Tom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Sorry I haven't replied for a few days, been stuff going on. It's weird though. A couple weeks ago, there was a string of days where I felt like my nervous system was healing. Where I almost felt like I did before I even started tapering. In other words, I felt like myself. Although I've had periods where I felt ok since the end of my taper, I've never really felt good, or like myself, other than a few very rare and very brief (like maybe a few minutes, lol) experiences. So I took this to be a very good sign. But then the crap hit the fan again, and I started going downhill very fast, which is why I posted about reinstating a small amount. I began to feel hopelessly broken. Anyway, tonight I'm back to feeling kinda good, so I don't know what the hell is going on. Maybe this is how recovery happens, it goes up and down for a while, or something? Ok, to answer a couple questions... Tom, have you done anything to reduce the morning anxiety? Minimizing morning light helps a lot of people. I have already had my room blacked out for many years, cause I've been a night person forever. Other than not waking up, period, I don't know what I else you can do to minimize it. ;-) As I'm sure you already know, efexor is a nighmare to go on and taper off. I'm not a doctor, but my gut tells me this will make you worse. Have you tried melatonin drops in strong decaf chamomile tea??? I haven't tried either melatonin or Chamomile as I'm so damn sensitive to just about everything I try. I'm not ruling them out. I've really had bad luck with herbal stuff though it seems. I wish it weren't the case. A friend of mine raves about some sleep remedy he takes with Valerian, Passion Flower, Hops, and I forget what else. I would love to try it, but I don't think I stand a chance with it. Approximately 18 years on Effexor. Tapered for more than two years. Totally off of Effexor since late Oct. 2010. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 13, 2012 Administrator Share Posted June 13, 2012 See Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems and topics on melatonin. Withdrawal symptoms seem to come in waves, interrupted by windows. As you heal, the waves become less intense and shorter and the windows more often and longer. Your window is a good sign, but you'll have many more waves and windows before you're done! Being disappointed and frustrated by this pattern is a challenge we all have to overcome. One thing this experience does is teach you patience. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted June 13, 2012 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 13, 2012 Withdrawal symptoms seem to come in waves, interrupted by windows. As you heal, the waves become less intense and shorter and the windows more often and longer. Your window is a good sign, but you'll have many more waves and windows before you're done! Being disappointed and frustrated by this pattern is a challenge we all have to overcome. One thing this experience does is teach you patience. Good overview of the stages Alto. Thanks.. I had one window 4 days ago, the first window in ages. It's too easy to discount those and they are very important. As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment
TikkiTikki Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 HI TOm, How are you going? Did you end up reinstating with Effexor, or something else? Celexa (Citalopram) 40mg - 60mg - 40mg for 7 years Tapered (over 3 months) drug-free Aug–Nov 2013 CRASH 40mg Dec 2013 – Jan 2017 (7 weeks reinstatement hell then relief) 2017: 20mg 30 Jan 18mg 19 April 16mg 6 May 14mg 20 May 12mg 10 Jun 10mg 7 July 9mg 7 Aug 8mg 16 Oct 7.5mg 27 Nov 2018: 7mg 8 Jan 6.5mg 12 Feb 6mg 17 Mar 5.2mg 14 Apr 5mg 28 Apr 4.8mg 4 Jun 4.6mg 23 Jun 4.4mg 24 Jul 4.2mg 13 Aug 4mg 20 Aug 3.8mg 1 Sep 3.6mg 28 Sep 3.4mg 14 Oct 3.2mg 11 Nov 3mg 5 Dec 5mg 26 Dec 10mg 28 Dec Added Valdoxan 25mg 12 Dec 2018 stopped 24 Jan 2019 Wellbutrin 150mg 25 Jan Link to comment
Tom Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 I don't come here anymore, but somebody just sent me a PM asking how I was doing. I joined near the beginning of the site, and only posted a few times. I'm more of a lurker type than a poster type. I'm a quiet person in real life too. I used to be on the old paxil progress forum before it shut down. Anyway here's an update to give hope and a few tips. It's almost 10 years (October 2010) since my last dose of effexor. I was on it for 18 years.The two main problems I developed from quitting were very bad anxiety and disturbed sleep. I would wake up anxious after like four hours of sleep. Both sleep and anxiety gradually improved, in an up and down manner. The anxiety went away. Sleep improved, but I'm not the best sleeper. Was diagnosed with sleep apnea, but was unable to use cpap. I usually sleep about five or six hours a day, and sleep straight through. On good days, I'll sleep a over six hours straight through. On bad days which aren't that often, I'll sleep less than five hours. But when I don't sleep well, I no longer freak out about it. I would probably say my average sleep is something like 5.5 hours, but it's straight through and I wake up calmly instead of in a panic. That's about all I can say I guess other than a few tips which I will list below. There will be a couple links, but I'm not affiliated in any way with them. If I think of anything else, I can add it later in the replies. Wishing you all the best of luck with your taper and great health and happiness. 1. This article somehow really helped me with anxiety. I mean I think it made a huge difference. I don't remember if I heard about it here or on paxil progress or what, but I'm glad I found it. I remember reading at the time that it had a profound effect for some other people too. It's called "Nothing Works, A Letter To Myself." http://nothingworks.weebly.com/ 2. For sleep, I use a sound machine. Here's the machine I originally used. Eventually I ended up making my own custom solution with an old laptop. But this machine worked well for me, and I gave one to my mother and it made a give improvement in her sleep too. Link: Lectrofan 3. Meditation. I started seriously meditating at some point during my taper, and never stopped. I try to do it twice a day everyday. I did/do it more for spiritual/religious reasons, but I've got to think that it must have helped in some way regarding anxiety and maybe even sleep too. 2 Approximately 18 years on Effexor. Tapered for more than two years. Totally off of Effexor since late Oct. 2010. Link to comment
