Effexor Withdrawal Side Effects

I've been off of it for 19 months now. I posted in spring that I took myself off the medication after reading a peer-reviewed study that described what I'd been experiencing pretty much in detail: massive depression that led to an emergency trip to the psych ward, unconstrained rage, eating, sleep, and hygiene disorders, paranoia, substance abuse and more. I basically suffered a severe mental health crisis. The study said what happened to me is a rare but known occurrence with bipolar 2 patients on antidepressants (bipolar 2 is my diagnosis, and I feel it's correct). Effexor was singled out as the one most frequently tied to it.

I had already been knocked down from 75 to 32.5 and added mood stabilizers after the hospital visit, but as a medical step, not as a taper. So I did quit from a low dose. I initially went cold turkey in a rage fit wanting to wreck my life, yet started feeling like my head was clearing out within days. Curious, I went digging and found the study, and decided I would ride it out and never take the medication again.

I experienced nausea and vertigo for about two weeks if I recall correctly, and the brain zaps persisted for at least six. Like someone was putting a small cattle prod to my skull. I was never told when I was prescribed the drug by either my GP nor the pharmacist that if I decided to discontinue use, I could possibly experience severe withdrawal symptoms, which in fact I did. But mentally I could tell my mood was improving by the day. That made the misery worth it. For treatment I mostly got out walking every day, three to six miles, and kept my focus on the end goal: being free of it.

I'm pretty bullheaded, a mixed blessing, but in this instance it helped. Within weeks I was no longer fantasizing about self-harm; sleep, eating, and hygiene disorders resolved themselves; I lost interest in alcohol and weed and stopped without really trying; it all went away on its own. (The three things I'm most thankful for, in order, are 1) I'm still here, 2) my wife not leaving me when the rages were going on, and 3) that I dodged needing alcohol recovery; I was guzzling vodka and enormous amounts of weed nightly. Not anymore. It wasn't forced, I simply quit wanting it.)

The emotional gushes set in after about two months, and they still occur all this time later. But I feel my emotions now. Something I'd lost. So I'm actually thankful for them. I lost my sister, father, and mother in pretty rapid succession and bulldozed through the period without shedding a tear. The tears finally fell when I could finally feel again. I still well up over both sad things and joyful things. But after years on that drug, I'm feeling life again, and for this I'm grateful.

Stick with the withdrawal. If the drug is hurting you, dealing with the side effects is better than suffering further harm. And it's OK to feel those emotions. They'll help you regain your connection to life.

UPDATE! It is almost a full year since tapering off and discontinuing Effexor! Praise God! It caused so many side effects which I have realized over the last year of research--dry eye, low Vitamin D, aches in hips, depression symptoms(a diagnosis I did not have initially but, over the last 4 years of taking this, it began to cause depression), weight gain, etc. I can say this has been one of the hardest years. I want to give all of you hope who are trying to phase off of it! I am medication free! (except for prescription Vitamin D and eyesdrops for the dry eye)
It has taken a lot of hard work, patience, prayers, supportive family and friends and God's grace to get me through to this day! I found an ob-gyn who not only is specialized on peri-menopause/menopause, but also a knowledgeable and licensed psychologist!! Because I was so afraid of trying yet again another medication, I asked if and how we could try to use as many natural products as possible. She has recommended magnesium glycinate, Vitamin B, Fish Oil(north atlantic fish) and recently a probiotic! We have also discussed Maca and will begin this after I feel comfortable on the probiotic(after blood work, discovered my hormone levels were low, I could go on hormone therapy but wanted to try natural again). For me, this has been the key to decreasing the anxiety and the mild depression. 18 years ago, I was placed on effexor for panic attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere along with other peri-menopause symptoms. But, once off the effexor, I experienced a full blown case of anxiety and depression. Thankfully, with the supplements prescribed in April, it has become almost none existant. I had to remember my brain was trying to recuperate and heal from the effexor having controlled the highs and lows all those years. So I was quite gentle to myself which is hard for many of us to do with work, family responsibilities and personal goals. I go to the gym 3x/week, walk outside when I can, try to eat proper, have weekly contact with a friend for Bible Study via Facetime, take my daily supplements, keep a schedule, attend groups I enjoy and challenge my mind(such as genealogy research). One book which really helped me was Craig Groeschel's "Winning the War in Your Mind". It explains ways the brain functions and gives encouragement and work to do to train your brain. It really works! Lisa Osteen's, "It's On the Way--Don't Give up on your Dreams and Prayers" and "The Mindful Marriage" by Ron and Nan Deal(because the dysregulation was affecting my marriage and this book has a very useful tool for all of us to use if we find ourselves frequently being triggered--You actually have homework to do But, IT WORKS). I also researched Effexor research articles from Medical Journals, Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins and NIH and whatever else I could find to try to understand the trauma my brain has experienced going off the Effexor. I am beginning to use the word trauma more to explain what happened to my brain tapering off the Effexor. There is so much more for all of us to understand regarding this medication. Find a good therapist who believes you and doesn't just treat the anxiety and depression or whatever you are on the Effexor for, but, will also treat you as if you have a brain trauma if you are tapering off the Effexor. (Just my opinion) I am concerned medical providers continue to use Effexor to treat peri-menopause symptoms when there are gentler medications not as difficult to phase off of. When I look back at how far I've come since last Nov 1, I am amazed and thank God for all of my progress and healing! Good wishes to all of you!