It's been an interesting couple of weeks. I started taking Effexor, an anti-depressant about 11 years ago. I'd just retired from ExxonMobil, starting a new job and moving to a new city. I guess everything seemed to be closing in on me at the time and I wanted something to help smooth out the mood swings. It worked. It worked so good I just never felt like trying to get off the medication. The only real issue I had was that I was very dependent on taking it like clockwork. I couldn't miss a single day without feeling the physical effects. So I had to be real careful about making sure I had enough with me when I traveled. Then a few years ago I began reading about the bad effects of Effexor withdrawal. People trying to get off the medication or moving to a different one were reporting significant issues with stopping the medication. Many of the things I'd experience when I missed a dose - "brain zaps" that are like little electrical charges going off in my head every time I moved my eyes, dizziness, general discomfort to name a few have been an everyday occurrence since taking my last regular dose 8 days ago. Add to that having all my emotions and nerve endings being sandpapered then turning me loose on the world.
I've been having these one sided arguments going on in my mind, me lambasting the World with my real opinion of how things are being run. BP is on the top of my list at the moment. I don't believe that they learned any lessons to this day from last years oil spill. Their general feeling is it was a spot of bad luck for that to happen to them. Then there is the current state of US politics and the lines in the sand each side has drawn. To hell with consequences, each side has a point to make. What ever happened to Statesmanship? Where are the true leaders today when we need people to solve a problem not point a finger, saying I told you so?
I suppose what I am experiencing is almost like a narcotic withdrawal. It isn't like going back on Effexor itself would give me some kind of euphoric feeling, other than to make the withdrawal symptoms go away which in itself would feel kind of euphoric. So for the next 5 or 6 weeks, as I've been told, if you see me coming down the street, give me a wide berth. I just can't guarantee how or in which direction I'll go off. Maybe my wife should post a warning label on me:
The views expressed by this person do not necessarily
reflect those views and beliefs of this person when sane.
