success ☼ clare -- off venlafaxine

[clare]

hi i have been suffering hat sounds ike this antidepressant withdrawl syndrom for 5 mnths now since i came off the venlafaxine im just wndering how long is this going to take to get better i have become hypersesitive to light i cant go in the shoping mall without feeling werid i cant take antidepresanst again as i feel to werid on them now and even the smallest part of a pill would put me on edge now nd i use to be able to take 75 mg a day i am so sesitivie to even vitamins and fisoil i dont no what to do anymore i cant sleep either

[Altostrata]

Hello, clare, welcome. I moved your first post here, as an introduction.

 

It certainly sounds like you have antidepressant withdrawal syndrome.

 

Many of us have become hypersensitive to light, medication, and supplements, and have sleep problems.

 

First thing, do what you can to stay calm and patient. The nervous system repairs itself, but it can take a while -- it's hard to say how long for any individual.

 

Next, do what you can to deal with your symptoms. If you are sensitive to light, cut down on your exposure. Wear sunglasses indoors, if the light bothers you indoors. Reduce the light all around you.

 

Don't be hard on yourself, treat yourself gently while you recover. Gradually, you will be able to resume those normal activities.

 

The sleep issues are particularly difficult. Light plays a part there, too. See this topic http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/555-tips-to-help-sleep-so-many-of-us-have-withdrawal-insomnia/ and others about sleep in the Symptoms and What Helps forum.

 

I know I've been helped by melatonin -- see Melatonin for sleep.

 

Ask any questions you want on this site. We're here to help each other.

[Healing]

Welcome, clare!

 

It does sound like you're going through antidepressant withdrawal syndrome. It will eventually heal itself. You just have to take good care of yourself in the meantime. Everyone recovers.

 

After stopping an antidepressant, many people find they can no longer tolerate the medication they used to take.

 

Also, after taking antidepressants, many people find they are hypersensitive to supplements. If you decide to take any supplement, only start one at a time, and start it at a very low dose, and see how you tolerate it. You may have to wait for awhile before you can tolerate some supplements, but that will get better with time.

 

Keep reading and asking questions here in the "Symptoms and What Helps" section.

[tramond]

Hello Clare and welcome!!

 

We sit in the same boat! I have been on the evils drug effexor 75mg/day as well!!!

 

Lets share our experiences!!

 

Lovely greetigs Leon

[clare]

leon- what are your side effects after coming of effexor

[Barbarannamated]

Clare,

Im sorry you've had to land here, but you'll find great advice and support.

 

I was on Effexor for years, both the short acting tabs and then the XL caps. I was last on Pristiq, very close relative (desvenlafaxine). I remember going into wd if I missed just one dose of Effexor (brain zaps, dizziness). Also, when I ran out of caps once, my doc told me to use some regular tablets I had remaining but that did not help at all, although it *seems* it should since it is the same drug in diff delivery system.

Interestingly, I tapered off of Pristiq rather haphazardly, altho slowly, and had no immediate wd symptoms like w Effexor. I am experiencing weird effects (anxiety, sleep related) months after stopping. I didn't connect it to wd until I stumbled upon a post by Alto on another site.

It's very individual and I wish I had known earlier to mitigate some symptoms. EX: I love sunlight, so had curtains open to allow light to hit me as early as possible. As soon as I used blockout curtains, the 4am surges/panic/racing pulse (cortisol spikes) ceased.

Lots of great info here. Most of all, lots of good people who really understand what docs dismiss or, worse, diagnose and re-medicate.

My advice... don't search for symptoms in yourself, but be aware of odd, uncharacteristic feelings and then look at the board. It's quite amazing how accurately others have described my feelings.

The power of peers who have a vested interest in knowing the science is far stronger than any medical degree!

[clare]

thankyou people for your replys ,i feel like my symtoms are the same as bi polar but never get the high justt the lows.. some days does anybody els feel that way but this only started when i came off the pills in febuary think my sleeep going back to normal but still cant take any vitamins very sensitive to everything still will that go away one day

[Altostrata]

clare, why are you focusing on bipolar? It sounds like you have withdrawal syndrome. They're entirely different.

[Crocus]

I want to welcome you too Clare;

 

I am weaning from Effexor and have had symptoms that are all over the place. You have found a really good resource in this forum and I hope you will check out some of the different areas.... There is a good thread on symptoms and what you can do to minimize them.

