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Patlal
You ask too many questions



Registered: 10/09/10
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Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it?
#14136526 - 03/17/11 12:26 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
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Drumfiend
Duke of Fiends



Registered: 10/13/08
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14136634 - 03/17/11 12:50 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Yes!
I had one bottle of Effexor. My only experience with anti-depressants. I was only about three weeks in, I forget the Mg, but it wasn't much. Forgot to take my pill one morning, and a few hours later at work I actually had to leave and go home to get the pill. I couldn't fucking hold it together. Mood swings were off the chart, I was like a menopausal woman, haha.
My uncle (who's been dealing with anti-depressants since his bout with lymphoma) told me to get the fuck off Effexor, off any pills if I could swing it. So I weaned myself off by cutting the dosage over the next two weeks or so.
Not something I think you want to be involved with unless you absolutely cannot function without it.
-------------------- "Your accountants are waiting in the West wing, sir." "Tell them I'm sick." "Shan't have to lie. That refugee charity called..." "Write them a check." "And the Committee for the Prevention of Obsessive Behavior in Middle-Aged Men?" "Write them a check." "Very good, sir. Your sense of humor is as keen as ever, sir."
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



Registered: 05/18/03
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Drumfiend]
#14136694 - 03/17/11 01:04 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I took it for 4 days. The side effects alone were bad enough to make me stop taking it.
But I've heard withdrawal after taking it for a while can be pretty bad. Definitely not something you want to quit cold turkey. I've heard of bad shit like brain zaps and other bad feeling stuff.
Taper it down slowly over a few weeks or months depending on your dosage.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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s240779


Registered: 12/07/10
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14136730 - 03/17/11 01:13 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
WakeboardrB said: I took it for 4 days. The side effects alone were bad enough to make me stop taking it.
Like what?
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



Registered: 05/18/03
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14136846 - 03/17/11 01:39 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I started out on a half dose for 3 days, like 37.5mg if I recall, then on the 4th day I stepped up to 75mg.
I felt dead tired, lost a lot of coordination in my hands, could barely talk, couldn't even hold a pen to write.
It was pretty bad. So bad I wanted to jump off a bridge.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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ManianFH
living in perverty


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14136864 - 03/17/11 01:41 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I was on med/high-dosage levels of effexor for a year or two as a response to OCD. The side effects were pretty intense. I couldnt orgasm very well, and everything, including life, felt numb. It didnt help with the OCD at all but the doc insisted that I stay on it. During the same time (20 years old) I had a fantastic mushroom experience that left me with no OCD urges for a few weeks, which was amazing for the ocd level I was at. I stopped taking the drug cold turkey the day after my trip, and there were no side effects .
A caveat: I wasn't depressed, I had OCD, so if you're depressed, maybe taper off.
-------------------- notapillow said: "you are going about this endeavor all wrong. clear your mind of useless fear and concern. buy the ticket, take the ride, and all that.... " ChrisWho said: "It's all about the journey, not the destination."
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s240779


Registered: 12/07/10
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14137040 - 03/17/11 02:23 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Sounds like akathisia.
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AlteredAgain
Visual Alchemist



Registered: 04/27/06
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14137080 - 03/17/11 02:31 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Incredible how drugs like Effexor are even legal..
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



Registered: 05/18/03
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14137092 - 03/17/11 02:34 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
superhigh said: Sounds like akathisia.
Nowhere close, and I can say that with experience. A few years ago I had a massive panic attack and my friend took me to the ER. Instead of them just loading me up with benzos like I suggested, they gave me a shot of Geodon, which is a very potent anti-psychotic.
I fell asleep for about 20 minutes and then woke up feeling like I was about to jump out of my skin. I thought I was dying, it felt so fucking awful. It was like I was turning inside out. The feeling lasted for a long time too, even after the finally granted my request for massive amounts of IV benzos. Ativan and then Versed finally cause I was freaking out so much. It was probably the most terrifying experience of my life, like 10x worse than my worst panic attack, which by itself is extremely terrifying.
That was true akathisia. And the Effexor experience was nowhere close to that. It still sucked, but nowhere close.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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Psilocyentist
Carbon based


