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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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Aug 16, 2018

In reply to @maryathome "At what percentage drop do the withdrawal effects usually happen if you cut out 10% every..." + (show)

From what I’ve read most happen near the end or after it’s stopped. Many had no effects.
Jake

kbmayo | @kbmayo | Aug 17, 2018

In reply to @maryathome "At what percentage drop do the withdrawal effects usually happen if you cut out 10% every..." + (show)

I agree -- there are many variables -- but I'm tapering off from 150 mg, which is 486 beads, according to something I read on another blog (it gave the number of beads for 150, 75 and 37.5). I started off slow, with 20 beads/wk for a few weeks, then got impatient and started taking out 50 beads/wk (which is a little more than 10% of my original dose). I'm down to 245 this week and so far, no problem with the brain zaps, dizziness, etc. I'm tired, unmotivated, sometimes cranky, etc., but I think that's inevitable. (I don't always eat regularly either, so that could also be low blood sugar.) The way I have it planned from here on out is continuing to drop down 50/wk until I get to 45. Then I'll go down to 30 for a wk, then 25 for a day, then keep dropping down 5/day for that last wk until I get to zero. If that stops working ok for me at any point, I'll post about it on here. But so far, in terms of those god-awful, debilitating physical effects -- which I've experienced several times previously when I forgot to refill my scrip in time -- no problem. Knock on wood!!

Joanna | @maryathome | Aug 17, 2018

In reply to @maryathome "At what percentage drop do the withdrawal effects usually happen if you cut out 10% every..." + (show)

Last night I slept 10 hours (as usual). Started at 112 mg. Been around 12 years on 37.5 and increased 3 years ago to
112 mg. I also take 150 mg Wellbutrin.

I feel like I’ve been wasting my life away. I only do things when I have an appointment or a function or important errand to perform or the flowers I planted will die if they don’t get watered.

I know this is the beginning of my journey and have a long way to go. Four capsules remaining (105mg).
After that I move on to 97.5 mg.
I sit here unmotivated. I need to do some errands and housework but don’t want to move. Tearyeyed that I feel like a piece of furniture in my home. I take a good quality Omega 3, magnesium and B complex.

Once I get off these pills, will I get my motivation back.

lindaellenfrelk | @lindaellenfrelk | Aug 17, 2018

I too am in the process of coming off of a 30 year hate relationship With Effexor. As some of you did, I also tried to do it cold turkey and weening myself. I kept telling my doctor(s) that I was tired all the time and just plain blah. They answer was “take 2 instead of 1”. I look back now and think “really?”. Anyway, I found a doctor willing to send me to a psychiatrist in order to evaluate my state of mind and he agreed that 30 years was way to long since my reason for going on them had ended 29 years ago. He put me on a weening plan that we both agreed upon. During my 8 weeks of weening, I had no issues at all. 2 days after my last pill, the brain zaps began along with the demonic dreams. I have watched my diet and have been drinking plenty of fluids along with a lot of rest. The bad dreams have subsided although the dreams I do have are certainly weird. The brain zaps are still pretty intense but through this message board, I am encouraged. My psychiatrist said indeed, Effexor is the worst one to come off of. Best of luck to all of us in this effort to get back to living our best healthy lives,

lindaellenfrelk | @lindaellenfrelk | Aug 17, 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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I have a friend that swears by the powder “Calm” for anxiety and stress. I was taking it for a time and it did help. And for your sake, GET OFF EFFEXOR. Want even more of a reason? Go online and look up all the side effects of this drug. There are so many, they are listed alphabetically.

cherylannm | @cherylannm | Aug 17, 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.

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

Mardee

Jump to this post

I tried to write that they wouldn’t let me post ! The company should be put out of business...

Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Aug 17, 2018

@kbmayo

If, I were you I’d add those extra beads back in. Don’t be in such a hurry your symptoms will probably start soon enough, no need rushing them.
I have stopped many awful meds but I always stop extremely slowly and to this day I have never had any withdrawals. Have patience and I’d go very slowly especially with this medication.
I certainly wish you well and hope you report back and let us know how it went. That would be a big help for others.
Jake

cathy615 | @cathy615 | Aug 17, 2018

@maryathome

cathy615 | @cathy615 | Aug 17, 2018

In reply to @maryathome "At what percentage drop do the withdrawal effects usually happen if you cut out 10% every..." + (show)

@maryathome, I know /understand the feelings you are describing all too well. For me, part of the trick is figuring out if this is depression or what? And i dont really know the total answer. I was on the same drug combo of effexor and wellbutrin for about ten years. The last six months i had been put on Pristiq, a longer metabolizing version of effexor. But it suddenly stopped working and I was in a terrible state. Back then, I was originally diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and after menopause, major depressive disorder. I was on cymbalta, then vibryd, and then cymbalta again. So after 5 years of that, I had a full blown manic episode in 2015, at the age of 61! In retrospect, my Dr. thought I was actually likely to have really been bipolar type 2, and some changes in meds possibly would have prevented the mania. Tho it could have also been triggered in part due to steroid injections for my RA. I know this is all about me, but I am just trying to share that some of us face a lifetime of chronic mental health challenges and others have a more acute situation. So thats where the rubber meets the road: is it chronic? Is it the meds need adjustment or something else? 3 years later, I am still struggling to understand my own lack of motivation. Between that, RA, and aging issues, it's so complicated. Like you, Mary, i can also force myself going to/participating in a few activities but left alone, I have a terrible time getting myself to do Anything. Not cleaning or reading or crocheting or cooking or laundry. The t.v. is my constant companion! Not good. I wish you all the best on your journey!
Cathy

clevermom50 | @clevermom50 | Aug 18, 2018

OK...going to take a plunge....Went from 75 to 37.5, sat there for about 10 days and was finally feeling pretty good. Dropped last week to half of that(approx 19mg and each day took a little less than the last. Friday I would estimate my dosage was around 12-15mg. Have not taken today. Feeling the fog in my head a bit and some headache. Not nearly as bad as when I dropped to 37.5. I'm countering that with Omega 3, 5-HCL, St. Johns Wart, L-Tri and because I am actually ADHD, I take Lemon Balm (calming/focusing) every morning and Valeria Root at night (helps the sleep). Every time I take a step down, I come out the other side in a few days with more energy than I've seen in years. Been on Effexor XR 75mg for 10 years for anxiety that I was experiencing while living overseas during the war. Hmmmm....just a little anxiety with hubby never home, two babies in the house, me alone in a village by myself and noone to talk with from the American community and relying on public transportation....

Anyway, I'll get back to ya'll with an update as I progress through the day. I have a backup dosage of about 12 mg sitting in a glass ready in case it just gets to be too much, but if I can push through today, tomorrow will be a step better. Oh, have to ask about weight gain. In the past ten years, I've put on about 80 lbs and it just NEVER comes off. Should I be expecting weight gain or loss coming out of this mess? For the better of me, I'm accept if weight gain is part of the side effects, but my appetite seems weird. Sometimes I'm not hungry at all...other times, I'm beyond starved then end up over eating and feeling like I ate three Thanksgiving dinners in one sitting. Anyone else have this?