Mayberryflybaby Says:
Due to weight gain and dwindle effect, my doctor switched my anti-depressant from Effexor XR. He told me to stop the Effexor XR immediately and start the Wellbutrin XL. He said to take the Wellbutrin XL for one week then start the Pristiq. FOr those of you who have stopped Effexor you probably know what I'm going to say next. It started with dizziness, rhythmic pulsating in my head, nausea and generally feeling like a slug. It's like my brain had a severe case of the flu. It was horrible. Now, I'm having with the dizziness and throbbing in my head, what feels like a hot flash but my face gets flushed and very hot. I feel as though I want to throw up. I called the doctor and stopped the Wellbutrin right away after about 3 days. I also called the pharmacist and he told me to try stopping the Wellbutrin and the side effects should be gone within 3-4 days. With that in mind i had a fear of bottoming out going cold turkey with no anti-depressant. Never the less, I stopped it all. The doc told me to start the Pristiq for a week then add the Wellbutrin XL. I know I'm rambling but that is part of the withdrawal symptoms, too. Has anyone out there stopped an anti-depressant and immediately started another? Also, has anyone had any luck switching from Effexor XR to Pristiq?
1
Verwon Says:
[Moderator]
Friday, 11/20/2009 4:21:39 PM
It wasn't with these same medications, but yes, I did switch abruptly from one antidepressant to another, I had no problems with that. My problems occured when I stopped taking it cold turkey.
There are, however, several other posts made by people who tried switching and ran into similar problems to those you did.
The thing you should be warned of, though, is that weight gain can be a side effect of most antidepressant medications.
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