Oh the Withdrawal!

I followed the doctors instructions to the "T" regarding tapering my dose of Effexor. I never took more than 75mg, but the first step was to go down to 37.5mg. I would say that this was relatively uneventful. No major symptoms of withdrawal, just life as usual. Following the reduction in dosage to 37.5mg, I was to take it every other day. The first day that I did not take it, I woke up with a pounding headache and blurry vision. No big deal, I made it through the day and then took my next dose and I was fine.

Then came the time to take it every 2 days. Same routine, headache, blurry vision, but this time I had an uncontrollable muscle twitch in my eye. It didn't hurt and it was not alarming, but it was very annoying, it would twitch non-stop for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. But again, I was determined to get rid of this medication and I was dealing with the withdrawal fine. I took the pill every 2 days for 2 weeks, then every 3 days.

When I went to the every 3 day portion of the taper, the dreams started. The most vivid, intense, real dreams I had ever had. In fact, I woke up many mornings thinking that I was in the wrong place, I thought I was somewhere else in the middle of the night. I would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and terrified of what I was dreaming about. What kind of tricks was this drug playing on my mind?

It took about 3 months of scary nights, headaches, and sweats to make my break from this drug. I really don't know about these things. I took them for many years with great success and they definetly helped me a lot, but I am skeptical about the science behind them. I am no scientist by any means, but I have tried many of them and I fail to understand how it is common knowledge that these things can actually make your condition WORSE!!

Some positive things took place after I stopped the Effexor. I had a libido again, I lost the 12 pounds that I had gained on the meds, I began an exercise routine and I no longer had an inexplicable urge to eat a loaf of bread every day. I felt free and happy. I was determined to pursue a lifestyle that would help me make it through life free of Effexor or any other SSRI. It would not be as easy as I thought...