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@clevermom50

OK...going to take a plunge....Went from 75 to 37.5, sat there for about 10 days and was finally feeling pretty good. Dropped last week to half of that(approx 19mg and each day took a little less than the last. Friday I would estimate my dosage was around 12-15mg. Have not taken today. Feeling the fog in my head a bit and some headache. Not nearly as bad as when I dropped to 37.5. I'm countering that with Omega 3, 5-HCL, St. Johns Wart, L-Tri and because I am actually ADHD, I take Lemon Balm (calming/focusing) every morning and Valeria Root at night (helps the sleep). Every time I take a step down, I come out the other side in a few days with more energy than I've seen in years. Been on Effexor XR 75mg for 10 years for anxiety that I was experiencing while living overseas during the war. Hmmmm....just a little anxiety with hubby never home, two babies in the house, me alone in a village by myself and noone to talk with from the American community and relying on public transportation....

Anyway, I'll get back to ya'll with an update as I progress through the day. I have a backup dosage of about 12 mg sitting in a glass ready in case it just gets to be too much, but if I can push through today, tomorrow will be a step better. Oh, have to ask about weight gain. In the past ten years, I've put on about 80 lbs and it just NEVER comes off. Should I be expecting weight gain or loss coming out of this mess? For the better of me, I'm accept if weight gain is part of the side effects, but my appetite seems weird. Sometimes I'm not hungry at all...other times, I'm beyond starved then end up over eating and feeling like I ate three Thanksgiving dinners in one sitting. Anyone else have this?

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Replies to "OK...going to take a plunge....Went from 75 to 37.5, sat there for about 10 days and..."

According to the literature and most people, weight gain is the side effect of effexor. I've gained 60 or so pounds in the last 10 years. Hoping it comes off when I'm finished tapering off the effexor. I have changed my way of eating, so we'll see!

I also gained weight. I have gained 15 to 20 lbs in a year. No matter what I did I could not lose it. I eat healthy and exercise. It's so depressing. I'm praying this weight comes off.