I am going into my third week of cutting back on Effexor

[Digit]

Yes, I am doing it according to my doctor's plan.
Currently, I am having the restless leg syndrome on the way down that I also recall getting on the way up to 150 mg.
It is really annoying trying to sleep with that constant need for movement going on, but I am hanging in there.

[undergroundpanther]

1. I got myself off effexor too

It was miserable, I didn't have as much leg movement stuff as you seem to have but I sweated like a horse,all day. I was wet even if it was cold and I wasen't even exerting myself.Sweat was dripping into my eyes,constantly I was dripping I'd wake at night and it was like someone tossed a bucket of water on my bed,everything was soaked WET. Than I got a fungal infection in my armpits from them being constantly wet,that's when I decided I had it with Effexor. I was up to 150 mgs,but only took that much for around a week and a half,I went down in 25 mg incerements Soon I was off of it and ok.
Other people have had a hard time getting off Effexor, I copnsider myself lucky,I got away with tendon damage.

One thing listed in the side effects insert, not the one the pharmacy prints up butr from the manufactuerer that bothered me was this stuff about "tendon rupture" and Effexor's "aggravation of bone spurs".I have bone spurs all over my spine and two huge ones in my neck.I certainly do not want them"agitated" or to grow more.It could kill me literally.

While I was on Effexor my knee gave out in December, it made the most disgusting noise , it was a loud crunch,my roommate says she heard it crunch and she was outside..as I fell in my foyer.. and it is May and it still isn't working like it should.I wonder if my tendon is fucked up now ,I had x rays taken and now I am told there are bone spurs on that knee too..I wonder if the Effexor did it, or made it all worse than it would have been otherwise?

This is what it said:
Musculoskeletal system—Infrequent: arthritis, arthrosis, bone pain, bone spurs, bursitis, leg cramps, myasthenia, tenosynovitis; Rare: pathological fracture, myopathy, osteoporosis, osteosclerosis, plantar fasciitis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendon rupture.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/effexor-side-effects.html

More stuff on Effexor
http://home.pacbell.net/hookup1/effexor.html
http://theeffexoractivist.org/

[Digit]

3. Makes you wonder if they need to re-examine this drug

Sorry to hear what happened to you.
I hope that in time, things get better for you.

Oh, and thank you for the links to the side effects...hopefully, this may also help others
who are thinking of beginning this drug.

[yy4me]

2. I was on this stuff for 1 night. Major reaction. Bright light in right

eye, feeling of drifting off and a real fear that I better not do so. Loss of ability to stand. I literally fell on top of the edge of the kitchen table. It is a good thing my other half was there, I had time only to yell to him that I think something is wrong.
Very bad experience and I hope no-one ever uses this stuff, there have to be less severe products out there. I don't even remember the dosage, but it wasn't a large dose.

I have restless leg, an inability to sleep and an anxiety problem. I am taking Clonazpam(1mg) to help with all and it seems to work.
Now my medical records indicate that I am allergic to it, plus I carry that info in my wallet along with my meds list. I carry a list of my husbands too. Never know when one will have to provide the info for the other.

[Digit]

4. Wow, that is eye-opening!

The drifting off, I wonder if that could happen when driving.
Thank goodness you were not seriously hurt.

Glad to hear you have found a med which works for you, and yes, it is a great idea to carry a card
stating the meds you are allergic to.

[EFerrari]

5. If this way of going off of the drug doesn't work

there are other ways.

I was taken off of Zanax when it became politically incorrect. And the tapering didn't work, not matter how "compliant" I was. A second opinion yielded a different protocol that was much, much more manageable.

Take care of you. :hug:

[Tab]

6. Some Advil may help your legs

Both my wife and I were on Effexor. I got off it, no problem. It was more difficult for her.

Advil, or Advil PM, was great for taking care of any restless leg issues.

Good luck to you.

[Digit]

7. I raised my sleep number last night to 50 from 45 and felt much better

If I start the restless leg thing again, I will try your recipe.

Thanks for your input, it could end up helping in the middle of the night.

[Critters2]

8. I don't have much advice, except to let you know I'm thinking of you,

and I can relate. It was years ago for me. I had the leg thing, but the worst was this feeling like my brain was floating around loose in my head. A combination of dizziness and, umm, chills. Hard to explain, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

It's a terrible drug to go off. I hope things are improving for you!

[Digit]

9. Thanks, I am having more panic attacks now....

A simple knock on the door will cause a panic attack...because I don't know who it is or what they want. Friday, I had two salespeople knock on the door at different times. I don't opent the door for them anyway, but freaked anyway.

By going downstairs and peering out the blinds, I saw they were on foot and going door to door.

I guess the Effexor was helping more with anxiety than I realized. I am now down to 75 mg/day from 150.

I have Xanax on hand, but I am not continually on it since I use it only when the situation calls for it.

[Digit]

10. It has taken this long to get down to 37.5 mg/day

On Monday, I will go to 37.5 every other day.

The doctor's plan only says to do 37.5 every other day and then quit....that makes me nervous.

I am wondering if I need to start counting granules in a couple of weeks.

I wish I had never listened to my dr in the first place and started this drug.

The good news is that I have come a long way and am almost off of it for good.