Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Hi, @shoshi - since you mentioned minimizing withdrawal symptoms from venlafaxine (Effexor), I've merged your post here so you can meet some of the members talking about that same topic, like @renwald @kbmayo @johnbedson @smurf @youngsally and many others. Hoping they will have some insights to share as you look at tapering off this medication.

I thought you might find this Mayo Clinic article about tapering off antidepressants useful: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressant-withdrawal/faq-20058133

It sounds as though you have taken this medication for 35 years. Is that correct? What does your doctor say about a plan for you to taper off of the venlafaxine (Effexor)?

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What you say is true..to a point. Drs necessarily rely only on what we as patients tell them at a given point and time. They rely entirely on this. Others who are around us have far more reflective value when they see changes on a daily basis.

Psychiatrists nowadays see you for 15 or so minutes and Hague how you are doing. I’ve seen this pattern to be true time and time again. Physicians, by contrast, are indeed trained in various aspects of medicine and with specialization to boot. Physicians are, however, making well educated guesses. I do not say this flippantly because I have family and friends that are well respected mds and would attest to this.

You will get physicians who disagree with each other all the time and misdiagnose all the time. I won’t bother to get into the vast history of this fact.

So if you take a specialist in psychiatry who sees you for 15 -30 min once every three months to Hague how you’re doing when you feel lucid,

and you take patients that may or may not have psychological services on the outside,

And you take other conditions that may or may not exist under the care of a general practitioner or multitude of specialists who generally don’t communicate with each other...

It becomes fairly obvious the patient is well advised to be a skeptic.

Patients may or may not have insurance and the sophistication to connect the dots, follow their own comprehensive progress and take charge of their health.

I have confirmed that insurance and pharmaceutical industries do have a significant impact on what medicines are used or not...again...personal family and friends who attest to wide spread practice of influence.

History, science, social interactions and pressures Demonstrate a constant evolution that is frequently not always in keeping with the Hippocratic oath. It is not enough to say it’s the best we have. It is more correct to say it is but a cog in a very complex wheel (a critical cog) that contributes to a whole.

The reasons I have listed are some of the modern realities patients face but they ARE realities.

I will acknowledge that the internet has led to a tidal wave of self diagnosing experts who cherry pick symptoms or rely solely on anecdotal evidence. This is how people have done for generations and that habit indeed has led to misery and tragedy for untold numbers...especially the desperately ill.

My point is this, blind faith in mds is a dangerous thing. Indeed, they are human and everything I described that goes with it. Patients (or their guardians) bear the responsibility to question medicine practitioners. It’s a multiple person effort.

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If a psychiatrist is only seeing you for 15 minutes (particularly for an early meeting) try to find another psychiatrist. I had a friend who went to a psychiatrist on his wife's insistence. After 15 minutes the psychiatrist diagnosed him with ADD and sent him home with Adderall. He needs support (but probably not medication) - and now won't see anyone based on his crap experience.

My first visit with my psychiatrist was nearly 90 minutes - and it was simply to start the Effexor taper process and look at my meds overall. My second visit with her is Wednesday and will be 45-60 minutes. I was referred to my psychiatrist by my therapist.

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Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

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Im down to the 37mg...and it was rough to stay and not go bad up..im catching hell myself so i feel your pain...can we split the capsules? I want to stop but dont want them horrible brain shocks...

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Hi there! I am new to Connect, but hopefully can offer some insight. I DID go off 150 Effexor XR (name brand) COLD TURKEY on January 2016. I survived it, but will never in my life EVER go off ANY antidepressant cold turkey. I had taken Effexor for at least 8 years, Zoloft prior to that and and Imipramine (sp?) as the first antidepressant (in all 25+ years on antidepressants.) It all started with running out of meds over a long weekend and deciding it was time to try to get off antidepressants to see how I would do. Since I had recently retired from teaching, thought this would be an ideal time to give it a go. In addition, Effexor just wasn't helping all that much anymore (I thought.) The first 3 days I felt like I was going to die! When I realized that I wasn't dying, decided to keep going to get it all over with. In addition to the symptoms you have heard about, I had deep bone/joint pain that felt like I was being pinched with clamps. Also had skin sensations and peeling, and noticed a strange smell on my skin. Each day got a little better and by the 3rd week started to function a bit more normally. I was very emotional, however, which caused my family great concern. Well, to make a long story short, the depression crept back in full and I am still trying to get my life back. I did everything I could to stay stable, including herbal supplements and took a vacation where I hiked 6 miles daily for 9 days on hilly, rocky terrain. I finally had to accept that I'm a person who will need antidepressants for the rest of my life. With the help of a PCP and counselor, I am on my 3rd antidepressant & may need to resort to going back on Effexor, because nothing seems to be working. All in all, in my opinion, the chronic depression is worse than the withdrawal symptoms that do eventually end. If you are a person with situational depression, you may be successful weaning off Effexor gradually. If I were to do it again, that's what I would do (while replacing Effexor with something else.) Here are the things that helped me with the physical withdrawal symptoms:
1. Get plenty of sleep/rest.
2. Eat a very well-balanced diet (this is not the time to worry about your weight.) Lots of soup & easy to digest foods the 1st few days.
3. Drink plenty of water, including coconut water.
4. Have a glass of wine in the evening (if advisable.)
5. Get outside and walk or other excersize (the warm sunshine will feel good!)
6. Hot yoga 3-4 times per week. Stay in class even if you feel nauseous & can only do a few postures.
7. Soak in a hot tub (with bath salts if available.)
8. Use a good moisturizer on face & body several times per day.
9. Get several professional massages.
10. Take Tylenol for muscle pain, if OK on your stomach.
11. A heating pad is also helpful at bedtime or during naps.
12. If you are single & live alone, make sure a few trusted friends/family members know what you are doing.
13. In general, be kind & gentle to yourself.
14. NEVER give up! Keep going, even when you don't feel like it (which will be often.) YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!

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Seems like a longer term expectation is in order with coping strategies like mindfulness to catch and counter what you detect. Nothing easy unfortunately

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I especially appreciated your advice. Due to dangerously low blood sodium levels my PCP removed me from effexor xr 75mg -- 1/2 dose for 3 days then off completely on 4th day (was on this for 15 years). I've experienced every conceivable side effect except brain shivers, but now 6 weeks later I'm ready to jump out of my skin. At the same time I have back & knee injuries which have prevented me from exercising ( I'll be returning to gym soon). My question to anyone is just how long these side effects will last. I'm cranky & more impatient with some people ... uncomfortable with myself. I see PCP in 2 days & will request a SSRI (Celexa, Lexapro) in low dose to enable me to function in my life.

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