Lespaul19: On 75mg effexor xr for 12 years, bridged prozac need help

[lespaul19]

Yeah still on 37.5 less one bead

[mammaP]

Maybe you could try taking out another bead and see how that goes. I felt better after every drop,

however tiny. 

[lespaul19]

Ok I will try this after alto confirms it's a good idea.

 

I've had this weird thing randomly when I sleep (usually when I nap or sleep too long) I wake up and feel like my bed is vibrating, but I'm still half asleep and don't really do anything to stop it, I've had this before even before all this reinstating etc, just wondering if anyone knows what this could be?

[Rhiannon]

So it's been about 5 weeks since reinstatement, my symptoms come and go and I have windows of normalcy, the most persistent symptom is heart palpitations, weird flip floppy pressure feeling in my brain, minor tinnitus, and the last few days I've been having these waves of cold and hot come over me, it could be anxiety because I get a tingling feeling in my feet and a slight burning sensation on parts of my skin, which I've read is common with anxiety, does this all sound normal alto? Or anyone else with experiance feel free to give opinions

 

Those sound like pretty normal typical WD symptoms.

 

I personally think given the history you describe that you'd be best served by holding your taper for a while longer, until these symptoms settle down. People generally do best with tapers if they start them as stable as possible. 

 

The only exception is when the drug itself is so activating that they have to taper even though they're not really stable yet. Those are rough tapers. I see that there's the possibility Effexor may be a bit activating for you, but given that you're so recently out from a traumatic CT I'm not sure that observation is 100% reliable, since things can go kind of paradoxical after a CT.

 

If you're not in intolerable suffering right now, I'd go with the conservative approach and hold off further cuts for another four to six weeks.

 

Do keep a daily log, rating your symptoms on a numerical scale, say 1 to 5.  That will give you some objective information so you can see patterns as they emerge. Our brains on withdrawal don't do that so well by themselves.

[lespaul19]

I'm not in intolerable suffering by any means, my symptoms are quite mild most of the time compared to some of the stories I read here, just a little annoying and frustrating when I have a bad day to feel like I'm going backwards, or that the reinstatement won't work and that builds my anxiety up

[lespaul19]

I'm having this burning sensation in my head now, on my face, feels very strange, I notice my symptoms are worse lately around 3-4am, I take my effexor at 7pm

[Altostrata]

That sounds like paresthesia, a known withdrawal symptom.Are you taking Effexor XR, with little beads inside the capsule?http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724703 

Venlafaxine is metabolized to its active metabolite, O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV). After administration of extended-release capsules, the peak plasma concentrations of venlafaxine and ODV are attained within 5.5 and 9 hours, respectively.

[lespaul19]

Yeah the xr with the little beads

[lespaul19]

It was such a strange sensation, like my brain was on fire or something, scared me really bad since I had no idea what was happening, it lasted for about 10 minutes and was followed by my face feeling hot and flushed

[lespaul19]

Alto this may sound stupid but it's not possible I got seratonin syndrome or nms is it?

[lespaul19]

that was a dumb question, im just worried ive damaged my brain somehow

[mammaP]

Hi Lespaul, these sensations can be quite scary but I doubt very much that you have damaged your brain.

I had some frightening side effects from effexor and some even scarier withdrawal  symptoms but they do

settle down eventually. 

[lespaul19]

Thanks for the comfort, just really feeling down the last few days, no energy, tired but can only fall asleep at 7am, anxiety and weird feeling in my head/body

[lespaul19]

just wondering since new withdrawal symptoms popped up, does that mean the drug is not having any effect? im worried im going to get worse if thats the case

[Petunia]

Are you still getting the burning sensations in your head and face during the early hours of the morning?  How long have you been having trouble falling asleep?  When you do fall asleep (at 7am), how long do you sleep for?  Is the anxiety and 'weird feeling' also a new symptom?

 

I'm thinking that the effexor may have become too activating for you and you would feel better with a small cut.  Maybe someone else with more experience with this medication could comment.

 

Please would you put the date of your reinstatement in your signature, that would be helpful.

 

Thanks

Petu.

[lespaul19]

thaks petu, I only had that burning brain sensation that one night, my face feels a bit flushed and hot when im having anxiety other times though.Ive been having trouble falling asleep for the past week but it could be because i stayed up really late one night and that threw my schedule out of whack, so now when i fall asleep at 7-8am i sleep for 7-8 hours.The anxiety and weird feeling (pressure feeling in head, balance seems a bit shaky) have been here since the start, they just vary and are very unpredictable as to when i get them, for instance i took my pill at 7pm tonight and its now 2am and im feeling a bit better than i have in a few days, i had enough motivation to wrap some gifts, do some other things etc,I was going out with friends a few nights a week, going out on my own to buy groceries/shop, run errands, but the last 4-5 days i havent had the energy or motivation to do any of that.

