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Long term effects AFTER withdrawing from Effexor
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Oct 20 8:01am | Replies (195)Comment receiving replies
I came here looking for to see if anyone feels stuck in fight or flight mode. I am off Effexor 1.5 years after tapering for 3 years, and have been stuck in fight or flight since the beginning which is Jan 2020.
I was actually on Prestiq which is a derivative or sister drug to Effexor for about 12 years when I wanted to get off. At the suggestion of a pharmacist, I switched to Effexor to taper because it’s available non XR and a lower dose. I tapered on my own from 37.5 to 0 in 6 months in 2019. A month later, Jan 2020 I began this stuck in fight or flight mode journey ( for lack of a better term) I did research and found the safe tapering method of reducing 10% a month and went back on Effexor in March 2020. Following that method I was finished Dec 2022, I should mention I’m currently tapering off Lexapro which I went on in June 2020 to ease the symptoms. I’ve since learned I’m an ultra fast metabolizer of Lexapro which means it doesn’t work for me.
I’m 58 years old and wondering do I just go back on? Ive tried everything except MDMA therapies and actually have an appointment to see if Psilocybin is something that could work for me.
I’ve tried pretty much everything else from exercising daily, I take magnesium Glycinate, Vit D3, a multi daily, eating a modified Keto diet, cutting back on sugar & caffeine, no alcohol, adaptogens, NAC daily, infrared sauna. Yet I wake up with physical anxiety and yes it then goes into mental and I get triggered constantly making it even worse. I don’t remember what relaxed feels like.
Can anyone relate?
Thanks
Eileen
Replies to "I came here looking for to see if anyone feels stuck in fight or flight mode...."
Ask your doctor about taking the beta blocker propanolol for your physical anxiety. It’s a very safe effective drug. Research this, you’ll be surprised.
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I can so relate. After two unsuccessful attempts to discontinue Effexor, I am on a reduced dose of 50 mg per day (25 mg tablet morning and evening). I am most anxious in the mornings, and what helps most is exercise, including yard work and long walks, that wears me out physically. The busier I stay, the better I feel. A little bit of bad news can be traumatic, however, and we are constantly bombarded with bad news in today's world. I don't watch the news on tv and read little. I subscribe to "good news" websites so that I receive some good news each day. I avoid anxiety-producing television and watch only comedies, often before bedtime. I don't sleep well, so it's best if I am exhausted physically and mentally before going to bed. I FaceTime with a therapist/counselor (a Licensed Clinical Social Worker) once a month or as needed so that I don't burden my husband and friends with the extent of my anxiety. They have never said it's a burden, but I don't want to wear them out, so this site helps, too. I like "Therapy in a Nutshell" (YouTube) for anxiety relief suggestions, and keep the article by Amy Morin "How to Stop Worrying About Things You Can't Change" handy to reread as needed. I am reading "The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapebtinoids and Z-drugs" by Mark Horowitz and David Taylor, published this year, for guidance on tapering when I am ready, but this level of anxiety tells me that I am not ready yet. Prayer helps. I have one cup of half-caffeine coffee in the morning and drink no alcohol; take the same supplements you take. (I don't know what adaptogens and NAC are.) You are not alone.