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: AlteredAgain] 1
#14137179 - 03/17/11 02:52 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
AlteredAgain said: Incredible how drugs like Effexor are even legal..
I am actually really glad they are. One surprising and accidentally found use of Effexor is to treat narcolepsy/cataplexy.
Narcolepsy/cataplexy is strange condition where the afflicted do not have normal REM cycles. The person enters REM sleep at night in fits and spurts and a lot less overall than normal people.
If you ever known someone with narc/cat its horrible. Fall asleep at random times (narcolepsy) or fall down completely paralyzed, but fully alert, trapped in your own body (cataplexy). These attacks can last anywhere from 5 min to 45 min depending on the severity. They are often accompanied by tremors and seizure like symptoms. These episodes are brought on by any strong emotion (happiness, anger, sadness, laughing, loving, etc.)
The previous standard treatment for years before this use of effexor was found was a combination of Xyrem (GHB) to force REM at night and Provigil (stimulant) to suppress REM during the day (and also I suspect to allow people to stay awake from their consistent GHB treatment). The xyrem has to be administered twice a night, once before bed and once 4 hours later.
The person I know was on this treatment and it was awful. The provigil caused near psychosis and hallucinations, and did not eliminate all of the drop attacks!
Now on Effexor, he is able to have a normal life, attending college and majoring in engineering. None of this would have been possible without Effexor and the cutting edge sleep research at two separate universities (the only two conducting these studies in the nation!)
P.S. Yes the withdrawals are horrible. He threw up his medicine one day and did not want to redose (not knowing how much was in his symptom) and withdrawal occured within hours. This is unfortunate, but better than the alternative.
-------------------- I know, I know you probably scream and cry That your little world won't let you go
Edited by Psilocyentist (03/17/11 02:53 PM)
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



Registered: 05/18/03
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Psilocyentist]
#14137349 - 03/17/11 03:29 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Interestingly enough, GHB is the only drug on the controlled substance act to hold two places, both as a Schedule I (addictive, abused drug with no medicinal value) and as a Schedule IV when sold as Xyrem (medically accepted, low abuse potential).
Such bullshit.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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Psilocyentist
Carbon based


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14137358 - 03/17/11 03:31 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
WakeboardrB said: Interestingly enough, GHB is the only drug on the controlled substance act to hold two places, both as a Schedule I (addictive, abused drug with no medicinal value) and as a Schedule IV when sold as Xyrem (medically accepted, low abuse potential).
Such bullshit.
US drug policy is like one giant
-------------------- I know, I know you probably scream and cry That your little world won't let you go
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14137363 - 03/17/11 03:33 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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s240779


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14137367 - 03/17/11 03:34 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Xyrem is a cool brand name.
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Irishdrunk
Democracy? We Deliver!!!

Registered: 09/12/03
Posts: 24,201
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14137411 - 03/17/11 03:42 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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The withdrawl only lasts a week. Ask for some xanax and zoloft or something to pass the time.
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



Registered: 05/18/03
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14137499 - 03/17/11 04:01 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Poid said:
Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
Wha? When I took it, I could barely get out of bed. On the 4th day when I upped the dose I spent more than 36 hours in bed because I felt so drained and fucked up.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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Synesthetic
Ratings go in journal.



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Irishdrunk]
#14137519 - 03/17/11 04:06 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I can say from experience that anti-psychotic meds can really fuck a person up if they aren't actually psychotic.
But then again, people dumb enough to take any of my meds kind of deserved it. I got some good shit, brah, to treat this here bipolar disorder.
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14137529 - 03/17/11 04:08 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Yeah, everyone reacts differently--I felt a bit of fatigue after the effects wore off, but it was never nearly as extreme as what you've experienced. It isn't described on Wikipedia as a mild stimulant, but my psychiatrist says it is. 
EDIT: oops, nevermind...
Quote:
Venlafaxine hydrochloride is in the phenethylamine class of modern chemicals, which includes amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and methamphetamine. This chemical structure likely lends to its activating properties; however, some patients find venlafaxine highly sedating, despite its more common stimulatory effects.
I took up to four 75 mg capsules, BTW.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
Edited by Poid (03/17/11 04:11 PM)
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BeverageFace
Beer Baron


