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View Full Version : Success story Effexor 9 years! and Help please



jka1979
08-24-2009, 10:49 PM
I was first diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder with strong tendencies towards depression in 1999.

I was put on all kinds of meds.

Let's see I started off with the simple Buspar..

then I was put on Xanax 3mg daily, and Zoloft (don't remember the doses) but that didn't last long, I went through a nervous breakdown.

So I was then put on 50mg of Tranxene and 400mg of Serzone...that worked for a year but then the FDA took Serzone away! So I was switched to 60mg of Remeron and the 50mg Tranxene..

Remeron made me fat, really fat...Doctor told me to replace it with Effexor but that I needed to taper off!...That was a huge problem, Remeron was so hard to get off. He also switched me to 40mg of Valium.

Over 3 years...I went from 60mg of Remeron to 15mg, then 1 year to get off it! However I was also taking 450mg Effexor and the valium which I managed to get down to 20mg daily.

Last year I worked it down to 75mg Effexor, and over the past two months I am completely off it! almost withdrawal symptoms

First week: Alternating days of 75mg
Second week: Every third day of 75mg
Third Week: Every third day too!
Fourth week: Every four days
Fifth Week: I take the beads our of the pill and take 1/2 every four days
Sixth Week: Same as above but with a 1/3 of the beads
Seventh Week: Same as above but every week only!
Eight Week: Same as above but every two weeks

It's been two months, I don't feel depressed...but I do have bad days!

On a side note, I ran out of my Valium and I had no insurance this past month so I had to switch to Xanax and Ativan (they were available) so I don't feel great because of this...Any ideas of what doses I should be taking? My biggest problem is I can't sleep with Xanax. (I don't have a doctor's appointment for another month!)

cjdelphi
08-25-2009, 12:00 AM
I was on effexor for 3 months and had to get off of it and when i did it's a horrible drug really horrible i just stopped cold turkey and just went with the flow I could not simply take another one i could not do it my body just rejected it because i could not force myself to take another one i went with the side effects (nausea and what felt like reverberations around my head as a shock)

this went on for a week and just stopped and that was just from 150mg daily so i feel for you :)

this new medication im on the doc said i need to be on it for 8 years LOL i laughed yeah ok sure.... why 8 years is 8 years how long it takes to cure you? that's insane

jka1979
08-25-2009, 04:01 PM
I was on effexor for 3 months and had to get off of it and when i did it's a horrible drug really horrible i just stopped cold turkey and just went with the flow I could not simply take another one i could not do it my body just rejected it because i could not force myself to take another one i went with the side effects (nausea and what felt like reverberations around my head as a shock)

this went on for a week and just stopped and that was just from 150mg daily so i feel for you :)

this new medication im on the doc said i need to be on it for 8 years LOL i laughed yeah ok sure.... why 8 years is 8 years how long it takes to cure you? that's insane

What's the Med if you don't mind sharing...

cjdelphi
08-25-2009, 11:23 PM
Paroxetine (aka, Paxil i believe) i have absolutely no side effects to this at all.... 20mg daily

jka1979
09-11-2009, 07:31 PM
I was first diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder with strong tendencies towards depression in 1999.

I was put on all kinds of meds.

Let's see I started off with the simple Buspar..

then I was put on Xanax 3mg daily, and Zoloft (don't remember the doses) but that didn't last long, I went through a nervous breakdown.

So I was then put on 50mg of Tranxene and 400mg of Serzone...that worked for a year but then the FDA took Serzone away! So I was switched to 60mg of Remeron and the 50mg Tranxene..

Remeron made me fat, really fat...Doctor told me to replace it with Effexor but that I needed to taper off!...That was a huge problem, Remeron was so hard to get off. He also switched me to 40mg of Valium.

Over 3 years...I went from 60mg of Remeron to 15mg, then 1 year to get off it! However I was also taking 450mg Effexor and the valium which I managed to get down to 20mg daily.

Last year I worked it down to 75mg Effexor, and over the past two months I am completely off it! almost withdrawal symptoms

First week: Alternating days of 75mg
Second week: Every third day of 75mg
Third Week: Every third day too!
Fourth week: Every four days
Fifth Week: I take the beads our of the pill and take 1/2 every four days
Sixth Week: Same as above but with a 1/3 of the beads
Seventh Week: Same as above but every week only!
Eight Week: Same as above but every two weeks

It's been two months, I don't feel depressed...but I do have bad days!

On a side note, I ran out of my Valium and I had no insurance this past month so I had to switch to Xanax and Ativan (they were available) so I don't feel great because of this...Any ideas of what doses I should be taking? My biggest problem is I can't sleep with Xanax. (I don't have a doctor's appointment for another month!)

Well I am sad to report that i am back on that nasty antidepressant..EFUXOR,,, i wasn't well at all over the past two weeks so the doctor advised me to go back