I've been off Effexor for 8 days now and I'm wondering how long it takes for the withdrawal symptoms to go away. The brain zaps are gone but I'm restless, having sleep issues, anxious and cold with the shivers. Plus my moods kind of down. I have clonazepam that I am taking at dinner (0.25-0.5) to help a little. When will this be over and when will I be normal again?
Hi, We need to look in to two factors here. Howlong the symptoms might last and what needs to be done. 1.For most of the drugs the withdrawals symptoms depends on elimination half lives. the usual estimate is it takes about 4 half lives for the drug to be completely eliminated front he body.so, keeping this in mind and venlafaxine active metabolite half life of about 15 hours, it would take about 3 days for complete elimination. then, the brain requires about 2 weeks to readjust with the receptor rebalance. so, hopefully in another 5 to 7 days you should start feeling better. 2. Now coming to the second apart, The anxiety can be helped by the clonazepam you are taking..but, i am aware that some patients do not take this as often they needs fearing the addiction (and their fears are valid). I usually find prescribing Vistaril 25mg up to two to three times for anxiety helps a lot.this is not addictive. Now we also needs to look in to other aspect. you need to be mindful that the moods kind of down,anxiety,sleep issues can be early warning signs of relapase unless you are now on another antidepressant(if this is the case the possibility of these symptoms due withdrawal is more possible).so, please look in tot his possibility. It might be helpful if you can keep a mood diary for 2 weeks to look at the pattern.Mood diary is aviary where you document your mood daily on a scale of 0 to 10. 0 being worst and 10 being your best. if there is any consistent pattern please discuss with your doctor who can discuss alternatives available. i am sure you are aware that there are few alternative options available now than in the past. I hope this helps. Thank you.Doctor Rao41086.8214576389
Experience: MBBS,MD,DPM,MRCPsych
This is awesome! My mood is generally good and last night was the only night I struggled with sleep because my mind was racing with thoughts of "can I do this?" So are you recommending I take more clonazepam for the next week or so? is Vistaril a benzo? Is it safe when pregnant? Ideally I'm doing all this because I want to get pregnant. And I began to wonder if the Effexor was even working anymore because I was needing the clonazepam. Do you think effexor could have heightened my anxiety? Is there permanent damage from taking the Effexor? Do I need to be on this for life? Sorry I have a lot of questions! I like the mood diary, good idea! Also, most of my negative feelings is the thinking that I can't get off these. I have fear about falling asleep and am working on that through therapy and the clonazepam. I'm hoping as my anxiety goes down the sleep fear will lessen. How much clonazepam can I take a day?
Hi,1.I think the better alternative would be try not to take to more clonazepam but to consider Vistaril.2.No,Vistaril is not a Benzodiazepine.That is why it is not addictive.3.If you came off the antidepressants with a view of planning pregnancy, You might have to seriously look in to the ways of gradual reduction and stop Clonazepam. The dos you are on is low dose,so it shouldn't be too difficult to reduce to alternate days when you feel you are ready.4.so, hopefully if your anxiety improves with Vistaril then you can look in to clonazepam. It is important to get the balance right as too quick stopping would increase anxiety and too long would be habit forming.5.there is no permanent damage with effexor. People do have depressive episode for different reasons.if it is associated with psychosocial stressors and if these are addressed then they might not have another episode.6.If sleep is an issue that is bothering you you can take a dose of vistaril 25 mg (about 30 min before sleep) or Promethazine 25mg one tab at night. It is important to look for not habit forming drugs as you might want to stop the drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy when you become pregnant.7.If absolutely necessary you can take clonazepam up to 2 mg daily.But you have to be mindful that this is not safe in pregnancy and you will be thinking about coming off when planning.I hope this helps.Thank you
Sounds good. I have just read that many people go back on Effexor due to the withdrawal symptoms so they think they need it. I want to avoid that. I will ask my doctor about visteral. Is it safe for pregnancy? Will it help calm my anxiety before bed since that seems to be the only time I have it.....So you're recommending not to up my clonazepam dose from 0.25?
Hi,If possible not to up your clonazepam as you would be looking to get off from it when you are planning pregnancy.Now coming to Vistaril, it is helpful for the anxiety.No drug is safe in pregnancy but some times we have to weigh the benefits and risks. Vistaril has been tried by many Doctors in pregnancy and reports are it is relatively safe. Most of the drugs if possible would be avoided using in the first trimester of pregnancy. Please discuss with your Doctor.It is also equally important to monitor any early warning signs of relapse.You sit with your Doctor and both of you identify about four or five core symptoms in your case and you make sure you and your family are aware of them.so, that if necessary early help can be requested.Thank you.
I will do that tonight. What is the timeframe that relapses happen so I can keep a "lookout".
Hi, To be honest there is no specific time frame. But the widely accepted one is 6 months.However it is important to be aware in any stressful life situations. I wish you all the best.Thank you