READER'S EXPERIENCES ON EFFEXOR
From Penny
My name is Penny and I was put on effexor last November for anxiety. I wish I had of researched this drug before I started it. I have the brain shivers and I have gained 15 lbs since I started it. I have dieted and exercised and I told my husband it was making me gain weight.
He thinks I am crazy and that it is not the drug. I tried to stop it last spring and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I am seeing a different doctor and he is tapering me off slowly, but I am still having bad withdrawls. I am having the sweating, vivid dreams, aggitation, and the brain shivers are worst. But I am going to try to get through it and get off of this medication. My brother had cancer and he was put on this drug and he stopped it cold turkey. He was very depressed and he killed himself. I think the effexor had a part in it but he could not handle being so weak and sick. One side effect I have that I have not read about is I grind and grit my teeth all the time since I have been on this.
Thank you for your web sight,
- Penny
Withdrawal Woes
Yikes! How did you ever discontinue effexor COLD TURKEY!!!! I have been weaning off for months and down to the last 6 or 7 weeks and this is soooooo hard!! I just decided to take a leave of absence from work for the next 2 months!! There is no way I can drive a car in this condition, nor do my job as a nurse. Nobody tells you how crazy these withdrawal symptoms are!!
I felt so bad the other day, I thought I was going crazy - really! Vertigo - like being on a merry-go-round that doesn't stop. My poor body reacting with anxiety - my heart rate speeding up, hot flashes and sweats, and having a hard time breathing. That was the real scary part! I thought there was something wrong with my heart or lungs!
And I also wondered how my body could react this way and yet my mind was saying "it's o.k. - just withdrawal symptoms"
It spooked me to think that there was this detachment of mind and body (I do tai chi, so mind/body connection is important). So, I tried to force my mind downwards back into my body (this is really going to sound crazy) and what I felt was a horrible loss of control, like I was swirling down into a whirlpool. At that point I just about lost it!!!!!
Pulled myself back and focused on the things I find helpful: 1) distraction - watching a really funny movie or calling someone on the phone and talking about anything but these symptoms.
2) exercise - running, walking, raking the yard.
3) eating salty foods like chips and fritos. Don't ask me why, but somehow the salt helps - I usually feel a bit better right away.
Just thought I share with everybody - can't wait to get off this merry-go-round! It really sucks!!!!!
- Wendy in Canada ( where it's snowing in the middle of April!)
Positive and Negative
Thank you very much for this site; I no longer have to search the web so much for answers. I have been on effexor for nearly a year and have also experienced stressing weight gain. I previously weighed 110 pounds and now tip the scale over 130. I am continually exercising and eating well, like I did before, but nothing is helping. One of the reasons I went on this medication for my aniexty was my weight, and now my weight issues have come back. I do however, feel so much better mentally. I told myself last year, during the hardest time of my life, that I didn't care how fat I got, just as long as I was mentally sound. But of course now I am upset about my weight. I do want to go off the medication, but reading what others have posted I am wondering what is the most healthy choice. If anyone has thoughts or experience about SUCCESSFULLY going off the medication and losing the weight it would be great to hear. Thanks so much for your thoughts and opinions. - Erika
I Gained Weight on Effexor
I gained 30 pounds in three months last year on Effexor. My Doctor kept trying me on several different anti-depressants. When I decided in March of last year to stop the effexor, even with tapering off of it like my Doctor told me, I still had bad withdrawal. I ended up stopping effexor and then joining weight watchers, that seemed to help my depression more than any medications. Good luck to you. You also have to remember that everyone reacts different to medications. What made me gain weight may make you lose. Good luck! - Joann
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