[dimnits]

Hello:

Effexor was prescribed for my wife (for hot flashes) in conjunction with Tamoxifin (sp?) treatment for breast cancer. Thanksfully, the Tamoixifin treatment has ended after five years and now the physician has weaned her from the Effexor.

Since then she has expereinced insomnia, increased dreaming (nightmares) along with some light-headedness, shortness of breath and headaches.

Question: are these symptoms connected with the effexor withdrawal? If not, then certainly there is something else going on.

Thanks!

[harleyhoogs99]

Yes.....it sure will. My dr. put me on it because it is suppose to help with hot fflashes, and it worked, but they took me off w/o doing it gradually and I thought I had a brain tumor or something bad. I had this "sapping , or buzzing noise in my head. I was light headed and had trouble sleepingg. So finally 3 wks. after all this I ffigurred it out myself and looked it up on a website. It described me to a T . So I called up my dr. and she said "oh, yes my assistant should have told you that"!
Tell your wife to hang in there, and good luck.
Carole

[holdntight]

I just tried to get off my Effexor and Lexapro last week. The first 2 days were ok. During the third day I noticed a headache, distant at first. It got stronger, then light began to hurt my eyes. After several more hours more I began to feel some nausea. It was like having a migraine or the flu. I felt awful. As soon as I got home I took my meds and tried to sleep. Within two hours the nausea was gone. I continued to doze on and off and by hour six the headache was better and gone by hour eight. Today has been pretty good with an occassional distant reminder of the headache. My withdrawal reactions were just as indicated on the paperwork that comes from the pharmacy where I get my meds.

I knew I should not stop cold turkey but I accidently missed the first day, was in a bad mood the second day and just didn't take them. Hmm...now what? I have an appointment with my Dr. on Tuesday and I know what he will say when I tell him I want off at least one of my meds.

I am having hip/upper leg muscle pain and weakness that I suspect is a symptom of mixing the two medications. I have taken both ADs separetely with no problems but when I started to take them together the leg problems began shortly thereafter. I only recently realized that the leg problem could be related to the meds. It has been 1-1/2 years of frustration. I recently saw a neurologist and my muscles and nerves are fine.

Now what?