Effexor and wean

I am getting ready to wean myself off of 150mg after being on effexor for about 2 years now for post-partum depression and anxiety disorder. To me, this drug has truely changed my life, and yes, I have had most of the side effects, but not bad enough to stop taking it. What I have noticed in everyone's terrible review of the drug is the side effects when you stop or forget a dose- what you must remember is that this is messing with chemicals in your brain. It is not something that is a miracle pill with no side effects. And it should DEFINETLY NOT be stopped cold turkey!! I feel so bad for you who think that is the right thing to do. This is a powerful drug for a reason- you MUST wean off of it. Your brain is going to have to get used to making these chemicals by itself- no easy task. Please heed my advice and stop blaming the drug company for your side effects- they are a natural healing process, no matter how tough they are. God Bless.

I have been gradually been put on Effexor XR. 1st week 1x37.5mg for 7 days then 2x37.5 mg 7 days or 2nd week then 3x 37.5 for 7 days and now 4x 37.5 or 150 mg. I have noticed a decrease in appetite as a matter of fact I've lost 14 lbs. in a month. I did have vision problems at night when my eyes seemed very dialated. Daytime wasn't a problem. A little bit of yawning on the first day of increasing the dosage.
I sweat a lot, but it is summer and very humid here, so am not sure if this is a side effect. I have been suffering from deppression and GAD most of my life as well as severe PMS. This drug has increased my ability to think before I react, which is a miracle. I have been an emotional eater and am happy with the loss of my need to self medicate with food. I am sure they will gradually wean me off of this medicine as they gradually put me on it. I am also in therapy and I feel I am doing something good for myself. I feel much better than a month ago. They've said I will only be on this medication for one year.

Well, I have been on Effexor 75mg for about six months. I certainly haven't lost my sense of humor, but the weight gain I have experienced is no laughing matter (25 lbs). I do know that my appetite has strongly increased -- eating all the time, and I started smoking cigarettes again; I think this drug makes me too relaxed and I feel indifferent to many things... Maybe wanting to eat & smoke is a desire to get "highs", as this drug makes me feel too lifeless. I have decided to wean myself from this drug on my own (starting tomorrow), because I want my appetite to go away, and I miss the higher sex drive I once had. Also this drug has given me a feeling that I am "not myself"... like "personality disintegration"... Who am I?

Anyway, I shall let you know how I make out during my withdrawls... Oh, incidentally, I also have experienced "shock-like" twitches in my head (times when I miss just one dose)... Wish me luck!!

I have been taking Effexor for about 6 months. I took zoloft for about 5 years and it worked great for my depression, but eventually caused my sex drive to be non-existent. My doctor then put me on Celexa which made me VERY tired and also gain weight. Now I am on Effexor, and it seems to work fine for my depression, but I too have noticed that if my dosage is even a little past 24hrs, I get very agitated about everything. If its more that a few hours past that time, I actually begin to feel physically ill, with stomach aches, dizziness, inability to concentrate. My doctor did not tell me about this effect of the drug, he actually told me that I would experience less dizziness when coming off this drug, as compared to other SSRIs such as zoloft. I now am deathly afraid to run out and I am sure to be at the pharmacy before I run out of pills due to how horrible I feel even after a few hours of a missed dose. I do not like being a slave to any medication, especially since I am a recovering addict. I feel I need something for my depression, but I am getting really tired of all the drugs and their side effects. I am afraid to go off them entirely but feel it can't be any worse than the withdrawls, which they don't tell you about when prescribing these drugs. They are advertised as being"not addicting" but I have found that they actually change the chemistry of your brain to the point where you cannot function normally without them, especially after years of taking these drugs...will try to slowly wean myself off of the 75 mg effexor and start from square one..anyone who has any tips for successful withdrawl from this drug, I am open to any suggestions, Thanks.