My wife is on it. We have attempted to get her off in anticipation of a SHTF situation. Horrible...horrible...between the suicidal tsunami, the electric zaps all through her body, nausea, vertigo...and within hours of missing the dose. We did more research and have found several forums with hundreds of posts from people utterly trapped on this antidepressant/anti-anxiety.

Advice given from folks (and so far we have not found one concrete story of someone actually making it off this f*ckin' drug) is to open the capsule and take out 5 little beads every week or so. There are about 250 little beads in the pill. Were talking a very long time. we tried once before and I got impatient and took about 10 out (I was doing it secretly as an experiment to see what it was actually doing to my wife...). My poor wife didn't know what was wrong with her and had all the vertigo, brain zaps and sudden overwhelming depression.

ALL the symptoms go away very quickly after taking this pill.

We have not even started yet and my wife is pretty scared since our last attempt at cold turkey and the one before with taking too many little beads out of the capsule too quickly.



Anyone know about this drug? Anyone have advice? Pharmacists and Dr.'s we've talked to seem utterly oblivious to the problem. The stories of the people trying to come off this drug are heartbreaking.

We've even considered using medical marijuana...

-Dave

You might look into medical marijuana and also St Johns Wort.
The St John's Wort takes about 30 days to get into the system well.
I do not know if it will interact with the medication your wife is on, however, so PLEASE check with a doctor before proceeding with that option!

Try making tea with the marijuana rather than smoking it. Smoother delivery, doesn't give the *head high* but does excellent in alleviating physical symptoms.

I went and read up on effexor and it sounds like your wife has a rough time ahead of her.

All of the accounts I read were not very hopeful.
I did see one post where a guy simply kept himself sedated on another med (a narcotic) while he detoxed the effexor out of his system cold turkey. He had a wife that was a nurse that administered his meds and kept him *out of it*. Took two weeks.

 

how does Tea work, when uptake of "medical" marijuana requires it to bind with lipids? (fat)

 

Hi, Dave -

Right off the bat, we've got to get it straight that I'm neither a doctor nor a pharmacist, but I do know something about the chemistry of these medications so I might be able to help steer you in the right direction.

But first, there's a question that needs answering...

I understand your desire to free your wife from using this drug; what I don't understand is why your doctor won't do it. Your wife has the right to discontinue her therapy without giving any qualifying reason. Have you made this request clearly to your wife's physician? What was the doctor's reason for declining to do so?

You've obviously done some homework on the drug, so you're certainly aware that like just about every other medication in the same class, Effexor produces side effects when the dosage is lowered too quickly. But as Lamb said in her post, there are strategies for getting around that. First of all, though, we need to get your wife's doctor on the right program. What did he or she have to say about this?

 

We've just got a new Doctor....quite a miracle considering how hard it is to get a family physician around Vancouver.

My wife's last Dr. was the original Dr. Feelgood. He took my wife through 10 years of trials on the SSRI family of drugs. She did indeed suffer from a pretty debilitating Anxiety disorder, and it sure seemed to help my wife for a year or two, but we would see the SSRI seem to cease to be effective. My wife would see the Dr. and come home on some new drug.

We've had her on Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and now Effexor.

Effexor really worked well...but after about a year, my wife noticed that she was feeling like an emotional zombie...very flat...calm...neither high nor low...and she also was completely loosing her sex drive *sniff*. It has been about a year and a half now that we are looking at seeking alternatives.

Our Dr. Feelgood had quite openly expressed his love and appreciation of all things pharmaceutical, and also his disdain for some of the alternatives out there. He is actually a crotchety old guy...

We simply stopped going to this Dr. and just went to walk in clinics. We rarely need medical attention, anyways. Our Pharmacist is really good and helpful, but knows very little about the problems of effexor. The Pharmacist explained at length (I think he was bullsh*tting) how my wife's brain has been rewired on effexor and it most likely is permanent.

Nice. I guess that's why you read the 2 pages of small print about this drug.

