never had any of this before I started Effexor.  Anyway, my point on why i'm on the fence if it's withdrawal is:

 

1.  When I reinstated Effexor back in Dec 2010, could it of "treated" my natural disorder?  Then again, I never had these symptoms in the first place, and don't ADs take effect between 4-6 weeks?

 

2.  Did cutting down to almost half my dosage take away the therepeutic effect which was treating my disorder?

 

3.  I've been tapering below the recommended cuts for 2 years now.  Could this cause such extreme withdrawals?

 

4.  I took a saliva cortisol test, and from 10am-1230pm its about 7 times higher than normal.  11pm is over double.  I also have been reading that cushing's syndrome presents a high depression and anxiety disorder from the high cortisol.  I have an appointment to see an endocronologist, whom i'm not telling about the Effexor since I dont want to be dismissed and told I need to up my dosage.

 

I'm sorry for such a long post, but this is such a complicated and daunting issue for me, and felt it necessary to make things clear so I can get some good input!

[Altostrata]

John, I moved your post here because it iterated many of the questions we've discussed in your Intro topic. Please re-read this topic and see if your questions still are unanswered.

[John]

I'm not sure if they are. I didn't feel like I explained and made all my questions clear. So I combined everything.

[John]

John, I moved your post here because it iterated many of the questions we've discussed in your Intro topic. Please re-read this topic and see if your questions still are unanswered.

Alto, what do you think about my story?

[Altostrata]

John, yours is a fairly typical case of withdrawal syndrome and sensitization. In the best of situations, Effexor is famous for very difficult to discontinue. You went cold turkey. This can very seriously injure your nervous system, which can take a long, long time to heal.

 

If you wish to believe you have a psychiatric disorder rather than sensitization from withdrawal syndrome, you will be able to find many, many doctors who will be willing to diagnose and treat you for that.

 

....

1.  When I reinstated Effexor back in Dec 2010, could it of "treated" my natural disorder?  Then again, I never had these symptoms in the first place, and don't ADs take effect between 4-6 weeks?

Unlikely. Your symptoms were withdrawal symptoms. You had a fairly typical response to reinstatement. (In the medical literature, sometime response to reinstatement is used as a definition for withdrawal syndrome.

 

2.  Did cutting down to almost half my dosage take away the therepeutic effect which was treating my disorder?

Yes, your disorder being withdrawal syndrome.

 

3.  I've been tapering below the recommended cuts for 2 years now.  Could this cause such extreme withdrawals?

Yes. Sensitization from cold turkey can last a very long time.

 

4.  I took a saliva cortisol test, and from 10am-1230pm its about 7 times higher than normal.  11pm is over double.  I also have been reading that cushing's syndrome presents a high depression and anxiety disorder from the high cortisol.  I have an appointment to see an endocronologist, whom i'm not telling about the Effexor since I dont want to be dismissed and told I need to up my dosage.

Cortisol varies throughout the day. Those saliva tests don't mean much. Those of us who have experienced withdrawal syndrome are well aware we are experiencing adrenaline or cortisol surges.

 

Endocrinologists have various tests they use to diagnose Cushing's syndrome. You should, of course, rule out medical illness but don't be surprised if all of your tests come back normal.

[John]

Thanks Alto you're the best!

[btdt]

"2.  Did cutting down to almost half my dosage take away the therepeutic effect which was treating my disorder?

Yes, your disorder being withdrawal syndrome."

 

Love it!

[John]

"2.  Did cutting down to almost half my dosage take away the therepeutic effect which was treating my disorder?

Yes, your disorder being withdrawal syndrome."

 

Love it!

Lol I guess it's clear what this is then lol.

[Lexy]

John

 

I didn't go cold turkey but cut my dose in half (oct2012) I have been going extremely slow and still getting wds.

When I got to under 49 I started getting mood swings (irritability/ depression).

I understand how difficult it can be, I'm teeing to be patient but this process will be extremely slow...

[John]

John

I didn't go cold turkey but cut my dose in half (oct2012) I have been going extremely slow and still getting wds.

When I got to under 49 I started getting mood swings (irritability/ depression).

I understand how difficult it can be, I'm teeing to be patient but this process will be extremely slow...

The odd thing is that this time around I'm tapering. I went cold turkey in 2010, started taking it again 2 months later, then 2 years later start the proper taper for 2 years now and wound up like this again. So you guys think this is all from the original cold turkey or this taper?

