Today is my 5th day without Effexor. Yesterday was brutal. I had all the symptoms of the other four days (only worse), plus a migraine, fatigue, and bouts of profound sadness.
I got up in the morning and tried to go to work but soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. Making breakfast for the birds felt like a huge, complicated undertaking, even though it’s a five-minute task that I do every single day without difficulty. I got through that, sent a note to work, put my pajamas on and went back to bed. I can’t remember the last time I spent a whole day in my pajamas. It’s been years.
The whole day passed in a fog of misery punctuated by naps.
I took OTC meds throughout the day for my headache, trying to avoid taking a migraine pill. The migraine pills cost about $20 each, and I had to take two last week, so I’m being a little stingy with them. Anyway, I caved in and took one in the evening, and about an hour later I felt much, much better. My migraine was gone and I felt more energetic and almost human. My effexor symptoms even seemed to diminish.
Today I’m feeling not too bad. I still have the effexor symptoms, like the brain shocks, but they’re not as strong or as frequent. I’m still weak and wobbly, but I feel like I’ve turned the corner and am starting to get better instead of worse. I’ve taken another day off work, but I’m not in my pajamas. I’m optimistic about tomorrow.
But I can tell you that if I ever get depressed again, I will not be taking Effexor.
Glad you’re starting to feel better. I hate that disoriented medicated feeling – and yours sounds 10 times worse than anything I’ve expereinced
Virtual hug coming right at you…
My daughter, who is 26 now, went through a serious depression about 10 years ago and Effexor was part of the medication cocktail her doctor prescribed for her. She hated it. Being a teenager, she would forget a day and go through hell. She’s off antidepressants now and although she has down days I’m positive that she would never take Effexor again.