It’s been awhile since I updated regarding my plan to get off the Effexor XR, so I thought I would do that today.
I have been off of it for 2½ weeks. I know, I know, the plan was to take much longer weaning the dosage down but I ran out of them and decided I did not want to take the money to get it refilled. I felt poorly for about a week with hot flashes and achiness as though I was getting the flu, along with being very emotional and a little irritable. I was pleased that the irritability was not as severe as previously. About a week into it, I noticed that physically I wasn’t feeling as bad as before. The achiness was gone! Yea! This was a big improvement from other attempts to get off of it!
I am still emotional and tend to cry easily but overall, I am pleased with my progress. The irritability still exists but it’s not as severe and I think I have been able to keep it in check pretty good. (Don’t ask hubby, he may not agree!)
The knee and joint pains have not been as bad as before and in fact I am not taking as much ibuprofen now. This is an unexpected benefit of getting off the Effexor XR - maybe I won't need my cane one of these days soon!
I give God the glory for helping me to get through this; I could never do it on my own. He is so gracious to help us and all we have to do is ask! Others tell me they are praying for me and that is such a blessing (here come the tears again!). Yesterday we received a card in the mail from a couple at church, just to let us know they are praying for us, God’s people are so good! Thank-you to all who are praying; those prayers are felt and much appreciated.
Maybe as I recover from the Effexor XR, my thyroid just might straighten out some! That would be wonderful!
I am going to remember all those who prayed for us and pay it forward by praying for others and encouraging them as they move through their journey of life.
Til next time!
Linda <3
PS Discussion: My son and daughter-in-law had a wonderful experience with Earthly Angels, you can read about it here. I have experienced miracles before and know God still performs them. Have you experienced a miracle or the gift of an earthly angel? Comment below and share it with us!
Showing posts with label Effexor XR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Effexor XR. Show all posts
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I like my Sleep but this is Ridiculous!
I cannot remember the last time I felt rested after 8 hours of sleep. I currently sleep about 12 hours a “night” and do not feel rested when I get up. It’s not every night anymore but still more than I would like. One of my goals of hypothyroidism treatment is to get awake in the morning after 8 hours of sleep and have energy to get work done.
I have a difficult time dealing with the sleeping thing; before my hysterectomy, I slept 6 hours a night and felt good when I got up. I actually long for those days! Now I spend more time sleeping than doing anything else and it seems like such a waste.
My doctor wants to do a sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea but I don’t want to do that yet. I want to get off the Effexor XR and get the thyroid levels to where I have some energy and then if I am still sleeping so much I’ll do the sleep study. I think he’s a little perturbed with me but I really don’t care at this time.
I’ve been reading Mary Shomon’s book the thyroid diet and am starting to think I need to change my diet not so much to lose weight but to see if there are certain foods that enhance the effect of the hypothyroidism. A little back, I started drinking spring water to see if the fluoride in the tap water may be affecting me negatively, I continue to do that and have noticed a little increase in energy so will continue to do that.
I get frustrated with how I feel physically and need to do two things frequently; 1. Remember that hypothyroidism isn’t a condition that is going to go away; I will have to live with it the rest of my life and 2. Pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with it.
Til next time!
Linda <3
I have a difficult time dealing with the sleeping thing; before my hysterectomy, I slept 6 hours a night and felt good when I got up. I actually long for those days! Now I spend more time sleeping than doing anything else and it seems like such a waste.
My doctor wants to do a sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea but I don’t want to do that yet. I want to get off the Effexor XR and get the thyroid levels to where I have some energy and then if I am still sleeping so much I’ll do the sleep study. I think he’s a little perturbed with me but I really don’t care at this time.
I’ve been reading Mary Shomon’s book the thyroid diet and am starting to think I need to change my diet not so much to lose weight but to see if there are certain foods that enhance the effect of the hypothyroidism. A little back, I started drinking spring water to see if the fluoride in the tap water may be affecting me negatively, I continue to do that and have noticed a little increase in energy so will continue to do that.
I get frustrated with how I feel physically and need to do two things frequently; 1. Remember that hypothyroidism isn’t a condition that is going to go away; I will have to live with it the rest of my life and 2. Pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with it.
Til next time!
Linda <3
So Far, So Good!
Hi Everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts recently; I have had to spend extra time on my schoolwork because of an inability to concentrate; more about that later.
