Has anyone taken Effexor and lived to tell the tale?

Would you recommend this doctor to someone - if they hadn't done anything to you first? He may not think you should have such symptoms, but at least he did tell you to quit taking it.

I havent taken any of this stuff but I had several similar really bad mood altering meds that were used for High blood pressure and I couldnt take the side effects and thought it was me whowas becoming a real nut case. I changed physicians and got a cardiologist who wasnt as quick to dose me up until she knew the effects it was dealing out.
As I was looking up on the net-PDR The side effe=xcts of this stuff on young people are reportedly severe. Id be constantly reminding muself that all these symptoms (including any that you may yet experience) are all part of withdrawal of a powerful mood altering drug.

I get so pissed off at some of these chemical physicians . Keep checking in and some of your A2K buds can talk you through this ****.

Good for you that you can distinguish chemically induced moods from the real thing. Some people do really rash things cause they get hopelessly depressed while taking some of these meds for simple depression.

I just went through similar with medication for ADD.

dec- about march and my belly pain was so severe I could not eat. Sleep? what sleep? Anger? As if there were no other emotion to experience I was always angry after a while.

Before I started taking the meds, my blood work was perfect. When the belly pain got bad , I called my doc and within 2 days had a CBC done.. I had fatty liver disease and the triglycerides were just .. scary to say the least.

My doc had me lower my amount daily for a week just to be safe .
Did your doc say anything similar? or just stop all together?

I'm surprised they're still prescribing Effexor.... It's nickname is side-effexor.

Don't just stop taking it; take a 1/2 dose for a few days, then a 1/4 dose for a few days. Termination effects can be pretty awful if you quit cold-turkey.

I would definitely recommend this doctor. I have been seeing him for over a year. The dose I was taking was 75mg once a day, and I have been taking it only since May 31. He said go cold turkey, and also suggested taking an extra dose of clonazepam should I have any side effects. I go back to see him in about a week, and he said to please call him immediately if there were problems.

Sorry. Sometimes I shoot from the hip.

That's okay, Roger. This is the beginning of my first day without Effexor. I talked to my therapist last night (he's not an M.d.) and told him what was going on. He is familiar with the drug and its effects, and he says that by the time I see him on Monday, I will be tired and rather logey. He concurred that I have become steadily more manic since beginning to take it. He in fact suggested that I call the psychiatrist, who had initially scheduled me to double the dosage after two weeks, and suggest that I not do that until I saw him again. The psychiatrist agreed. I have a good safety net established, and intend to use it.