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14137919 - 03/17/11 05:12 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Poid said:
Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
Effexor is an ssri. it doesnt take effect for a few days to weeks. What you are describing is the placebo effect.
at the op. I've been on several different ssris. the last being effexor. trying to quit it was hell. horrible brain zaps even when trying to taper off. they make you pretty much unable to function. it's like a zap then your brain shuts off for a few seconds, vision goes blank for a microsecond, and your body goes week. Also effexor and all srri's affect sex drive negatively, makes the feelings of sex numb. it makes all emotions turned down, and you feel numb.
and the worst part is, the effects can last several years after you stop. So i'd really suggest not ever starting them. they aren't really anti-depressants like they are marketed as. they are anti-emotion. they also make it near impossible to trip on any hallucinogens, or mdma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-SSRI_sexual_dysfunction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome
I wish i never was prescribed ssris.
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s240779


Registered: 12/07/10
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: BeverageFace]
#14137975 - 03/17/11 05:19 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
BeverageFace said:
Quote:
Poid said:
Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
Effexor is an ssri.
No it isn't.
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Synesthetic
Ratings go in journal.



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14138119 - 03/17/11 05:39 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Effexor is an atypical antidepressant, innit?
Also, the physical effects of SSRIs happen the first time you take them. They haven't been able to figure out why it takes a couple of weeks for the patients' moods to elate.
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Fernis
Will provide



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Synesthetic]
#14138142 - 03/17/11 05:42 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Ahh, the good ol' SSRI side effects. I miss those fuckers
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Brugman
antisobrietarian



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14138162 - 03/17/11 05:45 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I stopped taking Effexor cold turkey after a month of taking it and had brain zaps for like 3 weeks.
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: BeverageFace]
#14138326 - 03/17/11 06:11 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
BeverageFace said:
Quote:
Poid said:
Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
Effexor is an ssri. it doesnt take effect for a few days to weeks. What you are describing is the placebo effect.
It is an SNRI, not an SSRI.
It was not a placebo effect, it was definitely a chemical high that lasted a long time (it was the extended-release version, after all) and left me with after-effects that were felt throughout various areas in my body; also, it caused my pupils to become extremely dilated, and they maintained this state for quite a while. I was on this medication for a few weeks straight, and noticed its effects taper off over time since the first day I tried it.
I've tried SSRI's that took days to weeks to kick in, and this was totally different.
Quote:
BeverageFace said: Also effexor and all srri's affect sex drive negatively, makes the feelings of sex numb. it makes all emotions turned down, and you feel numb.
It just made me unable to orgasm, my ability to get/maintain an erection was not compromised; just because you felt your emotions turned down doesn't mean that everyone who tries this will have the same experience.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Synesthetic]
#14138371 - 03/17/11 06:18 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Synesthetic said: Effexor is an atypical antidepressant, innit?
I am not aware of any medication that is considered an "atypical antidepressant" (I've never even heard that term before)--I know there are atypical antipsychotics, but I've never heard of atypical antidepressants.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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s240779


Registered: 12/07/10
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14138385 - 03/17/11 06:20 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Effexor isn't an SSRI.
Quote:
Venlafaxine (Effexor) is a new antidepressant with a novel chemical structure. Venlafaxine has a structure that does not resemble those of any currently used antidepressants.
http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/venlafaxine.html
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14138396 - 03/17/11 06:22 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Venlafaxine - Wikipedia
Quote:
Venlafaxine (brand name: Effexor or Efexor) is an antidepressant of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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Patlal
You ask too many questions



Registered: 10/09/10
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14138658 - 03/17/11 06:57 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Everybody in this thread would fully qualify to become a pharmacist lol...
Stoners would make the best pharmacist!
--------------------
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BeverageFace
Beer Baron


Registered: 03/13/11
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#14138755 - 03/17/11 07:11 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
superhigh said:
Quote:
BeverageFace said:
Quote:
Poid said:
Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
I took Effexor XR (still have a prescription for it), and I never felt any of those terrible withdrawal symptoms that people describe online after discontinuing use.
Effexor is a mild stimulant, I just use it whenever I want a little boost; if I use it for too many days in a row, though, its effect dissipates, so I usually don't take it daily.
Effexor is an ssri.
No it isn't.
Sorry, snri, it has the same actions and risks as an ssri, but also effects norephrine.
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BeverageFace
Beer Baron


