Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

I’m down to opening the capsule and taking 1/5th each night to minimize the side effects. I titrate off EXTREMELY slowly! Be prepared for your doctor to look at you like you’re nuts, but whatever it takes and they need to know that some of use are very very sensitive to drugs.

@pammiedon
have you been having any withdrawal effects on your current taper?
Thanks,
Jake

Hi Jeff
Yes I have pulsating tinnitus as well as a very disconnected brain feeling. I can’t articulate the feeling very well sorry. As well as I think like my blood pressure is really out of whack making me feel as though my body may fly out of my skin. I haven’t ever felt like this, or as bad as this even titrating off opioids.

I’m so grateful to have found this message board. I’ve been reading about others’ experiences and recommendations over the last few weeks. I’ve been fortunate to have an easy time titrating to 37.5mg, and my regular dose was just 75mg ER for about 2.5 years.

I’m now scheduled to take the 37.5 every other day for two weeks, potentially longer if needed. Saturday (two days ago) was my first skip day and I had some dizziness, felt disconnected, trouble focusing, tingling in my face, and pretty severe pain in my muscles and joints. The worst was my hips and legs.

Ibuprofen, naproxen, and Benedryl have been helpful.

Sunday, I took 37.5 but my symptoms were worse than Saturday. Tosay was a skip day, and I feel dizzy, nauseous and achy. And very disconnected. It’s challenging to hold a conversation. And I ended up taking a half day off work due to the symptoms.

I have a new symptom today and I cannot find anything online and it’s freaking me out some. I’m having vision issues where my floor in my house looks like it is swirling. My floor has a light marbling pattern and it is swirling around. Has anyone else experienced this? I got really fearful and started worrying that I was losing touch with reality/ having a psychotic break. I’m laying down now and trying to focus on my breathing but still feeling very panicky.

@sunshinerin
Why not take it everyday and remove beads?
Take care,
Jake

I have a 37.5mg ER tablet and my doctor said I shouldn’t split it. I did ask about a lower dose and waiting to hear back.

According to my extensive reading on the topic, alternating days is not recommended. Dr. Mark Horowitz explains why in his new book, The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. I don't have my copy handy, or I would copy the text which warns against skipping doses, but this might help for now: https://learn.outro.com/c/preparing-to-taper/tapering-when-and-how-to-stop

@sunshinerin
I'm sorry I was assuming you were taking the capsules. Are your tablets the extended release version? I can understand not altering that type of tablet, but if they're immediate release, did he give you a reason why you couldn't cut it?
Take care,
Jake

It is extended release. I’m not sure if I maybe I could get the immediate release kind. I’ll ask my doctor. Thank you for posting. I saw that it is not recommended to alternate days.

A tablet or capsule? Unless you can obtain titrating strips (available from Holland, I believe), or obtain lower doses from a compounding pharmacy, then a 25mg tablet or a 37.5mg XR (extended release) capsule are the only options. A tablet requires splitting to lower the dose, and a capsule requires opening, counting the contents, and reducing them according to your tapering schedule (recommended to be no more than 10% over time). We should all be filing online complaints with the FDA that they do not require pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs to make them available in decreasing dosages so as to facilitate withdrawal from the drugs! My pharmacist showed me how to open a capsule, empty the contents, count the beads into a tiny tray, and pour the appropriate number of beads back into the capsule for taking. One can obtain empty capsules for holding discarded beads. It seems ridiculous to me that we are required to do this. If anyone knows of another way, I would love to hear it. If I obtain titrating strips from Holland, I will let you all know--I'm not ready yet to decrease my dosage from 25mg two times per day.