PLEASE READ - Effexor and SSRI WARNING - Drug Interactions / Side Effects Message Board

Sandalla · 05-04-2004, 10:04 AM

My personal experience with Effexor (and to a lesser degree Zoloft and Celexa) has been nothing less that HORRIFIC!

I feel I have a moral obligation to speak up – something which, very sadly, both the drug companies and the Government bodies are failing to do!

Let me begin by saying that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. This drug has literally POISONED my brain and my body. (I can supply a list of all the awful side effects to anyone who wants them). THE WITHDRAWAL has been EXCRUCIATING, to the point where suicide has sometimes seemed the only way out.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – BE WARNED. Do not take this lightly.

I would encourage everyone to read up, do your own research, and make a very educated decision as to whether or not you want to play Russian Roulette with SSRIs. I have had to become my own doctor, and take back responsibility for my own life. Otherwise I would have had my dose increased, drugs added, exchanged, supplemented, and G-d knows what else! I shudder to think what may have become of me.

[B]VERY IMPORTANT:[/B] Apparently, they have discovered that 10% of the population is either missing a certain liver enzyme or has a deficiency of this enzyme. It appears that these are the people most prone to having to endure this nightmare. I believe it is not easy to get this tested, but it CAN be done. Why this test is not mandatory before exposing people to this sheer HELL, I do not know.

I started tapering from 300mg over 3 mths ago. I have been at 37.5mg for the last 2 mths and am still suffering! Just when I feel I may be stabilizing, I get side-swiped again and feel I’m back to square one. How, when or if I’m ever going to be able to take the next step down, literally PETRIFIES me. It is not out of the question that I may have to consider hospitalization to avoid harming myself or anyone else.

If I can save just ONE person from going through what I and many hundreds of thousands of others have gone through – then I will have done my job.

These drugs CAN, DO AND WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE MORE SUICIDES AND HOMICIDES.

I beg you to not under-estimate the severity, the sincerity and the passion in my message.

jtu91952 · 05-26-2004, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandalla

My personal experience with Effexor (and to a lesser degree Zoloft and Celexa) has been nothing less that HORRIFIC!

I feel I have a moral obligation to speak up – something which, very sadly, both the drug companies and the Government bodies are failing to do!

Let me begin by saying that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. This drug has literally POISONED my brain and my body. (I can supply a list of all the awful side effects to anyone who wants them). THE WITHDRAWAL has been EXCRUCIATING, to the point where suicide has sometimes seemed the only way out.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – BE WARNED. Do not take this lightly.

I would encourage everyone to read up, do your own research, and make a very educated decision as to whether or not you want to play Russian Roulette with SSRIs. I have had to become my own doctor, and take back responsibility for my own life. Otherwise I would have had my dose increased, drugs added, exchanged, supplemented, and G-d knows what else! I shudder to think what may have become of me.

[B]VERY IMPORTANT:[/B] Apparently, they have discovered that 10% of the population is either missing a certain liver enzyme or has a deficiency of this enzyme. It appears that these are the people most prone to having to endure this nightmare. I believe it is not easy to get this tested, but it CAN be done. Why this test is not mandatory before exposing people to this sheer HELL, I do not know.

I started tapering from 300mg over 3 mths ago. I have been at 37.5mg for the last 2 mths and am still suffering! Just when I feel I may be stabilizing, I get side-swiped again and feel I’m back to square one. How, when or if I’m ever going to be able to take the next step down, literally PETRIFIES me. It is not out of the question that I may have to consider hospitalization to avoid harming myself or anyone else.

If I can save just ONE person from going through what I and many hundreds of thousands of others have gone through – then I will have done my job.

These drugs CAN, DO AND WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE MORE SUICIDES AND HOMICIDES.

I beg you to not under-estimate the severity, the sincerity and the passion in my message.

I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. I was on wellbutrin sr and i became homicidal during a stressful period. I am usually a non-violent person until I was given Wellbutrin to stop smoking. I took it for 90 days, stop smoking but became very aggressive. These meds all given out like candy and I will never take another pysch med again. I prefer to pray and talk to people b4 taking another one these pills. Good luck to you.

Marimac · 05-27-2004, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandalla

My personal experience with Effexor (and to a lesser degree Zoloft and Celexa) has been nothing less that HORRIFIC!

I feel I have a moral obligation to speak up – something which, very sadly, both the drug companies and the Government bodies are failing to do!

Let me begin by saying that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. This drug has literally POISONED my brain and my body. (I can supply a list of all the awful side effects to anyone who wants them). THE WITHDRAWAL has been EXCRUCIATING, to the point where suicide has sometimes seemed the only way out.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – BE WARNED. Do not take this lightly.

I would encourage everyone to read up, do your own research, and make a very educated decision as to whether or not you want to play Russian Roulette with SSRIs. I have had to become my own doctor, and take back responsibility for my own life. Otherwise I would have had my dose increased, drugs added, exchanged, supplemented, and G-d knows what else! I shudder to think what may have become of me.

[B]VERY IMPORTANT:[/B] Apparently, they have discovered that 10% of the population is either missing a certain liver enzyme or has a deficiency of this enzyme. It appears that these are the people most prone to having to endure this nightmare. I believe it is not easy to get this tested, but it CAN be done. Why this test is not mandatory before exposing people to this sheer HELL, I do not know.

I started tapering from 300mg over 3 mths ago. I have been at 37.5mg for the last 2 mths and am still suffering! Just when I feel I may be stabilizing, I get side-swiped again and feel I’m back to square one. How, when or if I’m ever going to be able to take the next step down, literally PETRIFIES me. It is not out of the question that I may have to consider hospitalization to avoid harming myself or anyone else.

If I can save just ONE person from going through what I and many hundreds of thousands of others have gone through – then I will have done my job.

These drugs CAN, DO AND WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE MORE SUICIDES AND HOMICIDES.

I beg you to not under-estimate the severity, the sincerity and the passion in my message.

I am sorry that you have had a bad time with the Effexor, and you are correct in saying that there are some people who should not take certain drugs. But, the truth is that no one ever knows how a drug is going to effect them until they take it. That includes Aspirin or antibiotics. Prozac was a drug prescribed to me that pushed my blood pressure into the unreadably high range and hospitalized me for a month. I don't take the drug, but I did not know it would do that to me until it was tried. On the otherhand, I have been on Effexor for several years at various doses depending on need, and it has worked extremely well for me. Please continue to remind people that they have to be aware of how their own body responds to symptoms of distress and act accordingly. Never allow anyone to tell you that what you feel is not important when it comes to your health.

smackliet · 06-15-2004, 05:59 PM

I am sorry. Effexor is awful for MOST people. I know several who have and are still suffering. I had 4 months of savere vertigo, nasia, diareah and thats just the physical stuff the mental and emotional we horrible too. But the worst was the vertigo. I wanted to die just so i didnt have to spin any more. It took 4 months for the vertigo to stop. it was the worst thing i could imagine.

glamdais · 07-08-2004, 09:02 AM

Horrible response on Effexor for me too. I'm still trying to recover after 6 months. The physical effects (vertigo, nightmares, insomnia) are being controlled by valium. However, I'm still severely agitated, anxious, panicky and have periods of agoraphobia. I never had any of this or ever took a valium until I took the Effexor. This stuff is POISON!!!!!