Now, my wife has really grown over the 10 years of being on all this stuff. She has understood that a great deal of her problems may be manageable and caused by Post traumatic Stress from a horrible car accident with her family. She also sees being utterly dependent on a drug that keeps her in a zombie like state as being bad.

ESPECIALLY if the SHTF.

I am pretty much prepping for feeding my family and taking care of my wife that will be an utter basket case for at least a month if we can't secure a supply of this sh*t.

Long story short, we'll see this new Dr. and see what he thinks. I've also contacted the Medical Marijuana folks and am about ready to take the next step with them.

If you notice me being really silly in my posts...and posting links to Pink Floyd concert footage, then you'll know what root we've taken.

 

dave1975, I will pray for you and your wife. I hope you can get out of this and get your family clear of the drugs they try to force on us. I don't think we should take drugs that are of this type. If I may put this out there, I advise no-one to allow themselves to be prescribed any anti-depressants. It is very possible that past or curent use of anti-depressants could be used by this administration as an excuse to deny firearms rights to any American.Good luck!

 

A friend of mine has gotten off it. It is possible. It was hard though, you have to come off gradualy. Keep on trying and hang in there.

On St Johns Vort, I strongly recommend you consult your doctor before trying it. It´s powerful stuff...

 

Id suggest getting a new doctor immediatly, if the symptoms are that bad she should seek out a new medication, or consider takeing a new medication. This means weaning off it and a doctors help could make this a lot easier. You should have a doctor that wants you to keep a journal on withdrawl effects, and regular appointments to adjust the withdrawl plan. When I was a teenager I had some serious problems with depression and I got put on a ridicilous dose of effexor, They kept upping it, beyond the reccomended maximum dose and it caused a wide variety of horrible side effects, includeing extreme mood shifts, and ended up putting on a lot of weight, by the end of it I was 240 pounds (im 5'9 and that's a insane amount of weight for my frame)

A doctor might even reccomend her going into a psych ward untill she gets off it and stabilizes.

 

Effexor requires a very, very slow wean. It controls the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Serious stuff. The dose has to be decreased a little at a time and really should be monitored by her doctor.

Concerns come to mind. Why is she on it in the first place? If she struggles with depression, the stopping of treatment in itself is a SHTF situation for her. Taking her off the medication because something MIGHT happen may or may not be the wisest thing for her. If it sends her into deep depression, how have you helped her?

If you are not treating her depression with effexor, you'll have to find something else and St. John's wort may or may not do the trick. I've never known anyone who reported sustained relief from depression with St. John's wort though I've read second hand accounts of people who do. Marijuana will not be helpful with depression.

I would find a holistic doctor to help you find a more natural substitute therapy. Look for a doctor with "O.D." behind his name instead of "M.D.". That stands for Doctor of Osteopathy. They take a much more natural, holistic approach and avoid medications where possible. An O.D. should be able to help you with the wean and prescribe alternative therapies.

Good luck.

 

Effexor requires a very, very slow wean. It controls the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Serious stuff. The dose has to be decreased a little at a time and really should be monitored by her doctor.

Concerns come to mind. Why is she on it in the first place? If she struggles with depression, the stopping of treatment in itself is a SHTF situation for her. Taking her off the medication because something MIGHT happen may or may not be the wisest thing for her. If it sends her into deep depression, how have you helped her?


Good luck.

I am a mental health counselor and run into this frequently by family M.D.s and not psychiarists. A taper off this drug is needed. (For the record I am currently on an SSRI and have been off it and went back as it does treat me effectively without side effects and I had no problem getting off it). So maybe another drug in that class would work. In a SHTF you could taper witht he meds who have stockpiled. Be careful with the herbals as they too can cause problems and interactions. Good luck.

 

Oh, and not to worry, we're not going the marijuana root RIGHT now...we'll look into the advice given thus far by you goodly folks...

...besides, I would probably steal all the weed...


I sure appreciate the advice and concern thus far. Please warn your friends and family about this drug in the meantime.

