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Suggest Ways To Deal With Withdrawal Symptoms Of Effexor

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Posted on Fri, 18 Sep 2015
Question: I have read old reviews on the prescription Effexor. I am quite disappointed my DR put me on that drug with no warning at all of the withdrawals effects it will have. I was on it for 6 weeks. My Dr put me on it because I was upset after 12 hours of finding out my finance was dead. Who wouldn't be upset over that? I don't feel a situation like that should of been treated with a long term drug like Effexor especially with no previous history of depression or anxiety. Anyways the side effects of the drug was making me miserable. I was having serious hot flashes and waking up constantly throughout the night. So I decided to stop taking it. I stopped taking it on Monday, it is now Thursday and I feel like i have electricity running through my body. It is tolerable to a point. I don't have any headaches or other side effects I read about. I do have some twitching everytime it feels like my brain is being shocked. I do not want to take anymore Effexor, not even to taper off of it. My question is how long will these effects last before I start feeling normal again. It has not effected my every day routine, I still go to work. I am not driving though because I do not want to risk swirving into traffic if I get a big brain jolt. So please don't suggest taking a lower dose. Just give me an idea on how long before this is out of my system. And is there anything I can take that can help with the withdrawals...benedryl? I am also on Adderall for ADHD, I am not having any issues with that.
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Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
plenty of fluids, B-complex vitamins.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.

I can understand your concerns.

Effexor is notorious to cause withdrawal symptoms. Its unfortunate that your doctor did not tell you about these side effects.

The duration of withdrawal symptoms can be from 1 week to 1 month. It may take 1 month for you to become normal.

As effexor is a fat soluble drug, it may take long time to leave your system.

You are able to go to your work and manage activities of daily living. I would not recommend use of another drug (benadryl) unless you have problem of anxiety and insomnia.

The 'brain zaps' which you are experiencing can be dealt with B-complex vitamins and omega3 fatty acid supplements. Drinking plenty of water will also help. These should lessen the severity of brain zaps.

Hope you find my response useful.

I wish you well.
Thanks.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Shubham Mehta

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 2145 Questions

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Suggest Ways To Deal With Withdrawal Symptoms Of Effexor

Brief Answer: plenty of fluids, B-complex vitamins. Detailed Answer: Hello Welcome to HCM. I can understand your concerns. Effexor is notorious to cause withdrawal symptoms. Its unfortunate that your doctor did not tell you about these side effects. The duration of withdrawal symptoms can be from 1 week to 1 month. It may take 1 month for you to become normal. As effexor is a fat soluble drug, it may take long time to leave your system. You are able to go to your work and manage activities of daily living. I would not recommend use of another drug (benadryl) unless you have problem of anxiety and insomnia. The 'brain zaps' which you are experiencing can be dealt with B-complex vitamins and omega3 fatty acid supplements. Drinking plenty of water will also help. These should lessen the severity of brain zaps. Hope you find my response useful. I wish you well. Thanks.