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    Weaning off Effexor

    I started taking Effexor 300mg April 2019 for anxiety and depression which I have suffered from for over 30 years. after a couple months I wasnt liking how I was feeling and decided to I wanted to get off of it. started weaning mid August down 75mg per week and Sept 15th I had a one time seizure. ER dr thinks I was coming off the Effexor too quickly but GP doesn’t think so or the neurologist I saw. Anyone else have a seizure while weaning off Effexor

    #2
    Hi Inspirediris and welcome to the forum. Effexor and many other antidepressants can lower seizure threshold, and therefore increase the risk of seizures, especially in those with underlying risk factors, and certain combination of drugs that also lower seizure threshold. It has been noted that no incidence of seizures at therapeutic levels have been recorded, but have been reported in overdose. The higher the dose, the more risk factors and combination of drugs that increase the risk, the higher the risk of a seizure. Having said that, not everything gets reported. On Sept 15th, what was your current dose of Effexor?

    Your pharmacist or doctor has access to the Drug Information center for professionals. They have an exhaustive amount of references and access to drug information, including adverse drug reactions noted in the literature. Unfortunately it is a service that is underutilized.
    AJ

    Humans punish themselves endlessly
    for not being what they believe they should be.
    -Don Miguel Ruiz-

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      #3
      Hello Insprediris and welcome. Effexor can be exceedingly hard to get off of. My son was on it and forgot his medication when he was home for holidays one year. He had brain zaps and other problems. He could not get off the couch and his whole body hurt as well. A quick trip to the ER and a small issue of effexor and he was good again.

      When he did decide to come off of it permanently it took him quite a while.. A couple of websites that may help are https://www.health.harvard.edu/disea...ntidepressants and https://discoveryrehab.com/a-guide-t...etox-timeline/

      I've heard of cases where it takes 6 mths to get off. Sometimes the doctor will prescribe prozac to help ease the problems. Take Care. paul m
      "Alone we can do so little;
      Together we can do so much"
      Helen Keller

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        #4
        Hello and welcome Inspirediris. I had a very difficult and prolonged struggle to wean off of Effexor. However, seizures never entered in, perhaps because I was forced to reduce the med so slowly or be super sick. The posts from AJ and Paul seem very informative and worth investigating.
        uni

        ~ it's always worth it ~

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          #5
          Originally posted by Inspirediris View Post
          I started taking Effexor 300mg April 2019 for anxiety and depression which I have suffered from for over 30 years. after a couple months I wasnt liking how I was feeling and decided to I wanted to get off of it. started weaning mid August down 75mg per week and Sept 15th I had a one time seizure. ER dr thinks I was coming off the Effexor too quickly but GP doesn’t think so or the neurologist I saw. Anyone else have a seizure while weaning off Effexor
          It could be from something else not entirely because you came off the medications. If the seizure happened once only then it might not be because you came off the medication. Look at more in depth proof of possibilities as to why you had a seizure. You may need to address the triggers of depression, the medication is only half the job.

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