Opioids Effexor wd vs opiate wd?

[rolls_]

I've been through opiate wd many times and it is the most fucked thing I could ever imagine, but effexor wd everyone also seems to sook about, though they are mainly housewives that have not had opiate addictions.

How do they compare as one day I might jump off the effexor (150mg) and if I taper off it or jump off etc is it anything compared to long acting opiod (opium/poppy tea/methadone etc) withdrawal?

 

[shreddedlettuce]

It's worse than opiate withdrawal.
Brain Zap Heaven.
Not very nice.
Don't jump off Effexor, either taper or do a taper/merge with another anti-dep.

 

[rolls_]

yeah the plan if I ever go off it is a ~3 month taper, I'll treat it like quitting opiates.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I think it completely depends on the person, how long you have been taking the drug, your unique brain and whether you were mentally addicted or just physically dependent. Personally I find opioid withdrawal a billion times worse than SNRI/SSRI withdrawal, but I believe that is because I wasn't mentally addicted to antidepressants (while I was with opioids) and ADs hadn't been doing much for my depression or anything, so it was mostly weird and scary but not unbearable/painful/making me feel suicidal like opioid withdrawal. With SSNI/SSRI withdrawal I mainly feel very strange, disoriented, get brain zaps, and sometimes feel an erratic or fast heartbeat. With opioid withdrawal I feel like I wish I would die just to stop feeling that way. From opioid withdrawal I get cramps, muscle and bone pain, other pain, extreme sensitivity (even normal things feel painful), chills, goosebumps, sweating, rapid and erratic heartbeat, itchiness, restless leg syndrome, runny nose/teary eyes, yawning, coughing, choking, vomiting, diarrhea, extreme fatigue/weakness, uncomfortable restlessness, dysphoria, intense cravings, anxiety/panic attacks, extreme insomnia, terrible depression, and probably some more things I forgot to list. So yeah, I would take SNRI/SSRI withdrawal over opioid withdrawal any day But there definitely are some people who find SSNI/SSRI withdrawal even worse than opioid withdrawal, so I guess it really depends on the person and the circumstances.

 

[shreddedlettuce]

I hear you Swimmingdancer, but the duration of an SNRI/SSRI withdrawal can last up to 6 months, if not longer.
It was on this basis that I gave my view on the OP's question.
Obviously it depends on the individual and their personal opiate addiction and the length of time on Effexor.
Hopefully the OP can get the best of both our responses.

 

[rolls_]

Guess it depends on what kind of opiate wd you went through as well, gives me a better idea though, thanks.

 

[xxxyyy]

i've taken quite a lot of different antidepressants over the years, and with the most of them forgetting to take them for a few days/running out/quitting cold turkey is not too big a deal. venlafaxine and paroxetine were the exception, and both produced pretty unpleasant withdrawals, although venlafaxine is far worse. however, swimmingdancer is right, it's much easier to quit something you're simply physically dependent on, but not mentally addicted to. i quit venlafaxine cold turkey after 18 months of 300mgs daily, and it sucked, but after you've been through something like severe alcohol withdrawal (i was fortunate enough to never get dependent on opioids) you tend to see things slightly more relative.