Posted , 5 users are following.
I lost my ins. And have no choice in coming off this met. I am on day 2 and I can't handle this. My symptoms are just beginnings and I already want to just not wake up when I do get to sleep. What can I do? I don't have the option of weening off. Can't afford the pills. Please help!
0 likes, 15 replies
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liz05654 jamie_54777
Posted
I went cold turkey 2 weeks after being on 225mg for 6 years. Be prepared, the first week will be awful but stick with, it does get better. To help me I've been taking:
4000mg of omega 3 oil, split into 2 doses
1 multi vitamin and mineral in morning
1 vitamin c morning
1 vitamin b night
1 high strength st johns wart morning and
2 500mg Double strength 5HTP at night.
I also take10mg of zolpidem (sleeping tablet) 10 mins before bed.
It's day 14 today and I feel good. The worst sidefeect of withdrawal is the zapping but the 5 hip def helps with that as I decided to try 2 nights without it and they came back.
Went back on it again last night and they've gone again!
Hope this helps.
liz05654 jamie_54777
Posted
I went cold turkey 2 weeks after being on 225mg for 6 years. Be prepared, the first week will be awful but stick with, it does get better. To help me I've been taking:
4000mg of omega 3 oil, split into 2 doses
1 multi vitamin and mineral in morning
1 vitamin c morning
1 vitamin b night
1 high strength st johns wart morning and
2 500mg Double strength 5HTP at night.
I also take10mg of zolpidem (sleeping tablet) 10 mins before bed.
It's day 14 today and I feel good. The worst sidefeect of withdrawal is the zapping but the 5 hip def helps with that as I decided to try 2 nights without it and they came back.
Went back on it again last night and they've gone again!
Hope this helps.
liz05654 jamie_54777
Posted
I did major research before coming off the meds and I was petrified because of all the stories and articles I'd read. I stopped the meds when I knew I didn't have work for a week, and believe me I needed it. There is no way I could have gone to work for the first 4-5 days. I just wanted to stay in bed.
The zapping us by far the worst (well it was for me), but it definitely eased after taking 5htp. I also find that now I'm back at work and busy I hardly notice them. It's only when I'm back at home and not concentrating on anything that I became aware of them again. So keeping busy and your brain occupied definitely helps aswell.
Keeping going, I know it feels like hell at the moment but it honestly does get better.
Liz
liz05654 jamie_54777
Posted
Also, in terms of mood,I was weepy the first few days, crying at the most ridiculous things and then full of rage and anger on days 8&9. But again this has passed and is a normal reaction to withdrawal.
I've had no feelings of depression or anxiety returning, but I was in a mentally well enough state to try and come off anti depressants.
If you are not yet fully recovered from depression etc and are only stopping because you can't afford the meds, then you may very well have a relapse in mood.
What country are you in? Is there no way you can get financial support for medication?
Liz
jamie_54777 liz05654
Posted
I'm in the Us. I don't have a car so it's hard to get places I need to be to get my ins. Back and so on. It's really frustrating. I am bipolar, high anxiety, panic attacks, depression,PTSD. I was put on this med after my oldest sister passed away. That put me on the edge. I also recently had to detox myself off of klonopin. That was no fun. But I made it through. I have chest pains daily now. And my anger is worse than ever. I was also in a dog attack when I was 11. 6 Rottweiler full grown. They mauled my baby nephew. Took him right out of my hands. I was baby sitting at the time. That is the main reason for my PTSD.
I was on these meds for about 4 years before this loss of ins. I made it through the benzo withdrawal, but I honestly don't know what's worse. This or that. It's terrible. I may end up in the hospital before all is said and done.
vanilla27 jamie_54777
Posted
HI, I have been weaning off effexor for two weeks. My dr started me on Prozac and I really do believe this is why I haven't had any withdrawals. I've read a lot online about using Prozac to help get off of Effexor. If it's possible, you might want to see if you can get a script just until you get off the Effexor. I was so scared to come off Effexor after reading about it online but I'm down to 37.5 after being at 225mgs and have had NO withdrawals so far.
jamie_54777 vanilla27
Posted
I don't have a doctor. It's been months since I've been and they won't call anything in for me. My only choice is the hospital I guess.
jamie_54777
Posted
Sorry, BTW, my partner was on them at one point as well and quit taking them so there were extras to get me by. Now I'm down to 4 ; 75 mg pills and am trying not to take them. But wow! Breaking down what I have but in the end I'm going to go through it.
jamie_54777
Posted
Just an update for those reading and going thru it.....
