i lost my insurance and can't afford my effexor, so know i have to go off it. i have been on it for about 4 years.. any easy way to do it?
2006-06-28 06:34:25 · 5 answers · asked by hurricane_mel 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
I want to thank all of you for your advise, I went to my doctor and found a way to solve my problem.. thank you again
2006-06-29 11:15:13 · update #1
First, you really need to talk to your doctor to see what he/she recommends. Usually, a person who's been on antidepressants for an extended period of time needs to be weaned off of them (by reducing the dosage and spacing the doses out further), and your doctor knows what will work best for you in doing that. Also, you may want to look into prescription assistance programs and possibly substituting a different, less expensive drug from the same category (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors).
2006-06-28 06:45:36 · answer #1 · answered by Julia L. 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to be on effexor, and my doctor screwed me over. He was a resident doctor and moved offices so i couldn't get a hold of him. I ran out of my 250mg dose one day and was puking for the next three days until my mom was able to contact the head of phychiatry where my doctor used to be. He called my pharmacy and had them fill a Rx right away. I then talked to my family doctor and gradually lowered my dose to get off the medication.
If you lost your insurance card, talk to your doctor and get off slowly. Yes, you will have to pay the money for now, but it will be much safer on your system.
2006-06-28 13:54:29 · answer #2 · answered by canadian_chika2001 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, dont try this on your own, or quickly... its dangerous, especially with Effexor... its notoriously hard to get off. The side effects can be massive and dangerous. You can ask the doc to wean you off them very slowly, but not sure how, if you cant afford it.
Also, dont buy any alternative meds at same time, as they can mix and cause problems. Its not worth it.
Ask doctor how you are supposed to get off them if you cant afford it suddenly, but knowing that it can be dangerous to just stop.
2006-06-28 22:06:44 · answer #3 · answered by spacebod69 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Slowly....
I dropped my dose from 150mg a day to 75mg a day, about a year ago. It took me 4 weeks to finish the change. I avoided most of the withdrawal symptoms by going so slowly, but I was still dizzy and I had a really dry mouth. I found that over the counter benadryl capsules really helps with the withdrawal symptoms.
I also found that there are tons of chat websites dedicated to this.
Good luck!
2006-06-28 13:39:13 · answer #4 · answered by biogirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
please do not go off your meds by yourself...ever ! it is very dangerous ! swallow your pride and talk with your doctor, a lot of times they can give you on-going free samples, also there are many programs in place offered thru your doctor or clinic and from the manufacturers of the drug ,that will provide your medication at no cost to you. google effexor, and look free programs.talk to your doctor today !
2006-06-28 13:57:12 · answer #5 · answered by Simply D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