Wow. So eye opening. My husband is on Vimpat and a side effect is depression so his doctor prescribed celexa. He has several of the side effects mentioned in the article. We will be calling his doctor to let him know he wants to get off of them. I have heard you have to wean yourself off. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Dr. Mercola, for the excellent article. Unfortunately, I’m one of many whose life has been robbed by antidepressants. I’ve been stuck on Effexor for nearly two decades now. The emotional anesthesia is something I’ve had to live with this entire time. It wasn’t until it was too late that I realized Effexor is the reason I’ve had no direction in life and no desire to do anything.
I’ve literally lost my passion for life and all interest in the hobbies I once loved. I used to enjoy playing bass guitar and listening to music, but since I can’t feel my emotions, I’ve lost the desire to do even that. I’ve also lost the desire to date or have children. It’s truly a sad state of affairs.
Unfortunately, the withdrawals are horrendous, and the brain zaps I experience are enough to scare me into reinstating the medication. I’ve researched online for ways to get off it, but I’ve been on Effexor so long that when I try to taper down to a low dose, the brain zaps become unbearable, forcing me to increase the dose again.
Every day, I pray to get my emotions back—to be able to laugh and cry again. I truly feel like a zombie with no purpose in life. My only wish at this point is to live normally, like other people, and not be dependent on Effexor. It’s truly like being held hostage and imprisoned, with no help in sight.
When I try to get a doctor to help me get off Effexor, I find they have no understanding of antidepressant withdrawal and lack the knowledge to guide someone through the process successfully. Unfortunately, most doctors believe that if a person experiences withdrawal while weaning off an antidepressant, it must mean they are depressed and need to go back on the medication. Worse, some don’t believe the patient and instead try to increase the dosage.
There is truly an elephant in the room in America when it comes to antidepressants. If the medical industry could develop a way to help people safely and successfully get off these medications, so many lives, including mine, would be transformed. I really pray and hope that by the end of my life, I will have successfully gotten off Effexor so I can fully enjoy the rest of my life—with a full range of emotions and a healthier body to live and die in.
Wow. So eye opening. My husband is on Vimpat and a side effect is depression so his doctor prescribed celexa. He has several of the side effects mentioned in the article. We will be calling his doctor to let him know he wants to get off of them. I have heard you have to wean yourself off. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Dr. Mercola, for the excellent article. Unfortunately, I’m one of many whose life has been robbed by antidepressants. I’ve been stuck on Effexor for nearly two decades now. The emotional anesthesia is something I’ve had to live with this entire time. It wasn’t until it was too late that I realized Effexor is the reason I’ve had no direction in life and no desire to do anything.
I’ve literally lost my passion for life and all interest in the hobbies I once loved. I used to enjoy playing bass guitar and listening to music, but since I can’t feel my emotions, I’ve lost the desire to do even that. I’ve also lost the desire to date or have children. It’s truly a sad state of affairs.
Unfortunately, the withdrawals are horrendous, and the brain zaps I experience are enough to scare me into reinstating the medication. I’ve researched online for ways to get off it, but I’ve been on Effexor so long that when I try to taper down to a low dose, the brain zaps become unbearable, forcing me to increase the dose again.
Every day, I pray to get my emotions back—to be able to laugh and cry again. I truly feel like a zombie with no purpose in life. My only wish at this point is to live normally, like other people, and not be dependent on Effexor. It’s truly like being held hostage and imprisoned, with no help in sight.
When I try to get a doctor to help me get off Effexor, I find they have no understanding of antidepressant withdrawal and lack the knowledge to guide someone through the process successfully. Unfortunately, most doctors believe that if a person experiences withdrawal while weaning off an antidepressant, it must mean they are depressed and need to go back on the medication. Worse, some don’t believe the patient and instead try to increase the dosage.
There is truly an elephant in the room in America when it comes to antidepressants. If the medical industry could develop a way to help people safely and successfully get off these medications, so many lives, including mine, would be transformed. I really pray and hope that by the end of my life, I will have successfully gotten off Effexor so I can fully enjoy the rest of my life—with a full range of emotions and a healthier body to live and die in.