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Paxil withdrawal, anybody else have these symptoms [2008-03-11]
Trying forever to get off Paxil. Went from Paxil to Pexeva to paroxetine. Lowered the dosage to half, then half of that, then off. Okay a couple of days, now left hand is numb, cannot grasp, left side of face is numb. My mind is much better because that stuff made me a living zombie, and now my production is up at work, I am more focused certainly and less tired. But my left hand keeps slipping on the keyboard. Anyone experienced anything similar? TIA.
Will never take Effexor [2007-10-14]
I had 2 good friends that tried to come off Effexor and both of them had to go to the ER with severe withdrawal. Good Luck to all that try to come off this drug.
The Effexor I took was capsules. [2007-09-20]
It was Effexor SR. That is the sustained-release product. If you are not on the sustained release product, then cutting pills or opening capsules is not recommended because you won't be getting a proper mix of the drug.
I did wean myself down on Effexor SR by opening the capsules. I got down to about 4 of the little pearls, but couldn't go any lower because of those brain zaps. I finally saw a psychiatrist to find out what drug I should be taking because of all the side effects (sweating and skin problems and apathy on Effexor). She changed me to Cymbalta and I was able to quit the Effexor. She says the 2 antidepressants she puts patients on are Cymbalta and I believe Lexapro. They have the best results and fewest side effects for depression. She says psychiatrists have a nickname for Effexor, and it's Side-Effectsor!
I do feel better on the Cymbalta so far, but I can't say it's making me a new, energetic person like I wish it could.
Effexor withdrawal? [2007-09-19]
Has anyone successfully quit Effexor? Can you share how you did it? My internist put me on it when I was having a stressful period in my life. That was 4 years ago, and I can't stand being hooked on this drug!! I'm on 75 mg daily. Every time I try to decrease the dose, the withdrawal symptoms are just awful.
Thanks in advance!
Effexor withdrawal [2007-09-19]
Been there, got off. Definitely NOT an easy thing to do. I was on 75 mg only also, and had to cut back 1/4 of a tab for 1 week, then down to 1/2 a tab for 1 week, then had to go back up to taking 3/4 of a tab because withdrawals were too bad. Then, cut back again when I was feeling stronger - 1/4 of a tab a week until I was down to nothing. Do it as slowly as you need to even if it is only an 1/8 of a tab at a time, but do yourself a favor and do it. I did keep the last 2 tablets for emergencies. Gave me some feeling of security I guess, but never had to use them. Took me well over a month. Not fun at all. My very best to you.
I was on Effexor but was having [2007-08-14]
problems with my skin. My regular MD who prescribed it didn't see any connection, so I finally went to an actual psychiatrist. She says Effexor causes a lot of weird side effects, and Cymbalta is tolerated much better by people. So if you have anything weird like bruising, petechiae, nonhealing skin lesions, hair loss, anything, consider switching to Cymbalta. Getting off Effexor is tough, but once I quit it and started Cymbalta, all the brain shocks stopped. The side effect with Cymbalta is nausea. I can hardly eat. But this will be temporary. My skin seems to be starting to heal.
I agree 100% about Effexor. I take it for anxiety and panic attacks. SM [2007-04-13]
I It lasted for two weeks. I couldn I wore the carpet out from pacing the house. It started with pain in my right rib cage which I knew in my mind was not a heart attack, but apparently my body didn Next thing you know I
My panick attack lasted two horrible weeks. I went to my regular doctor who belittled my symptoms and treated me like the loon I already thought I was. I am hypersensitive to medications and everything was giving me stomach upset. I finally found a wonderful nurse practitioner who completely understood what I was going through, said her daughter had panic attacks, and she prescribed me Effexor. I am now titrated up to 150 mg a day and it is wonderful. I feel calm. My teenaged son calls it my chill pill and that about sums it up.
Wow, I No one can every really understand a panic attack unless they've been through one themselves.
Effexor is very effective for smoothing [2007-03-20]
my nerves down. Something is bound to work for you and make you feel better, though the first one you try may not be the right one.
