Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@taylorwatkins13

Your name rings a bell, I might have replied to you. I looked back but didn’t find your post. I’ll have to make a more intense look later.
I too was depressed, at least that’s what my doctor said. I always had a handle on my emotions but while reading a letter I started to cry and cry again while watching a sad movie. First let me say I understand people are unique and some need alternative therapies. I was criticized for saying this in the past but I sincerely believe it to be true so here goes. A UPS man delivered a package to me and we were talking about depression. His son was depressed. He told his son “You have a choice, you can be happy or sad, it’s up to you.” I truly believe that’s true. I thought hard about that and stopped my medication. I feel you need to believe in yourself and have confidence. I feel when you dwell on yourself you’re going to be miserable and/or unhappy. When I developed Epilepsy which was very severe from day one I didn’t have my emotions in order and had a nervous breakdown. I kicked holes in nearly all doors in the house, painted my bedroom black, threw my TV out my bedroom window and it only got worse from there. I was a raving lunatic. My parents took me to a couple Psychiatrists but nothing helped until my Dad got fed up. After he fixed all the doors the window, helped me repaint my room and even bought me a new TV which I certainly didn’t deserve. Then he sat me down (Probably not to gently either) and told me “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.” Maybe your family needs to tell you “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.”
Were you once social and withdrew from that? Were you always depressed? You must know why it’s hard to make it threw the day. Maybe you do need to see a doctor. You might need medication to get over the hump but don’t keep taking it and using it as a crutch. Your going to have to face your problems. You have no choice about that if you ever expect to regain true happiness. Remember, you only get out of life what you’re willing to put into it. Don’t be afraid to ask God for help, “With Him all things are Possible.” I’m sure you know how to be happy and I have faith that you’ll succeed. Please keep us informed.
Wishing you the best health and happiness ever!!!

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

Hello. I'm a brand new member. I am on 2 different meds for depression, and anxiety. I see my doctor in two weeks. I am going to talk to her about getting off these meds I've been on for one year. I read so many of the replys and I'm very nervous. I was going through alot when I was originally placed on these meds. I believe that they definitely saved me, but I'm hoping I no longer need them. I will keep you posted. I'm happy I found this group.

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

@taylorwatkins13

Your name rings a bell, I might have replied to you. I looked back but didn’t find your post. I’ll have to make a more intense look later.
I too was depressed, at least that’s what my doctor said. I always had a handle on my emotions but while reading a letter I started to cry and cry again while watching a sad movie. First let me say I understand people are unique and some need alternative therapies. I was criticized for saying this in the past but I sincerely believe it to be true so here goes. A UPS man delivered a package to me and we were talking about depression. His son was depressed. He told his son “You have a choice, you can be happy or sad, it’s up to you.” I truly believe that’s true. I thought hard about that and stopped my medication. I feel you need to believe in yourself and have confidence. I feel when you dwell on yourself you’re going to be miserable and/or unhappy. When I developed Epilepsy which was very severe from day one I didn’t have my emotions in order and had a nervous breakdown. I kicked holes in nearly all doors in the house, painted my bedroom black, threw my TV out my bedroom window and it only got worse from there. I was a raving lunatic. My parents took me to a couple Psychiatrists but nothing helped until my Dad got fed up. After he fixed all the doors the window, helped me repaint my room and even bought me a new TV which I certainly didn’t deserve. Then he sat me down (Probably not to gently either) and told me “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.” Maybe your family needs to tell you “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.”
Were you once social and withdrew from that? Were you always depressed? You must know why it’s hard to make it threw the day. Maybe you do need to see a doctor. You might need medication to get over the hump but don’t keep taking it and using it as a crutch. Your going to have to face your problems. You have no choice about that if you ever expect to regain true happiness. Remember, you only get out of life what you’re willing to put into it. Don’t be afraid to ask God for help, “With Him all things are Possible.” I’m sure you know how to be happy and I have faith that you’ll succeed. Please keep us informed.
Wishing you the best health and happiness ever!!!

@taylorwatkins13

Your name rings a bell, I might have replied to you. I looked back but didn’t find your post. I’ll have to make a more intense look later.
I too was depressed, at least that’s what my doctor said. I always had a handle on my emotions but while reading a letter I started to cry and cry again while watching a sad movie. First let me say I understand people are unique and some need alternative therapies. I was criticized for saying this in the past but I sincerely believe it to be true so here goes. A UPS man delivered a package to me and we were talking about depression. His son was depressed. He told his son “You have a choice, you can be happy or sad, it’s up to you.” I truly believe that’s true. I thought hard about that and stopped my medication. I feel you need to believe in yourself and have confidence. I feel when you dwell on yourself you’re going to be miserable and/or unhappy. When I developed Epilepsy which was very severe from day one I didn’t have my emotions in order and had a nervous breakdown. I kicked holes in nearly all doors in the house, painted my bedroom black, threw my TV out my bedroom window and it only got worse from there. I was a raving lunatic. My parents took me to a couple Psychiatrists but nothing helped until my Dad got fed up. After he fixed all the doors the window, helped me repaint my room and even bought me a new TV which I certainly didn’t deserve. Then he sat me down (Probably not to gently either) and told me “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.” Maybe your family needs to tell you “How the Cow ate the Cabbage.”
Were you once social and withdrew from that? Were you always depressed? You must know why it’s hard to make it threw the day. Maybe you do need to see a doctor. You might need medication to get over the hump but don’t keep taking it and using it as a crutch. Your going to have to face your problems. You have no choice about that if you ever expect to regain true happiness. Remember, you only get out of life what you’re willing to put into it. Don’t be afraid to ask God for help, “With Him all things are Possible.” I’m sure you know how to be happy and I have faith that you’ll succeed. Please keep us informed.
Wishing you the best health and happiness ever!!!

Hello. I'm a brand new member. I am on 2 different meds for depression, and anxiety. I see my doctor in two weeks. I am going to talk to her about getting off these meds I've been on for one year. I read so many of the replys and I'm very nervous. I was going through alot when I was originally placed on these meds. I believe that they definitely saved me, but I'm hoping I no longer need them. I will keep you posted. I'm happy I found this group.