Sullya

[Sullya]

I am new to this group so bare with me here.

I have recently went off Effexor with the help of ,my doctor. I was feeling great for the first couple weeks. Hadn't been that happy in a very long time and then it was like a switch turned off.

I have turned into this angry, unbearable person to be around. I feel my relationship is about to end due to this. My partner says she doesn't even know who I am anymore.

I hate being around people and I am finding it harder and harder to go to work everyday. I can't concentrate and nothing makes sense.

Does this get Better in time?

[btdt]

Hi Sullya and welcome to SA

 

It may be that you went off the drug too fast and now have withdrawal symptoms a slow taper is needed to avoid the worst of withdrawal I know I went off Effexor cold turkey after getting into trouble with it. 

I am going to recommend a moderator take a look here she will send you a link to post your drug and taper history into a signature once that information is available advice will be given as to how to fix this now.  

If this takes some time you can search this site for Effexor taper. 

peace

[dalsaan]

hi Sullya,

 

Welcome to SA.  Can you please fill out your drug history so that we have some back ground info what drugs have you taken in the past, when did you start tapering off effexor, how did you do it (how often did you drop a dose and how big was the drop) what symptoms are you having, when did they start, what's happening now.

 

When we have that info we can get more of a sense of whats happening for you and talk about what we might do if we were in your shoes.  

 

Here is a link on how to fill out your signature http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Dalsaan

[btdt]

Here is the link for the Effexor taper thread:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/272-tips-for-tapering-off-effexor-and-effexor-xr-venlafaxine/

 

It is not unusual for doctors to suggest a too fast taper and for people to feel bad because of it.  How long you were on the drug the dose and the rate of taper is important information to put in your signature.  Any previous drugs antidepressant or other psych drug use is needed too. 

 

This link will walk you through how to post a signature. 

peace

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Sullya.

 

See What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Withdrawal syndrome can last a long time.

 

How much Effexor were you taking? How did you reduce it?

[Sullya]

I was taking Effexor 75Mg for almost 15 years. I started gradually going down Apr 1. I would take two beads out every day, then four, five then seven. I then went to the doctor and he dropped me down to 37.5 mg and prescribed me Prozac. He said I didn't even have to take the 37.5mg of Effexor I could just drop right to the Prozac for a week and then off them completely. I took the 37.5 of Effexor with the Prozac for ten days. Then I dropped to just the Prozac 10Mg, I took this for a couple days but started to feel some ringing in my ears and what felt like the start of withdrawal so i bumped the Prozac up to 20mg a day for five days and then I bumped back down to 10mg for five days and then I was done on the first of May.

The first couple weeks were great I felt like the old me again. Happy go lucky and loving life. Then bang it all changed.

The past few weeks have been the worse. I was in the hospital one day from vertigo so bad I vomited. I told the doctor at emerg how I had recently went off Effexor and thought this must be the cause of the vertigo, he proceeded to tell me it would have nothing to do with it. I would be well over the Effexor withdrawls cause they are the easiest ones to come off. Ha do I have news for him.

I am in a rage all the time, I can't concentrate, I am tired all the time. I just don't feel like me. Feels like my world is falling apart.

I am not sure if this week is worse because my menstrual cycle is coming or if it's just like this now all the time.

[dalsaan]

hi Sullya,

 

 

 

Here is a link on how to fill out your signature http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Dalsaan

Sullya, you have posted your drug history in this thread. That's not what I meant. This thread gives you instructions on how to complete a signature that will be provided with every post you make. Please have another go

 

D

[btdt]

• Click on the small downward arrow next to your name in the top right corner of any page.
• Select My Settings from the list.
• On the left of the My Settings page, click on the Signature tab. You will be able to add or edit your signature.
• Click on the big black Save Changes button at the bottom when you are done.

 

here is the copied text so you don't have to type it all again. 

 

I was taking Effexor 75Mg for almost 15 years. I started gradually going down Apr 1. I would take two beads out every day, then four, five then seven. I then went to the doctor and he dropped me down to 37.5 mg and prescribed me Prozac. He said I didn't even have to take the 37.5mg of Effexor I could just drop right to the Prozac for a week and then off them completely. I took the 37.5 of Effexor with the Prozac for ten days. Then I dropped to just the Prozac 10Mg, I took this for a couple days but started to feel some ringing in my ears and what felt like the start of withdrawal so i bumped the Prozac up to 20mg a day for five days and then I bumped back down to 10mg for five days and then I was done on the first of May.

The first couple weeks were great I felt like the old me again. Happy go lucky and loving life. Then bang it all changed. 

The past few weeks have been the worse. I was in the hospital one day from vertigo so bad I vomited. I told the doctor at emerg how I had recently went off Effexor and thought this must be the cause of the vertigo, he proceeded to tell me it would have nothing to do with it. I would be well over the Effexor withdrawls cause they are the easiest ones to come off. Ha do I have news for him.

I am in a rage all the time, I can't concentrate, I am tired all the time. I just don't feel like me. Feels like my world is falling apart. 