[John]

John

I didn't go cold turkey but cut my dose in half (oct2012) I have been going extremely slow and still getting wds.

When I got to under 49 I started getting mood swings (irritability/ depression).

I understand how difficult it can be, I'm teeing to be patient but this process will be extremely slow...

Lexy what are your symptoms of depression?

[Petunia]

 

The odd thing is that this time around I'm tapering. I went cold turkey in 2010, started taking it again 2 months later, then 2 years later start the proper taper for 2 years now and wound up like this again. So you guys think this is all from the original cold turkey or this taper?

 

 

I don't think this is all from the original cold turkey, but I'm sure it contributes to your general nervous system destabilization.  Nervous system damage is cumulative, it takes a hit from many different kinds of stress, drug changes and drug withdrawal being one of them.

 

We all have different levels of resistance to stress, and eventually, given enough stress, of any kind, all of us come crashing down.  Once significant nervous system damage has occurred, it seems to trigger more widespread disruption in other body systems and takes much longer to recover from.  Because we are all different, no one can know how much stress each of us can take before this more serious situation will occur.  This is why we here at SA keep insisting on the risk reducing method of the 10% taper,  it causes a low level of stress to the nervous system making it relatively safe for a majority of people.  Its actually a lot more complex than this with many more questions than answers.

 

I think that holding is the safest thing you can do now along with doing what you can to minimize stress in other areas of your life and increasing protective lifestyle factors like healthy diet, gentle exercise, enjoyable socializing and anything else you find relaxing.

[John]

 

 

The odd thing is that this time around I'm tapering. I went cold turkey in 2010, started taking it again 2 months later, then 2 years later start the proper taper for 2 years now and wound up like this again. So you guys think this is all from the original cold turkey or this taper?

 

 

I don't think this is all from the original cold turkey, but I'm sure it contributes to your general nervous system destabilization.  Nervous system damage is cumulative, it takes a hit from many different kinds of stress, drug changes and drug withdrawal being one of them.

 

We all have different levels of resistance to stress, and eventually, given enough stress, of any kind, all of us come crashing down.  Once significant nervous system damage has occurred, it seems to trigger more widespread disruption in other body systems and takes much longer to recover from.  Because we are all different, no one can know how much stress each of us can take before this more serious situation will occur.  This is why we here at SA keep insisting on the risk reducing method of the 10% taper,  it causes a low level of stress to the nervous system making it relatively safe for a majority of people.  Its actually a lot more complex than this with many more questions than answers.

 

I think that holding is the safest thing you can do now along with doing what you can to minimize stress in other areas of your life and increasing protective lifestyle factors like healthy diet, gentle exercise, enjoyable socializing and anything else you find relaxing.

 

So you think it's part the cold turkey, and part the tapering?

[btdt]

I think the answer to your question is yes it is part of both.  It would have been better had you done a slow taper to start as it causes less damage and less painful symptoms.  Once the nervous system has been taxed it is irritable and healing is slow it demands your attention and care and will not tolerate any further messing about.  There are things  you can't control once it starts all you can do is lessen the distress by going slow stopping and waiting if your body says stop and wait.  Listening to your body now is what is needed.  There are some things we can't control in life some things just happen and we have to deal but we have a lot of choices most of the time.  Listening to our bodies is a choice too and so are many other things like gentle exercise not watching things on tv that are too stimulating soothing music or other forms of sound like the ocean bathing if you find it relaxing.  Routine helped me when I could  keep to a schedule and not stressing if the withdrawal creates a schedule that does not fit with your normal life style.  For instance insomnia was a rough part of this for me and at first not sleeping stressed me further not only the not sleeping but the stress worrying about not sleeping once I reached a place where I accepted I may or may not sleep I would at least rest during the time I thought I should sleep and it helped me to calm down about it all and benefited my situation.  

It was not until I could finally relax that I even noticed how stressed my system had been.  I did everything I could think of tapping I found online at utube relaxation dark room ear plugs bathing yoga in bed even.  Just like the stress inside your body can build up the cumulative effects of relaxation build up as well this is what I think at least.  Extended time spent in pursuit of relaxation is worth the effort.  

You cannot discount 10 years of taking Effexor either it took time to get here it will take time to heal.  It is not a nice thing to be in withdrawal but once we accept that is what is going on and deal best we can with the stress of it things improves somewhat.  I did a lot of reading on withdrawal sites so I would know what to expect I think that helped too so when something came up again in a wave of withdrawal I knew it could happen and did not freak out it helped.