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: BeverageFace]
#14138771 - 03/17/11 07:15 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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poid, ssri's, and snri's are cumulative. their effects increase with time, not the other way around. if youve ever been prescribed them, youd know that your doc says you wont feel anything for weeks.
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: BeverageFace]
#14138796 - 03/17/11 07:19 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
BeverageFace said: if youve ever been prescribed them, youd know that your doc says you wont feel anything for weeks.
Effexor is a mild stimulant; stimulants do not take weeks to kick in.
Quote:
Venlafaxine hydrochloride is in the phenethylamine class of modern chemicals, which includes amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and methamphetamine. This chemical structure likely lends to its activating properties; however, some patients find venlafaxine highly sedating, despite its more common stimulatory effects.
My psychiatrist was a little surprised that it effected me so soon, but she never suggested that I was merely experiencing psychosomatic effects; I'm really skinny, and I usually feel the onset of drugs practically instantly.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14139415 - 03/17/11 08:54 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Poid said: Yeah, everyone reacts differently--I felt a bit of fatigue after the effects wore off, but it was never nearly as extreme as what you've experienced. It isn't described on Wikipedia as a mild stimulant, but my psychiatrist says it is. 
EDIT: oops, nevermind...
Quote:
Venlafaxine hydrochloride is in the phenethylamine class of modern chemicals, which includes amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and methamphetamine. This chemical structure likely lends to its activating properties; however, some patients find venlafaxine highly sedating, despite its more common stimulatory effects.
I took up to four 75 mg capsules, BTW.
Damn, when I went from 37.5 to 75mg I wanted to end my life. Stupid fucking doctor told me I wouldn't feel a difference.
I felt so awful I stayed in bed wishing to either go to sleep or die.
I flushed the rest of the effexor. And it sucked because the day it got me all fucked up a girl really really wanted my dick. But I just couldn't even get out of bed, let alone have hot kinky sex.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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muddy
Stranger


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14140392 - 03/17/11 11:03 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I've been on 75mg, which is the lowest effective dose for over a year now. I did at one stage try to wean myself off them, very slowly and methodically. Never again - I fell into a worse pit of despair than the one that drove me to anti-depressants in the first place. At first it was very physical, like a very bad flu, which lasted for about 2 weeks. Then the psychological withdrawal started, which was fuckin awful. When I couldn't get my prescription cos of all the earthquake drama I was in a real panic about running out. Thankfully I managed to get a new script in time.
-------------------- Madness comes like a mouse out of the cupboard and they hand me a photograph of the moon
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14140438 - 03/17/11 11:12 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
WakeboardrB said:
Quote:
Poid said: Yeah, everyone reacts differently--I felt a bit of fatigue after the effects wore off, but it was never nearly as extreme as what you've experienced. It isn't described on Wikipedia as a mild stimulant, but my psychiatrist says it is. 
EDIT: oops, nevermind...
Quote:
Venlafaxine hydrochloride is in the phenethylamine class of modern chemicals, which includes amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and methamphetamine. This chemical structure likely lends to its activating properties; however, some patients find venlafaxine highly sedating, despite its more common stimulatory effects.
I took up to four 75 mg capsules, BTW.
Damn, when I went from 37.5 to 75mg I wanted to end my life. Stupid fucking doctor told me I wouldn't feel a difference.
I felt so awful I stayed in bed wishing to either go to sleep or die.
Hmm, how much do you weigh/how tall are you?
Quote:
WakeboardrB said: I flushed the rest of the effexor. And it sucked because the day it got me all fucked up a girl really really wanted my dick. But I just couldn't even get out of bed, let alone have hot kinky sex.
Damn dude, that shit really fucked your ass up good.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
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WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14142789 - 03/18/11 11:39 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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At the time I weighed probably 160lbs and was 5'10". I'm just really sensitive to most any drug, very sensitive to SSRI's/SNRI's.
To give you an idea I could take a single hit of acid while my friends took 2 or 3 and I'd be tripping harder than them. I could take a few hits off a joint or bowl pack while everyone else was smoking gram after gram and I'd be way higher than them.
A blessing and a curse. Saved money, but it was extremely easy to get WAY too high.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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numonkei
Back! From thedigestive tractof dave theiguana!

