Effexor XR and peace

I have been on this horrific drug for just over two years and have wanted to be off of it since the six month mark...i am not on it for depression but for focus...FOCUS, i cannot begin to describe the memory problems that i have...i can be standing in front of a person i have known for years and i will not be able to come up with their name or how i know them...luckily it does not seem to cause problems with my actual work but it is rather embarrassing when your boss walks up and you have to think hard to figure out who they are...side effects...i have gone from being a so called gorgeous man to a frumpy 30 lbs heavier man, and i still run five to ten miles a day and i eat less than i ever have...try to explain that...it is almost like i am swollen...i have horrible dreams, i sweat, i panic, i shake and i have a constant feeling of having a heart attack...try and live thinking you are having a heart attack when you are not but then again do you really know...in other words what if i have been desensitized to thinking i am actually having a heart attack when i actually am, may i rest in peace if that is the case...

when i have actually tried to come off the pills i have been violent (i never have been before in life), irrational, can't sleep, double vision, electrical shocks just by moving my eyes, can't move and bruise to the point that i look like a junkie who has injected himself everywhere...

my doctor never warned me of any of this, nor can i find it on the wyeth website (with the exception of the memory issues, which was not there when i started taking the drug...

i am so very sad over all of this...don't become like me

i was prescribed effexor xr by the mayo clinic in mn. while living there for a year. i had been on three other antidepressants before and this one has really given me a sense of peace. i have had to go off of a lot of medicines and quite smoking cold turkey so maybe i have a stronger tolerance. i haven't had one bad side effect. in fact, i have probably been healthier since it kicked in two years ago due to my mood and mind being in a better state. don't get me wrong, i still have low times but not any lower than the person who doesn't suffer depression. it also helps with anxiety but i do take another med for that called klonopin 2mg. i think it takes awhile for the person to find whats right for them. i suffered horribly through wellbutrin, thought my head was going to blow off when i didn't feel bugs crawling around. prozac put weight on me but helped, just made me a little to jittery and the other one i took was zoloft. i didn't have any side effects with that just didn't seem to keep me above a sadness level i needed so that is when they switched me to effexor. please just know there is help for all and bravo to those who can go without but i don't want to be sad and unhappy ever again to the degree of not wanting to get out of bed.

I think that Effexor XR is a poison. I would highly suggest anyone who is considering taking this medication not to. I have been off this medication for a total of five days. I took it for 3 years. Only by the grace of GOD am I totally off of it. I hope this will maybe help someone else make their decision on whether to take this or discontinue taking this medication. They best remedy for my side effects. I literally got on my hands on knees and begged the lord for mercy and strength. I have been walking/running three miles everyday. My suggestion: Pray and exercise. You don't need this medication. God is so much greater than anything you are feeling.

God Bless and Hang in there!