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Q. After reading about the difficulties people have getting off certain antidepressant medications, I want to tell you about my success. I planned a weekend at home with no distractions or plans and took Dramamine all weekend to stay somewhat sedated.
By the time Monday rolled around, I was free of the sweating, the shock-like sensations in my brain and all the rest. My neurologist had told me I might just have to stay on the medication because of the withdrawal issues. Glad I didn’t!
A. Thanks for sharing your strategy. There is no data on the usefulness of Dramamine in withdrawing from an antidepressant.
For many people, a weekend is not long enough for phasing off an antidepressant like Paxil or Effexor. They may need to lower the dose gradually over weeks to reduce the risk of side effects such as electric shock-like sensations or a feeling of sloshing inside the head (also described as head-in-a-blender).
Symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, dizziness and insomnia can also be disconcerting. With careful medical supervision, however, most people can discontinue antidepressants successfully.
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I have read so many horror stories about stopping Effexor XR, that I just wanted to share my experience with the hope of offering encouragement to others...
I am 46 years old and have suffered with anxiety disorder for most of my adult life. I have been on Buspar, which for me was worthless, then Paxil, which helped for a few years, but side effects were worse than the anxiety, then Zoloft, which again for me did nothing but cost me money, then I went on Effexor (3 years ago) then the XR. At first I was so sick that I considered stopping due to the side effects, but I continued... I never really felt great, but kept taking it anyway. FInally, my doc decided to check my Thyroid... VOILA!!! I was didgnosed with a thyroid disorder and put on Synthroid. I tried many times to "taper off" of the Effexor XR but the side effects were awful. After many attempts to taper off, I decided to just stop cold turkey. I was scared, especially after reading the horror stories. I did some research and came up with a plan...
Eat 3 decent meals a day with 2 snacks and drink plenty of water. I reduced my caffiene intake, I take a multiple vitamin loaded with B-12, I take half of a .25 Xanax with my lunch and the other half with my dinner and I take a Lexapro 10 MG at bedtime with a cup of Herb tea.
I have been doing this now for 7 days and aside from some minor fatigue and sweating, I feel great! My plan is to stop the lexapro in a week, then the Xanax two weeks after that. I also stared walking and dong some light exercise with 2lb. weights. Might not sound like much, but it is working for me. THis might not be the best approach for everyone, but for me is is working--so far so good. The one thing I am certain of is that if I ever have to go on meds again, it will not be Effexor!!!
I quit my Effexor six days ago and have been experiencing sweating, fuzzy-headedness, anger, shakiness, and dizziness. I hope it all resolves soon, my husband is getting tired of me snapping at him. I think I'll get a thyroid check as that seems to be a problem for women over 50.