I haven't shit myself since I was a child. Is this normal? Ive been so gassy and I cant trust any fart.
Also, my god, I am so tired. I cant keep my eyes open.
Please tell me these side effects arent permanent.
Yall- what in the hell!
I’ve been taking Effexor since mid August. My PCP wrote me a script 37.5mg HR for depression/anxiety symptoms. However, I felt like I had more going on so I went and established care with a psych.
I was on lamictal years ago, worked well, so we started that up again. got a desk job recently so my adhd symptoms are pretty damn noticeable- now I’ve started on Stratera (awful sweating side effects btw).
I want the least amount of meds as possible so we’ve decided to quit the Effexor as it’s also made me feel pretty spacey the entire time I’ve taken it.
Psych tells me to take it every other day to wean off of it but my fcking god my head is pounding and I’m so tired.
How does one wean off of 37.5 with it being the lowest dose? I was reading into it and it has a short half life so I’m constantly going through withdrawals is what I got out of it. At this point how awful would it be of me to just quit this sh!t cold turkey???
Been taking effexor since April and it has helped with rumination, dissociation and quieted my mind during social situations (I have social anxiety). But till this day I still stay in my bed 24/7 and just watch anime. I don't have motivation to do tasks, go outside, etc. I'm on day 17 on atomoxine 60mg and it has helped quiet my mind more and I think helped with focus more but nothing really for motivation. I'm diagnosed with depression, ADHD, gad, PTSD and suspected autism. Don't really know what to do anymore
Hey everyone!
I’m 19M and a nursing student. I’ve been dealing with chronic headaches, dizziness, anxiety, and trouble sleeping since February. I’ve had multiple ER visits and tried different medications, including Lexapro and Zoloft, but neither worked well for me.
My doctor eventually prescribed Effexor XR 37.5 mg, which helped a lot. I recently increased to 75 mg, and honestly, I’ve been doing much better. My headaches have improved, I’m sleeping better, and I finally feel like myself again.
However, I’ve noticed that I’ve been gaining quite a bit of weight since starting Effexor. I really don’t want to stop taking it because it’s the only medication that’s actually helped me.
Has anyone experienced this? Is weight gain normal with Effexor, and does it eventually stop? Any recommendations for managing it without stopping the medication?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!
So I started taking Effexor 4 years ago, started with 37.5 and increased eventually to 150mg. Used for 2 years and got off with my psych. Then I moved out of country this year and I’ve been anxious. Like pins and needles anxious. I saw an APRN and we decided to start Venlafaxine again. Started with 37.5mg. Taking at evening after dinner. Today is my 5th dose, haven’t taken yet. But I feel more anxious than days before. Like the first few days were okay, my symptoms decreased, I would say to 6/10. But today and last night was 7/10. Not bad as before the medication.
Is this normal?
Edit: I don’t remember having these symptoms the first time I took
Hi been recently taking 75 mgeffexor for 7 days and im going up to 150mg my doctor also prescribed me clonazepam. 50 to help for the anxiety I take it one a day at night to sleep only, for 3 days the first week and 6 days this week. I did not take it last night afraid of dependence but only slept like 4hrs and feel more anxious, should I cont to take the clonazepam until the effexor starts working.
I had been on Effexor for about a year when I decided To quit after experiencing serotonin syndrome from being put on too high of a dose. I also was experiencing extreme anger, irritability, anxiety, etc while on the medication so it just wasn’t helping me and was making my symptoms extremely worse than they’d ever been, it felt like I wasn’t on any medication to help me. I tried the taper, but each time I did it I experienced extreme withdrawal symptoms for up to a month, so about a week ago after getting down to 150mg on the taper I decided to quit cold turkey, because I couldn’t keep dealing with the withdrawal symptoms I was having for another 6 months or more. Please don’t do what I’m doing without seeking medical advice first and advice from other people who have done the same thing. I also have a great support system and go to college online so I don’t have to go anywhere while I’m going through this, I’ve also been prescribed lorazepam to help reduce symptoms. And I have people constantly with me during the day or checking up on me. This was just the best decision for me :) So here’s the symptoms I’ve had the first week of being off it. I’ll update every week if people want to know or need advice or support :)
Week 1:
Severe Mood swings
Severe irritability and anxiety
Extreme anger and depression
Body aches
Body tremors
Hot flashes
Extreme drowsiness
Super vivid nightmares
I posted here twice before, I was chronicling my withdrawals. I had started at 75 then moved to 27.5 and then quit cold turkey.
Today is day 25 after quitting effexor.
This was a really difficult experience. As much as I didn't want to wait a year to slowly reduce my dose. I'm not sure going cold turkey is a better option. I would say I have my life back to baseline but today's day 25. That's a long time to have been in withdrawals they only stopped about 4 days ago.
For me day 14 to 17 were the worst. I never expected that it would be that bad after 2 weeks. I had moments where I would break out crying for absolutely no reason and other times I would be irrationally angry for no reason.