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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14142806 - 03/18/11 11:44 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I had a friend about a decade ago who was on Effexor, his folks thought he was depressed. It made him feel like shit and suicidal, but said that coming off only left a 'robotic' sensation for about a week.
He ended up killing himself with gasoline and a lighter about a year later anyway. I miss that one.
~Monk
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Poid
Shroomery's #1 Spellir




Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 40,372
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#14144644 - 03/18/11 06:19 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
WakeboardrB said: At the time I weighed probably 160lbs and was 5'10". I'm just really sensitive to most any drug, very sensitive to SSRI's/SNRI's.
To give you an idea I could take a single hit of acid while my friends took 2 or 3 and I'd be tripping harder than them. I could take a few hits off a joint or bowl pack while everyone else was smoking gram after gram and I'd be way higher than them.
A blessing and a curse. Saved money, but it was extremely easy to get WAY too high.
Hmm, you're taller/heavier than me--I'm like 5'8" and 135 lbs.
I am very sensitive to drugs, too, but Effexor just never gave me any serious problems.
-------------------- Well I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them. -- Bob Dylan  fireworks_god said:It's one thing to simply enjoy a style of life that one enjoys, but it's another thing altogether to refer to another person's choice as "wrong" or to rationalize their behavior as being pathological or resulting from some sort of inadequacy or failing so as to create a sense of superiority or separation as yet another projection of a personal fear or control issue.
Edited by Poid (03/18/11 06:44 PM)
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Todcasil
rogue DMT elf


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Patlal]
#14144748 - 03/18/11 06:36 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Patlal said: I read at several places that once you try to quit effexor, your gonna go through hell from the withdrawal.
Has anyone here been through that withdrawal? Is it really that bad?
Yeah it was pretty brutal for me, and I have had bad reactions like that before, but not as bad as when I quit taking Effexor...
Simply put. That's all i need to say.
-------------------- Men look at themselves and they see flawed humans, we look at women and we see perfect GODDESSES Women look at themselves and they seem utterly human, when looking at men they see proud GODS. ~Casil
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57-71
Stranger


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Poid]
#14144807 - 03/18/11 06:46 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I have taken Effexor XR 37.5 for about 10 years. Also, been off it 4 times for about 4-6 months each occurance. The last time I just quit cold and about 5 weeks later I had a seizure. Let me tell you the next day I was back on that shit.
However, it has never given me any negative symptoms, just a very good drug at controlling anxiety - which by the way, is what it was originally developed and approved for. Later on, while prescribing Effexor to depressed patients, came the knowledge that it could help some people with depression.
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JoomWiz
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: 57-71]
#16497796 - 07/08/12 01:22 AM (11 years, 6 months ago) |
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I come from a family with lots of depression. One thing I have seen is many different family members become addicted to antidepressants. My brother just got off of effexor permanently. His trick for withdrawaling is to take as much time as physically possible by taking the drug slower and slower.
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hexbinary
Science Geek



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: JoomWiz]
#17070532 - 10/20/12 11:57 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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I've been working on getting off Exeffor for like 10 weeks now. Started at 150mg ed, and now down to something under 75mg (i open the capsule and let loose of about half the ingredients (which is not the same as saying i'm on 37.5 or whatever)
Getting off of this drug SUCKS. If I try to go totally without for 2 days, i get major dizzy spells and vertigo..this better than the 1 day limit i had before. A major reason of getting off it , is crazy nodule like acne on my back which started when i started this drug..heard of others with it as well.
Depression/Anxiety rise, it's definitely "back"...but rather try getting on something else...had results with some others before. My wife on 60mg ed Paxil, don't think she'll ever get off it.
-------------------- Current Grow GT bulk grow *UPDATED MARCH 2021*
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ZippoZ
Knomadic


