Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

I have been on only 37.5 Effexor XR for about a year, it is a wonderful fix to my bi polar mood swings and anxiety. But I am not myself... I had no highs and no lows. I am very uncaring about much of anything, I am not my fun crazy loud eccentric self anymore. My son would say 'mom youre just not fun anymore'. That made me feel horrible. My fiancé I feel takes it personal as I am just not sexually interested anymore. I cant be 'satisfied'. I'm never in the mood. I just always want to sleep. I haven't been able to get up at 5am anymore and go to the gym as I always did. I was always in the gym. I recently got engaged and have been planning our wedding. When I went dress shopping I wasn't really excited especially when I found the most perfect dress. I was like ehh. As if id rather be in bed sleeping.

Three days ago I decided to go cold turkey. I didn't think about a withdraw, at all. I just wanted to be done with the medication and be my old self even with by bi-polarness mood swings and anxiety. Today is day 3 of not being on that medication I have been having the worst body aches, head aches, dizziness, insomnia yet super fatigued, eye pain, stomach pains and just constantly in the bathroom as if I have food poisoning. I'm constantly drinking coffee, water and taking Imodium and Ibuprofen. But I am still in such a fog and I feel myself getting snappy with my fiancé. I'm praying I get through this because I just want to be myself again. But I am thinking I may have to just start taking them again 🙁

I have been on only 37.5 Effexor XR for about a year, it is a wonderful fix to my bi polar mood swings and anxiety. But I am not myself... I had no highs and no lows. I am very uncaring about much of anything, I am not my fun crazy loud eccentric self anymore. My son would say 'mom youre just not fun anymore'. That made me feel horrible. My fiancé I feel takes it personal as I am just not sexually interested anymore. I cant be 'satisfied'. I'm never in the mood. I just always want to sleep. I haven't been able to get up at 5am anymore and go to the gym as I always did. I was always in the gym. I recently got engaged and have been planning our wedding. When I went dress shopping I wasn't really excited especially when I found the most perfect dress. I was like ehh. As if id rather be in bed sleeping.

Three days ago I decided to go cold turkey. I didn't think about a withdraw, at all. I just wanted to be done with the medication and be my old self even with by bi-polarness mood swings and anxiety. Today is day 3 of not being on that medication I have been having the worst body aches, head aches, dizziness, insomnia yet super fatigued, eye pain, stomach pains and just constantly in the bathroom as if I have food poisoning. I'm constantly drinking coffee, water and taking Imodium and Ibuprofen. But I am still in such a fog and I feel myself getting snappy with my fiancé. I'm praying I get through this because I just want to be myself again. But I am thinking I may have to just start taking them again 🙁

I have been on only 37.5 Effexor XR for about a year, it is a wonderful fix to my bi polar mood swings and anxiety. But I am not myself... I had no highs and no lows. I am very uncaring about much of anything, I am not my fun crazy loud eccentric self anymore. My son would say 'mom youre just not fun anymore'. That made me feel horrible. My fiancé I feel takes it personal as I am just not sexually interested anymore. I cant be 'satisfied'. I'm never in the mood. I just always want to sleep. I haven't been able to get up at 5am anymore and go to the gym as I always did. I was always in the gym. I recently got engaged and have been planning our wedding. When I went dress shopping I wasn't really excited especially when I found the most perfect dress. I was like ehh. As if id rather be in bed sleeping.

Three days ago I decided to go cold turkey. I didn't think about a withdraw, at all. I just wanted to be done with the medication and be my old self even with by bi-polarness mood swings and anxiety. Today is day 3 of not being on that medication I have been having the worst body aches, head aches, dizziness, insomnia yet super fatigued, eye pain, stomach pains and just constantly in the bathroom as if I have food poisoning. I'm constantly drinking coffee, water and taking Imodium and Ibuprofen. But I am still in such a fog and I feel myself getting snappy with my fiancé. I'm praying I get through this because I just want to be myself again. But I am thinking I may have to just start taking them again 🙁

@mlbaier this seems to be true of many drugs. The dilaudid I was taking post knee replacement made my mouth terribly dry and also caused horrible constipation. I had to take miralax for relief.
JK

I have been on only 37.5 Effexor XR for about a year, it is a wonderful fix to my bi polar mood swings and anxiety. But I am not myself... I had no highs and no lows. I am very uncaring about much of anything, I am not my fun crazy loud eccentric self anymore. My son would say 'mom youre just not fun anymore'. That made me feel horrible. My fiancé I feel takes it personal as I am just not sexually interested anymore. I cant be 'satisfied'. I'm never in the mood. I just always want to sleep. I haven't been able to get up at 5am anymore and go to the gym as I always did. I was always in the gym. I recently got engaged and have been planning our wedding. When I went dress shopping I wasn't really excited especially when I found the most perfect dress. I was like ehh. As if id rather be in bed sleeping.

