Cathy, Re:help for effexor withdrawal

I am trying to wean myself off of Effexor for the second time. I have been taking it off for 1 year, nine months, w/ a 2-3 month gap- I weaned myself off of it in March and April of this year and started taking it again in May or June, because I became depressed again. I’m convinced there is a better way of dealing with, or better yet, preventing my depression, and I am trying to wean myself off it again. I am curious as to whether you have spoken with anyone else who tried the small dose of Prozac and how that turned out in the long run. I’m also wondering what else you’ve tried to help with the withdrawal process. Unfortunately, I have been seeing a psychiatrist who has been just a robot who writes rx. I have had to navigate this drug and the withdrawal on my own, which as you know, is unrealistic. I am attempting to stop taking it again, because I feel some spaciness with the drug and because I recently read in a Professional Nurse’s Manual/ Guide to Prescription Drugs- dated 2004- that studies of long term use of EFF (more than 6 months)have not been done. It also listed side effects of teh drug and the w/drawal sx, and they are just too disturbing! I am considering acupuncture for relief of w/drawal sx, and also for relief/ prevention of depression as I realize it could return when I stop taking the drug. I am also planning on weaning myself off VERY slowly. I’m taking 150 mg/ day and yesterday I learned that going down to 112.5 is too big of a drop. I’m plnning on breaking three and 1/2- 37.5 mg capsules (131.25 mg)- for at least two weeks, and then going down to 112.5 for at least another two weeks. I’m going to look into acupuncturists that work with mood disorders and see if there are any who can provide relied for vertigo, and other nasty withdrawal sx as well. One other thing: I realized that I probably do not get enough essential fatty acids in my diet (I do not eat fish and get fatty acids from vegetable sources) so I have started taking flax seed oil- either a tablespoon of straight oil, or a vegetarian capsule- daily. Just in the last week, I have started taking bluegreen algae (in a liquid form) to try to obtain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which may only be obtainable through eating fish. sorry for the long post but I feel it’s important to be thorough and also to try to find nonpharmaceutic alternatives for depression and for withdrawal from anti-depressants such as Effexor. If any of you have tips to share for what has worked for you. I’d love to hear from!

Enjoy your day off!