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Hello -
I have been taking 300mg/day of Effexor (not XR or XL) for over 6 years. Approximately 3 years ago, I switched to the generic. Over the past two months, I started decreasing my dosage incrementally. About two weeks ago, I took my last dose. My physician has advised me of the tough time I may have coming off this medication - and I have been following discussions online with similar prediction.
I can confirm my withdrawal experience from Effexor has been, and continues to be fierce. Mentally, I feel superb and better than I've felt in a very long time. Physically, however, my body is having a tough time adapting. I've read a lot of posts about "brain shivers" - I experience something similar, almost like my brain is about a half-second behind the rest of my body when I'm moving my head in a visually stimulating environment such as driving, watching TV, reading, etc. I've experimented by moving my head with my eyes open, and with my eyes closed. I do not experience the "shivers" when my eyes are closed, however I do when they're open. I can extrapolate a connection between visual stimulus and the movement of my head ... I can't explain it ... but it's there. The only recent change in my life and environment is the removal of Effexor - so the experiences I'm having must have to do with coming off the medication.
My body, in general, aches like I've been running a marathon. It's similar to what I feel when noticing that I'm beginning to get the flu. I often feel nauseous, and I've vomited several times - not from the usual stomach kinds of ailment, but rather from what I think might be a form of motion sickness. If I weren't aware of the withdrawal symptoms before actually coming off Effexor, I could easily see slipping back into depression simply from these crazy physical symptoms.
As I mentioned, however, mentally I feel exceptional. I have had no further symptoms of depression that I can point to at this juncture. A near immediate and very positive affect of stopping Effexor, for me, has been the return to normal sexual function. It's amazing to me what a "depressing" affect Effexor had on my sexual health. Before, I was rarely in the mood for sex, and it often took a tremendous amount of effort to reach orgasm - and I'm a guy!!! Although I'm now 40, I feel like I'm 18 again. This, for me, is truly amazing, and I will be asking myself, in future, whether the side effects of any drug are worth the benefit.
Considering the very negative side effects, and conversely the very positive side effects of removing the drug from my system, I can surmise that Effexor was not a good drug choice for me. My experiences with the side effects run the extreme - very extreme. There's not been a middle ground for me. It's both good and bad that I had to stop taking Effexor to realize these things.
My advice to anyone attempting to come off of Effexor - hang in there. I am not a medical professional, but in my opinion, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get Effexor out of your system. Keep close connection with your health professional and be sure to report renewed feelings of depression or loss of hope. There are lots of anti-depression drugs available - ones that may work better for you than Effexor.
I have been taking 300mg/day of Effexor (not XR or XL) for over 6 years. Approximately 3 years ago, I switched to the generic. Over the past two months, I started decreasing my dosage incrementally. About two weeks ago, I took my last dose. My physician has advised me of the tough time I may have coming off this medication - and I have been following discussions online with similar prediction.
I can confirm my withdrawal experience from Effexor has been, and continues to be fierce. Mentally, I feel superb and better than I've felt in a very long time. Physically, however, my body is having a tough time adapting. I've read a lot of posts about "brain shivers" - I experience something similar, almost like my brain is about a half-second behind the rest of my body when I'm moving my head in a visually stimulating environment such as driving, watching TV, reading, etc. I've experimented by moving my head with my eyes open, and with my eyes closed. I do not experience the "shivers" when my eyes are closed, however I do when they're open. I can extrapolate a connection between visual stimulus and the movement of my head ... I can't explain it ... but it's there. The only recent change in my life and environment is the removal of Effexor - so the experiences I'm having must have to do with coming off the medication.
My body, in general, aches like I've been running a marathon. It's similar to what I feel when noticing that I'm beginning to get the flu. I often feel nauseous, and I've vomited several times - not from the usual stomach kinds of ailment, but rather from what I think might be a form of motion sickness. If I weren't aware of the withdrawal symptoms before actually coming off Effexor, I could easily see slipping back into depression simply from these crazy physical symptoms.
As I mentioned, however, mentally I feel exceptional. I have had no further symptoms of depression that I can point to at this juncture. A near immediate and very positive affect of stopping Effexor, for me, has been the return to normal sexual function. It's amazing to me what a "depressing" affect Effexor had on my sexual health. Before, I was rarely in the mood for sex, and it often took a tremendous amount of effort to reach orgasm - and I'm a guy!!! Although I'm now 40, I feel like I'm 18 again. This, for me, is truly amazing, and I will be asking myself, in future, whether the side effects of any drug are worth the benefit.
Considering the very negative side effects, and conversely the very positive side effects of removing the drug from my system, I can surmise that Effexor was not a good drug choice for me. My experiences with the side effects run the extreme - very extreme. There's not been a middle ground for me. It's both good and bad that I had to stop taking Effexor to realize these things.
My advice to anyone attempting to come off of Effexor - hang in there. I am not a medical professional, but in my opinion, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get Effexor out of your system. Keep close connection with your health professional and be sure to report renewed feelings of depression or loss of hope. There are lots of anti-depression drugs available - ones that may work better for you than Effexor.
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