Re: Re: Re: Effexor Withdrawal NIghtmare. Class act lawsuit. Not one told us about this.

Posted by Mel on 04/06/05 at 10:28 AM

I was on Effexor for about two years for anxiety. I had always dealt with my anxiety problem with diet, exercise and relaxation techniques but our family was facing a hardship and I was afraid the stress would be more than I could handle. I told my GP I though I might like some help (she had suggested meds before but I resisted until this point). The Effexor helped me to cope but the dosage kept needing to be increased to maintain the effects. I decided to go off due to the cost and the fact that it was no longer really working. I weaned over 4 months and did OK until completely off. The withdrawal symptoms were horrible. I was So nauseous and dizzy. The depression was the worst I ever experienced. A strange electrical sensation kept happening in my head. These symptoms lasted for weeks. That was two years ago. I have never returned to my pre effexor self. I always had periods of anxiety and mild depression which lasted for a few days to a couple months but also had periods of feeling OK. For two years now I have struggled with despair and anxiety non-stop. The electrical sensations still happen on occasion. This has affected my business and has sucked nearly all the joy out of my life. My husband insists I find a lawsuit to join. He is very supportive but feels helpless. We have been together 15 years and he says I am very changed since I went off the effexor. As I said before I am a pro-active person. I still exersize and eat right. I have a strong spritual life and I have friends. I work to the best of my ability. All of these things I force myself to do. Since going off the meds though everything is a struggle and my days feel bleak. I keep hoping it will pass but it has been two years and about all that is new is a feeling of anger building up in me. At this point I would just like to see something done to bring awareness so no one else has to go through this. If there are any lawsuits out there I too would like to know about it.