Effexor Detox Day 6 Off

Yard work is my new antidepressant. I was out in the yard for about 3 hours yesterday. We've been having some great weather here in bipolar Northeast Ohio. Need a pick-me-up? Get yourself a chainsaw! I hacked down a bunch of shrubs and dead branches. I love knowing I can do this by myself. With the internet and a few borrowed tools, I'll have my yard looking like I want it to. And without spending hardly any money. The previous owner of my house apparently was a plant junkie. He planted all kinds of stuff --stuff I've never even heard of like rose of sharon or bleeding hearts. But he didn't thin or cultivate a thing--just dumped it in the ground and left it alone. So everything is messy and overgrown, but very hearty.  I had the best night of sleep in 6 days.

I've been reading medical forums for tips & tricks for getting off effexor. Here's a list of what I'm trying:

• Drink lots of water. Drink water until you feel like you're going to float away. One person suggested to make certain to drink ice cold water, although she didn't say why the water needed to be so cold. 

• Find something to do when the brain zaps hit. It's easy to lose focus on how bad you feel. It helps to do something that can distract you from the self-pity booby trap.

• Exercise. Walk. Ride a bike. This really helps with the mood swings. I also think it helps to not have such high expectations. I understand better what I'm putting my body through. So I don't feel bad that I'm crying for no reason when I see this.

• Take a supplement. A few folks were using other SSRI's or SNRI's to get off effexor. I didn't quite understand why a person would do that...the whole point for me is to get off a medicine that isn't helping me anyway. I assume there are other factors in play with this one. But considering there were quite a few recommendations to get a two week Prozac prescription to ride out the effexor detox, there must be something to it. My mom was taken off fluoxetine with no side effects at all. I just don't want another med. I guess I'll save this strategy for plan B. Several folks mentioned vitamin supplements and B complex. That's what I'm starting. I can't with fish oil. Yuck. Benadryl and Dramamine were also recommended to combat symptoms of mushy brain and vertigo. I have a mild case of each but the symptoms aren't strong enough to warrant any meds. 

• Dosing down. I'm on 75 mg, every other day. When I can string a few days together with little to no brain zaps, vertigo or sleeplessness, I'll start pilling or wet finger (gross name, but not doesn't involve actual willys). Both methods are the same thing. Since I'm too cheap to re-up my prescription down to 37.5, I'll open my capsules and "wet finger" or remove a few granules to reduce the number of milligrams.

• Write, talk, express yourself. For me, writing helps the best. I can take as much time as I need to figure out what I'm trying to say. I can also focus on how my body is feeling and identify what is causing it to feel a certain way.  Also knowing there are others who have similar experiences does help. I'm not the only one going through this, and there is help out there if I need it. Effexor detox is not something you want to keep to yourself.