Day 10 This is Your Brain on Effexor...

Today has not been one of my best days...to say the least...
~~~VIVID DREAMS LAST NIGHT~~~of Rotweiller Dogs with Dachshund bodies :-(
~~~HEADACHE~~~ almost all day...just a dull ache though so I am still functional.
~~~CRYING~~~ (don't ask me why... because I DON'T KNOW WHY!!!) One spell came over me this morning for absolutely no reason and then later in the day it happened again....I was able to stop it both times so I am not a sobbing idiot like before.
This part is hard...the not knowing WHY I feel like crying AND... WHY I feel half-drugged!
I have figured out that the ~~~druggy~~~ feeling comes at about 4 hour intervals. I wonder if there's a reason for that?
I received the nicest emails these past two days. (Names are changed to protect the innocent:-) and I have copied parts of them below...
The encouragement from those who care helps me immensely.

Hello there!

I logged into the blogger website and glanced over at the "newly
updated blogs" list. That's where I saw the title of your blog. I
usually don't read other blogs online, but the title caught my eye and
I couldn't help but read about what you have been going through.

I want to encourage you in your efforts to get off of Effexor XR. I,
too, have been a SLAVE to this drug in the past. Brain zaps, horrible
nightmares, and a whopping 60+ pound weight gain are just a few of the
side-effects I experienced.

I remember when I decided to stop taking Effexor. My physician did not
want to take me off of the drug. He didn't feel like I was ready to
come off of the antidepressant, but I prayed about it and decided that
I had to do what I felt was best for my own sanity. I got off of
Effexor without my doctor's help. The first two weeks were difficult,
but eventually all of the symptoms went away.

It took months for me to start feeling normal again. I found that
Effexor made me feel "numb" to my own feelings. My husband commented
that he was "glad to have his wife back" after I got all of the Effexor
out of my system. I am working hard to lose the weight that I gained
while taking this drug.

It has been almost a year since I have taken Effexor XR. I don't miss
it one bit! AND, I don't feel depressed anymore either! You're not
alone...and you're in my thoughts while you're getting all of this JUNK
out of your system.

Take care,
H


Hi Deb...

I hope the Effexor withdrawal is going ok. Hang in there.

R


Hi,
Maybe you can come over some time this week and have lunch with me. Just give me a call. The kids are good about playing while I visit. So if you want to come over feel free.
I shared the information about the drug (with a friend). And I am going to send it to (my daugheter). I didn't think you would mind. How are you doing today? I also prayed Psalm 91 for you (and put your name in it), before I went to bed last night around 11:00. I hope you slept good. Talk to you soon. And call me any time to talk... I love you and hang in there.

J
(Also I asked for prayers (for you) at Bible study.)


Hello Deb,

I read the FDA Advisory yesterday. Isn't it funny how LONG it takes
for these major companies to listen? Thousands of people pop up to
say, "Hey, I'm having a funny reaction to this drug." They just call
us 'crazy' and turn their heads. How many people will have to suffer
before these corporations will listen?

I remember when I talked to my primary physician about Effexor.
I specifically asked him, "Will this medication cause me to gain weight,
or will it increase my appetite?" My doctor told me,"...medication cannot
make you gain weight. There are no calories in this medicine."

*rolling eyes* Let me tell you something, I gained weight on birth
control (30 pounds) when I took that a few years ago. And, if that
wasn't hard enough, then I went on Effexor and gained an additional 60+
pounds! The weight gain and the moodiness I was going through was
obvious to friends, co-workers, and family. Eventually, I even quit my
job because of the effects and everything that happened to me. It was
horrific!

This statement in your email sums it up for me!
> I can't believe that the drug companies (specifically Wyeth in our
> cases) won't stand up and admit that this drug is far worse than the
> conditions for which it is prescribed.

"...far worse than the conditions for which it is prescribed..."
EXACTLY how I feel about Effexor XR.

By the way, congratulations on your recent weight loss! Keep up the
super work. I love Dr. Phil and I think it's great that you're using
his plan to help you get back on track. (Why is it so EASY to gain
weight and sooooo difficult to lose it??) I've lost about 25 pounds so
far, and I'm starting to feel better about myself again. Thank God!

You mentioned the stress-relieving effects of folic acid and inositol.
I think that proper vitamins are ESSENTIAL in helping us stabilize our
moods after getting all of these chemicals out of our bodies. I
currently take one multi-vitamin, sub-lingual B12, calcium, potassium,
vitamin C, and extra folic acid each and every day. I have not been
sick one time since I began taking these every day. I have also had
more energy and can only recall feeling "depressed" or anxious maybe a
handful of times and never longer than a few hours at a time!

I will keep up with your blog to check and see how you're doing from
time to time. Hopefully, those nightmares will go away soon. That was
a horrible part for me...because my husband was in Kuwait during the
time when I was 'de-toxing' from the Effexor, so I was all alone and
SCARED from those nightmares!

Keep your chin up! You'll be feeling better in no time!
H



Again, I am thankful for my family and friends (and even those strangers who write), for their care, concern, and prayers.
I can't imagine this journey without you!!!


I had a wonderful foot massage from hubby (yep, he loves me too...), last night and he is ready to do it again so I will leave you tonight with this perplexing little question:

Did Paul Newman just wake up one morning and say “Gee, I’m tired of making movies...
I think I’ll just cook up some Salad Dressings? :-)

beach-lover@verizon.net
read and sign the EFFEXOR PETITION