|
|
MyTherapy Communities (Discussion Forums)
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Sweettooth
Starting Member
26 Posts |
 Posted - 11/20/2005 : 21:21:17
|
I have taken Effexor for panic attacks and my highest dose was 150mg XR/once a day (extended release capsules) for 1 1/2 years; I have been tapering for 8 months and I'm now at 28.06mg/for the day (using tablets). I have had minimal withdrawal to this point and I attribute that to the very slow tapering and cutting doseage's at a rate between 5-10% (and no more than that) each time.
Now for the how to's:
Instead of counting out granules (which really isn't accurate as granule capsule contents vary anywhere from 105 - 124 granules per capsule), use Effexor immediate release tablets (don't worry you won't feel any different than using the capsules---I know because I switched from the capsules to the tablets). The only difference is that you will take one half of your tablet dose in the morning and twelve hours later take the second half of your dose.
THE GOOD NEWS: Effexor comes in tablets: 100mg, 75mg, 50mg, 37.50mg, and 25mg. You can purchase a "pill splitter" from any pharmacy--the cost about $4.00 (american money) and split your pills in half, quarters, and even eigths--(with a little practice for the 1/8s). Splitting tablets will enable you to have more control stepping done your medication. When I got to a dose that is in between one of the tablet sizes listed above, I respectfully requested from my doctor a prescription of two different amounts of tablets (for example 37.50mg tablet and 25mg tablet). When I was ready to step down from 37.50mg I did NOT want to go directly to 25mg--that is WAY TOO MUCH of a cut. Instead this is what I did:
---I cut a 37.50mg tablet into eights = 4.66mg/per eight and then cut a 25mg tablet in half = 12.50 mg. I would then take: one 4.66mg plus one 12.50 mg = 17.16mg (morning dose) and then do the same thing 12 hours later. 17.16mg + 17.16mg = 34.32mg for the day. I stayed at this new amount for a month.
Then I tapered to 31.24mg for the day. I got that by: cutting a 37.50 in quarters = 9.37mg and cutting a 25mg into quarters = 6.25mg. I then took 9.37mg + 6.25mg = 15.62mg in the morning and then same thing 12 hours later. 15.62mg + 15.62mg = 31.24mg for the day. I stayed at this amount for a month.
I currently take 1/8 of a 37.50mg tablet = 4.66mg plus 1/4 of a 37.50mg tablet = 9.37mg. 4.66mg + 9.37mg = 14.03mg. 14.03mg + 14.03mg = 28.06mg for the day.
You can see this is MUCH EASIER on your system than going from 37.50mg to 25mg.
WHEN CUTTING YOUR PILLS of differing milligrams, have some empty, clean, prescription bottles that are labeled (for example 4.66mg on one, 9.37mg on another, 6.25 mg on another, etc.) so that you don't get them mixed up. As you cut smaller amounts it gets harder to distinguish what is what--the labeled bottles will keep you straight. Just be sure to put the correct amounts in the correct bottles!
Remember you can get the desired approximate dose you need by splitting various dose amounts list above.
BE SURE once you step down on a doseage that you remain at that amount for at least 3 weeks, preferably 4 weeks. It will give your brain chemistry a time to adjust to the lower level of chemical serotonin.
DON'T BE SUPRISED as you get lower and lower on your dose that you may need more than 3-4 weeks to stablize; remember your brain is going through a HUGE change--give it the chance to even out. It's not important how long it takes to taper from dose to dose, it matters that you take your time!
ALWAYS take Effexor with food in your stomach and drink plenty of water.
Do NOT eat or drink anything containing GRAPFRUIT, it can create a serious toxic reaction.
NEVER, EVER take St. John's Wort or 5-HTP--they have a serotonin in them. Mixing them with an anti-depressant or taking then after you've been off of an anti-depressant for only a year of less can lead to SEROTONIN SYNDROME - a toxic and deadly condition. Click on the following link to find out about it: http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/serotonin-syndrome-ADF.htm
Drugs that may induce serotonin syndrome when taken with antidepressants: (not a complete list)
ecstasy
cocaine
lithium
St John's wort (Hypericum) - herbal antidepressant
diethylproprion - an amphetamine
dextromethorphan - found in many cough suppressants
Buspar (buspirone) - for anxiety
Selgene, Eldepryl (selegiline) - for Parkinson's Disease
anti-epileptics - Tegretol, Carbium, Teril (carbamazepine)
analgesics - pethidine, Fortral (pentazocine), Tramal (tramadol), fentanyl
anti-migraine drugs - Naramig (naratriptan), Imigran (sumatriptan), Zomig (zolmitriptan)
appetite suppressants - phentermine and fenfluramine
tryptophan - an amino acid
NEVER, EVER take Effexor or any anti-depressant every other day--withdrawal will start and you will never get back on an even keel. I know, I know your doctor told you to do this, but MOST doctors are truely ignorant of the hell they are about to put you through doing this. If you are currently on this program get back to taking your dose everyday and after you are stabilized you can start your tapering.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME to visit these webpages; they have critical and very helpful information for tapering:
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/reaction.htm
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/taper.htm
Sweettooth |
|
| Heatherzed
Full Member (100+ posts)
241 Posts
Gratitude: 1
|
Posted - 11/23/2005 : 07:22:50
|
Thanks for this Sweettooth, it is really really useful info and I shall be using it when I come to taper off my current medication. Obviously I will not do this without my doctors instructions, but we both know - you particularly, from experience - that General Practictioners do not and cannot know all there is to know about every drug, and that includes how best to taper off them. So, it is well worth empowering ourselves by obtaining all the information we can get to help us in our quest to get better, whether this means staying on the drugs for a whole longer, or slowly, slowly coming off them with a tried and trusted method.
