The easiest (and it's NOT THAT EASY) to get off of Effexor is to do it over TIME....and a LOT OF IT. If I had to do over again, I would take at least 6-9 MONTHS to totally withdraw from this drug. As I wrote above, the gastric issues I had in the three months my doctor reduced my dosage damn near killed me. In my opinion, this drug as well as Cymbalta, should be banned from anything living to consume.

@jakedduck1 I think people want to stay on them because being on them improved the state of mind they were in prior to being on them. I am sure they are afraid of their depression or whatever getting worse if they get off. How do people who do get off of them manage to function if they had trouble with functioning before being on these drugs? This is an area I am really totally unknowledgeable about but have someone very dear to me is on some of these drugs so I want to understand it all better. I would certainly not want to encourage a person to get off of them if their depression would get worse.
Does being on them long term deaden a person's emotions, making them sort of flatline?
JK

Yes, among other health issues....

@terri672 I presume your response is to my question about these medications deadening your emotions. Thank you for the response. When a person you care about is on medications of this type it can be very concerning.
JK

@contentandwell
Happy Monday,
I never knew about the side effects of taking Effexor until I joined this group. I've been on it for over 15 years. I started on a low dose which worked very well until my PCP decided I was doing well and should start to come off of it. I followed her timeline. I now know it was reduction of too much, too quickly. As a result, I had many of the same symptoms we talk about. I only got as far as the first step so I tried to add that small amount on and it didn't help. My therapist suggested I see the psychiatrist to monitor my meds. The psychiatrist told me that once you get off any amount of Effexor, you cannot get back on for about 6 months. As a result, we tried other meds and none worked. When I hit the 6 month mark, I went back on the Effexor. It never worked as well as it did the first time, but it was better than any other meds I tried.
Fast forward 15 years. I am still on the Effexor taking the max amount. I take 150 mg in the am and pm. I am NOT deadened by the meds. I still feel anger, sadness and nervousness. I think I am just more mellow and accepting. My hubby, who has not patience for people, tells me that nothing bothers me. Not so. I just keep things to myself that are not worth arguing about. Besides, I use this personality trait to try to calm HIM down.
My med levels were upped in recent years because of the impact of some events had on me. I have no doubt that the dosage helped me get through those difficult times. It is just sad we cannot take a bit more when we need it and drop the dosage when we don't. I actually have another med I take ONLY when I need the extra push. I rarely take them.
I do worry about the side effects. I find that my memory is SHOT! I remember nothing short term. I know it is the meds and not anything else. I do know that any med that effects your memory can become permanent. I also wonder if some of the side effects I have been feeling recently has anything to do with what I have read on this site. Sometimes I feel like I am taking on the feelings (positive and negative) of others. I don't know.
I do plan on having a discussion with my psychiatrist when I have my 6 month check-up. I don't think I am ready to start coming off of them, yet. I have some things going on that is very stressful and I need to concentrate on one thing at a time.

@grandmar I don't know how old you are but the loss of short term memory could just be an effect of age, not the drugs.

I have always taken on the feelings of others too much, too much empathy, and I have never taken any of these drugs. The only thing I take is ativan, approximately one a month when something is whirling through my head at bedtime.
JK

@contentandwell
Hi!
I am 63 yo. I know some of the memory loss can be from age, but it began around the same time as I started to take the Effexor.
I admit that I am on other meds that can have the same impact but at this time Effexor is the only one I technically don't need. So, as soon as I possible can, I want to VERY SLOWLY come off. I don't care if it takes a year, I will work on it.

RONNIE

I don’t know the answer to that JK. I assumed people only tried to quit because they wanted off them. My depression symptoms stopped so I got off them.

@grandmar
Short term memory loss was also a problem for me while I was on Effexor. Also, the withdrawal seems to have some temporary memory problems associated with it. Sometimes I have to search for a simple word that I’ve used all my life. And I know it’s not age because after I’ve stayed at a lower dosage for a week or two it goes away.

@danalee5
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION!
RONNIE (GRANDMAr)