Does anyone have any information as to how to treat homeopathically, the withdrawal symptoms from the drug VENLAFAXINE.

A friend of mine has taken this drug on the advice of her doctor for 8 months, and has discontinued the medication herself.

She is suffering tremendous withdrawal symptoms:
headaches, nausea, hives (really bad), high blood sugar, insomnia, horrible nightmares, and swelling hands.

She is currently taking phos 30c, 3 times daily which helps with the terrible feelings, and this way she is just about able to get through the day, but there seems to be no end to these symptoms, 10 days off this drug now, and no end in sight.

Apparently all these withdrawal symptoms are well known to everyone but doctors!!!!!!!!!!

ANY advice gratefully recieved.

Thanks

Can U please elaborate her symptoms. As to why she was taking the anti depressent, why she had withdrawn it, and the current symptoms in detail.

Pleased to elaborate what I know, this is actually my sister in law, and as I live in New Zealand and she in UK, the conversations have not been long over the phone.

After having her second child she suffered what her GP called Post natal depression. She never really recovered from this she suffers anxiety from anticipation and obsessive compulsive disorder. She is obsessed with cleaning her already very clean house just incase someone visits, and when someone does visit she believes the house to be very messy .....not.

She is a young capable intelligent and sharp witted woman who has given up her very good job because of these problems.

She went to the doctors because of the above problems and was encouraged to see a psychiatrist who prescribed venlafaxine, it helped her for a while she felt but a couple of weeks ago she independently decided to stop them.

She is auburn haired and has sallow skin colouring. When she is feeling up to it she is the life and soul of the party, and easily involves lots of people in her social circle. She is also always very well and neatly dressed and rarely seen out without her hair and make up complete.

She craves sweets at the moment and in particular chocolate.

She prefers hot tea as a drink.

She prefers to be outside and hates to be cooped up in the house.

She is presented over the last month with hypochondria (now I don't think this was hypochondria more suffering side effects of this drug and then withdrawal symptoms), this has manifested itself so much that she had the doctors give her a brain scan!

Other current symptoms include, fastidiousness, jealous of others, lying, delusions she has other peoples illnesses and lying to others about it, loves to be centre of attention, enormous sense of duty to husband, insomnia, I think she desires friends of influence and power, so that she can tell other of their greatness and consequently hers. She easily becomes bored with people when they don't suit her mood, and blanks them.

the physical current symptoms are anxiety (she feels as though a brick were on her head pressuring her, nausea and vomiting (she bring up undigested food,within hours of eating, head ache, occiput going forward over head dull constant pain (at the same time as all other symptoms. Weeping when telling symptoms, suicidal, despairing of recovery, hives this is enormous for her at this moment I haven't seen them so tough to say what they are exactly, they seem to be large (large) red wheals that come up on her skin, she says where her skin is thinnest, then are incredibly itchy and go down without scabbing. Only to return next day or within few hours, they have been all over her body arms and legs and in her hair and on her neck, but mainly they are on her back and sides and seem to be on one side or the other swapping sides daily.

I have prescribed Carcinosin 1m (2) (her mother died of cancer) and then Phos 30c,( think this maybe her constitutional. The phos 30c was supposed to be only for a couple of days, however, this seems to be the only thing getting her through the days! She is taking three a day and when she takes it it lifts her spirits to be able to cope with the itching and nausea I know it is not the right remedy ( there is certainly no fear of thunderstorms, however, any access she has to any other remedies is closed until after the holiday.

Does anyone have any thoughts.

Little to go on, but i suggest tuberculinum, and then look at calc c.

Thanks GM

I have told her to see a homeopath as soon as the holiday is over, as you say her case needs taking properly I can't do that over the phone from NZ.

She has taken an Arsencium 1m of her own accord today and feels much better ( no hives) so we'll see, I'll take a look at Tub and calc carb though.

GM has successfully helped my daughter get off luvox which she had been on for several year for obsessive compulsive disorder. Her psychiatrist is very progressive and supported her effort to get off the medication and try homeopathy. Actually he wanted her to try vitamens at first. Anyway, the problem is that your sister in law went off her meds on her own. She should have decreased slowly while taking a homeopathic remedy to ease the withdrawl. Several months after withdrawl you go through a second withdrawl due to some sort of storage system the body has. Let GM help her. He is also helping me with this problem, but as bad as my OCD was, I did not suffer as much as my daughter so I never took luvox or any other allopathic medication. I know that in women, OCD has a tendency to develop during the premenstrual years, and/or after the delivery of a baby. Of course it can start at any time, stress is usually a trigger. I think it runs in families, however, there are many contributing factors. Good luck, and let her know that there is definitely hope!!!

Thank, I know she should have tapered the dose, but she did it of her own accord, doctor not at all helpful and even set a date for him to see her 6 weeks away, even given the state she was in. Confirmed my non faith in allopathic medicine.

I'll let her know.

AR, I think your sister in law has made a good choice with Arsenic. I do not see any reason to give any thing else for the moment. Please be patient with medicines and wait for some time before U decide to give any thing else. And if she shows continued improvement, PLEASE do not give any thing in any potency what so ever. Her condition will need at least a few weeks to resolve, even with the similimum.

Thanks

I have told her to stop any remedies now, she seems well in her self, but the hives and nausea still a problem, still we have gotten her through the holiday.

We'll see how it goes.

The only characteristic symptom I can find in the case is Alternating sides.
It narrows things down a lot.
Ars covers a lot of the symptoms, but not that important characteristic, which is probably why it is helping somewhat, but not completely.
To me, it looks more like Lachesis [ I looked at fear of germs too] and then the general impression of the case - witty etc.