Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Those initial doses sound high to me (but I'm no expert). The fact that four psychiatrists put or kept you on those doses--I can understand why you trusted the decision, having had it reinforced multiple times.
It's great that you found professionals at a mental health clinic who agreed to help you off the medications; unfortunate that they did not know that one must go S-L-O-W-L-Y down that path.
Now that we know to go slow, however, there is another opportunity to do it right. The important thing now, it seems to me, is to get you at helpful levels of the drug(s), whatever that may be, and stabilized for an appropriate period of time before you attempt a slow withdrawal process.
If you have not already received a caring pharmacist's opinion, you might inquire about possible drug interactions of all your medications--unless your psychiatric nurse is qualified in that regard. Then again, a second opinion is often worthwhile. The pharmacist I consulted happens to own an independent pharmacy that is not part of a chain, though I am sure valued pharmacists can be found at both.
You once wrote "I wish peace for everyone who suffers. It increasingly seems to me that is everyone." Indeed. My grandmother, at 103 and unhappy in the nursing home in which my aunt had placed her, said to me, "I don't know why I'm still here." I suggested she might have something yet to learn or, more likely, more to teach others. We all learn from each other's experiences on here, and I thank you for sharing yours. I look forward to learning from your progress, and wish you the peace and happiness you deserve--which you so graciously wish others.

Thank you again for your kind words.

I believe the first psychiatrist made a mistake putting me on such high levels of meds without trying lower doses first. The resulting mania destroyed my life.

After that every new provider took one look at my meds and concluded that I must really need them. At no point did they completely relieve my depression. Even when I was manic I still wanted to die.

No one considered decreasing any meds until I asked last June. Somewhere, between June an December I hit a sweet spot where I felt whole. Now I am starting at the bottom and working my way up, hopefully to a stable place.

The last three days I have had crippling anxiety, something I have not had before. It has been so bad that I have not left the house.

So I looked up the side effects of starting venlafaxine and sure enough anxiety is common. I don't remember experiencing anxiety fifteen years ago, but I've got it now. It would have been nice if someone had told me that I might become anxious for a week or two. I've been freaking out trying to cope.

I don't know if I actually should have been prescribed meds all those years ago. My depression was most likely tied to my lifestyle and was actually mild compared to what I have experienced since.

At this point it is quite possible that I can no longer function without medication. I am so desperate to stop suffering I’ll do whatever is necessary.

May we all find the peace and good health we deserve.

in reply to @njoys I am profoundly sorry to learn about your suffering, and agree that the doses of medication that were initially prescribed seem high. Can you consult with your pharmacist in this regard, or at least in terms of the Effexor. I too am tapering off of Effexor XR, now down to 37.5 mg capsules, making it difficult to measure out just the right amount without suffering any of the horrible side effects of doing so. I am fairly certain my pharmacist was correct when she told me that this particular medication is harder than heroin to get off of, and that it will take me at least 6 months to taper off of the 37.5 mg dosage that I have been on for at least 6 months. Everytime I try to taper down, I end up with horrific nightmares and an overall sense of feeling unwell. Your comment about your depression caught my attention because while recently talking to a psychologist we both concluded that my depression was situational and she did not think I had a chemical imbalance. She is also a MD by the way. In any event, I hope that you are able to recover from this affliction sooner rather than later.
Godspeed

I believe your post is in reply to @dfb
I sympathize with your horrific nightmares and dfb's extreme anxiety, as I shared those withdrawal symptoms. I am back up to 50 mg per day (25 mg immediate release tablet am & pm), and hope to remain stable awhile longer before trying to discontinue again.
May I ask how many beads you are removing from the 37.5 mg capsules in your attempt to taper? (with apologies if it's a repeat question).

How can I get the 18.5 I am on 35.5 I tried to take it every other day but the side effects from not taking it is bad I need help please

Morning,

Let me begin by saying I feel all your pain. I. Am 78. My journey of addiction began when my 9 years older brother got me drunk at age 9. This would lead to a binge drinker addiction that moved from beer to scotch, gin and tonics, martinis, gibsons, and finally straight gin (hold the vegetables). I had my last binge episode around 1994. After. That episode I stopped drinking cold turkey. Along this life adventure I found myself on Zoloft. I began Zoloft at a point in my life where I had one through a divorce, endured the absence of my two beautiful daughters. I would be on Zoloft for approximately 20 years. Around 2012 my internist added in Venlafaxine. Around the beginning of the Pandemic when my current wife and love of my life found herself being treated for pancreatic cancer I would go through withdrawal from Zoloft. So now I am left on one (1) 70 mg of Venlafaxine per day.

I am about to launch myself through the doors of final psychiatric adventure. You see my wonderful soul mate still has to endure my erratic mood disorders. I need some help from my friends at the Mayo Clinic. What should I do? I will do anything to help my partner for life. You see she saved my life when she took me on 30 years ago.

Any advice, I hope?

Effexor is available in 25 and 50 mg tablets, and in 37.5 and 75 mg capsules. As you have discovered, taking the drug every other day does not work. If you are trying to decrease the dosage in order to successfully discontinue the medication, then what is recommended (according to my online research) is lowering the dosage no more than 5-10% at a time, and remaining at that dose until you feel "normal." Once you've been stable for a month or two or however long it takes at that dose, then the next step is to decrease another 5-10%, etc, etc, etc. Because the pharmaceutical companies do not make Effexor available to us here in the US in decreasing doses, one has to manage this oneself or seek the aid of a compounding pharmacy to do it for you. To do it yourself, you shave a bit off a tablet or remove beads from a capsule. It is not an easy process, and shame on pharmaceutical companies for creating a dependency on a drug with no easy way to discontinue it. Withdrawal is hell. It is tragic to see how many of us are suffering from side effects and withdrawal effects of Effexor.

Whole simple foods, no chemicals! Deep Darth Vader breathing. Water. A daily routine. Benzo withdrawal is the same. Horrible, horrendous. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope is on the other side. The saying is "The only way out is through" and that is true. You are a warrior. Stay strong. You have this! 🙏🏻💪🏻🫶🏻

Hi @kuma, You'll notice that I removed your email address. Connect is a public forum. We recommend sharing personal contact information using the secure private message function.

I might also add that by sharing here in the forum, you are connecting with several people where all can benefit from group support.

Thank you so much. 🙏🏻