[Kocsisks]

I am having a very rough night. My psych doc told me to discontinue Effexor that I have been on for over a year. It's only been one day that I have been off of it and I'm already starting to feel side effects. Is this normal? I have been told that this medication is very hard to get off of. When my psychiatrist had me go from 75 mg to 37 1/2 mg that week was pretty tough I am really hoping that I don't go through that again. I am on Trileptal 300 Mg that I take three times a day and fluvoxamine 100 military it 100 mg that I take at night. Today I have been a little bit more obsessive over things and then a little more aggressive and argumentative. I hate this and I hate that I feel this way.

Originally Posted by Kocsisks

I am having a very rough night. My psych doc told me to discontinue Effexor that I have been on for over a year. It's only been one day that I have been off of it and I'm already starting to feel side effects. Is this normal? I have been told that this medication is very hard to get off of. When my psychiatrist had me go from 75 mg to 37 1/2 mg that week was pretty tough I am really hoping that I don't go through that again. I am on Trileptal 300 Mg that I take three times a day and fluvoxamine 100 military it 100 mg that I take at night. Today I have been a little bit more obsessive over things and then a little more aggressive and argumentative. I hate this and I hate that I feel this way.

I'm sorry you're having a rough night.

I think I've been on every anti-psychotic except Effexor. I currently take Seroquel (400 mgs), but my experiences (30 years) with all of the anti-psychotics is that it can happen. It can be both physical and psychological.

Make sure you call your psychiatrist as soon as possible.

[Kocsisks]

Thank you kindness!! I will def leave a message about the side effects I'm going through.

[Kocsisks]

God this is horrible! I've been depressed all evening & just broke down crying. Now I'm ok just tired. Does withdrawal from Effexor cause mood swings?? I had them under control here of late which has been great but now it's like I have no control over them!! I hate feeling like this again!!

[sub-dural]

I think there is a general syndrome with all psychotropic drug withdrawal / tapers. It's suddenly like "whooosh" the carpet has been pulled from beneath your feet - you hurt physically, like you are tense; and psychologically, I think it's possible to just hit every sort of spectrum of wonky brain stuff possible.

I find with some drugs the withdrawals from the taper or from a cold turkey will last a few days. It depends on the half life of the drug as well your brain re-compensating for the loss. Those have been from anti-depressants or anti-psychotics or mood stabilizers. I'm tapering from valium and that is going to take over a year to get off of, unfortunately... That is true with benzo withdrawals. Don't you wish they'd tell you this kind of stuff when they load you up on it over the course of years?

Sometimes I would write withdrawal symptoms down and the duration, like longitudinally over several days.

Any way you do it, it always just sucks. Do everything you can to relax.. distraction distraction distraction. I hope you feel better. Everything with time. You will begin to feel better.

[-jimi-]

You're tapering too fast. Some can taper like you do, some can't. I know it might feel ridiculous cutting pills in tiny bits or open capsules and count granules, but this is the reality many people have gone through getting off Effexor. If tapering makes you feel really bad, please go slow. It can be dangerous otherwise.