I am on day 4 now. 3; 75 mg pills left. Yesterday was horrendous! Ended up being rushed to er with bp 160/109. Not good. They ran some tests and sent me home with klonopins. Very low dose. They had to give me a shot of ativan before they could let me leave. That was not fun. I start crying for no good reason and the panic is short to follow. They also prescribed me a month of effexor to use to ween down. But I don't want the crap in my body. Do you think the severity of my panic attacks has increased like that? Or will it subside once I'm completely off?
liz05654 jamie_54777
Posted
Hi Jamie,
Sorry to hear you were bad yesterday. I don't know if the panic and anxiety will pass as I haven't really suffered from those attaches myself. But what I would say is that when I first stopped the medication, 2 weeks ago, I was really poorly and did have heightened anxiety, bot not with a full blown panic attack. I also found it very difficult to relax enough to sleep unless I took a sleeping tablet (10mg Zolpidem). I was also very very on edge last weekend and couldn't relax at all.
But this weekend, after 2 weeks with no meds, I feel great. The irritability, sadness, mood swings and other side effects have now mostly passed. I get the odd brain zap when I'm tired but not not too bothersome, and I am sleeping without sleeping tablets (although broken).
so it is getting better and I'm so glad I stopped taking Venlafaxine. But as I said in an earlier post I am in the mental frame of mind to give it a try, I.e. All the reasons for the depression are no longer there.
i really hope it works out for you, but if you feel a relapse coming on please seek help.
liz
jamie_54777 liz05654
Posted
Thank liz. I may end up needing a low dose of benzo for my condition but won't ever get back on the ven. No thanks lol. That was just ridiculous. Glad your doing better. My day too will come. Getting back my ins. Screw this lol
dana30060 jamie_54777
Posted
Jamie!
I am totally sorry that you have to go through the Effexor nightmare, and
I would never suggest that anyone get hooked on drug's, but you may really benefit from going to the E.R., and telling them about your situation.
If you decide you want to kick this drug you may want to consider a benzodiazepine to controll the agitation. Benzo's are addictive, but they have benefits that AD's dont: You can take them anytime you want to, and they dont require week's, month's of continual exposure to be effctive.
Your doctor likely told you that Effexor wasnt addictive. Heres what you can say to a stubborn physician -
- "Gee doctor. I dont understand. You say that the Xanax is highly addictive, and that the Effexor is a safer alternative. Well, I have past experience with both of the drug's, and I know for a fact that if i miss a single dose of my Effexor I cannot function, until I take it, but I can make a month's worth of Xanax last a month and a half, or two. Why is that?"
I wish you the very best of luck.
Dana
jamie_54777 dana30060
Posted
Can you believe my new pcp will not prescribe narcotics! I have a mental health evaluation on 29 the. Won't see psych doc for 6 weeks after that. So they told me to get my doc to prescribe my klonopins for 6 weeks and he said he can't do that. I'm beside myself. It's the only thing that helps me. I've tried everything from the age 11! 37 now. Not a drug addict. I don't understand. So I went back to er. They gave me 10 25mg librium. Like that's going to last 6 weeks. I'm beside myself. Depression getting worse now. So is anxiety.
dana30060 jamie_54777
Posted
It doesnt surprise me that your PCP is unaware of the fact that clonazepam is only a schedule 4 CS, and not classified as a narcotic.
Your just going to have to find a way through this. You have to learn how to access that deep-rooted psychological resilience that allows you to walk forwards in the midst of your darkest despair.
If you have to go back to the ER a thousand times then do it. Just dont let negative stuff ruminate around in your head.
I spent a good deal of time typing a response to you, before this one. It was intercepted by the site moderator. Do you want/know how to use the private chat option?
Dana
jamie_54777 dana30060
Posted