mt-MQ [2008-03-18]
I just saw your post. I was an undiagnosed bipolar child. My mother was bipolar diagnosed. When I was a child, everything I said was grandious, lying, keeping things from my father, sneeking around doing things like smoking, drinking. I was 8 years old. As I got older these things became much worse. I wish I had someone to keep an eye on me, but my mother died when I was 7 and my father raised 4 children with me the youngest. It is thought that with the death of my mother the bipolar surfaced. I suggest you keep an eye on your son and regulate how much time he spends with his friends, etc. You need to be involved so closely with what is going on with him to the point of knowing where and what he is doing and how he is acting from now until he graduates from high school. Kids with bipolar are very suseptible to drugs and alcohol abuse. If only I had someone to keep close eye on me and get me on medicines I would not have done the things I did. Regular medicine control is a must with counseling. An open relationship with your son is a must as well. Keep your relationship with your son open and not defensive. You want him to continue to communicate with you. Don't make him feel guilty for things he has done as this will result in immediate withdrawal from you and society. This is a life-long disease that has effects of OCD, eating disorder, grandious thinking, spending outrageously, promiscuity and doing at-risk activities, etc. He needs to be on medication from now on, and it is important that he know why and what he can expect as he gets older. He needs to know how to moderate everything. To this day I do not do anything in moderation. It is either huge or not at all, and I take loads of medications. This is an honest assessment from a bipolar person who has been bipolar all her life.
Paxil [2008-03-14]
I work in a psych office and haven I hope you contacted the prescribing doc as well as your primary care doc. I do know that some psychotropics can cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and are usually weaned off gradually under the supervision of a doctor. Please call them if you haven't.
Will never take Effexor [2007-10-14]
I had 2 good friends that tried to come off Effexor and both of them had to go to the ER with severe withdrawal. Good Luck to all that try to come off this drug.
I felt awful for a day or two, [2007-09-27]
but the problem was nausea. I did better when I would take one and then skip a day for a few days, and then once I felt fine doing that, I could take it every day and had no problem with it. I was started on 60 mg, too.
I had previously been on Effexor, which is fairly similar, but causes people a lot more problems, per my psychiatrist. My psychiatrist uses Cymbalta and one other drug for depression more than any others. I believe the other is Lexapro. (I think I've posted all this before). But the reason she favors the 2 drugs is that most patients actually stay on them (presumably because they are satisfied and have no unacceptable side effects). The compliance rates are much higher than any of the other antidepressants.
No drug works for everybody, however. A psychiatrist is the best person to work with you and evaluate what should be most helpful for you. I hope you are feeling better soon.
By the way, I can now eat fine, yet I'm not terribly interested in food. I'm down to 132 lbs from about 150, which is just about ideal for me.
The Effexor I took was capsules. [2007-09-20]
It was Effexor SR. That is the sustained-release product. If you are not on the sustained release product, then cutting pills or opening capsules is not recommended because you won't be getting a proper mix of the drug.
I did wean myself down on Effexor SR by opening the capsules. I got down to about 4 of the little pearls, but couldn't go any lower because of those brain zaps. I finally saw a psychiatrist to find out what drug I should be taking because of all the side effects (sweating and skin problems and apathy on Effexor). She changed me to Cymbalta and I was able to quit the Effexor. She says the 2 antidepressants she puts patients on are Cymbalta and I believe Lexapro. They have the best results and fewest side effects for depression. She says psychiatrists have a nickname for Effexor, and it's Side-Effectsor!
I do feel better on the Cymbalta so far, but I can't say it's making me a new, energetic person like I wish it could.
Effexor withdrawal? [2007-09-19]
Has anyone successfully quit Effexor? Can you share how you did it? My internist put me on it when I was having a stressful period in my life. That was 4 years ago, and I can't stand being hooked on this drug!! I'm on 75 mg daily. Every time I try to decrease the dose, the withdrawal symptoms are just awful.
Thanks in advance!
I asked this, and the psychiatrist [2007-08-21]
said it wasn't as bad. However, I have read sites where people did complain about withdrawal for Cymbalta. Obviously not everybody will have the same experience.
i did this [2007-08-20]
I did this for a year, i would sleep about an hour and then wake up, get on the couch, sleep another hour and up again. mine was guilt, depression, and definitely anxiety... basically panicking about what was going to happen the next day, like i could do anything about it. My doctor at first put me on Lunesta, but I didnt like how that made me feel, so I went to a small dosage of trazodone. I have done great on that. Also my life has straightened up a lot... I have tried sleeping without them, but thats not so great yet. I really want to wean off my Effexor and this, but coming off Effexor really really scares me.. I have seen what it does to me if I miss one day. Im a maniac!! even into the next couple of day, crying all the time about everything. anyway, make sure you get something to help you sleep because you HAVE to have it.
question [2007-08-20]
If you get off Effexor and on Cymbalta, and when you decide to get off Cymbalta, do you have the side effects or withdrawal symptoms like Effexor?
I have that same thing where my mind [2007-08-18]
gets stuck on something and I miss the next thing. I notice it most when watching the news. I keep thinking about the last story and suddenly realize the next story is important, and by then it's over!
