Posted by Larry Hoover on July 2, 2004, at 13:19:49
In reply to Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 10:48:04
> Does anyone out there know anything about taking SAMe or St. John's Wort while you are trying to withdrawal from Effexor? I am wanting to get off my Effexor and go to something herbal but don't know if you can mix the two while you are going through withdrawal (not looking forward to the withdrawal by the way!). Any help would be appreciated!!!
>
> Thanks,
> StacyFrom:
http://benzo.org.uk/healy.htmMANAGEMENT OF WITHDRAWAL
"Withdrawal from SSRIs is something to be done in consultation with your physician. You may wish to show this to your GP. Over-rapid withdrawal may even be medically hazardous, particularly in older persons.
1. Convert the dose of SSRI you are on to an equivalent dose of Prozac liquid. Seroxat/Paxil 20mg, Efexor 75mg, Cipramil/Celexa 20mgs. Lustrat/Zoloft 50mgs are equivalent to 20mg of Prozac liquid. The rationale for this is that Prozac has a very long half-life, which helps to minimise withdrawal problems. The liquid form permits the dose to be reduced more slowly than can be done with pills.
2. Stabilise on the Prozac for a week, then halve the dose.
3. If there has been no problem with step 2, the dose can be further halved. Alternatively if there has been a problem from this point on the dose can be reduced even more slowly in weekly increments.
4. From a dose of Prozac 10mgs liquid, consider reducing by 1mg every few days over the course of several weeks - or months if need be. With Prozac liquid this can be done by dilution.
5. If there are difficulties at any particular stage the answer is to wait at that stage for a longer period of time before reducing further.
6. Withdrawal and dependence are physical phenomena. But some people can get understandably phobic about withdrawal particularly if the experience is literally shocking. If you think you may have become phobic, a clinical psychologist may be able to help manage the phobic problem.
7. Self-help support groups can be invaluable. Join one. If there are none nearby, consider setting one up. There will be lots of other people with a similar problem.
There is anecdotal evidence and some theoretical grounds to believe that another option is to substitute St John's Wort for the SSRI. If a dose of 3 tablets of St John's Wort is tolerated instead of the SSRI, this can then be reduced slowly - by one pill per fortnight or even per month.
Some people for understandable reasons may prefer this approach. But it needs to be noted that St John's Wort has its own set of interactions with other pills and its own problems and you may wish to consult your physician if this is the option you choose."
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:362556
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040613/msgs/362608.html