Long term effects AFTER withdrawing from Effexor

I hope you don't mind of I chime in about supplements. I took Effexor and experienced side effects that has lasted 2 and a half years.
The side effects subsided markedly, for me at the two year period. The first major positive change occurred after ten sessions of acupuncture accompanied by ongoing counseling.
My memory and focus significantly after I started using L-thorosine. The latter was a miracle for me.
I started seeing a nurse practioner whose approach is holistic. She, unlike any of my other doctors, ran blood work. My cortisol levels were high.
I now sleep about about 85% better. I no longer wake up after experiencing what felt like being shot out of a cannon.
Diet and exercise are important. I kept overlooking this simple advise because it took so much discipline. Sugar is not a friend! Reducing it can have a major effect on reducing anxiety.
I know I gave you more than you asked.

Please NOTE that I am not a doctor, or a medical professional of any kind and I'm not giving medical advice—the following is my experience and what I found helpful as I was not able to find a medical professional to help me discontinue Effexor/venlafaxine and manage/minimize the withdrawal effects. When it comes to getting off Effexor, each of us is our own guinea pig—Effexor is a very powerful antidepressant that affects the brain's neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine) and it takes your brain a while to figure out how to rebalance serotonin and norepinephrine while reducing, or after quitting Effexor.

When I started experiencing withdrawal effects back in the summer of 2018 after slowly tapering completely off Effexor, I was prescribed Valium short-term by a Care Now (walk-in health clinic) doctor when my akathisia and anxiety became overwhelming. She had me take 5mg Valium twice a day for three days straight (I stayed home from work) to "get ahead of the anxiety." Her "get ahead of it" strategy was pretty effective and she prescribed a small number of tablets to use as needed if the anxiety seemed to be building again.

I did not want to rely on Valium—I would be exchanging taking Effexor to taking a very addictive drug. I read ALL of the "Tips on minimising withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine) discussion thread on this site to learn what others in my situation were experiencing and what was helping them and did a lot of online research re getting off drugs.
P.S. The "Tips ..." thread is now over 600 pages and it is WORTH reading every bit of it.
P.P.S. The post above by njoys has links to many helpful sites.

Through trial-and-error and research, I came up with a number of OTC medications and supplements that helped me. At first, I took these supplements five times a day; today, I am down to once per day. The most helpful are l-tryptophan (DO NOT take if you are still on Effexor) and GABA. Ben*dryl, Bon*ine, or other seasickness remedies can reduce/minimize the dizziness/vertigo and were very helpful in the beginning; I seldom need these today.

What I take daily to minimize the effects of Effexor discontinuation—
2 500 mg krill oil softgels (if you get brain zaps, fish oil may be more helpful)
2 1,000 mg Vitamin C (helps the l-tryptophan) softgels
1 500 mg l-tryptophan capsule (Lidtke brand)
1 500 mg GABA capsule (Solgar brand)
1 500 mg l-arginine capsule
1 470 mg ashwagandha root extract capsule
1 5,000 mcg Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) chewable tablet
Occasionally—half of 5 mg diazepam (prescription aka Valium) tablet (a few times per year)

Based on how I feel these days, I could taper off the daily dose of supplements. I have been procrastinating about doing this as as the capsule supplements don't come in smaller doses and as we know from tapering Effexor, cutting into a capsule and making smaller doses is a messy and time-consuming process. I may, instead, try waiting longer between doses—rather than taking the supplements daily, perhaps take them every day and a half; then, after a few weeks, go to every other day, etc.

Hope this helps!

Thank you! I started to taper off my Effexor but i couldn't do it the way my doctor suggested. ( dizziness, brain zaps, nausea, confusion, flu like symptoms)I thought I could do it between out of town trips, weddings, caymen island vacation. I think my doctor thought it would be easier too. I am going to find a psychiatrist to help with tapering dosing protocol in the future. And maybe to prescribe something that might help, like yours did. This thread about long term effects has me so concerned and a bit frightened. I wish my GP never would have put me on this! Zoloft for ten years and then 187 mg Effexor for fifteen.

I'm on my fourth week of tapering off 150mg Effexor. I'm getting joint pain. My feet hurt almost like tendonitis but I haven't been doing repetitive/irritating movement to cause it to happen identically in both feet. My right elbow and wrist has been achy with a bit of a nerve tingle. Yesterday my left meniscus went out of joint (it did so after highschool and I thought it had ended). It's just so weird and I'm not getting actual answers as to why, so I wonder if others have experienced similar. Thanks!

I came here looking for to see if anyone feels stuck in fight or flight mode. I am off Effexor 1.5 years after tapering for 3 years, and have been stuck in fight or flight since the beginning which is Jan 2020.
I was actually on Prestiq which is a derivative or sister drug to Effexor for about 12 years when I wanted to get off. At the suggestion of a pharmacist, I switched to Effexor to taper because it’s available non XR and a lower dose. I tapered on my own from 37.5 to 0 in 6 months in 2019. A month later, Jan 2020 I began this stuck in fight or flight mode journey ( for lack of a better term) I did research and found the safe tapering method of reducing 10% a month and went back on Effexor in March 2020. Following that method I was finished Dec 2022, I should mention I’m currently tapering off Lexapro which I went on in June 2020 to ease the symptoms. I’ve since learned I’m an ultra fast metabolizer of Lexapro which means it doesn’t work for me.
I’m 58 years old and wondering do I just go back on? Ive tried everything except MDMA therapies and actually have an appointment to see if Psilocybin is something that could work for me.
I’ve tried pretty much everything else from exercising daily, I take magnesium Glycinate, Vit D3, a multi daily, eating a modified Keto diet, cutting back on sugar & caffeine, no alcohol, adaptogens, NAC daily, infrared sauna. Yet I wake up with physical anxiety and yes it then goes into mental and I get triggered constantly making it even worse. I don’t remember what relaxed feels like.
Can anyone relate?
Thanks
Eileen

I can so relate. After two unsuccessful attempts to discontinue Effexor, I am on a reduced dose of 50 mg per day (25 mg tablet morning and evening). I am most anxious in the mornings, and what helps most is exercise, including yard work and long walks, that wears me out physically. The busier I stay, the better I feel. A little bit of bad news can be traumatic, however, and we are constantly bombarded with bad news in today's world. I don't watch the news on tv and read little. I subscribe to "good news" websites so that I receive some good news each day. I avoid anxiety-producing television and watch only comedies, often before bedtime. I don't sleep well, so it's best if I am exhausted physically and mentally before going to bed. I FaceTime with a therapist/counselor (a Licensed Clinical Social Worker) once a month or as needed so that I don't burden my husband and friends with the extent of my anxiety. They have never said it's a burden, but I don't want to wear them out, so this site helps, too. I like "Therapy in a Nutshell" (YouTube) for anxiety relief suggestions, and keep the article by Amy Morin "How to Stop Worrying About Things You Can't Change" handy to reread as needed. I am reading "The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapebtinoids and Z-drugs" by Mark Horowitz and David Taylor, published this year, for guidance on tapering when I am ready, but this level of anxiety tells me that I am not ready yet. Prayer helps. I have one cup of half-caffeine coffee in the morning and drink no alcohol; take the same supplements you take. (I don't know what adaptogens and NAC are.) You are not alone.

Ask your doctor about taking the beta blocker propanolol for your physical anxiety. It’s a very safe effective drug. Research this, you’ll be surprised.