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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
I have been taking Effexor/Venlafaxine for years and tried to get off it a few times but each time I try to give up the chemical withdrawal symptoms are a horror story and I give up giving up. Anyone got any tips or tried and tested strategies? Thank you
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Hi, H! Other than slowly reducing you Effexor intake, have you used the same supplement regimen throughout? I'd like to get started on that whilst waiting for my doctor recommend a tapering plan. Thanks in advance
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1 ReactionHello @yanksterdoofus, I take a high amount of omega 3 and did some research after my doctor thought it was too high according to the Mayo pharmacist she checked with. I had to do my own research and found a couple of relevant sites. I think you have to be careful with Vitamin B6 amounts because it's a little different than the other B vitamins and can cause some toxicity problems for the body.
Mayo Clinic research recommendations for omega 3 oils:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil-alpha-linolenic-acid/dosing/hrb-20059372
Vitamin B6 Toxicity:
http://www.easy-immune-health.com/vitamin-b6-toxicity.html
John
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3 ReactionsI’d been taking the supplements for about six months prior to the Effexor tapering and I’ll be tapering off some of those supplements now that I’m off the Effexor. In another post, a user was concerned about the amount of B6 I am taking. My doctor increased the B6 from 25mg 2x daily to 100mg 2x daily as a short term increase. Since I will continue to take the L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan to help with dopamine and serotonin production, my level of B6 will be reduced back to the 25mg 2x daily.
I hope the protocol I used will be of benefit to you. I worked with my doctor the whole time and I’d encourage you to do the same. Everyone’s body chemistry is different, so it’s important to be working with a professional while tapering off a medication like Effexor. Best of luck!
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3 ReactionsI'm not sure what you mean about "supplement regimen"? I went from 150 mg to 75mg then down to 37.5. Week by week by week. I think the decrease was too fast. I have taken it for such a long time, my body needed more time to "detox" from each decrease. These drugs are nothing to take lightly, let me tell you. The side affects and anxiety will just about kill you....tread lightly and ask your doctor LOTS of questions and don't hesitate to question their suggestions. You know your body best....good luck.
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2 ReactionsThe key is to take a loooooong time weaning off of this stuff. My doctor suggested halving the dosage weekly. Now I'm finding out that was way too fast. In my case, I would think weaning month by month would have been better for me. The first couple of weeks I felt pretty well but once I was totally off of the Effexor, my world crashed and burned. I could almost stand the physical side affects but this anxiety is hell....and I do mean hell.....I have tried everything from meditation, vitamins, walking, listening to music....but nothing helps. It lasts for hours even with the Xanax and these "coping" skills. My advice to anyone who is on Effexor is to have a SERIOUS talk with their psychiatrist and ask lots of questions about how addicting it is.
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2 ReactionsThank you, Jim. I seemed to at least be able to move able a little yesterday. I had to run to the grocery store for dog food. I would starve but i can't let my Sadie Sue go hungry! I sat outside on the back porch for about 25 minutes with the sun beating on my face. It was only about 57 degrees here but the sun was warm and the wind was calm. It felt good to get out in the fresh air for a while. Every year I bake all the pies for my family's Thanksgiving get together....usually about 6 pies....pumpkin, pecan and apple. Homemade crust and all. This year is the first year in almost 40 years that I'm not going to be able to do it. I just don't have the physical strength to do it. I tried mixing up a batch of pie dough the other night and the anxiety was so bad......I WANTED to do it so badly and I FOUGHT like hell to try but it just wasn't going to happen. I feel so let down that the tradition I have been able to provide for my family for so many years and one that I truly looked forward to isn't going to happen. That only intensifies the anxiety...failure, failure, failure. My biggest problem in my life right now is loneliness. I retired after my son passed away and that was probably a curse. I just couldn't get myself together enough to work so I went on disability. I have been divorced for 14 years and never had a live in since. Dated a little bit but at that time, "finding someone" just wasn't that important. I felt like if things didn't work out after 30 years, I wasn't going to jump back in the frying pan. I was scared, I knew I would never live through that kind of heart break again. Then about five years later my son committed suicide. I watched him slowly self destruct with no help at all from his dad or other family members. PTSD wasn't even spoken about when he was discharged back in 2006. Gosh....I can't believe it's been that long ago....he enlisted in 2002.....15 years ago. I know I wasn't "over" the divorce when my son passed away. I was still in counseling over that mess. And when Curt passed away, my employer wasn't very willing to work with me about my grief. Some days I made it ok, others, I just couldn't function. I was grieving while trying to hold on to the only income I had. It took me almost 6 months to get disability and in the meantime, my house had gone to foreclosure and my car was just about ready to be repossessed. I had to stand in line the beginning of every month to beg for utility help and help with my medication. I don't really think my family had any idea what I was going through. They didn't have the means to support me financially, but they weren't there for me in my grief. I don't think anyone really knew what to do for me. I was so devastated. I isolated myself and took sleeping pills to stay in bed just about around the clock. That pissed them off but they really didn't do anything to help. "If that's how you want to live, then that's your choice." HELL NO IT WASN'T MY CHOICE. It's what grief and a abandonment do to you. I reached out the best I could but being single it was tough....driving to support groups in the evenings by yourself when you didn't really even know where you were going, usually being the "fifth wheel" as most participants were married couples. It was hard and still is. Every time I go to a therapist for help, I get this "deer in the head lights look" from them because I know they're thinking, "I don't even know where to begn to help this lady." The demons of suicide rear their ugly heads daily......