By the way, I read your discussion with and Hippiecups on yuor other post. I don't really want to comment too much, as I do not like to get involved in arguements and ****ing against one another (which this discussion quicjly became), but I can say that I do not think you were doing any harm at all, only giving advice and sharing what you had learnt for the benefit of others.
I think got the wrong end of the stick when she suggested you were encouraging people who were not ready to come off their meds, or backing some kind of pharmaceutical company. I certainly did not read your message in this way. I just took it as the help that I think you meant it to be.
As you say, so many people come here, to this board, to get hekp in coming off Effexor, and information on how to avoid the withdrawals. If you have such information, it would be wrong not to share it and save so many the suffering that you have been through, would it not?
I have received help from in the past and she has been a very active and supportive member of this group since she joined. So, I do not want to upset her in any way, but I can say that on this particular issue I am in disagreement with what she said in repsponse to your other post.
If you look on your original post on the Effexor withdrawal syndrome, the thread started by Dr Long, the administrator himself has actuallly written a reply to your post. He was obviously interested in the way in which you managed to taper off the drug so successfully, and asking for your advice for other members of the group. I am not sure if you posted your tapering method posts in response to his comments, or if you were going to post them anyway. Either way, well done for sharing this very useful info, and perhaps should have read what Dr Long had to say to you before discrediting your ideas....
Well, thanks again and good luck in the future.
H x
 |
|
| Sweettooth
Starting Member
26 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2005 : 12:39:07
|
Heather,
I so appreciate your balanced response.
I felt like I was being attacked by a bat out of hell--swoosh--in she or he came for the kill! My method of tapering was only meant to help; that's all.
I have searched and searched and searched and no where did I find any info. on how to get off these type of meds. So I came up with this method and it's been a life safer.
I feel really sorry for anyone using Cymbalta, as that med. only comes in capsule form in amounts of only 20, 30, & 60mg. There is no tablet or liquid form of cymbalta. This medicine is to hell and back and then to hell and back again when trying to get off of it.
Thank you for being a voice of reason.
Sweettooth
quote:
Originally posted by Heatherzed
Thanks for this Sweettooth, it is really really useful info and I shall be using it when I come to taper off my current medication. Obviously I will not do this without my doctors instructions, but we both know - you particularly, from experience - that General Practictioners do not and cannot know all there is to know about every drug, and that includes how best to taper off them. So, it is well worth empowering ourselves by obtaining all the information we can get to help us in our quest to get better, whether this means staying on the drugs for a whole longer, or slowly, slowly coming off them with a tried and trusted method.
By the way, I read your discussion with and Hippiecups on yuor other post. I don't really want to comment too much, as I do not like to get involved in arguements and ****ing against one another (which this discussion quicjly became), but I can say that I do not think you were doing any harm at all, only giving advice and sharing what you had learnt for the benefit of others.
I think got the wrong end of the stick when she suggested you were encouraging people who were not ready to come off their meds, or backing some kind of pharmaceutical company. I certainly did not read your message in this way. I just took it as the help that I think you meant it to be.
As you say, so many people come here, to this board, to get hekp in coming off Effexor, and information on how to avoid the withdrawals. If you have such information, it would be wrong not to share it and save so many the suffering that you have been through, would it not?
I have received help from in the past and she has been a very active and supportive member of this group since she joined. So, I do not want to upset her in any way, but I can say that on this particular issue I am in disagreement with what she said in repsponse to your other post.
If you look on your original post on the Effexor withdrawal syndrome, the thread started by Dr Long, the administrator himself has actuallly written a reply to your post. He was obviously interested in the way in which you managed to taper off the drug so successfully, and asking for your advice for other members of the group. I am not sure if you posted your tapering method posts in response to his comments, or if you were going to post them anyway. Either way, well done for sharing this very useful info, and perhaps should have read what Dr Long had to say to you before discrediting your ideas....
Well, thanks again and good luck in the future.
H x
|
|
| Ferengi (inactive)
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)
3264 Posts
Gratitude: 332
  |
Posted - 11/24/2005 : 14:40:13
|
Your tapering method is interesting, but we are all different how we react to these drugs. I came off 75 mg Effexor in two weeks by tapering down to 37.5 and then off. No withdrawal at all. I think I must be the only person in the world on this drug who has not had Effexor withdrawal, but I genuinely did not. (This was on medical advice, drug was not working.)
Ferengi |
|
| hippiecups
Starting Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2005 : 12:28:59
|
Hi Ferengi -
You are so lucky not to be having major withdrawal effects. I'm sure not an expert on how bodies work, but some days they (our bodies) seem pretty remarkable. How can we all be so similar in how we're built and yet so different? I'm learned the hard way that I need to taper oh so slowly - more slowly than I'd like to. If I'm even an hour late with taking my drug, I start getting horrible headaches & I become very emotional/crabby. Then there are the dreams... I had two great nights last week, but the last 4 nights have been the pits. Not nightmares, thank goodness, but such vivid dreams that are still disturbing. When I'm really fried, I use Benedryl to sleep better, but that has its own down side.
so anyway, good luck with whatever you have been doing.
hippiecups |
|
| joyjohn
Starting Member
5 Posts |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| MyTherapy Communities |
© MyTherapy |
|
|
| Total | Today | Yesterday | Topics: 23605
Posts: 194651 | New Topics: 5
New Posts: 45 | New Topics: 4
New Posts: 41 |
|  |
| | |
Methods One (1) for TAPERING EFFEXOR
