been on effexor xr for 7 years and this is my second consecutivie month without it..

[liveitup898]

i was on effexor xr for the past 7 years but recently stopped in December of 2011......i was going great until a few panic attacks beginning of January,but i am pushing through it now....

has anyone else had trouble being off meds and started feeling depressed/anxious/panic etc. but still pushed through it and found success????

I am giving it my best efforts these days, and its tough.........i don't feel "normal" like i used to ( i have bouts of depression, daily anxiety etc), but at the same time i am proud i have been able to push through it so far....

the weather being all gloomy, cold and snowy also doesnt help but i am hoping that in the near future i will start feeling 100% better (of course with my efforts being put forward).

also, maybe CBT isnt the correct term here.....

but i have noticed that when i talk to someone about whats on my mind that it literally cures my anxiety and panic.

takes a few minutes (sometimes longer) but i swear it works.

i have been having some unsettling bouts of anxiety over the past month but only recently did i start talking to my friends/family about whats on my mind.

dont get me wrong - i am usually a very outspoken person but in the past when i would have anxious thoughts and anxiety attacks i would not communicate much during that time............but things have changed and when my anxious thoughts come on, i automatically talk to someone around me and it tremendously helps.

[jessed03]

Hey LIU,

7 years is a long time to be on an anti-depressant. It's quite normal, it's just as you can imagine, your body gets used to things.

Was it a cold turkey quit, or have you been tapering off?

[liveitup898]

i weened off effexor for about 2 months.....so i definitly did not just stop cold turkey.

i feel like after my anxiety attacks, its been harder to get better......my guess is that it has to do with not being on meds anymore.

i tried getting off the medication twice over the past few years but was not successful....this is the longest i have been off the meds and plan on keeping it this way.

[jessed03]

It could be a case of the body just re-adjusting. Hopefully, anyway. I've read that when anxiety and depression comes back permanently, it's usually drawn out over a period of around 6 months or so, where the body is falling back into old patterns of being that weren't corrected. Not set in stone though, of course.

Did you have stuff in place for quitting, such as therapy? If talking helps, there may be a few things that your mind needs to express, and to understand?

[conklejamie]

I'm so proud of you for being off that long! Way to go! I just tried to taper off effexor in November. It was my second attempt at going off the medication. It didn't go very well. I had withdrawl symptoms for about 2 weeks along with anxiety. My anxeity got so severe it was interfering with my work. I couldn't go. I couldn't leave the house. I wound up going back on the medication, at a lower dose, so I could begin to function again. I am still feeling a little "off" and having some anxeity. Some days are good and others not so good. I am so proud of you, and I think you have really come a long way. I understand what you mean about not feeling "normal" and I think that will come slowly. One thing that helped me when I first went off the medication was exercise. I would exercise first thing in the morning. I usually felt like total crap while I was doing it and for about 30 min. afterward, but the rest of the day seemed to be much better. I'm sorry I don't have a "success" story for you. Please keep me posted on how your doing.

[liveitup898]

thank you to each of you who replied so far - much appreciated.

jessed03/forwells:

while on the medication, i never felt 100% but i cannot say that i put in 100% effort as well..........i did try but it was not consistent and i let my negative traits/characteristics take over and run majority of my life. so the plan to overcome anxiety was much tougher then i planned...

i also feel i needed some time to mature and open my mind more to what the situation really is.......i developed anxiety attacks at 23 and i am now 30..........lots of maturing i did and with that i am where i am today..

ive been so fortunate, but i wasnt greatful/thankful, and am still like that til this day (at times).....anyway lots of CBT i'm working on these days with those close to me....it helps.

conklejamie - exercise is wonderful....please keep doing it. i have done it regularly for these years, although i took a break since december 2011 because of my recent attacks....but the other day i was sitting at home feeling like a hermit, not wanting to do anything after work, feeling anxious and scared but i forced myself to get up, get dressed, hop in the car and head to the gym for some cardio and weight workouts....i felt so good both physically and mentally.

im thankful that i have been able to work withouth much anxiety issues and i think its due to being so busy while at work....when i have time to myself i focus on such negative stuff.

a little pain on my leg and i focus on it until it brings up my anxiety (yes that happened last night).....for the most part i am able to push it away but not without some deep breathing and positive reinforcement for about 15-30 minutes........

crazy thing is that no one thinks i suffer from this - as i seem the opposite of all this in person.

since December 25th (when i had my first attack since officially stopping effexor completely December 1st 2011 i have not felt "normal" but i also think its because i have bottled up so much of my emotions and have so many unsettled issues from my past that i need to let out.....i guess this is CBT and its importance.....

do you have someone to talk to whenever you have your anxiety? not these message boards, but someone in "reality"...........it helps so much.

i went and picked up chelated magnesium and some chamomile tea this weekend and surprsingly i notice a difference......maybe its a placebo affect but maybe its not...regardless they seem to have many benefits to people who are anxious people.

my anxiety attacks have also changed as i get the shivers now (which i never got before) along with all the other negative thoughts.....but yeh it kind of sucks.

either way im trying to push through it......i would like to know how you are doing as well going forward. maybe you can stay on the lowest dosage ( i believe its 37.5 mg?) and not move up.....

let's be consistent with our efforts to get better! its draining, but we can do it.