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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by searching4ans on August 11, 2004, at 17:57:25
I have heard the horror stories of Effexor withdrawals. I am supposed to cut back but did anyone find away to cut back without the withdrawals?
Posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 18:25:31
In reply to Effexor withdrawal, any way to avoid?, posted by searching4ans on August 11, 2004, at 17:57:25
> I have heard the horror stories of Effexor withdrawals. I am supposed to cut back but did anyone find away to cut back without the withdrawals?
I dropped from 225 mg to 75 mg. I just dropped 37.5 mg at a time and stayed at each drop for at least 2 weeks.
BTW, my MDs say that it's not really withdrawal, but rather discontinuation. They say withdrawal implies addiction.
Posted by Racer on August 11, 2004, at 18:55:54
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal, any way to avoid? » searching4ans, posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 18:25:31
You can't *eliminate* discomfort, but you can minimize it all a great deal. First rule is: take it slowly. That really did work for me -- the problems I had were bearable, I could still work, and really the worst part for me was how LONG it took to discontinue the drug. Taking it very slowly minimized the problems, and adding in a med like Prozac with a long half life in the body would have helped even more.
By the way, the taper schedule from my pdoc was too fast for me, so I ended up going much more slowly. I forget what he suggested -- less than a week at each dose, I believe. I can't remember how long I stayed at each dose, but I do remember that I'd go down a dose, and if it was too soon, I'd go back up a little longer. That helped a lot, too.
Best luck!
Posted by malthus on August 11, 2004, at 20:07:51
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal, any way to avoid?, posted by Racer on August 11, 2004, at 18:55:54
Since lowering my dose of Effexor from 225mg.to 187.5mg to 150mg (within the last six weeks), I have been experiencing twitching in my fingers and other parts of my body. (The same thing happened when I was on Xyprexa and I had to stop taking it).
Has anyone else ever experienced this?
malthus
Posted by mcp on August 11, 2004, at 20:52:38
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal, any way to avoid? » searching4ans, posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 18:25:31
I am so sick of this bs. I was thrust off Ativan cold turkey because it is addictive. The results were awful. They put me on all sort of "nonaddictive" meds. I stop them because I don't like going through life like a zombie. I had horrible withdrawals from zyprexa and lexapro. Discontinuation Syndrome is yet another glaring example of the greed and lack of ethics of pharmacuetical companies. They are all addictive. Bottom line. Once I figured this out I went back on the Ativan. At least it didn't give me the side effects of the "nonaddictive" meds.
> > I have heard the horror stories of Effexor withdrawals. I am supposed to cut back but did anyone find away to cut back without the withdrawals?
>
> I dropped from 225 mg to 75 mg. I just dropped 37.5 mg at a time and stayed at each drop for at least 2 weeks.
>
> BTW, my MDs say that it's not really withdrawal, but rather discontinuation. They say withdrawal implies addiction.
>
>
Posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 21:38:31
In reply to Discontinuation--LOL. That is pathetic, posted by mcp on August 11, 2004, at 20:52:38
> I am so sick of this bs. I was thrust off Ativan cold turkey because it is addictive. The results were awful. They put me on all sort of "nonaddictive" meds. I stop them because I don't like going through life like a zombie. I had horrible withdrawals from zyprexa and lexapro. Discontinuation Syndrome is yet another glaring example of the greed and lack of ethics of pharmacuetical companies. They are all addictive. Bottom line. Once I figured this out I went back on the Ativan. At least it didn't give me the side effects of the "nonaddictive" meds.
It's really not bs. Link to where you can get some info:
http://www.cpmission.com/main/addiction.html
bye
Posted by mcp on August 11, 2004, at 22:58:03
In reply to Re: Discontinuation--LOL. That is pathetic » mcp, posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 21:38:31
Fine, according to that criteria they are not addictive, but neither are benzos, which of course many doctors claim are addictive. Regardless, I and scores of other people have horrible withdrawals from both classes of meds. Benzos have been demonized and SSRIs haven't. Gee, I wonder why that is. Couldn't have anything to do with money, could it? Anyways, it still doesn't take away from my original point that it really sucks to come off either, no matter what semantic game you play to tell me what I am suffering from.
> > I am so sick of this bs. I was thrust off Ativan cold turkey because it is addictive. The results were awful. They put me on all sort of "nonaddictive" meds. I stop them because I don't like going through life like a zombie. I had horrible withdrawals from zyprexa and lexapro. Discontinuation Syndrome is yet another glaring example of the greed and lack of ethics of pharmacuetical companies. They are all addictive. Bottom line. Once I figured this out I went back on the Ativan. At least it didn't give me the side effects of the "nonaddictive" meds.
>
> It's really not bs. Link to where you can get some info:
>
> http://www.cpmission.com/main/addiction.html
>
> bye
Posted by JahL on August 12, 2004, at 0:01:43
In reply to Re: Discontinuation--LOL. That is pathetic, posted by mcp on August 11, 2004, at 22:58:03
> Benzos have been demonized and SSRIs haven't. Gee, I wonder why that is. Couldn't have anything to do with money, could it?
Believe me, over here in Britain, where drug companies don't wield the same kind of power, the press are really going to town on the SSRI issue. Seroxat (Paxil) is considered the 'suicide AD'.
Have a look at the well regarded BBC website.
J.
Posted by Camille Dumont on August 12, 2004, at 10:40:25
In reply to Effexor withdrawal, any way to avoid?, posted by searching4ans on August 11, 2004, at 17:57:25
Take something else to "mask" the w/d. Some people go with Prozac, Celexa 20mg does the trick for me.
Posted by nephron on August 15, 2004, at 11:57:20
In reply to Re: Discontinuation--LOL. That is pathetic » mcp, posted by fires on August 11, 2004, at 21:38:31
And even from that site you linked to:
"Physical dependence is a state of adaptation that often includes tolerance and is manifested by a drug class specific withdrawal syndrome that can be produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level of the drug, and/or administration of an antagonist."
I will point out the words "withdrawal syndrome" and "physical dependence".
While you may not be "addicted" to Efexor or whatever, you can certainly be "dependent" upon it and suffer "withdrawal".
I may be being bitchy at the moment. I will admit to a temptation to hunt the execs of Wyeth down and put them on Efexor, then take them off it.
See what they say about how it feels.
This is the end of the thread.
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