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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JK | @contentandwell | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @jakedduck1 "@contentandwell You ask regarding Effexor “why are so many people so anxious to get off of..." + (show)

@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

grandmaR | @grandmar | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @jakedduck1 "@contentandwell You ask regarding Effexor “why are so many people so anxious to get off of..." + (show)

@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.

geez | @geez | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @coloradogirl "So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked..." + (show)

@coloradogirl

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

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That is the course I'm following right now to wean myself off of Pristiq. It's really hard getting off of this drug! Headaches and nausea!

tshere95 | @tshere95 | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @brightwings "Checking in. Feeling much better except for getting too hot yesterday helping to clean the ceremony..." + (show)

Where do you get your CBD oil and how much do you take daily?

tshere95 | @tshere95 | Jul 23, 2018

Will CBD oil show up on a drug test?

JK | @contentandwell | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @jakedduck1 "@contentandwell You ask regarding Effexor “why are so many people so anxious to get off of..." + (show)

@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

grandmaR | @grandmar | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @jakedduck1 "@contentandwell You ask regarding Effexor “why are so many people so anxious to get off of..." + (show)

@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

Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 23, 2018

In reply to @jakedduck1 "@contentandwell You ask regarding Effexor “why are so many people so anxious to get off of..." + (show)

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.

Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 23, 2018

@amalia78

Why are you increasing the number of beads instead of reducing them. Don’t you think you may have more side effects? If you do remove 20 why not take that dose for a week or 10 days before removing any more?

Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 23, 2018

Is ❤️Love ❤️ In the air Susie???

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