Being dependent on a medication because of a medical condition is one thing, but designing a medication that creates a dangerous medical condition if you stop taking the drug...is evil. Especially IF THEY DON'T WARN YOU FIRST!!!

EVIL

 

Dave, If you are having problems finding a good family doctor have you thought about accessing the detox services in Vancouver. I know your wife is having a problem with a prescribed drug and not an illegal one but they may be able to help. I took a quick look and saw that Vancouver has a phone number for people trying to get off drugs, the phone line offers referrals to services available it is ACCESS 1 I found it on this web page:

http://vancouver.ca/fourpillars/newsletter/Jan07/Detoxservices.htm

Years a go, before we met, my wife was on some sort of anti depression medication to help her with the stress of grad school. It doesn't sound any where near as addictive as the one your wife is on now but it was making here feel the same way. Not caring one way or the other, sort of numb, she described it as feeling like she was wrapped in cotton batting. She said that she realized she didn't want to live like this and forced her doctor to get her off it. The doctor didn't want to do it but in the end did and she has said that was the best decision she ever made. It was not easy but I know it was worth it.

Good luck with this.

Kevin.

 

Thanks, man.

Hey, very good quote that you have...

 

There is a place in the world for effexor, though its not meant for everyone.

I posted to another member just yesterday that if you foresee running out in SHTF you need to step off of this medication slowly. It is not a medication to be taking lightly, anything that changes chemicals in the brain should not be taken lightly.

Dave, I find it inexcusable to * * * * with peoples medication behind their back. Thats lower then the lowest, what gives you the right to do so? Do you even have the slightest idea of what your doing?

The answer is NO, you * * * * I N G dont. In my mind your right up there with people who slipping **** into others drinks at a party to have a good time. People have been know to commit suicide when this medication was not properly managed. When your reducing it behind her back, that not being properly managed.

If you want to help your wife then change her doctor and let a trained profession do it the right way. You might want to change her husband to one who is supportive and doesnt play * * * * about behind her back.

 

I can tell you being in psychiatry that you can NOT go cold turkey off of this particular drug nor should you even attempt to. Seizure's are the biggest with effexor. If you are seeking a different anti depressant your wife should consult her dr. effexor needs to be weaned off. not by taking **** out of the capsuls. Pristiq is a new med in the effexor world. Again it might not be for her, but if she can tolerate effexor then she should be able to tolerate Pristiq. It is a brand name, so it can be sampled still. It is only one pill a day versus several. 300mg of effexor is like 50mg of Pristiq. In my office we have seen many of great things with it. Good luck. and PLEASE DO NOT COLD TURKEY.

 

My wife is on it. We have attempted to get her off in anticipation of a SHTF situation. Horrible...horrible...between the suicidal tsunami, the electric zaps all through her body, nausea, vertigo...and within hours of missing the dose. We did more research and have found several forums with hundreds of posts from people utterly trapped on this antidepressant/anti-anxiety.

Advice given from folks (and so far we have not found one concrete story of someone actually making it off this drug) is to open the capsule and take out 5 little beads every week or so. There are about 250 little beads in the pill. Were talking a very long time. we tried once before and I got impatient and took about 10 out (I was doing it secretly as an experiment to see what it was actually doing to my wife...). My poor wife didn't know what was wrong with her and had all the vertigo, brain zaps and sudden overwhelming depression.

ALL the symptoms go away very quickly after taking this pill.

We have not even started yet and my wife is pretty scared since our last attempt at cold turkey and the one before with taking too many little beads out of the capsule too quickly.



Anyone know about this drug? Anyone have advice? Pharmacists and Dr.'s we've talked to seem utterly oblivious to the problem. The stories of the people trying to come off this drug are heartbreaking.

We've even considered using medical marijuana...

-Dave

Totally missed this when I read it the first time.
Tampering with someone's prescription medication without their knowledge is not only illegal but also pretty disgusting.
What gives you the right to make her medical decisions without her knowledge and to risk her health for a "secret experiment"?
Your "poor wife" is right.

