Effexor XR and brain

I too wanted to get off effexor xr and did in May. I went through 2 weeks of he@@. The worst of the side effects were the brain zaps,sometimes running down into my stomach. I felt like i was dying but I still worked and took care of my family. I quit cold turkey!! Just give it time the side effects will go away. I am so much happier now less the nightmares, wanting to sleep all the time. And a huge bonus, I have lost about 25 lbs. in 3 months!!
Any one wanting to take effexor xr.....DON"T!!!! I was on effexor for 7 years!!

I have been weaning off for about a month now. I was on 75mg a day for about two years. I have learned you can pull apart your capsules and lower your dose that way. I think I have about two more doses. I am going through withdrawals right now, but It is not as intense as when I tried cold turkey. Mostly I feel like I have a really bad hangover. Brain zaps, shakes, weakness. I think it is bull @#%$ that doctors can hand this stuff out like candy without letting people know what they are in for. I am grateful because it did help through a time I needed it, but this is horrible. To all of you going through this, hang in there. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

This is my 4th day off effexor. For the past 3 nights, I have been almost asleep...when I am awakened by a 'shortness and uneven breathing'. This happened constantly..every time I would almost nod off...i would be awakened with a jolt as if I couldn't breathe. Last night this went on for a few hours, but I finally got some sleep. Has anyone else experienced this? I was on effexor for 8 months...the dr. increasing it gradually up to 300mg. per day. I have weaned off slowly, until 4 days ago, going from 75 to none. It has been 4 days of hell...with evil sick dreams, brain buzzing, migraine type issues, etc. I have never experienced anything like it. I would suggest anyone considering taking this drug...DON'T!!! I was on prozac for 14 years before this, and the symptoms were minimal. But i became immune to it. I have chosen to be none medicated from now on. I will deal with my anxiety and depression with exercise, and by the grace of God. Please Help if you have any suggestions to get me past the next few days...How long can I expect this awful withdrawal..I feel so sick it's almost to weird to describe. I heard taking benadryl helps. I have taken a few...but don't feel too different.
Looking forward to your help..Thanks in advance.

I am so glad I found this site. I thought I must be crazy. My doctor and I are still looking for something I can take for depression and GAD, so he decided I should try Effexor XR. This is an EVIL drug! I only started out on 37.5 mg, but I can't get past the second day on it. My headache is so bad I feel like my brain is going to explode! Not to mention the palpitations and insomnia. I thought it may be something else so I stopped and after a couple of days my headache eased off. I guess I must be a glutton for punishment because I decided to try it again several days later to see if it was the Effexor. Same side effects all over again. I will not be taking this drug again. If I feel this horrible at 37.5 mgs. I can't imagine what would happen at a higher dose. This stuff should be removed from the market!

I am going on day 4 of stopping my Effexor cold turkey. I was on 300 mg and taking 20 mg of Pexeva. I am stopping cold turkey after being on this medication for three years. The withdrawals are terrible, I don't know why any doctor in their right mind would ever prescribe this medication for anyone. I have those wonderful brain zaps every ten seconds, the only thing that momentarily makes me sane is food, as if the 30 pounds this medication has gained me aren't enough, stopping it is going to pack on another 30. I am a bundle of anger and rage directed at anyone within distance. I am at the toilet every night waiting and praying that I can just throw up. When I finally can fall asleep I am jolted awake in a puddle of sweat having just had yet another nightmare. And when I say nightmare, I mean the kind that have me screaming out loud in terror waking my husband. Minor daily tasks are ignored due to the fact that putting one foot in front of the other is too much to handle. I can't stand this feeling and only pray for the day that it will stop.

I had trouble with my vision, sweating more than usual, mania and then about 4 days after my dose was increased to 150mg from 75mg I I suffered from blackouts, confusion, suicidal thoughts, suicidal actions which resulted in a stand off with the police. I have been in and out of the mental hospital for the past month until I refused to take anymore anti depressants and became stable on my own. I still have some panic attacks and nightmares which I have never had before in my life. I would advise any one who is prescribed this medication to report all side effects they are experiencing to their doctor because once you start blacking out it's too late for you reach out for help. I will never take another drug that interferes with the chemicals in my brain and am seeking counsiling to deal with my social anxiety disoder rather than taking meds.