Any comments, personal stories? Effexor XR

[jellybean]

A couple weeks ago I asked a question pertaining to the withdrawal effects of this antidepressant. I was confused about if I was, in fact, suffering some sort of withdrawal or if depression was returning. Let me tell you that this drug seriosly had me questioning my sanity. I cannot believe this drug is acceptable to society as a legal and "safe" treatment for anything. If I was a weaker person I probably wouldve killed myself to relieve what this drug did to me. I had a never-ending migrain for a week. Panic attacks (I hadn't had one for ten years) like nothing I've ever experienced. Anger, agitation, anxiety, uncontrolable twitching, auditory hallucinations, chest pain, confusion (one night I didn't know where or who I was for awhile which led to another panic attack) aggresion and finally a total emotional breakdown. For the last week I seem to be returning to a more stable condition tho I wondered if the twitching (and speech. I couldn't talk right either) where going to be permanent. At the moment I'm only left dealing with moderate mood swings and memory problems. My question is has anyone else suffered anything similar with this or other antidepressant? Has anyone gone off this drug with no side effects or withdrawal (it's supposedly non-addicting) It seems to me this company has put profits over people. This drug was suppose to help me not hurt me. Any comments on this topic appreciated.....

[Zoey]

Hey!

I'm currently on my way off Effexor! from the 75g (the pink ones) to the 37.5 (green ones) and honestly I'm starting to feel like Ive woken up from a coma... I was waling around the city and I was noticing things more, smells sounds that kinda stuff that i haden't really noticed in a while. And yeah I have been a little bit moody and a bit more sensitive than normal, I cried over the fact a friend told me I should be careful with the kinda crappy food into my body, which was just silly of me. But I have to say the for the time I have been of effexor it saved my ass. I was so badly depressed and yes it helped so much! But on days I forgot to take it I was light headed and had horrid head spins. I did tend to forget to take it as I was a bit of a zombie for a while. But in the end it has worked really really well considering how badly depressed I was. I wouldn't recommend been on it for really long times. Ive been on it for about 8 months I think and its great. BUT as with these kind of things it might work for one person and not for another, I had been on several other ones before try effexor. I would strongly suggest that you go see your doctor and tell them that you are having horrid and SEVER side effects as I think they will try and get you off it as soon as possible and the sooner you see the doctor the sooner you can get off effexor. Your Dr will make coming off it as painless as possible.

good luck

[vany3]

You poor thing,these drugs affect people in different ways,some are time release and make you fell odd for an hour or so.It is a shame a pill made for each person cant be done so it only treats the chemicals in the brain that are causing the problem.I had a bad time I had two babies die and was messed up afterwards,I felt i was the worst off in the world,untill you see others ,kids with cancer who just get on and still smile,may be you should take a deep breath and find a real pupose in life,help someone who is worse off than you so you go to bed at night feeling good about yourself,even if you make a strainger smile that is one persons whole day you have made a little brighter,and they smiled because of you,look at how amazin things are,even a spider as mad as it may sound,one life ! x

[xbabynothingx]

I take the same medication. 75mg and 37mg everyday. I was off it for about a week. And I too had horrible depression symptoms. I felt so sad, and lonely. Angry at times and also felt hopelesss. I do not know why this drug has such bad with drawls but it doesn't seem very safe. I would defiantly talk to my doctor about this. Write down yousymptomsms so you remember exactly what was happening and refer it to the doc. Its really your best bet. Or even consider a therapist.

[Nicholas H]

I was on effexor for 3 months and it F**ked with my head Way too much for a prescription drug. It made me very agitated and i felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin, I got very suicidal and ended up overdosing because of it. When you try to come off it you will feel like its the end of the world..but it IS NOT. it took me a while to kick the bad feeling i got when i discontinued effexor but u will feel 100 times better when u r off it. Coming off it your mind will race and u will have intrusive thoughts but tell yourself that it will all even out once your brain adapts to the drug being gone. u will feel better and dont let effexor ruin your life or steal your thoughts! live your life

[Monette Z]

Profit over the health of the general public. Hogwash! That is impossible.

This is the probable response, the pharmaceutical company, selling this miracle drug, would probably have, in it's defense.

The truth about pharmaceutical companies, is they are in tremendous danger, to a scientifically, accurate cure, or at least the most drastic improvements of mental health possible, lies in a dietary change.

If this was to be shown as the truth, then the pharmaceutical companies are at the center of an insidious plot.

How can I say this? How dare I? I dare, simple because I am a self diagnosed, high function, Asperger autistic, gluten intolerant person. Uh oh! Another self diagnoser! Let me just clarify.

Many doctors in my area, to include medical teaching universities, of even Ivy league standings, all insisted I was wrong, when I discovered what was wrong with me. I was nearing the needs for these medications. All my life, I have suffered increasing anxiety. The funny thing, anxiety is measured how? I did not show my anxieties. They came out as humor , or some other idiot control response in relations to my Idiot Savants. I looked like a happy goofy guy, but much of it was sheer anxiety.

It presented itself differently to me. I had little or no control over common animal instinct. Protecting the wife, became unreasonable jealousy. I would actually feel the physical sensation, of curling towards a fedal position, just ever so slightly. The out of control emotion, would turn to rage. I was never a hitter. I still am not. The need for The psychiatric profession, would have definately had me on some type of anti depressent.

