I have been taking Effexor XR for 9 days. I started on 37.5 mg for 7 days and bumped up to 75 mg 2 days ago. After reading all the scary negative stories about withdrawals I am considering stopping it. Since bumping up the dose I can't sleep at all. Benedryl allowed me to sleep at the 37.5 mg dose, but it doesn't help at the 75 mg. Do I need to taper off after just being on it for 8 days? :confused:

probably yes. I took effexor xr for about 6 months. I wouldn't touch that crap if my life depended on it. Every time i went up in dose or missed a dose the withdrawals would kick in. Nausea, dizziness, shakiness. Never ever ever will I use that stuff again.

Talk to your doctor first then probably tamper back down. Or you can switch to a low dose of Prozac or Lexapro which have zero withdrawal effects. You could switch from Effexor to either of those on the very next day and be fine.

J

I was on Effexor for 14 days, worked my way up to 150 mg and it made me sleepy, plus my mind just felt a bit too "slippery." I dropped to 75 mg plus 10 mg Lexapro for one week, then 20 mg Lexapro, then 10 mg Lexapro and I was fine, no side effects so far as I could tell.

Or you can switch to a low dose of Prozac or Lexapro which have zero withdrawal effects. You could switch from Effexor to either of those on the very next day and be fine.


Eek. I hate to go around correcting posts but the last couple days I have seen a very strange amount with blatantly incorrect info.

Prozac and lexapro are known to cause withdrawal effects in many people.

Switching meds, especially when switching to different classes does not at all guarantee you will 'escape' 'withdrawal' symptoms.

Prozac is commonly used to switch people from one SSRI to another because of that very same reason. Prozac has an unbelievably long half-life in the body whereas Effexor has a super short half-life. Skip a dose on Effexor and you'll know before 24 hours is up. At smaller doses (150mg and under) Effexor functions almost exclusively as a SSRI. Higher doses work as a SNRI.

Lexapro is just a cleaner, less side-effect SSRI.

J

Some people report electrical zaps in their face and head with quitting Effexor (and Paxil sometimes too). It is also a feeling like their head is detached from their body.

You can avoid this with a Prozac taper.

It is against the rules of the forum to offer medical advice.

Please feel free to state what has worked for you, or what has not worked for you, but do not tell other members what they can do because there is no way for anyone on this forum to know the medical history of anyone else on this forum. Only a Dr is allowed to tell a patient what they can do, because only a Dr would be privy to a patients medical history.

Eek. I hate to go around correcting posts but the last couple days I have seen a very strange amount with blatantly incorrect info. Please don't feel guilty for doing the right thing. I wish more members were like you concerning this issue. I agree with you completely concerning the incorrect information lately. I'm doing the best I can to correct it when I see it.





Prozac and lexapro are known to cause withdrawal effects in many people. I agree 100%. It's very reckless for anyone to claim otherwise.





Switching meds, especially when switching to different classes does not at all guarantee you will 'escape' 'withdrawal' symptoms.Well said Kurt. Thanks man.

I took it for 3 years, and I can attest that it really messes with your head BIG time if you stop cold turkey. But that is after taking it for over a year. 9 days shouldn't do much to you I wouldn't think. But when in doubt taper off.

The first time I had withdrawal I had a friend's wife flush my meds when visiting (she had issues) and it took me a few days to get up with my pharmacist (weekend I think). I went from being extraordinarily light-headed to crying uncontrollably. Then when I finally took it I threw up. I don't recommend it.

D

In my experience effexor has the worst withdrawal by far out of Prozac and lexapro etc. it's completely different because effexor acts on Serotonin, Noradrenalin and dopamine. Rather than just serotonin. It's like a tripple whammy.

You should be ok after 9 days but make sure you go talk to your doctor anyway. In my experience the quicker you get off it the easier the withdrawls will be. The longer you leave it the harder it will be.

Only people that have been through effexor WD's can truly understand what it's like. Many doctors don't even know about it yet. Be careful and good luck

Hate to sound so negative about this drug but if I can prevent one person from going through what I went through it's worth it. I'm not denying effexor has potential benefits for some... but as a first line depression and anxiety med? No way.

Forgot to say: I haven't heard of people having withdrawal if they've only been on it a month or two. Ask your doctor anyway! It's different for everyone.

I've been on Effexor for 10 years. The first 3 years I took as much as 300mg. About 5 years ago, I wanted to stop taking them. Each time I did, I would get a nagging throbbing irritable headache which seemed to make the room spin. (This is with tappering off w/o prozac) About 2 weeks later my anxiety got worse so I went back on with a lower dosage.

Three years ago, Effexor was affecting my sleep. I took it in the morning because it keeps me alert and awake. My doc prescribed Roserem. I didn't like taking one to help me focus and then another to help me sleep. So I tappered off again. This time, no side effects aside from a minor headache that lasted about a week. I stayed off of them for about a year until minor anxiety returned. I'm on a low dosage now... 75mg

I don't think I would stop taking Effexor because of the horrible side effects. I basically decided to stop taking them everytime I felt good and didn't think I had a problem anymore. The withdrawls for me lasted only a week. I was told my my doc that everytime I quit and go back on Effexor, it would wear out the effectiveness.

Why are you stopping the medication? Is it causing some sort of bad side effects. I have been taking e for about 9 days as well. Lucky for me I had a friend tell me it caused them to be tired so I take it about an hour before I should be going to sleep. I must say the benefits it has given me have been absolutely wonderful. I have truly felt "normal" at least I guess thats what it feels like.