Effexor and withdrawls

I stoped taking effexor 13 days ago due to financial difficultys and couldnt afford to re-up. before that however i was on effexor for a year, 150 mg. I logged online yesterday to read other forums on withdrawls if any that others may be experiencing, I was amazed to see that the physical conditions I was experiencing trouble with were widley experienced by others as well, I was just relived, i didnt know what to make of all the horrable withdrawls i was going through, not knowing they were just that. so day 13 and I am feeling much better, I am exited to get back to my self 100%. I started taking effexor to begin with to help with depression and ADD. It didnt help that i was also abusing meth, so i probably needed it more then as far as depression goes and getting off the dope. Im clean now, and im such good spirits, Effexor worked for me in so many ways and i am greatfull for that. But one thing I wont miss is the lazyness that i felt most of the time, I hard a hard time sleeping, and never slept through the night, then id want to sleep the next day, I couldnt drive for fear of falling asleep on the road, which did happen plenty of times to cause the fear. I was in a good mood but motovation was low. Well thanks for letting me share with all of you, reading the poasts here really helped me to understand what it was i was going through. Best wishes!

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.

Well to be honest, I think some of bad things that have been said are WAY exaggerated. I have been on this drug for 6 yrs and yes I have gained a little weight but it really doesn't bother me because I have never felt better. This is the best drug that I have ever been on for depression. ALOT of what people have experienced with this drug and with trying to get taken off of it is all in their MIND. If you keep telling youself something, you will actually start to believe it. I was also specifically told NOT to quit COLD turkey because it can actually cause death because of the withdrawls, they can be very harmful. So people who do that are STUPID. I feel nothing for those who have done that and complain about what happend for the first few days they were off of it because if they were serious about trying to fix their problem, they would have done it the RIGHT WAY.