1. < Depression & Anxiety

Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Posted by richyrich @richyrich, Nov 2, 2016

I have been taking Effexor/Venlafaxine for years and tried to get off it a few times but each time I try to give up the chemical withdrawal symptoms are a horror story and I give up giving up. Anyone got any tips or tried and tested strategies? Thank you

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @ainsleigh "@shaker1956- So great to hear your news shaker!!!!! Wishing you and all your family a very..." + (show)
@ainsleigh

@shaker1956- So great to hear your news shaker!!!!! Wishing you and all your family a very Happy Healthy New Year!
Best wishes
Ainsleigh

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@ainsleigh - Hip hip hooray!

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @texasduchess "@cwis I was on just 25mg for 18 years. Tapered off slowly and did fine for..." + (show)
@texasduchess

@cwis I was on just 25mg for 18 years. Tapered off slowly and did fine for 6.5 weeks--then, kerbluey! That's when my body figured out it didn't have any more Effexor stored in nooks and crannies. At that point, it was too late to go back on any dose. It's been eight+ months since my last dose and although good days are outnumbering the bad, I'm still taking supplements to feel "normal"--Effexor is powerful stuff and if you're one of the ones to experience withdrawal symptoms, it can take a loooong time to get over.

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@texasdutchess- Hello. What supplements do you take?

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1 reply
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@texasduchess Keep in mind y’all have to remember the length you’ve been on it. Good luck..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@texasduchess

Keep in mind y’all have to remember the length you’ve been on it.
Good luck Tex,
Jake

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I agree with @jakedduck1. The longer you are on a medicine that changes the chemicals in your brain the more it depends on them. They take over, replacing what's natural or missing, etc. SO time has a lot to do with withdrawal and it's affects.

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shaker1956 | @shaker1956 | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @ainsleigh "@shaker1956- So great to hear your news shaker!!!!! Wishing you and all your family a very..." + (show)
@ainsleigh

@shaker1956- So great to hear your news shaker!!!!! Wishing you and all your family a very Happy Healthy New Year!
Best wishes
Ainsleigh

Jump to this post

Hey there Ainsleigh. Thank you so much for the HNY!!!!!! And same to you. Still plugging away one day at a time. Enjoy your day!!!!!!!

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1 reply
john368 | @john368 | Jan 1, 2019

Hi everyone. I am currently on Venlafaxine anti depresant which i have been on for the past 6 week. I was on previously on it last year. But whenever i get a cold my antidepresants stop working and i am forced to try a new one. Although i have always been sensitive to antidepresants and they have always made me feel worse. I seem to have become really sensitive to how they make me feel. And to be honest i feel i would be better with out them. When i cut down on Venlafaxine i have the 37.5 tablets and take two then cut down a quarter of one tablet at a time. I can get down to approx 28mg with no bad effect but when i reduce to approx 19mg i get bad head tension, fatigue, unable to think clearly and the feeling of being spaced out. Im desparate to feel like myself. But i hate being on anything above 18mg because it makes me feel depressed and has effects on me that stop me leading a natural life. Is there anything i can do or take to counter this particular withdrawl reaction. Thank you

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1 reply
Lisa Lucier | @lisalucier | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @john368 "Hi everyone. I am currently on Venlafaxine anti depresant which i have been on for the..." + (show)
@john368

Hi everyone. I am currently on Venlafaxine anti depresant which i have been on for the past 6 week. I was on previously on it last year. But whenever i get a cold my antidepresants stop working and i am forced to try a new one. Although i have always been sensitive to antidepresants and they have always made me feel worse. I seem to have become really sensitive to how they make me feel. And to be honest i feel i would be better with out them. When i cut down on Venlafaxine i have the 37.5 tablets and take two then cut down a quarter of one tablet at a time. I can get down to approx 28mg with no bad effect but when i reduce to approx 19mg i get bad head tension, fatigue, unable to think clearly and the feeling of being spaced out. Im desparate to feel like myself. But i hate being on anything above 18mg because it makes me feel depressed and has effects on me that stop me leading a natural life. Is there anything i can do or take to counter this particular withdrawl reaction. Thank you

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Hello, @john368, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Since you mentioned you are in a tapering process with venlafaxine, I've moved your post here to this discussion on "Tips on minimising withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)," so that you can talk with others who are in or have been in a similar process and may have some thoughts to share, especially about countering the withdrawal symptoms when you are at 19 mg.

If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

Does your prescribing doctor have any input on dealing with the withdrawal symptoms and whether your tapering schedule should be adjusted, @john368? Since you feel you'd be better off without antidepressants, what therapy is your doctor suggesting instead?

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cwis | @cwis | Jan 1, 2019

Thanks for the info about it being stored in body fat, I had no idea about that one. Exercise is a definite + for me while tapering. I have a lot less fogginess if I keep the natural endorphins going.

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 1, 2019

@cwis- Serotonin is one of many hormones that controls your appetite.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201007/reversing-antidepressant-weight-gain
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants-and-weight-gain/faq-20058127
There are a lot of reasons that weight gain can take effect. When we are depressed some of us tend to eat more, move less. It's very common for me to say, "Oh what the hell" and eat everything in sight. The I get more depressed because I've gained weight. Also as we grow older our bodies change and we tend, especially after menopause, to gain weight because we have lost most of our estrogen.
So far there is not one cause yet accepted for weight gain while taking antidepressants. There are many theories but since the brain is so complicated it's yet a mystery.
Here's another site to help. Feel free to google more and please share with us your findings!

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1 reply
cwis | @cwis | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @merpreb "@cwis- Serotonin is one of many hormones that controls your appetite. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201007/reversing-antidepressant-weight-gain https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants-and-weight-gain/faq-20058127 There are a..." + (show)
@merpreb

@cwis- Serotonin is one of many hormones that controls your appetite.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201007/reversing-antidepressant-weight-gain
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants-and-weight-gain/faq-20058127
There are a lot of reasons that weight gain can take effect. When we are depressed some of us tend to eat more, move less. It's very common for me to say, "Oh what the hell" and eat everything in sight. The I get more depressed because I've gained weight. Also as we grow older our bodies change and we tend, especially after menopause, to gain weight because we have lost most of our estrogen.
So far there is not one cause yet accepted for weight gain while taking antidepressants. There are many theories but since the brain is so complicated it's yet a mystery.
Here's another site to help. Feel free to google more and please share with us your findings!

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Weight is not a problem, thankfully, for me.

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 1, 2019
In reply to @texasduchess "@jakedduck1 Yes, I would assume you'd reduce 5-10% (or less) from the current taper amount. Re..." + (show)
@texasduchess

@jakedduck1 Yes, I would assume you'd reduce 5-10% (or less) from the current taper amount. Re length of time on Effexor--I didn't see very much mention of this (unless someone was just on Effexor for a few weeks, or days) re tapering--mostly it was dosage amount you were on and how to taper. The discovery that because I'd been on it for so long that it was stored in body fat came as a very unpleasant surprise as did finding out it messes with your brain chemistry. I didn't have to "ramp up" to the dose I was on and once I started taking it, I never felt any different than I had--except that it stopped my hot flashes from the first pill. At the time, I had had three surgeries in three weeks, then done six chemo treatments, started taking Tamoxifen and was undergoing daily radiation treatments--didn't have the bandwidth to even question, or look into Effexor--it eliminated one of the very annoying problems I was having from being treated for breast cancer and that was enough. I've said if I had known I would have the problems I've had because I quit Effexor, I would have stayed on it.

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@texasduchess- Are yo aware that one of the side effects of tamoxifen are hot flashes?

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