I think your PMD is a good place to start to get labs and all. Could turn out to be something with your thyroid or something. But if it is determined that you need an antidepressant, I have heard, and finally followed the advice, that an actual psychiatrist knows a lot more about the meds than a GP/FP/IM. Do not agree to start Effexor, for instance. Psychiatrists call it Side-Effectsor because of all the side effects. Cymbalta is much better if that is the type of drug you need. Cymbalta and one other - possibly Lexapro, but I'm not positive - are the 2 that are most effective for depression and the most patients are able to stay on. Prozac is very popular, but it can cause severe apathy. When I was on it I was WADING through laundry. Talk about depressing, LOL.
You can feel better, so don't give up. Only you can see this through to a solution, which is really hard to do when you are feeling low, but it's worth it.
Amazed [2007-08-14]
It is amazing to me how many MTs are on one antidepressant or another. Could there be a connection? Stress maybe?? No we do not have stess do we? Maybe working our butts off for minimal pay and maximum headaches?? Just a thought.
Effexor and Wellbutrin for me....
I was on Effexor but was having [2007-08-14]
problems with my skin. My regular MD who prescribed it didn't see any connection, so I finally went to an actual psychiatrist. She says Effexor causes a lot of weird side effects, and Cymbalta is tolerated much better by people. So if you have anything weird like bruising, petechiae, nonhealing skin lesions, hair loss, anything, consider switching to Cymbalta. Getting off Effexor is tough, but once I quit it and started Cymbalta, all the brain shocks stopped. The side effect with Cymbalta is nausea. I can hardly eat. But this will be temporary. My skin seems to be starting to heal.
So nice to finally see someone who knows what to do for you [2007-08-13]
I know what you are going through, I had all of the symptoms of depression too and until I got the correct medication and counseling it would not go away. I am now on Effexor (no side effects for me thank God) and Wellbutrin, and I can actually make it through a day without tears. Praying that youwill feel better soon too,
I saw a new MD today. [2007-08-09]
This is the first time I've seen an actual psychiatrist because I had to slowly taper myself off Effexor because of a possible side effect.
I was right - a skin problem I was having was from the Effexor. This doc has seen it dozens of times, and of course my IM MD was clueless that it could be causing the problem. She says psychiatrists call Effexor by a nickname of SideEffectsor. She says Cymbalta should be the right drug for me and they have not seen many side effects from it, even though it is sort of similar to Effexor.
She was extremely nice. She says she can't believe I've been coping as long as I have without seeing a psychiatrist. Of the 9 points for major depression they check, I have 9. She says I'm going to feel a lot better in a couple of weeks.
Hope at last.
Now I'm not so sure if this is more [2007-08-03]
menopause or more trying to get off Effexor. Or is it all the insomnia I've been having? It's very confusing.
I'm actually going to see a real Psychiatrist (if she will every return my call to schedule the appointment) to see what medication would be best for me, mostly for sleep. I've tried 6 different meds through my GP, but I think it's time to see somebody who has a better handle on these drugs and what might be most appropriate for me. Maybe all I need is sleep.
Sorry that I forgot to check this board for a while.
Seeking advice [2007-07-12]
I can understand some of what you are going through. I had no health insurance for 3 years. I am on Wellbutrin and Effexor.
Glaxo-Smith-Kline and other drug companies have what they call Indigent programs. It is income based, but also uses your doctor's recommendations. Once approved, you do everything by mail. The mail order pharmacy I used was Rite-Aid.
Don't feel bad about asking for help. I used to work in a Urology office for 13 years and we had many male patients come in on chemo for prostate cancer that could not afford the $1,500-$2,000 price tage for the seeds that they implant in your skin. Many times insurance companies will not pay. This is where these programs come in handy.
As to what one of the other poster's stated about Legal Aid...you could also call your local Bar Association. They would have a list of lawyers that could help you.
Good luck with your CTS and I will say a prayer for you.
I agree 100% about Effexor. I take it for anxiety and panic attacks. SM [2007-04-13]
I It lasted for two weeks. I couldn I wore the carpet out from pacing the house. It started with pain in my right rib cage which I knew in my mind was not a heart attack, but apparently my body didn Next thing you know I
My panick attack lasted two horrible weeks. I went to my regular doctor who belittled my symptoms and treated me like the loon I already thought I was. I am hypersensitive to medications and everything was giving me stomach upset. I finally found a wonderful nurse practitioner who completely understood what I was going through, said her daughter had panic attacks, and she prescribed me Effexor. I am now titrated up to 150 mg a day and it is wonderful. I feel calm. My teenaged son calls it my chill pill and that about sums it up.
Wow, I No one can every really understand a panic attack unless they've been through one themselves.
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