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Effexor Withdrawal Side Effects
Mental Health | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (7)Comment receiving replies
I am in a similar place as you. I tapered from 225 to 75 over 4 weeks. I need to discontinue effexor because it caused my liver enzymes to get extremely high, and the doctor is concerned about my liver.
The first drop from 225 to 150 put me in the ER. Too much! My Dr. knew nothing about possible severe withdrawal symptoms. I sat there for two weeks. I decided the next reduction should be smaller, from 150 to 112.5. This was much better, with a few manageable side effects. That was one week. This week, I reduced from 112.5 to 75, and the anxiety has been awful. I'm exhausted, but can't sleep because my body and mind won't settle. I have burning nerve pain, tremors, and some nausea. Like you, my emotions are dysregulated, especially in the late afternoon.
I'm hoping my latest blood test shows some improvement in my liver enzymes, so I can at least feel like all the suffering has been for something.
I, too, would like to hear some success stories. I have a great support system, and talk to a therapist once a week. I'm lucky that I'm newly retired, so I can stay home to deal with this.
I hope things improve for all of us soon. It's all very scary because of all the unknowns.
Replies to "I am in a similar place as you. I tapered from 225 to 75 over 4..."
Thank you for sharing. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I hope your liver enzymes show positive progress.
No one can imagine the side effects of this med and the withdrawal symptoms when we taper. Yesterday afternoon though I finally felt reprieve and was able to make dinner and eat it without feeling nauseous. It lasted throughout the evening. I'm calling it a tiny miracle because it is the best I have felt in a long time(this is at approximately 9 weeks post tapering). This morning again, I feel anxious. But, I wonder if some of it I brought on myself because I was expecting to feel what I'm calling the effexor yuck. I am hoping to see a therapist soon. The one referred to me I'm still waiting to call me back, but it is the holidays.
I wonder if anyone can say at what week/month they no longer had side effects? Or was it a few good days and then a few bad days yo yo.
I have been discussing right knee replacement surgery but I'm thinking of putting it off because I don't know how the pain meds will interact with what is already going on in my body/brain.
Thank you for your comment. I'm so sorry this is such a difficult trip for all of us. There has got to be a better way. I guess sharing info such as this will hopefully give info to the researchers to take into account when developing such meds and when trying to find ways to get off of them. Good luck with your journey. Praying for all who suffer from this. Glad you have some good support.
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I forgot to mention that I was prescribed Gabapentin off-label for the anxiety. I take 300 mg twice a day, and 600 mg to help with sleep at night. This has taken the edge off a bit. It's not perfect, but I'll take any relief I can get right now.