Chicago, ILUse of Effexor and other antidepressants in the US doubled to 10 percent of the population between 1996 and 2005. Such widespread use of antidepressants begs consideration of the question: what happens when you have to or want to stop?
The doubling of antidepressant use, according to statistics published in a study last year in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reflects the fact that antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed meds in the country. However, coming off antidepressants can be a challenge, and there is a distinct lack of official published guidelines for when and how to do it.
Effexor is one of the nasty ones, according to the 8/29/10 edition of the Chicago Tribune, because Effexor venlafaxine is known to clear out of an individual's system quickly. While this may seem like an advantage on the surface, it leaves little to no time for the body to adjust. An abrupt drop in neurotransmitter serotonin can leave a former antidepressant client in an extremely bad way.
It doesn't bode well for any pregnant woman—or someone about to become pregnant—who may be taking Effexor and is concerned about the potential for Effexor birth defects.
In the Tribune article, Dr. Michael Banov, a psychiatrist and author of the book Taking Antidepressants, noted that up to 20 percent of antidepressant patients who try to come off the drugs suffer "antidepressant discontinuation syndrome," a descriptor coined by drug manufacturers to describe symptoms ranging from depression, anxiety, irritability, dizziness and nausea, to light-headedness and electric shocks known as "brain zaps."
The article noted that while adverse reactions, side effects and the potential for withdrawal symptoms are included in guidelines accompanying the meds, doctors are not always upfront with their patients about the rigors of stopping. What's more, some symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal can mimic actual depression.
For pregnant women and their doctors, there remains an ongoing debate surrounding the need to treat depression with medication versus the potential for harm to an unborn child. However, stopping Effexor could be agonizing for the mother at a time when an she needs to foster a calming environment for the optimum growth and development of her child.
All experts agree however, that as hard as it is to stop—one should never quit cold turkey. It's an issue that at least 10 percent of the population may at some time have to face.
If you have suffered losses in this case, please send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your possible [Effexor PPHN Lawsuit] at no cost or obligation.