In August of 2002 I started taking Zoloft for my then recently diagnosed depression. It worked great for about two weeks and then I started sleeping alot, usually 17 hours a day on average, and missing my college classes. After about a month on the Zoloft I was put on Prozac. I didn't have the side effects of sleepiness as with the Zoloft but I was still sleeping more than the average person. The prozac did seem to better my moods overall but during the entire i'd say, 2months, I was taking it I didn't have any apeptite at all. I got really fed up with eating less than one whole meal a day and being nauseaous all the time that I talked to my doctor about changing the meds. I then was put on Effexor XR. This one worked the best of them all. I didn't sleep nearly as much and on occasion I was genuinely happy. The only side effects I suffered with each of the 3 meds were sexual ones. I basically had no sex drive. Anyway This summer, after being on Effexor XR for a couple of months I quit cold turkey. At that time I was taking I think about 112mg a day. I guess I was just tired of always being medicated and I wanted to see what I was like off the meds. My health insurance was due to run out the month before I quit, so it would have happened eventually. I was just wondering if anyone has ever just all of a sudden stopped taking their medication(s)? I've heard that you aren't supposed to do it, but I haven't really felt worse since then,,actually in many respects better, although I still have my mood swings. I'm still considered clinically depressed and I'm not in therapy of any kind.,bc of not having insurance...im a full time college student and cannot work with my course load and depression. Any advice or input???? I'd like to hear what you all have to say.

I did not read the whole message (time is limited at the moment).

Never quit a AD cold turkey.

I have tried, it is not pretty http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

Step off it slowly and work with a doctor.

I wasn't thinking about doing it,,I already have. I went from 112mg a day to nothing. I was just wondering if anyone else had quit taking their meds without the weaning process.

I wasn't thinking about doing it,,I already have. I went from 112mg a day to nothing. I was just wondering if anyone else had quit taking their meds without the weaning process.

I'd echo thickman. The slower the reduction the better IMHO.

Billy

I've gone cold turkey on Prozac and Lexapro w/ very minimal side effects if any. That's just me though, so play it safe and taper off. Take Care

I have quit cold turkey: Wellbutrin, Prozac, Lithium, Nuerontin and Zyprexa. I have not had any trouble with any of those. I am currently on Zoloft and have heard that this one you cannot quit cold-turkey, so I dont intend to. But all those others were fine. Its been a few days and you said you are fine, so I would not worry about it.

Although I have to tell you quiting your meds is not a good idea. It may feel great right now, but what are you going to do when you hit a low again? Its going to suck! I have quit my meds many times and know exactly what you are going through. It really sucks to be depressed and not medicated. Its easy to forget how awful it is.

As far as medical insurance is concerned you might look into county funded clinics. I keep loosing my medical insurance about every for 5 or 6 months, becuase of employer money issues. Everytime that happens I just go back to the clinic. They are usaully not to clean, ugly and full of homeless people, but hey its free meds. They actually work on a sliding fee but since you are a student with no income it will probably be free for you. The city's set these clinics up so there are not a bunch of crazy homeless people running around.

i got so sick of all the side effects of the meds i was taking that i took myself off lexapro. i use to sleep all the time and i gained weight and i had no sex drive which was not fun because i just got married. i started on wellbutrin and that has worked wonderful for me. I do not have much appetite but i feel good, lost the weight, and it has not effected my sex drive. just a thought

Actually, it hasn't been a few days, it's been a few months. I quit taking the medicine at the end of July. I actually feel better not being on medication and havent suffered ANY ill side effects since I quit. Sure I have my off days every once and again but i'd say that overall I've been doing better without it.

I have taken myself off of my meds before and it was not a good time. I thought I didn't need them and then I found myself crying all of the time and extremely moody. Be careful. Where ever you live they may have a program for people without insurance. Years ago before I went back to college I didn't have insurance and I went to a place here in town that took patients that didn't qualify for public aid but yet didn't have insurance. They helped me considerably. I have Lupus as well as severe depression and during that time I was hospitalized for my Lupus and they covered the whole bill. Not to mention that they gave me all of my medications. I went there for 2 years before I got a job with insurance. Call your local hospitals and ask them if there is a place in town (clinic) that can help you. The one I went to here took all patients with chronic diesease like diabetis, asthma, copd, etc. So some clinics are different. Wish you luck. It really sucks to be without insurance. But please be careful being off of your meds.

Prozac and Wellbutrin -- I quit with no withdrawals. I can't speak for other drugs. I'm on Xanax now and of course THAT IS NOT one to QUIT COLD TURKEY.

I had to taper slowly off of effexor. I guess you were very lucky. I think it's great that you've been off zoloft several months and are doing so good!
I've been off zoloft for a month now and I have good days and bad. If it gets too bad I might try another AD.

Twinkletoes, I'm glad you did not experience withdrawal. As you can see, many of us did (or still do). That's why doctors recommend (or should recommend) tapering off the meds and then adjusting the taper according to how you're feeling. Consider yourself lucky. If you're still depressed, try some self help books.

[This message has been edited by Janik (edited 10-16-2003).]

As usual Janik is giving great advice. I would encourage you to look into CBT further as it changed my life and many others as well and works in a short length of time for most people. My two favotite books on the subject are "Feeling Good" and Been there, Done that? Do this!" Both are excellent and will give you a clear picture of what CBT is all about. Good luck!

