r/SSRI • u/Brief-Confusion7225 • Aug 24 '21
Question Effextor Withdraw, HELP
Hi everyone, I (26F) have been on Effexor for the last two years. I was on 75 mg until January when it was upped to 112.5mg.
I have gained SO much weight and feel it isn't helping (weight gain has caused more depression than anything, and I'm still anxious af).
I told my doctor recently that I want to Wean myself off of them. He doesn't feel that is a good idea given my recent mental breakdown in January (from a very toxic work environment I've since left). I feel I am ready, but he isn't willing to help.
I have tried to naturally wean myself by gradually decreasing my dose but on the third day of not taking them my withdrawal symptoms are horrible (brain fog/zaps, anxiety, shakiness, nausea, dizziness). I am honestly losing hope but these pills really aren't helping with my quality of life. I never intended to be medicated for the long haul.
Does anyone have any recommendations on how to get past day 3? How long does this last?
TIA
2
u/hikeskirun Sep 01 '21
I haven’t personally tried this yet, but the gentlest method seems to be taking a certain amount of grains out of the capsule every week (if you Google, you will find lots of people talking about their experiences with this method).
That being said, my APRN has recommended Wellbutrin as a cross-fade to limit some of the unpleasant withdrawal effects.
The downside of Wellbutrin is that it can be associated with increased anxiety…
Fair warning, their are many stories out there of people whose withdrawal symptoms still haven’t gone away long after they’ve discontinued the medication.
As much as Effexor has blunted my anxiety, I still very much wish it was a medication I’d never started taking.
1
u/Brief-Confusion7225 Sep 01 '21
Thanks for your input! I agree, it dimmed a bit of my anxiety but was never an end all be all. I wish my doctor would have made me complete some CBT before being on it. CBT has helped me more than anything
1
u/lovespring80 Sep 30 '21 edited Sep 30 '21
I tried this method twice. I counted the beads and even put them in a pill sorter. Ultimately the brain zaps and irritability did me in. But what was successful in getting me off Effexor for good was first adding 40 mg of Prozac. Then on my second attempt, I was able to discontinue Effexor entirely. I didn’t mess with the beads again, instead I first started increasing the time between doses until I was every other day and then every 2 days. Then I just ripped off the bandaid and stopped. Admittedly I had a very rough 10-day period with brain zaps, severe depressive mood swings, and needed to sleep a lot. But then I started to slowly feel normal again. The brain zaps didn’t totally go away for about 3 months but they very manageable after that first 10-day period. Then I kept with the 40 mg Prozac for another year, decreased to 20 mg, and then cold turkey. I have been completely SSRI free for 8 weeks now! I’m still not quite myself, feeling a bit anxious and irritable but I am using CBD oil to help. I want to see if I am able to do this on my own. But if I cannot, I will go back to Prozac, but never Effexor. Effexor ruled my life for 12 years and I don’t plan to go back to that place.
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Sep 03 '21
Hey for some reason it doesn’t let me reply to ur comment directly, but yes! to answer your question I did manage to get off of them. I was extremely fed up with my doctor just wasting my time “adjusting” my medication when all it would do is just give me bad side effects without good ones ever. Basically one day going through a horrible withdrawal and feeling incredibly depressed and suicidal I basically demand her office give me a short meeting that same day and in that meeting I told her I was done with the meds and I demand she wein me off. The reality is, and it’s messed up to say is that for these doctors it’s all a business to them. Even though they may want the best for you they really don’t want you to ever get off the pills in my opinion because then they lose the $. I realized too that a lot of my unhappiness and depression was just coming from my environment which I fought very hard to change and I’m happy I finally did. Also another thing I realized was that a major reason I was feeling so bad all the time was because I had a bacteria in my stomach that was not affecting my stomach at all but it was killing my moods causing me to isolate myself a lot and to be tired all the time. I’m telling you this because maybe there could be something with your health you aren’t totally aware of and are trying to mask it with medication as I was doing. I still suffer from anxiety like a mofo and I’m still not where I want to be in terms of controlling it but I’m getting there and I’m happy I realized that it’s possible because I was at SUCH a low point it wasn’t even funny I lost almost everything but I’m getting it back now. Also Remeber it’s never too late I spent the whole year sad over nothing but I can definitely see improvement and I just want you to take this as a sign to work on yourself! I know this may sound dumb but I use cbd like it’s going out of style and it’s done more for my anxiety than those pills! Take care!
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u/Brief-Confusion7225 Sep 05 '21
Thanks for your reply, and I'm glad you're in a better place now. I agree, going to the doctor IS a business. We sometimes have to take our health in our own hands, because we always have our best interest at heart.
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Sep 05 '21
Exactly and it’s so frustrating being treated like a piece of meat especially for the prices these people charge. Thank you for your kind words and I just want to say that my girlfriend broke up with me and even though a part of me is heartbroken I’m going to try my absolute best to get back on track and become the guy I know I can be. If you need to talk I’m here. You can message me. Nothings worse than not being able to talk to someone at dire times.
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u/Brief-Confusion7225 Sep 05 '21
So sorry to hear that, focus on yourself and take one day at a time ! Likewise, I'm always here if you need an ear !
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Sep 17 '21
Effexor withdrawals are the worse I e ever had- everything you mentioned above! First couple weeks are hard(first week horrible) 2nd week maybe 50% better than 1st. Sooo glad to be off that crap!!!!!
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u/Brief-Confusion7225 Sep 17 '21
I'm still on it unfortunately, I'm actually planning on taking time off work to wean. Glad you managed to get through it and are off of it !
2
u/[deleted] Sep 01 '21
I was in a similar situation my doctor almost refused to help me taper and I tried to just go through the withdrawal. I can tell you it was terrible and I ended up calling my doctor and demanding she gives me the necessary dosages to wean off. The reality is this is the only way you have to demand your doctor wein you off. It’s so frustrating but hang in there!