Three days ago I decided to go cold turkey. I didn't think about a withdraw, at all. I just wanted to be done with the medication and be my old self even with by bi-polarness mood swings and anxiety. Today is day 3 of not being on that medication I have been having the worst body aches, head aches, dizziness, insomnia yet super fatigued, eye pain, stomach pains and just constantly in the bathroom as if I have food poisoning. I'm constantly drinking coffee, water and taking Imodium and Ibuprofen. But I am still in such a fog and I feel myself getting snappy with my fiancé. I'm praying I get through this because I just want to be myself again. But I am thinking I may have to just start taking them again 🙁

I have been on only 37.5 Effexor XR for about a year, it is a wonderful fix to my bi polar mood swings and anxiety. But I am not myself... I had no highs and no lows. I am very uncaring about much of anything, I am not my fun crazy loud eccentric self anymore. My son would say 'mom youre just not fun anymore'. That made me feel horrible. My fiancé I feel takes it personal as I am just not sexually interested anymore. I cant be 'satisfied'. I'm never in the mood. I just always want to sleep. I haven't been able to get up at 5am anymore and go to the gym as I always did. I was always in the gym. I recently got engaged and have been planning our wedding. When I went dress shopping I wasn't really excited especially when I found the most perfect dress. I was like ehh. As if id rather be in bed sleeping.

Three days ago I decided to go cold turkey. I didn't think about a withdraw, at all. I just wanted to be done with the medication and be my old self even with by bi-polarness mood swings and anxiety. Today is day 3 of not being on that medication I have been having the worst body aches, head aches, dizziness, insomnia yet super fatigued, eye pain, stomach pains and just constantly in the bathroom as if I have food poisoning. I'm constantly drinking coffee, water and taking Imodium and Ibuprofen. But I am still in such a fog and I feel myself getting snappy with my fiancé. I'm praying I get through this because I just want to be myself again. But I am thinking I may have to just start taking them again 🙁

Hi all, There has been a lot of discussion in this thread about tapering off and stopping Effexor and other antidepressants. We sought the input of a Mayo Clinic pharmacist and here what she had to say:

"Most antidepressants should be tapered before discontinuing. Patients should check with their healthcare provider for discontinuation recommendations. Taper directions can depend on the reason for discontinuation, the particular antidepressant being discontinued, the current dose and other patient-specific factors. Abrupt discontinuation of venlafaxine is more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms and relapse than many other antidepressants because of its short half-life. Likewise, strategies for switching between antidepressants require similar consideration from a care provider. Here at Mayo Clinic, we pharmacists work together with physicians to help determine the best strategies for each patient.

Patients may decide to discontinue their antidepressants for a variety of reasons. Some people feel better after taking an antidepressant and may feel they don’t need it anymore. The course of antidepressant therapy varies. Some people have lifelong mood symptoms that can be alleviated with antidepressants. Others may have difficult times in their lives where treatment is required while they work through the situation and/or find other mechanisms to alleviate symptoms. A clinician can help patients determine the appropriate treatment course based on patient history, symptom severity and other patient-specific factors.

Some patients may experience side effects. Management of side effects depends on their severity, expected duration, other options and patient-specific factors. For example, many patients experience stomach upset when starting antidepressants, but this is usually short-lived, and the benefits of continuing treatment usually outweigh the risk of stopping the antidepressant or having the same effects with another anti-depressant.

“Cold turkey” discontinuation of venlafaxine can cause agitation, sweating, fatigue, nausea, restlessness, tremor and relapse of depression. A slow taper is recommended, and tapering may need to be adjusted based on patient-specific factors listed above and for patient response to the taper.

Genetics play a major role in our response to venlafaxine. People with poor 2D6 metabolizer status may not respond to venlafaxine and thus may not be subject to the same withdrawal symptoms as those who were metabolizing the drug properly. Routine genotype testing is not routinely recommended but could explain lack of response to venlafaxine and certain other medications. Mayo Clinic offers this type of pharmacogenetics testing that can be ordered by our providers. For more information see: http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/center-for-individualized-medicine/

The most important thing to remember is that each patient is different and may respond differently to the same treatment. We have to communicate openly with our healthcare providers to get the most from our medications. Sometimes this entails some trial and error, but it is worth getting the right therapy in the end.

