Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

Everything you have experienced and said in your post sums up my physical and emotional experiences. Thank goodness I know there are other people who have many of my withdrawal symptoms. I was beginning to think I was over reacting, thinking and becoming a hypochondriac. Whew! Effexor withdrawal has been uncomfortable. My goal is to ride this out until I can truly know if I still
Need this medication. Fingers crossed.

Hi, @mukmuk. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds as though you've had a lot of physical and emotional experiences in your taper off venlafaxine (Effexor).

Has your doctor had any input on the effects you've undergone so far? If so, what did the doctor suggest?

I am down to the end of my taper and have realized that the effexor may have been the cause of several issues and may have masked others. Since I started tapering off (350 mg for many years) I have had bad headaches and increased blood pressure. I was always hot and sweating before and that seems to be reducing in severity. The bad part of getting off has been that I have had increasing symptoms of really bad joint pain all over my body. I read that effexor can mask pain and it is hitting me full force. It can also be hard on kidneys and liver. My kidneys are now scarred and I had fatty liver. I've never had kidney stones and a bladder infection a few times in my life. I'm 59 years old. I've also read that some people may have permanent increased blood pressure after getting off of effexor. My dr. asked me if I wanted to get back on the effexor for the increase in pain. I said NO! I'm wondering if my blood pressure and headaches may return to normal after I complete my taper? My rheumatologist thinks I may have drug induced lupus!

I have gotten off effexor it has taken me like 3 months. But i am left with flu symptoms and sweating bad at times..and cant eat . Everything i try to eat after alittle im full and done ..i will never go back on it ..i hope i feel normal soon ..

My Doc did not speak about how to deal with my physical and mental side effects. We did talk about remaining on the course I’m on right now ( no medication now for 2 1/2 weeks) to see how I manage. If at some point I just don’t seem to be feeling better, then, I could try the lowest dose of 37.5mg every other day and see what this does for me. Yes, it’s so different for everyone so no perfect way to do this.

I am currently tapering off a combination of Bupropion 150 MG and Venlafaxine 75 MG, which I have been taking for about five years. Before that, I tried several other medications, including Lexapro and Zoloft. I haven’t gone cold turkey, but I am navigating this process without a doctor’s supervision. Getting off Bupropion wasn’t too difficult, but discontinuing Venlafaxine, as many have warned, is proving to be much more challenging. I’ve reduced my doses, and now in my third week, I’m experiencing disruptions like brain zaps, lethargy, and anger.

The reason I’m undertaking this journey is personal. I believe some people genuinely need medications, but I also think they can sometimes serve as a crutch, with doctors readily prescribing them. We’ve become a society that alleviates our problems with drugs rather than confronting them directly.

That’s why I’m making this change; I want to regain control of my life. We all face difficulties—some more than others—and I’ve endured the loss of ten close individuals over the past fifteen years, alongside various financial and relationship challenges. I refuse to depend on medication for the rest of my life.

I look forward to emerging from this experience healthier and more in control. I’ve learned a lot from the posts I’ve read and truly appreciate the struggles each person is going through or has overcome. Every journey is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Ultimately, it comes down to what is best for you.