weaning off Effexor

[NROSE]

This is my first post. We lost our baby at twelve weeks on April 16,2008. We named our baby John Ann. My doctor perscribed Effexor XR to help me through the pain of losing John Ann. I am now in the process of weaning off the drug. I have had dizzy spells, nausea, memory loss and a constant ringing in my head.:eek: I was just reaching out to see if anyone else has suffered weaning off an anti-depressant or had a similar story. We would like to try and get pregnant starting in September so I will have to push through this, Thanks for being here and listening.

Nicole

[Christine Barrack]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.
I do not have experience with anti-depressants so I can't offer suggestions there. Have you contacted your doctor for suggestions? I do know with some medications the doctor will give instructions to wean off the meds and others are just cold turkey. After my auto accident the pain medications had some nasty side effects and it was worse when I stopped them. I had to rough it out and get past that hard place before it got better. But there is light...it will get better.
I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

[JenniferBrown]

I haven't ever been on Effexer but have been on a few other ones. Yes a nasty side effect from them (coming off of them) are dizzy spells. I would talk to your doctor if they are bothersome. (the ringing in your ears is another one I've experienced and it stinks huh)

I would talk to your doctor but unfortunately I have had a lot of the same symptoms when changing my medication for depression.

Hugs

[Marcus Momma]

I am sorry about your loss. And just wanna say you are in my thoughts and prayers. You can get through this.

[weinbs]

I have experienced the pain of weaning off effexor. When I finally called my doctor (after days of intense side effects) he put me back on the medication with a reduced dosage for about a month and then stopped the medication without further side effects. Effexor is one of the most difficult medications to end.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss and I am glad you sought out some help. Medication does make a difference.

[Leila]

So sorry to hear about your loss...my son recently tried to go off effexor...It was a nightmare! This really great amazing young man turned into someone I didn't know...he had many of the same side effects as you...He went "cold turkey" MD has him on a step down to ween him off.

Good luck to you, let us know how pregnancy comes along!

[Julie Williams]

Oh honey I'm sorry about your loss and YES there are major side affects coming off effexor. I HATED That drug. I was only on it for 6 months for joint pain (thought depression was the reason...nope) and coming off was a BEAR! I didn't even know I was supposed to wean off of it so I just stopped. That lasted a day and I went back on full strength! As long as you wein off SLOWLY you shouldn't have TOO horrible of side affects. It really only lasted a week tops and was worst those first few days.

Hugs...I hope you are able to try soon and God bless you through it all!

[owens_mom]

I had a very hard time coming off of Zoloft (another SSRI). I had nausea, vomitting, vertigo, memory loss, hallucinations, and 'zaps'. The last 6 weeks have been horrible. I am finally over the hump. Benedryl helped a lot. But for the first couple weeks, every time I turned my head or heard a loud noise, it felt like someone shocked every nerve in my body...

I thought I was crazy until I started googling my symptoms. I was suprised to find how common they are. My doctor never told me what horrible side effects these kinds of medicines could have and now I am mad at him for putting me on it in the first place.

I hope your withdrawl doesnt last too long.

-Stephanie

[Dave Cisco]

John Ann...is there a story behind that selection?

[Jonathan@Angela]

I thought I was going to kill someone while trying to come off of effexor. I was fine as long as I stayed on it. I have extreme memory loss. There is very little I remember during the time I was coming off of it. I was not weaned off like you are suppost to. I have since had to be weaned off of lexapro and it was nothing like what I went through with the effexor. Hang in there and it will get better. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

[motherofthree]

I was weaned of my antidepressant slowly; 20mg then 10 then 5 then 2.5

Is your doctor doing this, or just cold turkey? I would contact your Dr. and tell him you side effects. Maybe he can wean you off more slowly...good luck, and I'm so very sorry for your loss. We're here if you need to talk.

[JenniferBrown]

Now I've come off of other antidepressants and had those horrible side effects. I'm so glad you are seeing less and less of the side effects. For me, Zoloft was the worst to come off of (and I was weaned down).

Hugs to you. I'm so sorry for your loss.

[Adrion Bell]

There are many ways to step down off of Effexor that can help you out. My first step would be to call your doctor and let him know you're not comfortable with the intensity of your withdrawl symptoms. I ended up going through 2 of the "step-dosage" packages to get off of it. EX: week 1=regular strength, week 2=2/3 dosage, week 3=1/2 dosage, week 4=1/3 dosage, and finally week 5=1/3 dosage every other day. The hardest was going from regular strength to 2/3 but it was manageable.
Good luck and I hope things get easier for you!

[NROSE]

Thanks for all your support. I have talked to my doctor. I was taking 75mg once a day. He wanted me to take a full dose every other day until my precription was finished (aug.6). This is my second week of skipping every day. This week is better. I am not as dizzy or nauseated, although I do still have both. My memory is somewhat better although Sunday I couldn't tell you what day of the month it was. My prayer is that the more I skip every other day my side effects will lessen. Thanks again for understanding what I am going through. My husband tried but never really could grasp what I am feeling.

[chloe leann's mommy]

i was actual on effexor b4 and it was horrible coming off it felt like i had the flue. im taking another kind thats alot better cause i dont think i can be off them yet i lost my daughter in march and cant get pregnant for a yr. im glad you are able to get off them and will pray for you

[NROSE]

Hi everyone, my symptoms are almost gone now!! I think I have made it over the biggest battle. To answer Dave's question, John Ann is a nickname for Johnathan Hananiah. We didn' know if the baby was a boy or girl so we gave him\her one of each. My four year old, Eli, couldn't pronounce the long name so we nicknamed (her), according to Eli, John Ann. both of my sons thought this baby was their sister. Talk to you soon.