I am not sure if this week is worse because my menstrual cycle is coming or if it's just like this now all the time.

[oskcajga]

I am new to this group so bare with me here.

I have recently went off Effexor with the help of ,my doctor. I was feeling great for the first couple weeks. Hadn't been that happy in a very long time and then it was like a switch turned off.

I have turned into this angry, unbearable person to be around. I feel my relationship is about to end due to this. My partner says she doesn't even know who I am anymore.

I hate being around people and I am finding it harder and harder to go to work everyday. I can't concentrate and nothing makes sense.

Does this get Better in time?

 

A lot depends on how quickly you tapered off of effexor.  The dose is also important, but not quite as important as your taper schedule.  If you just stopped and have been off for like a month or two, resinstatement could be dangerous, but not always so.  Altostrata indicated that effexor WD can last a long time, and she's 100% correct.  It can last for a very long time in some people, but in MOST people it's over in about 6 weeks or so.  So hopefully you're one of the 75%+ people who don't experience long withdrawal.

 

I've interacted with numerous people who have recovered from SNRI withdrawal in about 3-6 weeks, so it's the vast minority of cases where WD lasts for years and years.  ODDS are, you're not going to be one of them. 

 

Stay in touch.

[Sullya]

Thank you Silver Star

I really hope I am not one that will take years to get over it, cause some days I wonder how I am going to make it through the day.

I don't want to go back on anything. I would really like to wait it out. I am just afraid of the people in my life I may loose in the process cause i am a changed person.

[oskcajga]

Thank you Silver Star

I really hope I am not one that will take years to get over it, cause some days I wonder how I am going to make it through the day.

I don't want to go back on anything. I would really like to wait it out. I am just afraid of the people in my life I may loose in the process cause i am a changed person.

 

People that are very very close to you will notice, but 90% of everyone else in the world won't care or notice.  I was a dramatically different person after I stopped taking cymbalta, and I lost a lot of friends and good relationships - but that was MY choice to stop hanging out with those people, they were really confused as to why I stopped coming around.  The only relationships I retained were the ones that really meant anything to begin with - i.e., friends who unconditionally cared about me.  The rest just moved on with their lives and forgot about me, or just couldn't do anything for me.  I had only one or two people out of probably 50 that I was in contact with, say anything to me about my condition - and those 2 people only said it in passing. 

 

You probably won't be one of the people who are in it for years, and going back on meds after 2-4 weeks can cause more damage than it can help.  I've heard of people reinstating 6 months afterwards, because it was difficult, and they are now totally dependent upon meds, but the reinstatement was successful.  Personally, I tried reinstating 2 months after I quit, and got a terrible adverse reaction which lead to my demise.  Personally, I wouldn't risk going back on meds.

 

Hopefully in a couple of weeks this will all be behind you.

 

In regards to the relationship, you might be surprised how much your partner will put up with.  There may be some disappointment or something at first, but I've heard of many people on here who had supportive loving parters that saw them through the whole thing.  If your partner is not understanding or hostile to you and breaks up with you because of a medically induced issue that you have no control over, I hate to be frank and rude, but it's probably not someone you want in your life anyways.  OK, maybe you want this person in your life, being alone isn't fun, but anyone who truly loves you and cares about you will see you through this to the end.  We're here if you ever need to talk.

[Sullya]

Thank you very much.

Those words meant a lot to me.

Just by reading all of the views on here, gives me hope.

One day at a time is all we can do

[Petunia]

Hi Sullya,

It looks like you have put your full real name as your signature. You might want to remove this for privacy reasons as it will bring up any posts you have made here if someone were to search your name.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

[Narcissus]

Hi Sullya.  I'm so sorry to hear that you're experiencing all of this.  Withdrawal is terrible and terrifying, especially in the beginning.  Many of us here have experienced what you're going through now, from the paralyzing fear to the sudden bouts of rage.  We call these new frightening feelings neuro-emotions, they're a big and ugly part of the withdrawal process.  But they get much better and more manageable with time.  Please know that you're not alone.  Read about neuro-emotions here:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/137-neuro-emotion/

15 years is a very long time to be on Effexor.  I've had a lot of trouble getting off of it, and I've been on it closer to five years.  Your symptoms suggest that your taper was too fast (and way too fast toward the end).  It sounds like it's been about a month and a half (more?) since you've taken any of the Effexor, is that right?  At this point we usually recommend going back on a small amount of the drug to see if it relieves any symptoms.  You'll want to be careful and make sure you start with a small dose, say 10 mgs (others may have different dosage suggestions).  You can either do this by counting beads or by getting the immediate-release tablets and making a liquid.  You can read about how to measure Effexor doses in this thread:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/272-tips-for-tapering-off-effexor-and-effexor-xr-venlafaxine/

People often feel better after reinstating.  I think it's worth a try if it hasn't been over three months since you've stopped the Effexor.  Let us know if you need any more help getting your signature in order, btdt gave you some good instructions above.  

Hang in there.  It gets better.

[Altostrata]

Narcissus makes a very good point. Do you have any of the Effexor left? If you took just 5 beads out of a capsule, it might help.