This never happened. I know and have heard way to many stories over leaving xanax. I know people, who have been told to beware the side affects, of not properly slowing the medication first. One of which is heart attack. I do not know who is telling you what, but most anti depressents bare warning labels. Read it. Do not take someone's word. Read the warnings.

Now this simple dietary idea, is not just mine alone. For creditability, I will quote from personal conversations with the one man, who can clearly be stated as the best food allergen specialist, in the entire world. Dr. Alessio Fasano.

He is currently teaching at University of Maryland. The other man, who is from Australia and is also a world reknowned food allergen specialist.

In Dr Fasano home country of Italy, he has instituted an inexpensive alternative genetic test, to identify how big the problem of what is known as celiacs may be. Another even more obvious way to save on Italy's health care system, was how they were finding associations between ADHD and OCD learning disabilities and the food allergen known as gluten proteins that are derived from wheat, barley and malts.

This genetic test is the only 99.999999% accurate test available, to identify the genetic markers that are considered gluten intolerant. They are the HLA DQ2 and the HLA DQ8 genetic modifiers of the Atlantic and Pacific Rim hunter gatherer. These are the genes that have never been tested in anything but a bunch of stomach sick people. Now the test is indescriminent. All of italy. the results, 80% of the public hold the DQ2 Atlantic rim Hg. 10 to 15% of the public hold the DQ8 Pacific Rim gene. 5 to 10% hold the DQ1 gene, that is less likely to exhibit the deadliest form of this allergen called Celiac Sprue. Lucky me. I am DQ8 and DQ1. DQ1 can cause nerve damage anywhere that is connected to a nerve function. Sweet.

Now I got this genetic test after all doctors insisted I couldn't be celiac. They were not at all happy to tell me the results of these tests. I was right. This was over 2 years ago.

When I removed the allergen from my diet, my tummy felt better, but more shocking than this, was the positive effects it was seeming to have over my unreasonable anxiety. It was the strangest feeling to tap my wife on her cute behind, and speak the words, " Have a nice day shopping." I literally had to look over my shoulder, and see if I was someone else, standing behind me. I realized just how anxiety free I was.

If this is all true, ask yourself, are you confortable in the hands of a government service, in control of your health, called the FDA, who is advised by pharmaceutical companies that all advise the parent company called Codex, which intern advise the world governments as to what to recomend the public is told for dietary requirements that a known allergen to the Human species, is being told to feed your children an allergen that was dicovered by the man who started Codex named Hans Gruber? He also made up the catch phrase that was posted at the entrances to many concentration camps "With work comes liberty".

I have tremendously reduce my anxiety. I have lost all to an epidemic that does not exist. Me and my wife have paid the ultimate financial prices. I have lost the ability to work my career. I need to find a

[Roxy5]

Almost everyone who starts treatment with anti-depressants has a couple horror stories before they find the right one. Different meds effect different people in different ways. Effexor just happens to not be right for you. Don't give up on anti-depressants entirely. However, I would address the issue of a possible bipolar disorder at your next appointment, given what being on just an anti-depressant did to you. There is always a risk of side effects when starting medication.

Effexor eliminated my appetite, cause intense spaciness/confusion and shaking in me, too, but I came off it and tried something else. I started on Lexapro, which was even worse for me, throwing me into an intense mixed bipolar episode with severe anxiety and impulse control issues.

[Megan]

I was on a very, very, high amount of Effexor for a very long time. I don't know what Effexor XR is or maybe that was was the Effexor I was on.

Anyway,

It made me feel VERY sick. I was tweaking out and twitching like you. I felt like I had the flu while I was on it and my body ached.

When coming off of it my blood pressure was high, I felt ten times sicker and I hallucinated a lot.

I think any Effexor is a horrible, horrible, dangerous medication to be on.

I also thought that suicide was the better option at the time because I was so miserable.

I don't think it should be given to anyone.

[melissa]

i suffered from similar withdrawal effects. this drug is pretty bad (i won't even call it a medicine)... i tried leaving it 3 times in the last 10 yrs and i've not been able to go through the 28 days of withdrawal. i've heard from other people that it takes years to really get over the twitching, confusion, auditory hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks etc. and list goes on and on and on......

i curse the day i started taking it. i think it was 98 so more than 10 years now. and i have been panic attacks free but i feel like a robot. happy for no reason, sad for no reason (when i skip a dose)... even right now its time for the medicine and i haven't taken it on time so now i'm feeling nausea, panic, head ache.... effexor company should form a fu&*ing rehabilitation center for the victims of their negligence now so that we can all be EFFEXOR FREE

XR type is more addictive than the other type. my friend and my grand ma who were both on the other type got off it within 2 weeks. and the withdrawal effects were milder too. the best course of action will be to go back to a freaking shrink and ask him for a replacement med for effexor. don't try to quit it without the help of a doctor. they'll help relieve your withdrawal symptoms. you don't have to go thru all this pain.

theres a drug rehab center near my home that also helps ppl quit antidepressants. maybe you can call a rehab and ask if they can help.