Brain zaps coming off Effexor XR

please note I do not know what other meds you all are on so check with your doctors to be sure benedryl is ok with your other meds. I am not on any other meds so this isn’t a problem for me.

I have been through this myself. It was very hard, but I was so fortunate and I know I was because I was able to talk to my doctor and she was able to taper me very slowly. I know everyone doesn’t get that lucky. It took over a year. I was just on it and it took over a year I was on I believe 225 mg per day of extended release. She had to taper it very slowly and when I’d have trouble she’d back off for a while. Then we finally got to the lower doses and there was a tablet we were able to cut and then I was finally off. It was so painful going off of it it was like pure hell. But being on it for me with pure hell as well it made me so anxious and I hated it. It did it did work out eventually, but it was very very hard and time-consuming and I don’t have that Doctor anymore. I get your trepidation about starting something else. You could look at the information online and hopefully your doctor would be willing to talk to you about the side effects of it. Have you checked on WebMD or on Mayo or Cleveland clinic about this medication that you might be started on? Is there a way you could talk to your doctor about the side effects your concerns I know this isn’t always easy, but I really hope for you that it is. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I know how hard this is. I know other people have been through this. I was even on a Facebook group that talked about it. I think that if you have someone you can really talk about that might be better. If you can really talk to your doctor and you can talk about possibilities of other medication’s if you’re concerned about the new one, they’re proposing.

I've said it before elsewhere on this forum, and I'll say it here. When a drug requires months, a year, and sometimes more to wean off of, and when some people simply cannot stop it no matter how hard they try, that drug should probably be pulled off of the market. It's supposed to treat depression, but when coming off of it takes such a long time, it can amplify depression and/or anxiety, causing the patient to suffer worse that they already were.

In my case the brain zaps resolved relatively quickly compared to what many others have reported – about six weeks from a full stop on a low dose – but it was miserable for a while. I can't imagine going through it for such extended periods.

At the very least, doctors need to inform patients before prescribing it that they could be in for a potentially prolonged and difficult period if the drug isn't effective for them. I wish I'd been told this. I likely wouldn't have begun taking it in the first place.

My daughter has been weaning since last September, after having heart palpitations. Her Drs said oh you need to get off and reduced her from a ten year dose down 1/2 and she was okay for two weeks. Then she had severe brain zaps, headache, nausea, vomiting, depression and anxiety. They put her back on a slightly higher dose and she got better. Then she more gradually lowered it over the next month. She then spent the next 6 months lowering down to 4 mugs and then stopped in June. She now has headache every evening. She has had various aches and pains in her chest and shoulder and nausea comes and goes. She can't sleep well. She has always suffered from anxiety more than depression. Why she was put on this horrible stuff at 18, after an old Dr prescribed it to her. I think she is a bit better this week after taking vitamins D3 K2 Magnesium and drinking pomegranate juice, kiwi, and walking every evening or swimming in cold river water...But she has been in the ER room 4 times, for dehydration and unable to hold food down. She has been tested for everything. Dr was reluctant to say withdrawal caused all this. It all started when she lowered her dose. She has had ekgs 3 times, cat scans, heart ultrasound, stool tests. Blood work three times for everything from tick born disease to cancer, autoimmune diseases, parasites, and is scheduled for an upper and lower GI and cardiologist appointment next week. I think she is finally a bi9t better this week...

@kdmom
I tapered off very, very slowly. Probably over the course of a year. Didn't have many problems that way. You cannot successfully go from a dose you've been on for 10 years to half of that suddenly without serious consequences in my opinion. She needs a doctor who knows how to wean someone off an antidepressant.

Yes, thank you for reaching out! She is better today her headache is gone and neck pain...I could not believe the emergency room Dr's thought there was no way a med could do this...It all started with heart palpitations and her weaning off because of the new palpitations and then immediately she had all this nausea and stuff...We had to send this site info to her regular GP and then see a online therapist to get her doses dropped...They just would say cut in half you will be fine. But we decided to cut less and extended the meds for weeks instead and she is now hopefully better....