[John]

I found this in Wikipedia referencing withdrawal akathisia:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia

 

 

It was discovered that akathisia involves increased levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which is associated with mechanisms that regulate aggression, alertness, and arousal.^[22] Though no further research has been done yet, it may also be involved with disrupted NMDA channels in the brain, which have both synergistic and regulatory effects on norepinephrine.

 

Since i'm withdrawing from Effexor which is an SNRI, is it possible this is whats happening to me?  I looked all over the internet, and really dont find too many symptoms that match mine.

[Altostrata]

If you put "akathisia" in the search box on this site, you will find many mentions of it.

 

People often misspell the word.

[John]

Alto, as I said in my other post, in the last 4 months i've been getting limited panic attacks.  Now 2 weeks ago I again wound up the way I was when I went cold turkey 3 years ago.  This time around I tapered.  Do you think although I did taper very slow I wound up like this again from the taper or the cold turkey 3 years ago?  I will add that since this past summer I haven't been feeling right on and off yet, was still doing a 3% taper.

[mammaP]

John effexor is a nightmare, everyone is different and recovers/relapses at their own rate. I 

tapered for a year from 37.5 before stopping at 5 beads. Then hit withdrawal that was horrific 

after a month of feeling great and congratulating myself on my successful taper. I reinstated 

and was stuck at 4 beads for 7 months waiting to stabilise. Dropped in November by 1 more bead

and after a month felt withdrawal again.  I'm still waiting to stabilise.  In short it's been almost a year 

and dropping only 1 bead.  

 

I feel for you that you have gone so slowly and still struggling, it's likely that your syatem hadn't

settled between drops, I believe that is what happened to me.  There is nothing logical about

all this and it's a struggle to know what to do sometimes. Now I don't plan a drop, just wait until my

body tells me it's ready.  We'll get there evantually!

[Altostrata]

John, this topic has become an adjunct of your Intro topic. I believe I answered your question there. Please re-read it and update it rather than continuing discussion of your taper in this topic.

[John]

Well, I'm back to the way I was 3 years ago when I went cold turkey. Now that I look back, there were a lot of times that I tapered when I wasn't feeling good. I think it finally caught up to me and now I'm in total hell like I was 2 months after going cold turkey 3 years ago. I can't believe that I can get such high anxiety from tapering so long and at such small doses. I tried putting back the amount of Medicine I was taking in July, but 4 days later and I feel the same. I can't believe this.

[Altostrata]

You may wish to contact a doctor from this list http://tinyurl.com/7cp8l8v

and discuss switching to Prozac.

[John]

You may wish to contact a doctor from this list http://tinyurl.com/7cp8l8v

and discuss switching to Prozac.

Really?  Do you think that might help?  Has Effexor users had good luck with Prozac, and tapered from there?

[John]

 

You may wish to contact a doctor from this list http://tinyurl.com/7cp8l8v

and discuss switching to Prozac.

Really?  Do you think that might help?  Has Effexor users had good luck with Prozac, and tapered from there?

 

Alto, i'm in NYC.  Which one would you go to?

[Altostrata]

John, look at the list and see who best suits your needs.

[Lexy]

John

 

I am sorry you are going through this. I am also having a difficult time. I cut my dose in half 15 months ago and haven't had a day with complete relief. It's one symptom or another. I seem to have become sensitized even with going down slowly.

The depression comes in mood swings. I can become very irritable and then turns to complete sadness that come out of nowhere. It is so deep that my whole body feels paralyzed. Six weeks ago i was having mood swings every other day sometimes everyday lasting up to an hour. Currently mood swings are dissipating, they come about a few times a week but last less time, usually 15 - 20 minutes.

 

Someone mentioned krill oil for anxiety. Have you tried any relaxation techniques?

 

Breathing techniques

Mindfulness

Yoga

Muscles relaxation exercises

Steam bath

Power of prayer

 

I use a scented neck roll that I heat up in the microwave with a cup of apple cinnamon tea.

When I had high anxiety due to the effexor my Mother gave me a gift. She made up a box of things that I could go to that could bring calmness.

She had scented oils, prayers, pictures, candle, poems, yarn and knitting needles.

 

Hope this helps.