 

no no no...you misunderstand, or I miscommunicated, we were already taking out the beads, but I sped up the process (not understanding the nature of this med) by taking more beads out...I did this 2 times before the SHTF. Remember that a bead is the size of a period. "." It was my fault for not understanding that 5 MORE period sized beads would make a difference. We immediatly quit the "quitting" and went back to the full dose.


You gotta understand that we are both scared...to death. We are both (by default) hooked onto a dangerous drug that we were not warned about, given the information about the dangerous and nearly impossible task of getting off this med and the ridiculously SHORT half-life of this med. The several health care professionals that we have talked about Effexor with have been unconcerned and incredulous.

I hope you can understand my frustration as well as my attempt to help the mother of my children.:

 

I hate to say it dave but the pharmacist was not sovelling it to you when they said that there is the possibility of your wifes brain being rewired. The SSRr I family can cause permanant changes to the way the brain handles seratonin, and with the obvious sensitivity your wife has for this drug getting off it is not going to be easy.
In terms of cannabis use to treat either anxiety disorders or depression, there is a danger because THC is actually a depressive drug. It can create greater problems than it solves. Yes cannabis is a natural product, yes in most locations on the planet it is quite easy to cultivate, and yes it is a plant that does have a great many medicinal uses. But specifically in cases of depression/anxiety disorders it doesnt. In the short term yes, it does appear to make a positive difference, in the long term it can (and australian studies have shown this) increase the chances of developing other mental illnesses. Long term cannabis use has also been shown to cause differences in brain structure as well.
People underestimate it because there is the mindset "oh its just pot" and leave it there. It isnt it is a powerful psychoactive medication, that, due to its illegal nature in many countries (not because it is not effective, but because of difficulties in controlling production and therefore taxation) has not been properly studied.
Be as sceptical with what the medical marijauna people tell you as you should have been with your doctor in the first place!
For the rest of you out there, do not accept a prescription from a gp for any SSRI as they are not mental health care professionals, seek a second opinion from a psychiatrist, and a third from a non western medical practitioner. View SSRI medication not as a quick fix, but as a last resort.
The whole family of these drugs seem to generate similar side effects, and the drug manufacturers and various drug administrations would have known about this because they would have shown up in clinical trials.
THESE SIDE EFFECTS WHEN IT COMES TO STOPPING THE DRUG WOULD HAVE MADE IT MORE ATTRACTIVE TO DRUG MANUFACTURERS.
(yes the evil conspiracy of all drug dealers, make sure the withdrawals are nasty enough and you guarantee your customers come back)

 

So, it wasn't the nasty ***** with his bag of crack looking to hook the innocent white girls...it was the frickin' drug companies and the FDA that allowed this crap to get through. Un-frickin'-believable!!!!!!!

Like I say about the weed, it was something that we were looking into. We'll take the advice on here seriously and check and re-check before proceeding. Also, we'll talk to the new doctor about options.

I also agree that it should have been a mental health practitioner and not a GP. I wonder if there will ever be a reckoning about this and the billions made off the backs of dupes like us. Too bad i was not a conspiracy guy 10 years ago...

 

"was feeling like an emotional zombie...very flat...calm...neither high nor low...and she also was completely loosing her sex drive *sniff*"

That's pretty much what happened to my friend when he was on it, but he got off of it much easier than what I'm hearing now. Maybe he hadn't been taking it as long...

 

Dave, Effexor (like all antidepressants) are just a band-aid. All too many doctors are way too quick to write a script these days. You need to find out the underlying cause of her depression. She will never get to feeling better unless you do. It could be a simple salt imbalance (think lithium). Whatever you do, be supportive and empathetic and if she implies hurting herself--take it seriously--especially if she in on an anti-depressant and trying to wean off.

Best of luck.

 

While I agree with 90% of your post I have to disagree with this part.

Dave, Effexor (like all antidepressants) are just a band-aid.

Depression is not a simple cut that can be dressed. While some depression is situational meaning short term and can be addressed by life changes. Some depression is not that simple.

