TheBanyanTree: What No One Told Me

[Pat Martin]

I had been on the smallest dose of Effexor, 37.5 mg (225 - 300 mg are common daily doses for depression) for three years when I decided to wean myself off it recently.  Because of the low dose, it didn't occur to me that I would face withdrawals, and I had no idea that was what was happening to me until I visited my counselor, Deb.  (I started seeing a counselor to help me through my marriage breakup.)

"You were taking Effexor, weren't you?" she said after I explained my bouts of weeping, my agitation, racing thoughts and rapid speech, and my fear that I was losing my mind.

I nodded.  

"Withdrawals from Effexor can make you feel like you're going crazy.  I suggest you do some research on the Internet."

Back at home, I googled "Effexor withdrawals" and read a litany of postings from people who experienced similar horrific withdrawal symptoms.  It seems it didn't matter whether the dose was high or low.  A sense of desperation pervaded many of the postings.  These people said that the withdrawals made them feel far worse than how they felt before going on antidepressants. Several had tried to get off the drug unsuccessfully and were afraid to try again. 

It all makes sense.  As soon as I went back on it, my mood immediately stabilized, and the crying and agitation ceased.  The unusual eyelid twitching I had been experiencing for weeks also disappeared.  It was listed as one of the withdrawal symptoms, too.  

So, I'm not crazy.  I do, however, have a physiological addiction that no one warned me about. Why don't doctors explain the risks of certain medications before handing out a prescription?


Pat Martin