Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Avoiding withdrawal

Day 2 : Still some headaches, but they are manageable.

I have some hope that, unlike time I tapered down from 375 --> 300 mg, I have better sources of information about how to remedy, and perhaps even avoid, some of the really negative withdrawal symptoms.

A lot of people on different forums seem to be suggesting that Benedryl, or other sinus headache medication, may alleviate some of the strange headaches and flu-like symptoms.

Some anecdotal comments suggest that taking in good levels of Omega-3 fatty acids does a lot of good during SSRI/SNRI withdrawal, and I luckily do have a diet that does have high levels of Omega-3s (both ALA and DHA).

Also, at least one report (found here) mentions a case where 50 mg/day of sertraline (Zoloft) lessened Effexor withdrawal problems. I have been taking 75 mg/day of sertraline myself since the last time I took down my dosage of Effexor.

So, anyway, I'm hopeful. But I also remember it takes a good two or three days for the withdrawal symptoms from tapering down to kick in, so I am also watchful.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi there...I commented on an above post. I did want to mention also about the Benadryl. It actually does do wonders for some of the 'brain zaps' that you may experience. I am not a physician, just an average IT consultant! lol But, having clarified that, the Benadryl did work wonders for me.

For some encouragement to you...I was on Effexor for years (at least 5 probably more like 6) and my state of mind has never been better finally having released the handcuffs.

Best of luck.

-G5Man