Has anyone experienced anything strange coming off of Effexor?
Dusty B
I was reacently taking Effexor for depression, but had to stop taking it abruptly. I have had some very strange side effects from this, one that has stayed with me for over a month now. It feels like a strange tremor on the inside of my body. I was just wondering if anyone else as had the same?
When I was taken off Effexor I felt a little shakey from the inside and felt like I had the flu for a week or more.
Yes! I am withdrawing from Effexor XR after taking it for four years @150mg/day. Went down to 75mg for one month, 37.5 for another month, and now the final stopping of it all. It has been 5 days and it’s living hell. Dizziness with every move, sobbing, nausea, paranoia, light sensitivity… rash, tremor, shocking my system. I refuse to take it ever again and am going to ride this out. Research says it can take 3 or more weeks to get off of it. Are you better now?
Oh yeah. Totally. When I miss a dose, I get what they call ‘brain zaps’. There’s actually a Wikipedia page about it. I feel like my brain is shaking and the feeling runs all the way down to my feet. It’s like getting some sort of jolt through my body. I ran out of my prescription once and went 3 days without Effexor. I was getting those jolts or ‘brain zaps’ every ten seconds. It was horrible.
i have gone off of effexor before. i don’t know about a tremor, but i definitely felt heart palpatations, headaches and a little bit of nausea. the heart palpatations kind of felt like a flutter in my chest (kind of like a tremor in my chest). maybe this is similar to what you were feeling? if its any consolation, i’ve been off of the drug for quite some time now and really didn’t have that much trouble coming down from it. just make sure to seek alternative treatment for your depression. good luck honey!
One of my close friends & I experienced an extreme psychopathic rage from Effexor. After looking into it I found that the majority of those prescribed had negative effects.
I did notice after stopping the effects didn’t quit right away.
Good Luck.
Effexor destroyed my life. I only took it for about a month, but that was long enough.
Was not able to take it but 3 days…..I could not wake up….too powerful for me. Did your Dr. know that you had stopped because ….a lot of people…do not know that sudden withdrawal of certain meds. can cause seizures. (Call your Dr. a month is too long for the residual effects of that drug to be in your body.)
Abruptly discontinuing Effexor is definitely not recommended, but you’ve already discontinued it so no sense crying over spilt milk. You’re lucky that you weren’t on it for a very long time otherwise the effect of suddenly stopping it would have probably been worse.
If you’re taking different medications now, then the strange tremor feeling could be from the new medication. If you’re not taking any medications at all then you should return to normal within a few months. Antidepressants aren’t like aspirins that wear off after a few hours. They can change the way that your brain works but it can take months for it to have the full effect and months for it to completely wear off.
One of the effects of stopping an antidepressant can be increased anxiety, and Effexor is one of the most powerful antidepressants, so the funny feeling you have could be anxiety.
My advice would be to ride it out and since you’re sensitive, be very cautious in starting, increasing, decreasing, or changing medications. Let your doctor know what’s going on and never make medication changes on your own if you can possibly avoid it – for example make sure that you have a good supply of medication before taking a trip etc.
Good luck!
Exactly. And, yes, it does go away. Feels like a small inside earthquake. Feels like you are coming off of some street drug. Hang in there.