Luckily I have a good therapist and a general practitioner who knew what I was doing and kept an eye on me. Both were very worried during day 14 to 17. I personally tried some illegal and some legal drugs to at least help me even before day 14. Nothing working.
I saw my general practitioner one of those days and while she gently tried to get me to go back on to ease my symptoms I insisted that I would not ingest effexor again. Let me just say I'm not saying effexor is bad or anyone should stop this is my story and it should only reflect on me. I'm not here judging anyone, effexor help me get clean but once I was clean I was uncomfortable with the side effects.
So when I saw my GP we found that gabapentin helps me the most during withdrawals. Nothing else really seemed to work as well. I was diagnosed with discontinuation syndrome because I fit every one of the symptoms.
I had to ask my father to drive me to the doctor's office because I don't think I could reliably drive at that point in time. That's how serious it was.
Discontinuation symptom is no joke. If you go to work or you're taking care of children or just interacting with other people it's difficult, it's impossible. So if you're going to go cold turkey you need to plan out something because you going to be talking to people very angry or crying and both look really weird. Plus my therapist said I was not making much sense so that wasn't good either.
To summarize, I made it through cold turkey withdrawals but unless you have a month to barely interact with people and have support from a doctor you're not going to make it.
Do one of the recommended protracted withdrawals using the medicine. You might feel a little weird at times but you'd be able to hold that in. Otherwise you'll be risking your job and relationships.
I wish everyone on this sub the best of health and in having a great and positive mental state.
Hi y’all! I just took my very first dose of Effexor and I’m scared as hell.
The horror stories I’ve read about the side effects and withdrawals on this drug have made it one that I was hoping to avoid at all costs. However, after Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, have all failed me (even with the assistance of Buspar), my psychiatrist convinced me that Effexor is the logical next step. So I’m currently cross-tapering Lexapro and beginning my journey with Effexor.
For reference, I have suffered from debilitating GAD & and panic disorder for years. I’ve had varying amounts of success on each drug I’ve tried but they eventually all stopped working at a certain point. I hope I’ll have better luck with Effexor but many of the posts here have me worried it’s going to be a rough ride. Even after getting my prescription I procrastinated a week before taking it out of fear that it’s gonna totally mess me up.
Should I be worried? Or am I freaking out too much about this?
Hi everyone. I'm 21 years old and have Asperger's syndrome (autism).
About a year ago, I took venlafaxine (37.5 mg) for five months. During that time, I experienced the biggest improvement in my confidence, social skills, mental sharpness, energy, and overall ability to function that I had ever experienced in my life.
I felt more confident, could express myself without losing my train of thought, and was much more socially comfortable. Almost all of my autism-related difficulties seemed to become significantly less noticeable.
Unfortunately, after five months, I stopped taking the medication abruptly, which led to severe withdrawal symptoms. I've now been off venlafaxine for about a year, and unfortunately, all the positive effects I experienced have disappeared.
Currently, I struggle with severe social anxiety. When I make eye contact with people on the street, my heart starts racing, I sweat, and I become extremely anxious. If someone suddenly calls my name or approaches me unexpectedly, I lose my composure and struggle to respond naturally. I've also lost the mental sharpness, confidence, and social flexibility I used to have. I often become indecisive and lose my train of thought while speaking.
I experienced something similar when I was 14. My doctor prescribed fluoxetine (60 mg), which I took for three years. I eventually stopped taking it because I had reached a weight of 95 kg. After discontinuing it, I developed even more severe symptoms than I currently have, including intense heart palpitations and such extreme anxiety that I could barely look outside my window at home.
Although my current condition isn't as severe as it was back then, I'm considering restarting venlafaxine under my doctor's guidance.
However, I'm concerned that if I start taking it again, I might need to remain on it for many years or possibly for the rest of my life. I don't know whether long-term antidepressant use is the right approach for me.
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have had similar experiences, particularly those with autism and social anxiety.
- Have antidepressants like venlafaxine genuinely helped you with autistic-related social difficulties, confidence, and mental sharpness?
- If medication is effective, is long-term or even lifelong use sometimes necessary?
- Are there alternative treatments for autistic people with severe social anxiety that can be as effective as antidepressants?
- How much can a psychologist or autism-informed therapist help with these difficulties? Can therapy significantly improve social confidence, anxiety, and the ability to think clearly in social situations without medication?
- Has anyone experienced a similar loss of confidence, mental sharpness, and social functioning after discontinuing venlafaxine or fluoxetine?
I'm particularly interested in hearing about real-life experiences, including both medication and non-medication approaches.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
I have been tapering off on my 37.5 mg capsule for over a year (after an unsuccessful attempt to take it every other day at the advice of my doc who should know better).
A pill has about 100 granules in it. I started tapering 10% at a time. Finally, I am down to 4 little granules!
Weirdly, still feel it on a rare day I forget to take it in the am.
I am so super excited to get off this medication!!