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Loc: Pongyang, North Korea
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: hexbinary]
#17070650 - 10/21/12 12:43 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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oh god, i cant believe ive just saw this thread.
i was on effexor for quite some time, and was taken off of 75/mg day, and then put on 50 mg a day welbutrin the day after.
for 3 days i shook, uncontrollably. i have since been diagnosed with a disorder called essential tremmor, and have never stopped shaking since.
fuck those drugs. come off of them with a scaled down dose, or you will fuck your brain, im not kidding. im 4X likely to have parkinsons because of that shit.
-------------------- PEACE
zippoz "in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption" "People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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Mafeki
Umadbro

Registered: 04/24/11
Posts: 3,884
Loc: Jamaica
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: ZippoZ]
#17070707 - 10/21/12 01:00 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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--------------------
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The Vapor
Lost In A Tea Daze


Registered: 03/22/10
Posts: 8,433
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: ZippoZ]
#17070768 - 10/21/12 01:22 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
ZippoZ said: oh god, i cant believe ive just saw this thread.
i was on effexor for quite some time, and was taken off of 75/mg day, and then put on 50 mg a day welbutrin the day after.
for 3 days i shook, uncontrollably. i have since been diagnosed with a disorder called essential tremmor, and have never stopped shaking since.
fuck those drugs. come off of them with a scaled down dose, or you will fuck your brain, im not kidding. im 4X likely to have parkinsons because of that shit.
Holy shit. That is frightening stuff. I would have been one angry mother fucker if someone fed me that in order to try and help me.
--------------------

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Legend
RIP Sasha


Registered: 03/29/10
Posts: 28,336
Loc: TX
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: The Vapor]
#17070786 - 10/21/12 01:27 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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I wouldn't recommend stopping immediately. As w/d from this sort of drug can be as bad, if not worse, than benzo withdrawal. Gradually winding your way down, and off, would be someones best bet.
--------------------
No sympathy for the devil, keep that in mind. [url=]Buy the ticket, take the ride. [/url]Are you lost?
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ManianFH
living in perverty


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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Legend]
#17070884 - 10/21/12 01:58 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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this is an incredible thread. I was on effexor for OCD back in the day, and took it daily for around a year. It didnt do much for my OCD that I remember (i was plagued with thoughts all waking hours), but made it incredibly hard to cum. Also I felt kind of numb all the time. Anyways I took mushrooms with my girlfriend at the time and had an AMAZING trip, one of the best-feeling trips of my life.
The next day I didnt feel any OCD urges at all. I stopped effexor cold turkey that day and experienced zero side effects. Felt great. The OCD came back gradually and I had to learn other ways to get rid of it, but in my case I did come off long-term dosing of Effexor cold turkey without any withdrawals or side effects.
I wouldnt recommend doing it based off my story, just sharing. Talk with your doc man
-------------------- notapillow said: "you are going about this endeavor all wrong. clear your mind of useless fear and concern. buy the ticket, take the ride, and all that.... " ChrisWho said: "It's all about the journey, not the destination."
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hexbinary
Science Geek



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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: Legend]
#17071606 - 10/21/12 08:20 AM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
legit27 said: I wouldn't recommend stopping immediately. As w/d from this sort of drug can be as bad, if not worse, than benzo withdrawal. Gradually winding your way down, and off, would be someones best bet.
-------------------- Current Grow GT bulk grow *UPDATED MARCH 2021*
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hexbinary
Science Geek



Registered: 09/24/12
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: s240779]
#17106869 - 10/26/12 04:32 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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taking out about half the pellets of my 75mg now..for about 3 weeks. Going to ask for 37.5s next week.
If I don't take it, I still get crazy vertigo and nausea.
-------------------- Current Grow GT bulk grow *UPDATED MARCH 2021*
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Gumby
Fishnologist


Registered: 06/13/01
Posts: 26,656
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Re: Effexor - Have you ever stopped taking it? [Re: hexbinary]
#17106907 - 10/26/12 04:39 PM (11 years, 3 months ago) |
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A buddy of mine that used to do heroin recently stopped taking effexor and he said that the withdrawal from effexor was as bad as, if not worse than heroin withdrawal. He said he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemies. He was getting light headed, had headaches, nausea and he said most of the time it felt like he had concrete pumping through his veins (whatever that feels like).
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