In my last post, I told you that I was starting the every other day dosing of Effexor XR and I have. It hasn’t been as bad as previously when I went off of it all together which I am grateful for. It has been two weeks now and these are the symptoms I am having: 1. Inability to concentrate but not as severe, I just have to work a little harder at my schoolwork and take short frequent breaks. 2. The knee/joint pains that I experienced before are present but once again, not as severe. I am actually able to walk without my cane for short distances and not have pain in my knees, just a little discomfort. I have also started doing some very simple exercise to strengthen my knees and as long as I only do them 3 times a week, the discomfort is tolerable. 3. The emotional mood swings and crying are minimal compared to before. I do find I am teary eyed at times; the irritability has not been present this time.
Overall I am pleased with how things are going, and am eager to get off the medication. I don’t plan another decrease until I’ve been taking this dose for at least a month, that’s the plan right now anyway. Thanks for the prayers that have gone up on my behalf; I appreciate each and every one of them.
Til next time!
Linda <3
In my last post, I told you that I was starting the every other day dosing of Effexor XR and I have. It hasn’t been as bad as previously when I went off of it all together which I am grateful for. It has been two weeks now and these are the symptoms I am having: 1. Inability to concentrate but not as severe, I just have to work a little harder at my schoolwork and take short frequent breaks. 2. The knee/joint pains that I experienced before are present but once again, not as severe. I am actually able to walk without my cane for short distances and not have pain in my knees, just a little discomfort. I have also started doing some very simple exercise to strengthen my knees and as long as I only do them 3 times a week, the discomfort is tolerable. 3. The emotional mood swings and crying are minimal compared to before. I do find I am teary eyed at times; the irritability has not been present this time.
Overall I am pleased with how things are going, and am eager to get off the medication. I don’t plan another decrease until I’ve been taking this dose for at least a month, that’s the plan right now anyway. Thanks for the prayers that have gone up on my behalf; I appreciate each and every one of them.
Til next time!
Linda <3
Withdrawal Update
I have posted previously about my withdrawal from the anti-depressant Effexor XR and the symptoms I was having. I saw my family doctor on April 27th and discussed the withdrawal with him. We decided I would go back on the lowest dose and take even longer to wean off of it. At the time, we decided I would take 6 months, two months on that dose daily, then two months at every other day and finally two months at every third day. I hated the idea of going back on it but I was having difficulty concentrating on my school projects so much so that I was late with a couple of projects. I can’t have that and so here I am taking the Effexor XR again.
Once again I was amazed at how I felt so much better after only two doses. This stuff is powerful and I really want to get rid of it so hopefully this time weaning off more slowly will work.
As of today I have decided to start the every other day dosing of the Effexor and see how it goes. I’m hopeful that I won’t be able to tell a difference with this change. Time will tell – tomorrow will be the first skipped day. Prayer helps so I will accept all prayers that are offered up on my behalf.
Til next time!
Linda <3
Once again I was amazed at how I felt so much better after only two doses. This stuff is powerful and I really want to get rid of it so hopefully this time weaning off more slowly will work.
As of today I have decided to start the every other day dosing of the Effexor and see how it goes. I’m hopeful that I won’t be able to tell a difference with this change. Time will tell – tomorrow will be the first skipped day. Prayer helps so I will accept all prayers that are offered up on my behalf.
Til next time!
Linda <3
Withdrawal
During the years of my treatment for depression, I have been on 4 different antidepressants. In May/June of 2009, I decided to wean off of my Welbutrin and did so without difficulty as I was still taking Effexor XR. I did not notice any changes in how I felt and was pleased.
In November 2009, I decided to also wean off the Effexor XR and weaned the dose down to 75mg and then took that every other day for a couple of weeks then stopped. It was only a couple of days until I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those included…irritability, moodiness, crying for any reason at all, inability to concentrate, muscle aches, joint pains, hot flashes, and just felt miserable all over. I did some investigation on the internet and was somewhat surprised to learn that all these things were reported withdrawal symptoms for the Effexor XR. I stayed off of it for 2 weeks, thinking these things would get better but they kept getting worse and so I gave in and went back on the Effexor at a dose of 150 mg daily. I was amazed that the withdrawal symptoms went away after only two doses of the Effexor XR.
