I am going on day 4 of stopping my Effexor cold turkey. I was on ...

I too am on my 4th day of stopping (cold turkey) taking Effexor xr. I know what you're going through because I'm right there with you. I keep praying every morning that I can/will throw up. I'm having severe stomach cramps and brain pangs. I'm even seeing the chrome dots everywhere if I stand up too fast. For me the food thing is opposite. If I smell food, think about food, or even drink tea (my favorite beverage) my stomach hurts and my mouth starts watering as if I'm going to throw up. I told my husband if I didn't know any better, I would swear that I was Pregnant. But I KNOW I am NOT!!

I can sympathize. I am also going cold turkey. I am in day 6 of withdrawal. Still getting the zaps but not as often. Nausea still there- 7up helps but then I get the chills. Sometimes the blankets won't stop the deep cold. Then just as sudden as the cold came on, the excessive sweating will arrive - at least this warms me up for awhile. I usually don't vomit but have had a few bouts; mainly suffering from never ending diarrhea. I am hoping to lose some of the 15lbs I have gained from this med. I have experienced a skin rash which developed in the first month of taking effexor. I have tried everything to clear this rash but i think it is getting better. Not itching like it has been. I feel like the worst is almost behind me and things will only get easier from now. Good luck

Hi all - hang in there. I was on Effexor XR 75mg for 2 months and decided that the side effects outweighed the benefits. SO, over the past month I've weened and stopped 5 days ago - here's what I did: 10 days at 37.5 mg, then opened capsules and took 20 less beads for a week, 40 less, etc. Eventually, for the final 10 days, I took 25 beads/20/15 (with yogurt) - then DONE. I've done ok w/ the withdrawal - the worst has been the dizziness/vertigo along with somewhat of a slowed thought process/speech. BUT, I'll deal w/ that happily based on what I've read this COULD be like. All the best to each of you :)
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I am on effexor XR 135mg? and i am starting to feel i dont want to be on this medication and after reading all these side effects everyone is complaining about im wondering how good this medicationt actually is for my body if my body is going to go through so much withdrawl what is it doing to me? i dont understand any of it now im scared and i want off this medication right away even more than ever before!

Why would anyone in their right mind prescribe this medication if the withdrawal symptoms are so horrible? Maybe because YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO QUIT COLD TURKEY. Any doctor would agree. If you had spoken with your doctor and told them you had wanted to come off the medication most likely they would have switched your medication to another one with a half life that isn't so short (aka the reason for bad withdrawal symptoms with sudden onset) so that they could wean you down at a reasonable rate so you wouldn't get side effects. That and if you were had been at a place where you needed 300 mg of effexor you should at least be smart enough to realize that there's something with you that you need help with (whether it's counseling or not) and that you probably shouldn't just stop your medical/biological part of your treatment cold turkey. Effexor is a wonderful tool to help with certain mental illnesses, but it is only a tool. It only goes so far. It will put you in a normal biological and chemical state so that you can think clearly and with some help make the right decisions that probalby led to you needing the medication in the first place. Without the will and the desire to change yourself you will not find ANY medication that will make you feel better. Most people who bash these medications are people who expect them to fix everything that is wrong with them and that is just not the case. There is nothing wrong with Effexor. Only the people who abuse it because of ignorance.

-An Effexor user who has used it and no longer needs it and had a 99% symptom free withdrawal.