[lespaul19]

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the internal tremors when I try to sleep? It seems to only happen if I try to sleep after only being up for a little bit, like if I try to nap, or if I try to go to bed early after sleeping in that day, I've had this for the past 2-3 years very randomly and not too often, but this week I've had it 3-4 times

[lespaul19]

this is so frustrating, i have no idea what is withdrawal and what is an adverse reaction, could anyone help me differentiate these two? I figure that since I've had some relief and was able to function it wouldn't be an adverse reaction? I'm just worried because when I first started back on it I got worse before I got a bit better, and now I'm feeling crap again

[Altostrata]

Thanks for the comfort, just really feeling down the last few days, no energy, tired but can only fall asleep at 7am, anxiety and weird feeling in my head/body

 

Since you take the Effexor at 7 p.m., it's pretty likely it's keeping you awake. You might take it in the morning instead. I would move the time up by 2 hours a day until you are taking it in the morning, i.e. next time, take it at 5 p.m., then 3 p.m., eetc.

 

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the internal tremors when I try to sleep? It seems to only happen if I try to sleep after only being up for a little bit, like if I try to nap, or if I try to go to bed early after sleeping in that day, I've had this for the past 2-3 years very randomly and not too often, but this week I've had it 3-4 times

 

It sounds like Effexor was always too stimulating for you, and this has gotten worse since your nervous system has become destabilized from the cold turkey in October.

 

just wondering since new withdrawal symptoms popped up, does that mean the drug is not having any effect? im worried im going to get worse if thats the case

 

Get worse? You have withdrawal syndrome and adverse effects from the drug. It's having plenty of effect, just not a beneficial effect.

 

Most likely, your system is now sensitized to all psychiatric drugs. To take care of yourself, you need to get serious about non-drug therapies for whatever psychological issues you might have.

[lespaul19]

Thanks for the reply alto,

[lespaul19]

So your suggesting to hold at my dose now but try taking it earlier? What signs should I look for before starting my taper?

[lespaul19]

I was "diagnosed" with gad at 13 if I didn't already mention that in this thread, and always took my effexor after dinner time with no trouble sleeping if that's makes any difference.

[Altostrata]

It doesn't make a difference, your nervous system has been completely changed by withdrawal.

 

Sleeplessness is not a good point at which to taper.

[lespaul19]

Thanks alto, sorry if I'm being a pain I'm just very nervous about this, my anxiety is pretty bad lately.

Have a merry christmas

[Altostrata]

Understandable, you have withdrawal syndrome.

 

Do your best to stay calm, and use search on this site when you have questions. Just about everything has been answered before.

[lespaul19]

Do you think I have a better chance at not going through protracted withdrawal and 3+ years of recovery if I stay on the effexor and stabilize before going through a very slow taper? I'm also thinking if I can get stable I might just stay on for life, I don't know if I could handle a 3+ year recovery. This is just some anxious rambling, I feel so neglected by my doc, neglected by myself for staying on these and letting it just become a habit, it just became too normal for me to take my pill - half the time I wasn't even aware of being on effexor, and chalked any negative thing up as just being what I am, I guess that's what happens when you go on these young, it just becomes "normal".

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

You can help yourself a lot by not giving in to thinking about the past. What is done is done and you cannot change it. It helps to remember that this kind of thinking comes along with wd, it is not really you. mammaP chases her thoughts away with a broom! Keep reading in the symptoms and self care forum for non drug techniques you can use to cope in the meantime. Just remember you are strong enough to make it through the bad stuff and it does not last nearly as long as we think it will. Every day the brain is healing and stabilizing, the body has a knack for righting itself if we give it a chance.

[Altostrata]

We advocate a slow taper, allowing the nervous system to adjust, so as to avoid the nervous system destabilization of prolonged withdrawal syndrome.

 

Once your nervous system is destabilized, how long it takes you to recover cannot be predicted. It may be a matter of months. No matter how long it is, you will be able to cope with symptoms. A positive attitude towards healing -- it's inevitable -- helps a great deal.

 

What will be, will be. You cannot go back to an Edenic drug state -- not with any predictability, that is.

