Are you searching for information about a safe Desvenlafaxine taper? Looking for a Desvenlafaxine withdrawal or how to wean off Desvenlafaxine program that really works?
Here are just a few of the many Desvenlafaxine withdrawal success stories from people who have used Point of Return's Desvenlafaxine withdrawal program to taper off Desvenlafaxine.
You are my angel. I started taking Effexor a couple of years after my second child was born. I had terrible panic attacks which were really debilitating. I think it was because of a combination of my father dying suddenly, stress and poor nutrition. Only later after quite a bit of research I realized that it must have been it. I went to a general doctor who gave me the quick fix. Take Xanax till your Effexor starts kicking in a couple of weeks. Having always been scared of any types of drugs I only took one or two Xanax. I rode the panic attacks till the Effexor kicked in. At first I felt good. I even stopped smoking cigarettes. Then the weight started piling in pretty fast. I never had a weight issue in my life. No matter how much exercise I would do I still put on weight and craved sugar all the time. Slowly I started having all sorts of problems. Constipation, brain zaps, tiredness, and a ton of other problems I chose to remove from my mind.
Over the 6 years I often tried to quit, once it even took me a year to taper off of it but always went back to it as I had terrible withdrawal symptoms. Searched the Internet constantly to see if anybody got off of this drug successfully. One day I stumbled upon PointofReturn.org, (POR). I read up on it thoroughly but was very skeptical so I didn't do anything for a year. This year, June 2012 I had had enough. I wrote them and within a few hours I got a reply from Alesandra. I had a thousand questions. She replied within a few hours. After a few days or weeks of correspondence I decided to order the program.
Her patience with me won me over. Within a few days I started feeling like I was suddenly waking up, had energy, I was alert. Amazing. But I was still skeptical. I learned that the best tapering process was definitely through a compounding pharmacy who made the drug in liquid form. Easy!!
I have been now off the drug for almost a month. I feel great. Tons of energy, overall good mood, alert. I do get weepy and impatient at times but I feel alive after having spent 6 years masking all sorts of feelings.
I thank you Alesandra and the group of people at POR who made it possible for me to go though this program so successfully!!
Chiara R. (California) - Effexor (similar to Desvenlafaxine) Withdrawal Success Story, Xanax Withdrawal Success Story
After giving birth to my beautiful daughter at the age of 41, I experienced extreme anxiety which led to many sleepless nights. Having been trained in nutritional therapy I tried every natural remedy possible before asking my M.D. for help. By this time I'd been having post partum depression issues for a few months and taking sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications seemed like the last resort. I reluctantly went down that path thinking that I needed them for a short time to pull myself out of a crisis. I was assured it would only be short term. I was prescribed Zopiclone then temazepam and ativan when it did not help. I had no idea what would happen next.
Within the few months of trying to unsuccessfully withdraw from the meds myself, I'd worked my way up to a stronger prescription to get a decent night's sleep. Days were plagued with an anxiety I'd never experienced before and nights were terrifying as I'd wake up with my heart beating uncontrollably. Some days I was shaking so badly I could barely walk. Still I persisted in trying to withdraw myself. When I'd visit my doctor describing my symptoms, he prescribed additional drugs like Lyrica, Gabapentin and Seroquel--which did not help. As much as I hated to take any more drugs, I relented when he said I should be on the anti-depressant Prisiq.
Every ounce of my being wanted to be off these drugs as soon as possible so I could get back the health I'd so proudly built over the years but it seemed I was losing the battle. I was scared, no, terrified of where my life was heading. I have to remind myself that during this battle I was also expected to give 110% of myself to my growing daughter.--thank God I have a loving and supportive husband and family. My days were long and nights were longer. I know I needed to get help.
Enter Point of Return. From the moment I discovered your life-saving program, I felt understood and really cared for. Andrea's compassion was unparalleled as she listened and made adjustments to my program. When I hit a bump, she was there to walk me through it. I remember thinking as I went through my day, "what would Andrea say" then I'd be comforted and empowered. After 10 months of faithfully following the program, I am now free of all the medication. When I began the progam I thought that I could never go that slowly in withdrawing but I was wrong. I used that time to rebuild my health--body and mind. Most days I would meditate at least once--I became reaquainted with peace. Hope returned, I felt empowered to go the distance. And here I am, at the other side. I've returned to my life but it's better than it was before because I have such gratitude and appreciation for all that I have. Many thanks to Andrea, specifically, and the team, in general.
You walked with me through the darkest cave of my life.