[motherofthree]

Hi everyone, my symptoms are almost gone now!!

I am absolutely thrilled to hear that you are feeling better! Great news, and good to hear the effects are not long-term.

[Erinsmommy]

I too was on effexor. My Dr. had me slowly decrease doses over a 2 week period and I had no problems. Hang in there! I am very sorry for your loss. It has been 24 years since my daughter Erin grew her wings, but it feels like it was just yesterday. I will never forget!

[Rayna']

I am currently on Effexor. I've been on Lexapro & Zoloft previously and Effexor has done wonders for my depression. With my Lamictal (mood stablizer for Bipolar) and Effexor I am feeling closer to "normal" than I have in years.

My husband and I are currently talking about getting pregnant again. I've talked with my psych doctor and she thinks I should stay on both meds during my pregnancy. It is a very hard decision to make because there is a chance of possible birth defects with taking Lamictal during pregnancy. One study showed out of 1000 births, 5 babies had cleft lip or cleft palettes.

With being Bipolar, I just don't see myself being med free AND dealing with pregnancy hormones. My husband and I have an appt with my psych doctor to discuss more in detail about Bipolar & pregnancy. I am more scared about my behavior/mood during pregnancy than the possible birth defect. We will love the baby no matter what....but will I be able to handle the Bipolar & depression during/after the pregnancy?????

[Teresa Howell]

I am a psych nurse and work primarily with the children.

I am familiar with the meds you are speaking of as they are the ones we use at the hospital.

I am not a doctor but I do like to read up on the drugs and all of that and watch for any side effects. I have been told that taking Effexor going into the 3 trimester is not good. It has not been proven safe.

Here's a link I found

http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/Bipolar/women_pregnancy_3.asp

My youngest daughter, 19, was diagnosed with bipolar at 15. I had her on lamictal and zonegran for a while then we saw a new dr and that dr said she was just a teenager and being rebellious.

I could see mood swings in her. I could see the highs and the lows. I could see the impulsive decisions she makes. Difficulties in realationships. Boyfriend after boyfriend. The sreaming and the cursing. OMG. I watched the all night staying up and then crashing and sleeping all the next day. I could see so much of the bipolar but I saw alot of teenager. We decided to stop the medication.

Today, she is living in her own apt. Working and paying her own bills.....I am so happy. She continues to make choices that I do not support but I see them getting fewer and fewer as she gets a little older. Most of her bad choices were the alcohol and testing out the drugs.

My oldest daughter didn't do that and for my youngest do it, well, it hurt me and made me doubt my parenting skills. But anyways, maybe she was just a really bad teenager.....I don't know and don't want to go back to those days for nothing. And this wasn't about me...this was about my daughter and whatever was going on inside of her little head.

Mental Health Illnesses are just like physical illnesses. YOu have high blood pressure you take a med for that, you have a broken bone you have a cast. Mental Health illnesses cause a little imbalance and so you take some meds. Well, with mental health folks get all roused and thinking and saying things when they shouldn't because until they are in that particular live moment of that person's life...well, they will never understand.

Your health is the most important thing in this world. You take care of it the way you know how :)

If you need a friend please feel free to reach out.

Good luck!!

[Rayna']

Thank you so much for the link! I’ve tried to research about the meds & pregnancy and can’t find a lot. I am more than willing to read or listen to anything regarding this subject.

I know that my doctor said something about weaning me off the meds at the end of the pregnancy. I really can’t remember. Our appt is Sept 8 so I hope to have more info then.

I think I’ve always been borderline Bipolar, but after my last two miscarriages, I think those triggered it. I had the extreme mood swings, my highs & crashes, spending money I didn’t have, irritation, suicidal depression, and aggression. I’ve been on Lamictal & Effexor since March and those have really helped me. I just can’t see myself off of them before I get pregnant. I am terrified of having another miscarriage and I am afraid I will be severally depression and a total witch without my meds.

[Teresa Howell]

I wish you the best! I will have you included in our prayer chain. No names are mentioned. There's some awesome websites for mental health. I will get them together and post them in a bit.

You sound like you have made some wonderful progress...mainly to be able to say I have this little problem and then going on to seek medical help and continuing to take your medication.

You know the biggest downfall for folks with bipolar, mood disorders, etc they start to feel really good and think they don't need their medication any longer. But they forget that medication got them to the good point and going off has caused many to suffer setbacks.

I'll get that info and PM to you.

Take care. Thinking about you and praying too.

[Rayna']

We decided this weekend not to have another child. It was hard decision to make but I feel like it was the right thing to do. My poor husband is having a hard time with it although he tries to hide it. He wanted a baby just as much as I did, but deep down I know I could not handle it emotionally, mentally, and phsycally.

The one thing I keep saying to myself is

"We will not grieve for what we do not have, but rejoice in what God has given us."

Of course I'm sure I will go through my grieving period but this was the right thing to do for my family.

Pray that I will be able to keep my spirits up and not go into a deep depression again. So far I am good, but then again I could be in denial...

[Teresa Howell]

In you are in my prayers always.

Remember one thing.....God does answer all prayers....sometimes they aren't answered the way we want them to be....

And believe in miracles!

[Christine Barrack]

Rayna'
Know that I am thinking of you and your husband.
Blessings,
Christine