You can read more about Pharmacogenomics in this article https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/depressed-genetics-affect-how-drugs-work/."

Has anyone had genetic testing that altered their treatment plan or improved their condition?

Hi all, There has been a lot of discussion in this thread about tapering off and stopping Effexor and other antidepressants. We sought the input of a Mayo Clinic pharmacist and here what she had to say:

"Most antidepressants should be tapered before discontinuing. Patients should check with their healthcare provider for discontinuation recommendations. Taper directions can depend on the reason for discontinuation, the particular antidepressant being discontinued, the current dose and other patient-specific factors. Abrupt discontinuation of venlafaxine is more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms and relapse than many other antidepressants because of its short half-life. Likewise, strategies for switching between antidepressants require similar consideration from a care provider. Here at Mayo Clinic, we pharmacists work together with physicians to help determine the best strategies for each patient.

Patients may decide to discontinue their antidepressants for a variety of reasons. Some people feel better after taking an antidepressant and may feel they don’t need it anymore. The course of antidepressant therapy varies. Some people have lifelong mood symptoms that can be alleviated with antidepressants. Others may have difficult times in their lives where treatment is required while they work through the situation and/or find other mechanisms to alleviate symptoms. A clinician can help patients determine the appropriate treatment course based on patient history, symptom severity and other patient-specific factors.

Some patients may experience side effects. Management of side effects depends on their severity, expected duration, other options and patient-specific factors. For example, many patients experience stomach upset when starting antidepressants, but this is usually short-lived, and the benefits of continuing treatment usually outweigh the risk of stopping the antidepressant or having the same effects with another anti-depressant.

“Cold turkey” discontinuation of venlafaxine can cause agitation, sweating, fatigue, nausea, restlessness, tremor and relapse of depression. A slow taper is recommended, and tapering may need to be adjusted based on patient-specific factors listed above and for patient response to the taper.

Genetics play a major role in our response to venlafaxine. People with poor 2D6 metabolizer status may not respond to venlafaxine and thus may not be subject to the same withdrawal symptoms as those who were metabolizing the drug properly. Routine genotype testing is not routinely recommended but could explain lack of response to venlafaxine and certain other medications. Mayo Clinic offers this type of pharmacogenetics testing that can be ordered by our providers. For more information see: http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/center-for-individualized-medicine/

The most important thing to remember is that each patient is different and may respond differently to the same treatment. We have to communicate openly with our healthcare providers to get the most from our medications. Sometimes this entails some trial and error, but it is worth getting the right therapy in the end.

You can read more about Pharmacogenomics in this article https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/depressed-genetics-affect-how-drugs-work/."

Has anyone had genetic testing that altered their treatment plan or improved their condition?

Hi there, I took this drug for several years. During that time I occasionally went on "drug holidays"; a short period of time when I would "detox" from all medications. It may sound scary, depending on how many medications you use and your lifestyle, but it was something I decided to do to cleanse my organs (and brain!) of the toxic drugs used to help me. Once every seven years, I go on a four month "drug holiday" and while this might require a few days in hospital at first, it most often does not if done carefully at home and a friend stays a night or two in the event of a seizure. Depending on your employment/family situation (obligations) the very BEST cure for getting off of this type of medication is SLEEP! After that, light massage to the extremities and warm/hot baths (not showers) with Epsom, LOW LIGHTS, aromas that are pleasing to you, avoiding ALL STIMULANTS in diet (caffeine; in drinks and FOOD), and spending time with PETS (cats purring are nice). Avoid television if it affects your vision (blinking/blurring/dizziness) use instead soft music and radio. AVOID COMPUTER screens unless they are opaque and LOW LIGHT, avoid video/fast-moving images for a few days. After a week or so the "brain zaps" will slow, walls stop wabbling and hands stop shaking. A well-balanced moderately high carbohydrate diet during the first few days helps; pasta and potatoes with lots of vegetables, chicken, fish, TURKEY and some indulgent sauces salads and whole grain breads and a well-made slice of cake (but DO NOT overdo the refined sugar!). Walks, yoga and light dance (if you aren't falling over with dizziness) are good but I found that distracting myself with mundane, simple household chores; laundry, cooking, ironing, polishing silverware, grooming pets, peeling vegetables for large soups and stews to share with the neighbours were the BEST therapies to get through those first long days of near agony when it seems every synapse is misfiring. I am in my mid-fifties and while I've enjoyed a variety of music, play the piano and sing, I found the "Trance" genre of music awfully soothing when I couldn't sleep and was so nauseous I thought I'd toss every thirty seconds. I wish you the very best and hope something I've mentioned might offer a little relief. KL.