Suzy L. (Nanaimo, BC) - Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) Withdrawal Success Story
I cannot clearly recall how I came across POINT OF RETURN; but I am certainly grateful that I did, because it was most definitely my point of return – to sanity. I was diagnosed with depression shortly after my mother passed away over 20 years ago. I was depressed all right…of that there is no doubt; however, I now know that I should have been given other ways of coping besides being prescribed drugs. At the time of my mother's death, I was a single mother and she was the only real support system I had. I was probably a bit too close to my mom and consequently, I took her death pretty hard. I left a job of 8 years and moved away from the city I was living in at that time, which is definitely not something I should have done. Nevertheless, following my doctor's advice, I went about changing a few things in my life, and took the antidepressants prescribed. Over the years, I was given an assortment of antidepressants; Desipramine, Prozac a couple others thrown in for good measure (the names of which I can't remember now) and finally the doctors settled on Effexor. It was never recommended that I seek any kind of grief counseling nor was I told how harmful making major decisions in my life could be…but…thank God; it is all behind me now.
After a few years of taking antidepressants, I started to question my doctor about why I couldn't come off them because in fact, it had been so many years. I was repeatedly told not to worry about it – they were not addictive – and I just needed to accept that I was one of those people that have a brain chemistry that doesn't properly supply the serotonin levels I need to live a normal life. If I were a diabetic, I was asked, would I not take insulin?
About 3 years ago, I went away on a long weekend shopping trip with a girlfriend and I accidentally forgot my Effexor at home. I didn't think that much of it until near the end of the second day. I couldn't focus on anything; I had a pounding headache and ringing in my ears; I felt like I had vertigo. It was the most awful experience I'd had since I couldn't remember when. Everything was just spinning. I didn't equate the feelings I was experiencing to any kind of withdrawal until I went to a clinic on the 3rd day because I knew I wasn't going to be able to drive and I had to get home. It was then that I was told that my body was reacting to not having the Effexor. It was a very frightening experience and I knew that I wanted to be drug free from that point on. I tried on a couple of occasions to wean myself off of the effexor to no avail. I started to seek out information about antidepressants and withdrawal symptoms and I started to read a great deal of information on cognitive therapy for depression as well as potential alternatives to prescription drugs. I guess I stumbled across the POR site during this research stage and decided to ask a few questions about how the program worked.
I kept going back to the POINT OF RETURN site and read the information over and over again and I finally mustered up the courage to contact them. It was a Saturday or Sunday evening that I sent an email and I just about fell out of my chair when Alesandra responded within the hour! I was impressed! I kept in touch with Alesandra by email for a couple of days back and forth and it was obvious that she knew exactly what she was talking about and she quickly gained my trust and respect. I ordered the withdrawal system and anxiously awaited its arrival. The day I received the package, I read Alesandra's book, "Deeds of Trust" in one sitting. I was amazed by what she had been through and knew in my heart that if she could survive that kind of pain and anguish, I could certainly work through my 'stuff'. I slowly started taking the nutrients, as recommended, and picked up the Natren probiotics. I built up my courage and made an appointment with my doctor to let him know that I wanted to go on the POR program. I was very worried that he wouldn't accept my request because of my attempts to get off of antidepressants previously, but I kept in contact with the POR forum and got a script in my head so I could tackle any questions he might have. I read through the POINT OF RETURN doctor's information booklet provided as well and had highlighted certain areas of the book that I thought would quickly convince him that their system was based on sound research. He kept the booklet with him and told me to re-book another appointment while he went through its contents and thought about my request. In between this initial appointment and the follow up; I was taking the POR nutrients & probiotics. I also picked up some excellent Omega 3 oil (vegetarian brand as I am allergic to any seafood/shellfish) and sought out a compounding pharmacist in my area.
I was pleasantly surprised when I had my next doctor's visit. He not only said he would allow me to do the program; but he also asked if he could share the information I provided him with, amongst his colleagues. So…off I went…prescription in hand.
I followed the POINT OF RETURN program religiously and stayed on the private forum (mostly reading at first) to keep focused. Alesandra would speak with me one on one via email when I had some struggles through the titration and as usual, she was my faithful angel. I know that I will still have days (and nights) where I feel sadness creep up on me…but I also know that I will have days of joy and peace that I could never have had on the anti-depressant medications. I felt flat. Life had no pizzazz! I have tears now and then; but I know now how to cope. I pamper myself with a bubble bath, read a good book, watch a comedy or a romantic love story and of course, keep myself well-stocked with SUPPORT.
My heartfelt thanks to all of the POINT OF RETURN team – the group of participants that provide emotional support on the forum – and most of all – to Alesandra.
Kellia A. (Canada) Effexor (similar to Desvenlafaxine) Withdrawal Success Story
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