1. < Depression & Anxiety

Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Posted by richyrich @richyrich, Nov 2, 2016

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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tundra | @tundra | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

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I'm not sure you received my first reply. I would never do anything without first talking to my Psychiatrist. I had a genetic swab done last week and have my Psychiatrist appt on May 4th. I'm in tolerence so I"m struggling but I'm a fighter. I'm hoping to go off my Oxazepam by tapering under her care and using CBD oil to help me.

REPLY
lynnardgirl | @lynnardgirl | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

So happy you are looking into CBD oil it has saved me f om horrible withdrawals! Make sure you get CBD oil that is 100 % pure with out any other ingredients ok! You will be so amazed, good luck and you are on the right track! Ok

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lynnardgirl | @lynnardgirl | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

If you need anything please let me know ok! It took me a few months to get everything out of my system and finally today feeling like a a heavy burden has finally lifted

REPLY
tundra | @tundra | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

Did you come off Benzo's? Any advice of easing the withdrawals besides tapering off slowly?

REPLY
lynnardgirl | @lynnardgirl | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

No came of Effexor to fast, but so glad I had my CBD oil! Helped so much

REPLY
lynnardgirl | @lynnardgirl | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

Make sure you get full spectrum pure 100% CBD oil no added ingredients , there are a lot of different companies selling brands that have added ingredients that our bodies don’t need or want! Your doctor will know what is best!

REPLY
lynnardgirl | @lynnardgirl | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

If you want to talk more about CBD oil please send me an email and I would love to help you!

REPLY
tundra | @tundra | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years..." + (show)
@nanke99

Hi! I was on Effexor XR for a few years and got off it several years ago. It was a very difficult process, so I fully sympathize. You MUST wean off
VERY SLOWLY. I don't remember what my dosage was at the time (225mg?), but it took me about 9 months. Please do not let that long time scare you, it's worth going slow, that will be your biggest help w/ withdrawal. At the time I had a very difficult time finding any doctor with experience getting people off it.
Luckily I was advised to to find one and luckily I did. It is considered harder to get off than heroine. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you go as slow as possible. Mostly, I was moody/angry, had headaches, and some brain "shivers". The brain shivers I already had while on the meds.
I think we went down in 25mg increments over several weeks for each reduction. Keep us posted and good luck! Just give yourself some time and it will be over before you know it!

Jump to this post

Thank you so much...I needed your encouragent and inspiration

REPLY
GailBL, Alumni Mentor | @gailb | Apr 15, 2018
In reply to @nanke99 "Sure, my pleasure! I would not go cold turkey! Not just the pain but the mental..." + (show)
@nanke99

Sure, my pleasure! I would not go cold turkey! Not just the pain but the mental & emotional effects are unpredictable and could be dangerous. Do you have a doctor experienced with this? It is important to find one with specific experience w/ Effexor withdraw. When I did it years ago, there were very few, but now you should be able to.
What is your current doctor saying?

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You can also check with your pharmacist. They often know much more about how to withdraw from medications than physicians. I know you need to withdraw VERY SLOWLY from Effexor over as long as a year. Because of the way it's metabolized, it is extremely difficult to withdraw from. For that reason, you need to be under the care of a doctor and/or have the advice of a pharmacist.

I have used CBD tincture (oil) to help me withdraw from Tramadol 50 mg. I slowly cut back on the number of pills I took each day and even went down to 1/2 pill, and then 1/4 pill at the end. The CBD oil helped with the inevitable anxiety, restlessness and muscle cramps I was experiencing. I only buy CBD oil made from 100% Cannabis, not Hemp. It has a ratio of 5:55 THC:CBD, and it works very well. It does take up to 2 hrs to take effect after taking it under your tongue. For me it was effective after about an hour.

Also, for the person (@sadiesmom) taking Gabapentin to help, please be careful. For me it was harder getting off Gabapentin than Tramadol. I think that Gabapentin is really a bad drug, at least it was for me.

Good luck everyone getting off drugs. I have decided to stay on my Citalopram antidepressant for the rest of my life. I needed it and after I began taking it my panic attacks stopped. I've had no side effects and I am a better person with it.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

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fluffyfontaine | @fluffyfontaine | Apr 18, 2018
In reply to @carmel0corn "Finally Effexor free!!! It took me 1.5 months- started at 150mg and then removed an increasing..." + (show)
@carmel0corn

Finally Effexor free!!! It took me 1.5 months- started at 150mg and then removed an increasing amount of the tiny beads in the ER capsule. Week 1: down to 100mg Week 2: 75mg Week 3: 50mg Week 4- 25mg and then I finally just stopped last Wednesday

To say this has been a journey would be an understatement. I always took my Effexor at night and some days the symptoms would escalate right before it was time for my last dose. If I was having particularly bad vertigo or nausea I would increase my tapered dose just a bit to get through that day. I’m still getting brain zaps and vertigo but nowhere near when I first started tapering down. Insomnia is something new - I could sleep 12hoira a day on Effexor with no issues but now I can sleep just 5 hours and wake up feeling ready to go. My emotions are coming back full swing too HELLO THERE ANXIETY! It’s so bizarre having these feelings and passions return after a year of being on Effexor. My friends and family have been warned and I’m quick to let them know if I’m feeling anxious (mostly in the car).

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I've heard of other people decreasing the beads in their capsules. How did you know how many to remove each week?

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