[Harmonica]

It never ceases to amaze me when I read threads like this how Doctors think nothing of simply cutting your dose in half and then after a month simply taking you off meds ike effexor altogether. My psychiatrist, a consultant, said to me recently that I could be off 150 mg of effexor within a number of weeks. I asked him how, his answer was 'because I looked it up in the BNF book which is the standard guide to prescribing medicine given to UK Doctors. 

[John]

John

I am sorry you are going through this. I am also having a difficult time. I cut my dose in half 15 months ago and haven't had a day with complete relief. It's one symptom or another. I seem to have become sensitized even with going down slowly.

The depression comes in mood swings. I can become very irritable and then turns to complete sadness that come out of nowhere. It is so deep that my whole body feels paralyzed. Six weeks ago i was having mood swings every other day sometimes everyday lasting up to an hour. Currently mood swings are dissipating, they come about a few times a week but last less time, usually 15 - 20 minutes.

Someone mentioned krill oil for anxiety. Have you tried any relaxation techniques?

Breathing techniques

Mindfulness

Yoga

Muscles relaxation exercises

Steam bath

Power of prayer

I use a scented neck roll that I heat up in the microwave with a cup of apple cinnamon tea.

When I had high anxiety due to the effexor my Mother gave me a gift. She made up a box of things that I could go to that could bring calmness.

She had scented oils, prayers, pictures, candle, poems, yarn and knitting needles.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply Lexy. So you got the anxiety too from effexor withdrawal? Mine started out as panic attacks this time 2 months after my last drop, then disappeared after about another 2 months and now I always have a feeling of fear where I can't eat do anything etc.

[btdt]

I am not a believer in the prozac switch over likely in part because I hate prozac worse than effexor bet nobody seen that coming given the extreme hate I have for effexor. 

On prozac I was insane with hallucinations could never recommend it to anyone for any reason. 

[John]

What's odd about all of this is my symptoms; I dont feel worthless, guilty, or sad.  I think it must be predominantly anxiety with a factor of depression.  I'm so alien to depression I guess I dont know what to look for.  My appetite disappeared, A lot of my interests disappeared.  Yet, I don't want to be alone more than ever, and I know that people with MDD isolate themselves.  Like the last time 3 years ago, in the beginning of all this I would fall asleep, and wake up at 1am and 5am, but both times fall back to sleep.  Then after a few weeks, fall asleep at night and stay asleep with no problem, even though I still wasnt recovered from the feelings.  What really bothers me is an issue that makes no sense to me.  When I go to places and see run down buildings, or think of certain things, sometimes random, I get a feeling of which seems like anxiety.  I saw the sunset the other day, and it really got to me.   Before this began, I thought it was beautiful!And I constantly worry, worry, and worry about all this, making it even worse!  I also incessantly research and of course keep finding the same things that I already know about this all.  I read it's withdrawal, then I read the closest thing what happened to me, which is tardive dykenesia, and Shipko says that its either permanent, or lasts 12 months to 3 years, although the last time this happened it lasted 7 months, then I started getting better, and it progressed better for the next 3 years.   Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Altostrata]

I don't believe Shipko is correct in this respect. I see many cases that contradict his thesis.

[Petunia]

What really bothers me is an issue that makes no sense to me.  When I go to places and see run down buildings, or think of certain things, sometimes random, I get a feeling of which seems like anxiety.  I saw the sunset the other day, and it really got to me.   Before this began, I thought it was beautiful!

 

I get this too, the strangest things trigger this anxiety response.  I also had an experience where looking at what should have been a beautiful scene of the sun and the ocean, brought a kind of dreadful anxiety, I felt so bad I went home.  But that was over a year ago, and for me, its been slowly improving.

 

I have to be careful what I expose myself to - nothing sad, cruel, violent, ugly, frightening, basically anything capable of arousing moderate emotions because in me, at the moment, its likely to arouse a stronger reaction, due to a destabilized nervous system, I suspect you are experiencing the same thing.

 

It does get better, with time, it seems to take a long time for some people.

 

 

Once the nervous system has been taxed it is irritable and healing is slow it demands your attention and care and will not tolerate any further messing about.  There are things  you can't control once it starts all you can do is lessen the distress by going slow stopping and waiting if your body says stop and wait.  Listening to your body now is what is needed.

 

..... which can be difficult because we are conditioned by our culture to look for answers, to seek quick solutions, to fix things so we can keep moving forward with our plans and our lives.  Sometimes there is nothing to do but wait, and that seems unacceptable in today's world.