 

Alto is so right - be gentle with yourself while going through this. We are all building a bridge while crossing the river here. We can get through this. Crocus

[Barbarannamated]

Clare,

YES! I've had emotions surface that I never had prior to being on ADs--anger being a major one. I was never good with expressing anger or handling conflict and I feel that the ADs further dulled my emotions. It feels as if the suppressed, bottled up emotions now come out in powerful spurts that are scary b/c I was always very mild tempered (didn't express anger). I'm often asking myself why I didn't get angry about some major events during the years on ADs. I'm certain that if I told this to docs who have a firm view of 'normal' according to DSM criteria, i would be diagnosed w something. I believe the DSM should be abolished along with any use of the word 'normal' in relation to human behavior and personality.

Please don't call me 'normal' ! ;-)

[Shanti]

Hi Clare.

 

When I first dropped on my dosage I had extreme depression and anxiety. It's like a subtle fear I had, like financial security, got blown way out of proportion. I was certainly doomed to end up on the streets sleeping on a sidewalk and suffering a horrible illness that I couldn't get medical help for...etc. This is the hell of this drug withdrawal, the sense of gloom and loss of hope. I viewed life as an awful, stupid idea, it's only about suffering, blah blah blah.

 

I'm definitely not in that dark cloud anymore, thank God.

 

It does get better and we'll all get through this. I've seen many success stories of people going on with their new lives after getting off the antidepressants.

[clare]

hi i am trying to post this on the website for everyone to read.i am still having bad withdrawl 9 months after finishing a.ds but my sleep has come back, the only thing is im still so sensetive to averything still i dont think this sensitivity has recovered at all, will this ever go away do people still feel this way after 9 months am i rcovering antidepressanst have ruined my life i am so depressed about this situation and theres nothing i can do its often the morning i feel bad ,by evening im fine, why is this,

thanks. clare

[Altostrata]

It's excellent that your sleep has come back, clare! This is a very good development.

 

Yes, some of us have problems for a long time with withdrawal, and many of us are very sensitive to all kinds of things.

 

Feeling sad about the situation is a normal reaction. We all do what we can to keep our spirits up. It can be frustrating and take a long time, but people do recover.

 

How did it happen that your sleep came back? Telling the story will help others with the same problem.

[clare]

it took about 6 months for the deep sleep to come back and the bad anxeity wore off aswell , i actually just stopped sleeping all together and then after 3 months of hell things gradually came right now i can sleep for 6 hours without waking up maby longer ...but the only thing that worries me is the sesitive nervous system. how long did your withdrawl last?

[clare]

Clare,

YES! I've had emotions surface that I never had prior to being on ADs--anger being a major one. I was never good with expressing anger or handling conflict and I feel that the ADs further dulled my emotions. It feels as if the suppressed, bottled up emotions now come out in powerful spurts that are scary b/c I was always very mild tempered (didn't express anger). I'm often asking myself why I didn't get angry about some major events during the years on ADs. I'm certain that if I told this to docs who have a firm view of 'normal' according to DSM criteria, i would be diagnosed w something. I believe the DSM should be abolished along with any use of the word 'normal' in relation to human behavior and personality.

Please don't call me 'normal' ! ;-)

 

hello, yes i have turned in to an angry crazy ***** aswell ever since i came off the anti ds i get so frustrated easily and will lose my temper badly which never use to happen i feel like a phyco

[Altostrata]

clare, did you do anything to help your sleep or did you just somehow get through it?

 

I've had Paxil withdrawal syndrome for years, with sleep problems, now improving. But it sounds like you're going to do a lot better.

 

Many of the people on this site have hypersensitivity to a lot of things. What is yours like?

[Shanti]

I never had the anger issue. Mine was fear and depression. My friend had the anger though, and she felt psycho too. She got so bad she said she had a psychotic breakdown and went to the psychiatric hospital. I can't imagine what that anger must feel like. I hope you're feeling better.

[clare]

i didnt do anything really i was binge sdrinking all the time i think it just slowey came right i exercise everyday and go in the sun ,,have your withdrawl syptoms goten any beter over the years? and has the sensitive nervous sytem recovered or is it still as bad as the start. i actually tried like 5 different antidepressants ina couple of months so no wonder my nervouse systems screwed now .hopefuully it can get stronger. has anybody tried lactium and does it help relax at all

[clare]

oh and my hyper sensitive nervous sytem..well i cant drink coffe i cant take any stimulants i even got so bad i was sensitve to my own horemoans its getting better now or i mite just be getting use to it . i culdnt even take fishoil or eveing primrose i want to try that lactium out though

[Altostrata]

I like Lactium. It's very mild, just right for sensitive systems (except for those with a true milk allergy). Nice to take in the evening for sleep.