Rozon1 Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Thanks for the update! How is your quality of life now? Would you say you’ve healed? @Tom Example: 2018 - Started Effexor 37.5 in Janurary of 2018 2019 January, 2nd - Cold Turkeyed from Effexor for 3 days. Reinstated on the third day, then stabilized(It took 3 months to stabilize) 2019 June - I switched from Effexor instant release to Extended Release 37.5 for better tapering. I tapered to 50% in 4 weeks before reinstating my dosage back to 37.5(due to withdrawls). I waited 2 months to stabilize but never did at 37.5 2019 September - continued to taper in to 25% on extended release 2019 October - continued to taper to half of the beads(18.75mg)... WIthdrawls were so bad I tried switching back to the instant release at the same dosage(18.75mg) 2019 November 28th - Discontinued effexor at 18.75 without anymore tapering. 2020 January - Just can't sleep, have constipation, low libido and still lack of full emotion Link to comment
Tom Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 I would say I definitely recovered from withdrawal. I wouldn't say I'm normal or have a great life, but that was true before effexor and the whole time I was on it. So it's hard to say. Approximately 18 years on Effexor. Tapered for more than two years. Totally off of Effexor since late Oct. 2010. Link to comment
Armorall Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 @Tom you have wonderful news, people would love to hear about the ability to sleep and completely losing anxiety as a symptom. Would you be willing to write a success story in the success story portion of the forum? It would help a lot of people! Info on it below: 3/21/19 started Bupropion XL 150 mg 3/21/19 started Risperidone 2mg 7/7/19 start Abilify half dose 5 mg. discontinue Risperidone 7/9/19 full dose Abilify 10 mg 7/29/19 discontinued Abilify due to panicky side effects 8/2/19 Began Latuda 20 mg 8/5/19 discontinued Latuda due to similar side effects 8/10/19 discontinued Bupropion after realizing it was causing the insomnia From 8/10/19 no drugs whatsoever Currently taking vitamin C, D, E, a probiotic and fish oil. Message me here if you want: https://www.facebook.com/morra.lal.3/ I've been getting a lot of fake friend requests, so please send a message before friend requesting me, thank you! Link to comment
Tom Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 10 hours ago, Armorall said: @Tom you have wonderful news, people would love to hear about the ability to sleep and completely losing anxiety as a symptom. Would you be willing to write a success story in the success story portion of the forum? It would help a lot of people! Info on it below: Sure thing. Approximately 18 years on Effexor. Tapered for more than two years. Totally off of Effexor since late Oct. 2010. Link to comment
Armorall Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 Yay! Question- can you drink coffee now? I miss it so. The day I can drink coffee and it not destroy my sleep will be an amazing one. 3/21/19 started Bupropion XL 150 mg 3/21/19 started Risperidone 2mg 7/7/19 start Abilify half dose 5 mg. discontinue Risperidone 7/9/19 full dose Abilify 10 mg 7/29/19 discontinued Abilify due to panicky side effects 8/2/19 Began Latuda 20 mg 8/5/19 discontinued Latuda due to similar side effects 8/10/19 discontinued Bupropion after realizing it was causing the insomnia From 8/10/19 no drugs whatsoever Currently taking vitamin C, D, E, a probiotic and fish oil. Message me here if you want: https://www.facebook.com/morra.lal.3/ I've been getting a lot of fake friend requests, so please send a message before friend requesting me, thank you! Link to comment
Tom Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 4 minutes ago, Armorall said: Yay! Question- can you drink coffee now? I miss it so. The day I can drink coffee and it not destroy my sleep will be an amazing one. Yes, a little, but nothing like I used to. I used to drink a pot a day, sometimes more. I used to live for coffee and cigarettes (I gave those up about 11 years ago.) Now I can drink about one and a half to two cups a day. Wish I could do more, but I don't think I can. Approximately 18 years on Effexor. Tapered for more than two years. Totally off of Effexor since late Oct. 2010. Link to comment
Armorall Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 OMG, still. One to two cups a day would save me right now. I've tried it and it gets me back to feeling 100%. but it destroys my sleep. I would love to drink that much. And yes, I understand the coffee/cigarettes thing. That was my lifeblood when I was in college. Did you used to have fatigue in withdrawal? Graciously awaiting your success story! 3/21/19 started Bupropion XL 150 mg 3/21/19 started Risperidone 2mg 7/7/19 start Abilify half dose 5 mg. discontinue Risperidone 7/9/19 full dose Abilify 10 mg 7/29/19 discontinued Abilify due to panicky side effects 8/2/19 Began Latuda 20 mg 8/5/19 discontinued Latuda due to similar side effects 8/10/19 discontinued Bupropion after realizing it was causing the insomnia From 8/10/19 no drugs whatsoever Currently taking vitamin C, D, E, a probiotic and fish oil. Message me here if you want: https://www.facebook.com/morra.lal.3/ I've been getting a lot of fake friend requests, so please send a message before friend requesting me, thank you! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted April 1, 2020 Administrator Share Posted April 1, 2020 Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering. Tom's Success Story is here As is our custom, I will close this topic. Please follow Tom's progress in his success story topic. 1 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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