Effexor Withdrawal Side Effects

Thanks so much for your reply. I should have also mentioned that I really can't reduce my effexor slowly due to the fact that it has caused liver damage. I need to discontinue ASAP. I actually had a liver biopsy today to determine the extent of the damage. This is all so scary and I appreciate you saying it will get better. Sometimes, it sure doesn't feel like it!

You are so brave! I've been on Effexor XR for twenty (or more?) years and at this point going off of it has not even become a discussion with my psychiatrist or therapist. If I forget to take it immediately after waking, I definitely notice within a few hours. Brain zaps, very strange yawning, feeling a bit faint.

I am trying to taper off effexor, I am prescribed alprazolam.25mg as I take as needed, not often. Have you tried benzodiazepines to help Withdrawal?

The doctors won't let me take anything right now, because nearly all meds are metabolized by the liver. I can't believe this is my life right now.

Oh no, I have not talked to my doctor yet, I had been really sick with RSV and kept forgetting to take my nighttime effexor. I also take tramadol for severe back pain that does help. I can't believe the doctor won't give you anything, my bff wanted off effexor and her doctor have her welbutrin. Prayers for you

It’s sad but encouraging reading other people’s experiences with Effexor, I’ve been on 150mg twice daily for near ten years for depression and had no idea how huge that dose was. I’ve been dealing with Bruxism or grinding my teeth/clinching my jaw in my sleep and migraines for years as well and recently discovered theyre connected to high doses of Effexor. I’ve been hesitant to consider lowering the dosage because of the side effects of accidentally missing a day or two the bad headaches and shocks in my brain I get, but perhaps just a very prolonged decrease will do the trick

I wanted to give an update and just say to everyone to hang in there!! Get the support you need and keeping pushing yourself--fight! Tapering off the effexor was one of the best and one of the worst things I've ever done! The journey can be difficult but also, very freeing! I am just now feeling more and more like myself after six months and still imagine I will continue to improve. It has been an emotional ride. But, I have used the book/workbook by Craig Groeschel, "Winning the War in Your Mind". It has been a tremendous help and I have had success using some of the tools he mentions such as "framing, reframing and preframing". He explains information about how our amygdala and prefrontal cortex work in controlling our mind and our emotional responses. I don't know about you but the more facts I have the better I understand how to heal my brain. Because, that is what you are doing is healing your brain and giving it time to reregulate itself. But, you must help reregulate it in a positive direction!! So repetition of giving yourself positive feedback, giving yourself lots of grace, taking care of your body through exercise(no matter how slow or out of shape you are, just move), and eating correctly and drinking lots of water--think about detoxing your body and breathing in good and exhaling bad! After a long wait, I was able to get into an Ob-gyn/Psychologist. She has been fabulous to recommend different supplements my body was lacking through doing the correct bloodwork. I had already been low on Vitamin D, but now also take a Super Vitamin B Complex, Magnesium Glycinate, Fish Oil(not krill oil), Calcium. I would recommend adding one at a time to be sure your body doesn't have any reactions to each supplement and to definitely speak to your doctor about how much to take--we're all different. Be sure the laboratories your supplements are made in are in the US and regulated by a third party. Try to obtain as "clean" of a vitamin as possible without all the extra stuff some companies add to them. We are now also looking at my hormone levels and trying to decide if I should try hormone replacement. The supplements my physician recommended all help the brain and help regulate mood and anxiousness!! BUT, besides the book, the supplements, a good doctor, ... obtain support from a counselor and don't be afraid to walk away from them if they don't understand what you're going through. I have tried four different counselors--only two of them understood the effexor withdrawal and believed me(unfortunately the first one died unexpectedly during this process). The other two counselors just wanted me to talk talk talk so they could psycho analyze my childhood. I needed a counselor who would not only listen, but also someone who could offer facts, concrete tools/skills to learn to regulate my brain again. As one counselor explained--the effexor controlled all the highs and lows in my life for years and now the brain without it, was saying "help!, no one is telling me how to react". Understanding that I needed to start telling my brain how to react and practicing, repetitiously practicing how to react has been the most helpful. My new normal going off the effexor, was to cry about everything--happy, sad, angry. This has been the hardest to fight through. Forgive yourself, give yourself grace and if you need a nap or time out to go for a brief walk, take it! Then start again. Give yourself small positive talks for achieving small things--take courage and take victory, don't be afraid. Mornings and evenings had been my hard times initially. And then there would be days, that all I'd focus on would be wondering when the anxiousness would subside, which as you know causes more anxiousness. But, I'm evidence of pushing through and you can do this too!! Make yourself get up and exercise--whatever you enjoy as a physical movement or come up with something new and joyful, like bike riding or dancing around your living room(physical exercise helpf increase serotonin which you need). The process can be a roller coaster, but hang in there. I have had a difficult time listening to and watching action movies and extensive drama shows. It was just too much for my brain. My brain had a hard time handling all the quick changes in emotion. I know this sounds strange and I thought it was just me reacting strangely, but I did find others who have had this same response off the effexor. One person said all she could watch for the longest time, was cartoons. So maybe be prepared to take a break from too much drama on the tv or facebook or the news--I'm just now starting to be able to handle listening to US and world news reports because I felt they were all doomsday reports. I have felt fearful about my children living so far away from me even though they lived far away when they were in college and now in there careers for some years. That fear is greatly subsided but I still need to be careful not to dwell on it. So get a good counselor and ask them to help you practice emptying your mind of negative thoughts and then telling your mind to stop, and move on to healthier topics. You can do this! Personally my faith in God has been helpful, but you will all have to decide what helps you best! I hope your families and friends are patient with you! Be patient with yourself and remember to celebrate the small hurdles! I'm now able to get up in the morning and feel positive about my day. I try to look at my schedule the night before and come up with at least one thing where I can focus my energy and have a positive outcome the next day! I hope this is helpful!!