Withdrawal SUCKS!

Withdrawl...
This is not just for street drugs and things like that, it is also for coming off things like Depression medication. AND IT SUCKS! 
I have a whole new appreciation for ANYONE coming off any kind of drug. 
I have been weaning off Effexor XR and I will not LIE it is HELL ON EARTH.

I have been on this medication since my mid 20's and I am now 41. Each step down has it's own new side effects. What kind of side effects?!

• Unusual dreams
• Insomnia
• Sexual dysfunction
• Drowsiness, weakness, or fatigue
• Dizziness, blurred vision
• Loss of appetite
• Heartburn
• Increased sweating
• Headaches: Migraines! 
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dry mouth
• Chills
• Gas or stomach pain
• Runny nose
• Tremors, shaking, chills
• Tingling sensations
• Heartburn
• Weight loss

Don't those sound like a barrel of laughs???  (The highlighted portions are my specific withdrawal symptoms) Why would I put myself through this? Well, a few reasons.

First, I would like to say that I NEVER recommend anyone to get off any medication without speaking to their doctor. Sometimes medication is NEEDED, and that is OK! I am not ANTI MEDICATION. 

Second, this change has been YEARS in the MAKING for me. At first, I was resigned to the fact that the only way I could have a normal life was to be on medication of some sort. That in itself was HUGE for me as I never wanted to rely on a pill to LIVE. So you can imagine how it felt to have had my insurance randomly decide at different times through my fight with depression that they would no longer cover this medication. For someone on this medication for anxiety and depression (on a very HIGH DOSE!) being told randomly one day that I no longer needed it was a BIG step in the WRONG direction. And at that time IT was most DEFINITELY still needed, I assure you!  LOL! I have had to fight HARD more than once to stay on this medication. And they were not offering the option to step it down... can you say NIGHTMARE?!? If it feels like this stepping down slowly I can only imagine what going 225 mgs to nothing would feel like!!!! NO THANK YOU! 

Finally I decided there had to be another way. I refused to be help hostage by a medication and insurance companies. I decided to do some research and as time went on and I began to embrace things like working out consistently, eating whole foods and FELT a shift in my moods and such, I began to realize the medication was not the only answer. I threw myself into learning more about what I ate and how it affected my body, also what types of exercise would help me improve my mood, and I started to experiment. 

I have found a place where I am happy with myself and the medication is no longer needed. I did try to cut down once before and did not even last a FULL DAY. The symptoms of withdrawal were too much. I was not prepared and did not have a clue as to how rough it would be to wean. This time I have a plan in place. I am now off Effexor XR COMPLETELY and will ride this wave until my body finds it's new normal. Daily workouts have helped... I cannot do the intensity I am used to right now, but I will take all that I can get! 

Have you come off this, or another, medication?! What was your experience? How long did the symptoms last? I am 4 days in with no amount of this in my system and I look forward to the day I feel NORMAL again. I am confident this is not permanent and am definitely mentally strong. Sleep without crazy dreams will be one BIG step forward... 

Stay tuned!