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1 ReactionThank you, John. I think that's the missing link in my withdrawal. The supplements that my body is craving. What is L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan? Are those antidepressants? It sounds like your doctor did a lot more preparation in your withdrawal than mine did. It's sooooooo hard to trust doctors these days! Like I said in my previous post, she weaned me off of the Effexor within 4 weeks with no supplements. I have read where alcoholics that are trying to detox take B vitamins to help with detox symptoms. I take B12 and Magnesium daily as I read those vitamins help with healing. The physical affects of withdrawal have wreaked havoc on my gastro system...which, that in itself, is hard to endure. I truly wonder if I'm going to make it through this. I'll tell you one thing, I will do MUCH research on any drug a doctor prescribes from here on out....including antibiotics, bp meds, etc. I feeling like a walking Walgreen drug store...One good thing has come out of the withdrawal from the Effexor. My bp is well within normal limits. It has gone from typically being 180-185/80-90 down to in the 120's but my lower number is still high....in the 70's. That was my real purpose in trying to get off of the Effexor. That and my gynormous weight gain and sweating. And the lethargy was almost intolerable. I didn't care about anything. I think one of the reasons my anxiety is so overwhelming is that for the first time in a long time, I realize how much of my life I missed out on while I was in the fog of the Effexor. I don't know how to plan a routine for the day because before all I did was sleep....sometimes 16-18 hours a day. No lie. I could not function and knew something was horribly wrong. When I started researching the effects of Effexor, I was scared out of my mind. I have read that in some cases it can take 6-8 months to totally be free of the detox symptoms. As long as I can see some improvement daily, I think I'll make it....but my continued grief over my son keeps me taking two steps forward and three steps back. I realize that I will live with that my entire life....but I just want to feel better to be the best mother I can be to my daughter. She is my rock....and I feel so badly that she has seen me go through all of this. Thank you for your continued contact and suggestions. God bless....
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2 ReactionsI experienced SEVERE dizziness if I missed taking my Effexor in the morning. To the point, I probably looked like a drunk walking through the grocery store. It scared the hell out of me. I almost fell down my basement steps one afternoon when I was taking laundry downstairs to do. It was almost like the feeling of being on a boat and then getting your land legs back. I would NEVER recommend going off of an antidepressant COLD TURKEY. We have NO idea what these drugs do to our minds and bodies.
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2 ReactionsThank you, thank you, thank you for your story about your experience. I, too, have turned to Our Lord for strength and persistence to get through this. And talk about determination! You got that right! It's NOT an easy fix by any means. I am currently taking 10mg of the Prozac daily with .25 Xanax to control the anxiety. I have never had anxiety like this in my life.....I, too, have totally cut out caffeine and SUGAR. When I was on the Effexor I CRAVED sugar in any form. I packed on 50 lbs in about 2 years. On a 5 foot stature it looked like I gained 100 lbs. My craving for the sugar has completely subsided except for an occasional ice cream! Like you, I would totally advise anyone considering taking any kind of antidepressant to do a TON of research before....Sometimes they can be a "quick fix" but the price we pay for that quick fix can really mess with your life....
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2 ReactionsDixie Sister, YES, high bp is a serious side effect of Effexor. Mine got up close to 200/90's. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. My PCP just kept changing bp meds with no results never putting 2 and 2 together that the Effexor was the real culprit. In my opinion, PCPs and psychiatrists MUST work closer together when they have patients on these medications. Good luck in your travels....keep the faith and keep in touch.
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