Long term effects AFTER withdrawing from Effexor

I was on 450mg for fifteen years. I titrated over four months to zero and ended up in the hospital.

I now have unremitting suicidal depression and anxiety ( never had anxiety before) and I can only sleep two hours at a time.

My provider is giving me drugs to address the symptoms /discontinuation effects.

I was mildly depressed fifteen years ago when I was put on psychiatric medication. I was also loved and respected.

Now I am suffering from all sorts of aliments and have lost everyone and everything that ever mattered to me.

In hindsight I didn’t need the insane level of medication that was prescribed to me. Now I despair I can’t function without some amount of psychiatric interventions.

Medicine has screwed up before, bloodletting and oxytocin for instance. We are just starting to learn how badly they’ve gotten mental health treatment messed up.

All I am left with is the daily struggle to be relevant.

May we all live in good health and peace.

Dear friend. I have been off Effexor completely for about 6 months. I’ve had continual times of weakness and fatigue. Mine in part is due to recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery in late April of 22. Then it was in late May I found out my right lung was not working due to a phrenic nerve that was somehow damaged and caused my right lung to be paralyzed. I recently had a bad cold, and my breathing was really terrible. I was short of breath, and my oxygen level was very low, which has actually caused me to seek out professional advice from a thoracic surgeon at the Cleveland clinic since I’m an Ohio native. I really can’t quantify and say for sure how much of my fatigue and weakness has been caused by lack of oxygen, and how much has been caused from long-term side effects from the Effexor, although I believe most of my weakness and problems that I’ve had other than the shortness of breath are being caused by the side effects from being off of Effexor. I am supposed to call Cleveland Clinic tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20 and hopefully I’ll be getting an appointment there for an evaluation of my lung situation. In the meantime, you keep looking up and try to stay positive, try to be a faith filled person, because with God all things are possible.!!!

Thank you for that suggestion. I haven’t used this resource in years so I wouldn’t have know who in the group would be good to reach out to here. I mentioned it to my doctor at my last physical and she was strangely silent regarding any of my comments related to chronic pain and depression. This is a new doctor and I was hopeful, due to her bio, that she was more open minded to alternative medicine and listening. However that was not my experience. I have moved A LOT in my adult life and so my medical care has been very inconsistent and poor. The only constant has been my therapist for the last 12 years. While I have done well since weaning off meds (and getting a divorce—one of the exacerbating factors for depression was the marriage), this pain is threatening to pull me down into depression again. Thank you for the recommendation and for reaching out to these other folks. I hope they might have some wisdom to share.

Dear friend. I have been off Effexor completely for about 6 months. I’ve had continual times of weakness and fatigue. Mine in part is due to recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery in late April of 22. Then it was in late May I found out my right lung was not working due to a phrenic nerve that was somehow damaged and caused my right lung to be paralyzed. I recently had a bad cold, and my breathing was really terrible. I was short of breath, and my oxygen level was very low, which has actually caused me to seek out professional advice from a thoracic surgeon at the Cleveland clinic since I’m an Ohio native. I really can’t quantify and say for sure how much of my fatigue and weakness has been caused by lack of oxygen, and how much has been caused from long-term side effects from the Effexor, although I believe most of my weakness and problems that I’ve had other than the shortness of breath are being caused by the side effects from being off of Effexor. I am supposed to call Cleveland Clinic tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20 and hopefully I’ll be getting an appointment there for an evaluation of my lung situation. In the meantime, you keep looking up and try to stay positive, try to be a faith filled person, because with God all things are possible.!!!

I weaned off effexor about 2 yrs ago maybe and I have a possible "frozen shoulder" or shoulder impingement. I hadn't put the 2 together...don't know if its related but you never know. I am 44 and I cant use my arm and for no reason at all. Xray didnt show anything, I work from home on a computer all day, I have not damaged it in any way. I have other minor joint pain too but nothing like my shoulder.

Hi, @terri672 - I moved your post to this existing discussion on effects after tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor) so that you could connect with others discussing this subject. Click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

Hoping that @sandij @ldwhite720 @texasduchess @brightwings @notaround @babydoll will chime in with any experiences they have with returning depression or anxiety after a taper off of venlafaxine (Effexor).

What symptoms are you noticing especially with the depression and anxiety, @terri672 (e.g., loss of interest in activities, restlessness, trouble concentrating)?

Hi, @dissidentdaughter -- I'm really sorry to hear about the chronic pain you have developed. That must be very difficult. You are wise to consider all possibilities that might have led to this debilitating pain.

What I thought might be helpful would be to tag some members who have completed their taper off of venlafaxine (Effexor) and see what they have to say about any lingering side effects in their experiences, like @texasduchess @cathy615 @sadiesmom @aririkatotomoto @lalyfa. @gailb and @hopeful33250 may also have some thoughts.

@dissidentdaughter -- have you had the chance to ask your doctor what he or she thinks about a potential link between the medication and your chronic pain?

Wow! I hate to think that Effexor can cause permanent damage. I was on it for about 18 years and have been dealing with PAWS (extended withdrawal symptoms) since I tapered off 4/14/18. I took supplements to minimize the withdrawal symptoms and still take some of them (but now once a day, down from five times a day). I am DEFINITELY much improved, so I am hopeful that post-Effexor I am not permanently damaged.