Thanks so much guys for all your input! I have an intake appointment with my old therapist next week so I'll be sure to ask her about CBT. Thanks once again!!!!

i am quiting this efforxor because of the side effects of nausa, insomina, loss libio, large and small muscle cramping and tics or tremors on hands all over, this once was a friend of mine but now turnedcoat enemy against me. headaches, mania, hot /cold, thought process and word recall language problems, lets see, did i miss anything? sleeping all the time, bad dreams, etc etc i have tried the past 8 years, 1 yr on prozac-worked then aged out, almost 2 years on meridia-for weight loss and has a mild anti dep in it-worked then aged out-zoloft gave me bladder problems and no sex drive, now this, it is an awful drug , iwas on paxil andTERRIBLE withdrawl from that, xanax but not high enough to have writhdrawls from, withdraw from soma muscle relaxer after my neck operation, oxycodone, also which was not very nice either, paxil and the oxycodone were the worst next to it is this effexor to come down from. i dont want anymore SSRI's as i hear they can now all potentially cause this tardive diskensia which is after taking them for several years, causes parkinson's like movement disorders like mike j fox has. I guess i have to look to homepathic remedies now. iwonder ifthey are any better then these scriptions. cheers-mistyone

i am quiting this efforxor because of the side effects of nausa, insomina, loss libio, large and small muscle cramping and tics or tremors on hands all over, this once was a friend of mine but now turnedcoat enemy against me. headaches, mania, hot /cold, thought process and word recall language problems, lets see, did i miss anything? sleeping all the time, bad dreams, etc etc i have tried the past 8 years, 1 yr on prozac-worked then aged out, almost 2 years on meridia-for weight loss and has a mild anti dep in it-worked then aged out-zoloft gave me bladder problems and no sex drive, now this, it is an awful drug , iwas on paxil andTERRIBLE withdrawl from that, xanax but not high enough to have writhdrawls from, withdraw from soma muscle relaxer after my neck operation, oxycodone, also which was not very nice either, paxil and the oxycodone were the worst next to it is this effexor to come down from. i dont want anymore SSRI's as i hear they can now all potentially cause this tardive diskensia which is after taking them for several years, causes parkinson's like movement disorders like mike j fox has. I guess i have to look to homepathic remedies now. iwonder ifthey are any better then these scriptions. cheers-mistyone

You're welcome Twinkle! Beware that if your therapist is not trained in CBT they will likely be threatened by it and bad mouth it as it is so effective (and often in just 12-weeks) that it puts other therapists that depend on repeat customers for their livlihood out of business. BTW, I enjoyed your comments about Remeron in that other post.

Originally posted by mistyone:
.... I guess i have to look to homepathic remedies now. iwonder ifthey are any better then these scriptions. cheers-mistyone

Mistyone, when you have doubts about natural remedies, try the quackwatch site. They have huge lists of natural and alternative remedies and therapies that are either dangerous or not effective.

Don't forget therapy, especially CBT. Both billy and I have had good experiences with it.

Misty-

Listen to Janik http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

i just stopped Effixor cold turkey from 150mg a day. this was early this week. it hasn't been pleasant. i've been irritable. haven't wanted to go anywhere, stood home 2 days straight. Certain things in my apartment were getting on my nerves, like irritating me. certain people were irritating me. I did realize it was the withdrawal, though.

I was planning on zoloft. I hope it doesn't make me want to sleep more...I already have such a hard time getting out of bed in the morn (afternoon really).

hope you get through ok.

this is why we pay taxes...so, when in need, it's there.

Use it: http://www.governmentguide.com/benefits_by_topic/welfare.adp?id=16101415

It took me 2 1/2 months to get off effexor, and I am never going back on an ssri, I would rather have a root canal or rather several root canals without anesthesia than ever go back on an ssri and having to go through the subsequent withdrawls.

I am doing great now, at first once all the medication was out of my system, I was an emotional wreck. I would find myself crying all the time, a song on the radio, a stupid tv show, or a movie would set me off. Being a guy, I never cry, but I feel it was very theraputic and I feel so much better now that I am off the effexor completely, 3 years was enough, all those bad side effects and being numb to my emotions finally made me say enough's enough, also its nice to have the money I spent on the medication back in my wallet.

OMG.......I am finding myself getting all teary eyed over the stupidest things, too. Stupid tv show....and yesterday at a wedding...while the bride and groom were walking in...i had the urge to cry. this is not me normally.......5 days off effixor.

I too felt so blah on it....no emotion...numb...i thought it was supposed to make you feel norm. this certainly wasnt the case.

what are you doing for depressin now? any self help techniques you'd like to share.

well, having gone through a divorce this past year and being diagnosed with liver disease in the past six months, i decided that it was time i started dealing with my problems instead of find the answer at the bottom of a pill bottle.

i too felt very disconnected and numb, that is a good word to describe it. i realized i needed to deal with my emotion problems head on instead of burying them under a mountain of effexor.

it has been 2 months since i have been off effexor, and i am JUST starting to feel like my old normal self long before the depression hit me. i also found that my anxiety level has dropped way low as well. i guess i am grateful for what i have and that i see way too many people out there with far worse problems. i dont sweat the small stuff any more and take vitamins everyday in an attempt to keep my body as healthy as can be, even though there is a possibility that i may need a liver transplant. i look for the positives and dismiss the negatives, and i dont let other people control or manipulate me emotionaly anymore. these are all big steps in developing a sound emotional state.

i hope you can take something from it.
good luck and take care.