When chemicals change in the brain, sometimes there is no way to address them other then long term use of anti-depressives.

 

I'm not going to read all the posts... I know some of them will make me mad.

I'll just say this... there are especially two different drugs for depression that are really REALLY dangerous coming off, that is effexor and paxil. I just lost a friend to effexor withdrawals. She was OK, then coming off the med, killed herself within a few days.

Yay. Not.

 

If you dont mind me asking,

Was she taken off by her doctor? Did the doctor taper the medication down?

Its safe to say, that any anti-depressants should be tapered, dont limit it to just these two meds.

 

Dave, I,m praying for your strength, as well as hers in this also a healing of her brain.Can you see a good naturapath,who wont take every dime in your pocket out your way?
When I first lived with Farmer, the doctors had him on lots of antidepressants, for anxiety, when it was really a blood sugar problem for him.It was hard enough when we went cold turkey with all those, let alone this effexor monster.
All the best Dave,the powers of darkness dont like light,so the spiritaul battle will beon,I,ll pray for that too.

 

Dave, I was on effexor for about 5 years and I was able to get off of it. OMG, it took forever or so it felt like. I did it though with the help of a good medical doctor and my shrink. I do however take a large dose of wellbutrin, and I've done well the 5 years I've been off the Effexor.

Find a good medical dr who is actually interested in you and a good mental health care provider that you like. I went thru SEVERAL of those but finally found someone that actually helped me help myself.

I have told very few people that about me but I do empathize with your wife. You are good to help her through it. you both are in my prayers.

 

One way to get off it easier is to get on a long half life SSRI when coming off effexor, then coming off that as well (which is much easier). Another thing you could do is take 5HTP as you taper out effexor. That helps some but not all. 5HTP is a more natural approach, but it's still a potent med.

 

I've been a long-term carer for people with mental health problems like depression and bipolar disorder. Effexor is an 'old' medication commonly known in medical circles as 'side-effectsor'. I don't know why it is still prescribed at all!

I presume your wife has been on other similar medications in the past, which may not have worked. My opinion is that the BOTH of you should see her medico and insist on finding an alternative.

With all of the different depression and anxiety prescriptions available on the market, there are quite a few that have serious side effects that are sometimes worse than the depression itself. Many people can't and WON'T tolerate them. Some possible side effects of Effexor XR include a 37% chance of gastrointestinal disturbance, 25% chance of headache, 23% chance of somnolence (sleepiness), 22% chance of dry mouth, 19% chance of dizziness, 18% chance of insomnia, 13% chance of nervousness, 12% chance of sexual dysfunction, suicidal tendencies and more.

PLEASE: DO NOT self medicate with other conventional or alternative medications while taking Effexor or other prescribed medications!!! Especially with St Johns wort.

You may wish to check out what patients say on sites like depression blog http://www.depressionblog.com/archives/000059.shtml

Your doctor will tell about the wash-out period for the drug and explain the crap you will both go thru in that time, but I believe it is worth it to get off side-Effexor.

I wish you luck and informed help. Herne

 

My wife is on it. We have attempted to get her off in anticipation of a SHTF situation. Horrible...horrible...between the suicidal tsunami, the electric zaps all through her body, nausea, vertigo...and within hours of missing the dose. We did more research and have found several forums with hundreds of posts from people utterly trapped on this antidepressant/anti-anxiety.

Many years ago I suffered from a few huge setbacks and became quite depressed. My doctor put me on Effexor. Just reading the title of your post was like remembering a bad dream. It was an absolute b* to take and even worse to get off it. Like your wife I had dizzy spells, nausea and even suicidal depression. I was also unable to have an orgasm for many months after I stopped completely. It was extraordinarily weird. In the end I weaned myself by putting up with the bad side effects until I couldn't stand it, then taking a small dose and again, waiting as long as I could before taking the next. After about six months of this most of the symptoms went away (the orgasms returned maybe a year later). I know a couple of people who had a similar experience. Two years after this there were a rash of documentaries about its bad side effects an I think it may have been banned for use on children in some countries.