[spectio]

Hi, Clare. . .you asked a couple of days ago why your symptoms are so much worse in the morning. I have noticed this too for a long time. When I first wake up in the morning, I immediately feel this intense dread coming on. A lot of times it morphs into depression, then into nervousness, and sometimes just for yucks throw in some nausea. It lightens up in the afternoon and by about 4:00 p.m, things are better; not gone, mind you, just lighter In intensity. The evening is pretty "normal". This happens day after day. I think somewhere on the forum there was mention made of our adrenal glands going nuclear after discontinuing these drugs. I'm wondering if our symptoms are a reflection of our adrenal glands trying to get back to normal. I think cortisol levels are higher inI the early morning and tend to slide down as the day progresses. This would follow the paths our symptoms go from intolerable in the morning to not bad in the evening. Hopefully, alto or one of the staff can comment on this. I guess my point is, this is still withdrawal and we have to try too stay the course and be there for each other. Some days are real challenges. Take care

[Altostrata]

There's a natural cortisol peak in the early morning, as the sun rises. This gets exaggerated with withdrawal hypersensitivity.

 

Adrenal problems are mostly a red herring. The adrenals take instructions from the brain. If you have withdrawal anxiety, your adrenals are working fine.

[Barbarannamated]

I never had the anger issue. Mine was fear and depression. My friend had the anger though, and she felt psycho too. She got so bad she said she had a psychotic breakdown and went to the psychiatric hospital. I can't imagine what that anger must feel like. I hope you're feeling better.

 

Shanti,

 

This is just a hunch...how are you with expressing yourself in conflict situations and expressing anger? I always had problems dealing w/conflict, expressing anger, hurt, sticking up for myself and meds made it worse.

My theory is that people who have had difficulty with expression and hold emotions in are further harmed in that way. Then, take the AD away and it can be like a geyser that hasn't blown for years. I think depression and chronic pain are probably diagnosed more frequently in people who don't express anger or handle conflict well.

 

I came from a family that never had my back. NEVER. I recognized this as a kid. Later, if I told parents about a disagreement with a friend, I switched the story and told them that my opinion was the other person's and vice versa. Worked out well - they agreed with 'me' every time, even though they thought they were 'showing me the other person's point of view'.

 

Oh, Clare! I'm sorry. Didn't mean to hijack your thread.

[clare]

has anybody actually recovered after antidepressanst i just had the worst month ever thinking and worrying i will be like this for the rest of my life i am now worried about the worry i tried that lactium and that even made me feel werid and anxious i dont no what els to do now willll the anxeity ever go away will i live a normal life

[Altostrata]

Yes, people do recover from withdrawal syndrome. It can take a long time.

[clare]

is there anything to do that can help PMS thats natural coz PMS and this withdrawl is so hard to live with

[clare]

There must be sumrhimg the stupid dr kan give me to feel better coz im ready to give up the depression hasnt lifted yt getin worse help

[Shanti]

Hi Clare, the doctors would probably just want to put you back on antidepressants or some other psychotropics. You can try though, telling them you don't want that. Maybe there is something else they can do. If you did decide to go back on antidepressants, be sure it's a type with a long half life. But you've come far and yes some people take a very long time to recover. You're probably almost there.

 

Have you thought of consulting a Homeopath? Homeopathy doesn't have the side effects of other supplements and doesn't mess with your nervous system. It's helped me a lot.

[Altostrata]

clare, very, very few doctors grasp withdrawal syndrome.

 

Going back on a bit of Effexor may ease your withdrawal symptoms, or it may not. Same with Prozac, which is easier to taper. You can taper more slowly off later.

 

Any medication is a risk. It could make you worse, too.

 

The doctors get us into this mess but they don't know how to get us out.

[clare]

Shanti-i am thinking about thehomeoath havegot somebooks out has it helped your depresion and how do I find a good homepath I dont want to go back on a.ds

[clare]

and what can they do with someone that cant take antidepressanst anymore as they are to sensitivee to anything is there anything i coukld try to make me happy iv tried eveything fishoil exercise sunshine nothings working the drs dont no whats wrong with me so i guess this is it for the rest of my life

[Altostrata]

clare, are you posting from a cell phone?

 

If you have withdrawal syndrome, your symptoms will gradually improve. You need to take care of yourself, eat healthily, get as much exercise as you can, keep regular hours -- and, as much as possible, keep calm and stay positive about your situation.

 

If you are hypersensitive to medications, this is all you can do.

 

If you have low mood and cannot take medications, this is all you can do. You have to learn to manage your symptoms.

 

Other people on this site are in the same situation. It might help you to read some of the other Intro topics, and the Symptoms and What Helps section of this site.

[Altostrata]

clare returned to post a Recovery success story here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6106-i-survived-hell-after-withdrawing-from-effexor/

 

Please help us celebrate in clare's success story topic.

[Altostrata]

bump