[lespaul19]

You can help yourself a lot by not giving in to thinking about the past. What is done is done and you cannot change it. It helps to remember that this kind of thinking comes along with wd, it is not really you. mammaP chases her thoughts away with a broom! Keep reading in the symptoms and self care forum for non drug techniques you can use to cope in the meantime. Just remember you are strong enough to make it through the bad stuff and it does not last nearly as long as we think it will. Every day the brain is healing and stabilizing, the body has a knack for righting itself if we give it a chance.

thank you for the reply, i try as hard as i can to be positive, sometimes it works and sometimes i just feel defeated by this whole mess, but im trying my best to stay positive and count blessings everyday

[lespaul19]

We advocate a slow taper, allowing the nervous system to adjust, so as to avoid the nervous system destabilization of prolonged withdrawal syndrome.

 

Once your nervous system is destabilized, how long it takes you to recover cannot be predicted. It may be a matter of months. No matter how long it is, you will be able to cope with symptoms. A positive attitude towards healing -- it's inevitable -- helps a great deal.

 

What will be, will be. You cannot go back to an Edenic drug state -- not with any predictability, that is.

so your saying i will have to taper eventually? theres no chance i could become as stable as i was before my cold turkey/switch to prozac? also this might be a stupid question, but my anxiety is playing tricks on me again, is it possible to develop an allergic reaction to effexor or any drug? Ive had hives the past few days, nothing major or uncomfortable, just a single hive on my neck or chest after i wake up.. it usually goes away within an hour.i used to get these sometimes before too, but now that im hyper alert and worried about anything unusual my body does ive noticed it more. 

[Altostrata]

I have no idea when or if you can become stable on 37.5mg Effexor XR minus 1 bead. You have had an adverse reaction to the switch to Prozac. This has destabilized your nervous system.You cannot go back and rewrite history.It sounds like the Effexor XR has become too stimulating for you. I suggest rather than decreasing it again now, you move taking it up to earlier in the day, as below: 

 

Thanks for the comfort, just really feeling down the last few days, no energy, tired but can only fall asleep at 7am, anxiety and weird feeling in my head/body

 Since you take the Effexor at 7 p.m., it's pretty likely it's keeping you awake. You might take it in the morning instead. I would move the time up by 2 hours a day until you are taking it in the morning, i.e. next time, take it at 5 p.m., then 3 p.m., eetc. 

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the internal tremors when I try to sleep? It seems to only happen if I try to sleep after only being up for a little bit, like if I try to nap, or if I try to go to bed early after sleeping in that day, I've had this for the past 2-3 years very randomly and not too often, but this week I've had it 3-4 times

 It sounds like Effexor was always too stimulating for you, and this has gotten worse since your nervous system has become destabilized from the cold turkey in October. 

just wondering since new withdrawal symptoms popped up, does that mean the drug is not having any effect? im worried im going to get worse if thats the case

 Get worse? You have withdrawal syndrome and adverse effects from the drug. It's having plenty of effect, just not a beneficial effect. Most likely, your system is now sensitized to all psychiatric drugs. To take care of yourself, you need to get serious about non-drug therapies for whatever psychological issues you might have.

 

Please try to stay calm and answer your own questions as well as you can. Your anxiety is causing you to repeat the same questions over and over. Slow down, calm yourself, and read this topic again when you feel questions coming up.

[lespaul19]

sorry alto, this morning i freaked myself out, i let that happen sometimes... as the day goes on im feeling "better" in the sense that my anxiety is lifted, but i have the numb carefree kind of spaced out feeling. yesterday is the first time i fell asleep at a normal hour, i fell asleep around 11pm and woke up at 5:30am with some anxiety, calmed myself and watched tv for an hour then fell back asleep til 8:30am, will take my effexor at 5pm today and see how that goes.

[mammaP]

Glad you managed to get some decent sleep and hope that taking the effexor earlier makes

a difference for you. 

[lespaul19]

Got an ok sleep last night again, a bit broken, weird dreams where I got in a fist fight with someone, haven't been in one since I was 12 15 years ago lol, woke up a bit anxious at 9am but it's eased a bit, feeling tired and yawning at 2:30pm and I have a friends birthday dinner I need to go to tonight

[lespaul19]

Another good sleep with some very minor morning anxiety, have moved taking my effexor back to 6pm for now, able to fall asleep at 11pm.

[lespaul19]

Forgot to mention my friends dinner went fine, though I didn't feel up to bowling after