I think your wife should talk to your doctor about getting off it asap. The way I did it may be dangerous so I wouldn't advise it without medical supervision.

Sorry I can't help you with the pot.

ETA: Good luck to both of you.

 

Dave, Just wanted to say I'm sorry you and your wife are dealing with this. I am "stuck" on Paxil. I honestly don't know if/when I'll be able to go off of it. I tried once and became violently ill...brain zaps, vomitting, nauseau...nothing would alleviate it and that was tapering off very slowly.

I hope that you can get through this with a better outcome!
Jenn

 

Jen... if you can tolerate Prozac, try gettin off Paxil when getting on Prozac then wean off the Prozac.

 

Effexor

I was on Prozac for several years when my doctor decided to switch me to Effexor, he should have been shot. After 6 months I felt like I was having an electrical short, if I did not take it at the same time everyday I would start to have these very strange side effects but instead of taking me off of Effexor the increased my dossage. This went on for a year and a half until I switched doctors and demanded to be taken off of it, they slowly lowered my dossage every two weeks and everything is great now. Since then I have had a good friend who's behavior started to change and include extreme anger, when I questioned him I found out that his doctor had put him on Effexor. I told him about my expirence and he soon got off of it as well. This is bad stuff and should be taken off of the market.
Brian

 

Looks like this thread is a bit dated, but here goes.

I've had issues w/ depression going back to childhood. This is not about me so, I'll try to keep the ME part brief. I had / have PTSD. I've done talk therapy for I guess about four years total roughly once per week. I resisted the idea of meds for a long time but finally came to the conclusion that I didn't have prayer otherwise.

So, my Dr. at the time started me on Wellbutrin and Trazodone. That lasted about a week. Then he switched me to Serzone, which worked pretty well, but that was yanked off the market some years ago. Some had liver issues on that.

Then I tried Effexor for a few months, but it really didn't do squat for me. I should say that every med I've tried I have insisted on keeping at the lowest dose. I figure if I have to argue about dosage w/ the Dr. but he / she gives in, then its OK. It's easier to increase than to decrease.

I had no ill effects from getting off Effexor because my Dr. moved me over to Cymbalta. It's crap too.

Enough about me.

My point is that every individual is different and different meds affect people in different ways. No one drug for depression will work for all.

Second, the talking therapy is there to address the root issues; the meds are there to counteract chemical imbalances.

Third, severe traumatic incidents, especially in childhood, can permanently affect a person's brain chemistry.

Now about those root issues, we probably know more about outer space than we do about the human brain and about human psychology. This is rocket science and brain surgery combined.

Getting at someone's root issues is damn tricky. They don't always want to go, and probably for damn good reason. And sometimes, the only way to deal with the crap is to face it head on and crawl through it all to get to the other side.

So my advice to you Dave, if you're still monitoring this thread, my advice is this:

- Get together with her closest friends and make sure she knows that y'all are there no matter what. That you will listen to her whatever she has to tell. She may freak at the idea of speaking openly, but, just to use my example again, living under a rock hiding the ****e is not an option. One has to walk upright. It can be quite an uplifting thing to talk openly and get the right support.

- Get her into some kind of talk therapy. Friends are worth far more than their weight in gold, but sometimes they don't know the right words. A good shrink will.

- Meds, ah hell. What to do. There's been some good advice already, so I'll leave this one alone, except to say that meds are evil but sometimes a necessary one.

Three things for her to remember:

- She is not alone. She has people that love her and she is not the only one on Earth suffering as she does. It's more common than she thinks, I bet.

- She is not to blame for her own suffering. Not sure about Canadian culture, but here in America, we're often raised to believe that whatever misfortune we suffer is somehow always our fault.

- Running away from your bag of crap (my term) does not work. Wallowing in it does not work. What does work is facing it and slaying the beast, and that's the hard part, cuz that fight never ends.

 

While unfortunately I have no advice for you concerning the detox process, we will most definitely keep you and your wife in our thoughts and prayers, sir.


Capa