This got me to thinking how people on narcotics and illegal drugs must feel when they need a fix; it must be similar to what I was feeling. I do not like being physically dependent on any medication that affects me emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is scary that one medication can do this to a person.
With the advice of some wonderful family members, I talked to my doctor about getting off the Effexor XR and so started weaning the dosage down much slower than before. I stayed on the 150mg daily for 2 months, and then decreased to 75mg daily for a month and lastly 37.5mg daily for another month. I completed the month at 37.5 mg on Thursday, April 8th but by Tuesday, April 13th I was having all the withdrawal symptoms again. It is so frustrating and a part of me wants to go back on it just to stop the withdrawal pain but so far I have refrained from doing that. I hope to see my doctor soon and get his ideas on how I can get through this.
All prayers are appreciated!
Till next time!
Linda <3
In November 2009, I decided to also wean off the Effexor XR and weaned the dose down to 75mg and then took that every other day for a couple of weeks then stopped. It was only a couple of days until I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those included…irritability, moodiness, crying for any reason at all, inability to concentrate, muscle aches, joint pains, hot flashes, and just felt miserable all over. I did some investigation on the internet and was somewhat surprised to learn that all these things were reported withdrawal symptoms for the Effexor XR. I stayed off of it for 2 weeks, thinking these things would get better but they kept getting worse and so I gave in and went back on the Effexor at a dose of 150 mg daily. I was amazed that the withdrawal symptoms went away after only two doses of the Effexor XR.
This got me to thinking how people on narcotics and illegal drugs must feel when they need a fix; it must be similar to what I was feeling. I do not like being physically dependent on any medication that affects me emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is scary that one medication can do this to a person.
With the advice of some wonderful family members, I talked to my doctor about getting off the Effexor XR and so started weaning the dosage down much slower than before. I stayed on the 150mg daily for 2 months, and then decreased to 75mg daily for a month and lastly 37.5mg daily for another month. I completed the month at 37.5 mg on Thursday, April 8th but by Tuesday, April 13th I was having all the withdrawal symptoms again. It is so frustrating and a part of me wants to go back on it just to stop the withdrawal pain but so far I have refrained from doing that. I hope to see my doctor soon and get his ideas on how I can get through this.
All prayers are appreciated!
Till next time!
Linda <3
Depression VS Hypothyroidism
In 1991, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy, due to uterine cancer, which meant I went through menopause at the age of 33. In the months following the surgery, I noticed some changes in me one of which was that I did not want to go to family activities. Now you must understand that one of the things I love about my husband is his family. Those of you, who know them, know they are very special and I fell in love with that so when I did not want to attend activities, I knew something was wrong with me. I could go to work and be fine but if I saw someone I knew at the mall, I would do everything I could to not have to see them face to face.
When I told my doctor about these things, he felt I was suffering from depression related to the hormonal changes from the hysterectomy. (I was not able to take estrogen for five years because of the cancer.) I wasn’t sure what was going on and what he was saying made sense so I have been taking antidepressants since 1992.
Since my diagnosis of hypothyroidism, I have been doing some reading on the subject, especially the book “Living Well with Hypothyroidism” by Mary J. Shomon and have learned so much about how the thyroid hormones affect our bodies. One of the things I have learned is that there is a belief that depression may be related to the hypothyroidism which means that I would not get better by taking antidepressants but rather need to get the thyroid hormone levels in the proper range for me. This is good news because I hate taking so many medications.
Next time, my experience with weaning myself off the antidepressant Effexor XR…you won’t believe it!
Till next time,
Linda <3
When I told my doctor about these things, he felt I was suffering from depression related to the hormonal changes from the hysterectomy. (I was not able to take estrogen for five years because of the cancer.) I wasn’t sure what was going on and what he was saying made sense so I have been taking antidepressants since 1992.
Since my diagnosis of hypothyroidism, I have been doing some reading on the subject, especially the book “Living Well with Hypothyroidism” by Mary J. Shomon and have learned so much about how the thyroid hormones affect our bodies. One of the things I have learned is that there is a belief that depression may be related to the hypothyroidism which means that I would not get better by taking antidepressants but rather need to get the thyroid hormone levels in the proper range for me. This is good news because I hate taking so many medications.
Next time, my experience with weaning myself off the antidepressant Effexor XR…you won’t believe it!
Till next time,
Linda <3
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