Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Thank you, I will!

@jamiejames

You mentioned anxiety as you are withdrawing. I found that taking CBD Living Water, or CBD tincture (oil) relieved my anxiety when I was withdrawing from Tramadol 50 mg. If you can take medical Marijuana in your state, get a prescription and buy CBD tincture that has 1/4 THC in it. It takes between 15 minutes and 2 hours to feel the effects, it just depends on your metabolism. Just a suggestion.

Ooh, good idea! I don’t think I can get a prescription in NY. Is there another way I can buy it?

@haleysmom
So glad you are home and things went well!!!!!!
Ronnie

I've read some posts that mentioned doctors prescribing some new med to begin before the taper was complete -- near the end of the taper -- so you could ask your psychiatrist about that. How am I feeling mentally? Good question! No anxiety and I seem to be getting a little more energy, which is a huge reason I wanted to go off Effexor. The others were that I was depressed, no motivation, felt everything was pointless. I wasn't suicidal, but I'd decided that if it was time for me to go, that was ok with me. (A bit of background: I've been on Effexor/venlafaxine for 25 yrs, put on it for depression, SSRIs made me feeling like I was coming out of my skin so my dr decided to try something that was completely new, I'm tapering off a daily dose of 150mg XR, but I certainly didn't start that high, it's been gradually increased over the years as it became ineffective.) I read the first few chapters of a new book, ``Lost Connections,'' where the author had gone through exactly what I was going through, and he talked about earlier research studies on anti-depressants which had been ignored. I read more about those studies and decided I'd had enough. (I especially liked ``The Emperor's New Drugs'' and ``Anatomy of an Epidemic'' as well as ``The Antidepressant Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Overcoming Antidepressant Withdrawal, Dependence and `Addiction.' '' Personally I certainly don't consider it an ``addiction'' -- having experienced addiction, I can tell you that it's a totally different beast!) Reading is one of my passions, so I did other reading, too -- googled a lot of information and found blogs on withdrawal which motivated me even more. Basically, I want my life back! The main symptoms I've had during withdrawal have been lethargy, sleeping lots and lots, a short temper and eventually insomnia (for which I finally started taking 3 mg of time-release melatonin -- it isn't hard to find -- I got mine at CVS). I've also taken various vitamins and other supplements and I drink lots of water to help flush out my system. Some depression, too, but that's nothing new. As my motivation increases, my depression decreases. Each of us has our own experiences as we taper, which is why it's been so helpful for me to look at the lists of symptoms and read other folks' posts. I've been gentle with myself, even pampering myself at times, and have been able to say no, no, no when asked to do things I didn't want to do or feel like doing. The house is a mess and so is the yard, but that's tough. I'll get to them eventually and heaven knows they aren't going anywhere. I've also tried to get myself to take walks and I've watched comedies on DVD/TV -- laughing is a hugely underrated therapy. I've discovered that whenever I actually laugh out loud, I feel better. (Norman Cousins, the late editor of Saturday Review, discovered this for himself, as he described in his book ``Anatomy of an Illness''). This is a loooong post -- if you've read to the end of it, thank you! Hope some of this will help!

@kbmayo
Wonderful post. Thank you so much! Your experience is similar to mine- 15 years (the last 10 at 225mg). I also read Lost Connections which inspired me to stop Effexor. I have had the same side effects since I started tapering, lethargy, sleeping, fatigue, quick to anger, I haven’t had the sleeplessness yet but have had headaches, nausea and serious changes in the digestive processes. Still, nothing unmanageable. I knew this process wasn’t going to be easy when I started it but it’s worth to get off the drug and have my life back!
I will look into the book you mentioned, The Antidepressant Solution. I’m at 37.5 AM and PM and am about to drop the PM dose. After that I will switch to the immediate release 25mg and start cutting those into halves and quarters as I get closer to the end.
I will look forward to your next post and how you are doing.

@jamiejames

I did some research on Google to find information about CBD use in New York. Medical Marijuana is legal in New York, but you need to contact a qualified physician to obtain your MM card. The conditions that qualify are being loosened all the time and most recently included "chronic pain" lasting more than 3 months as qualifying! That should be good news for many on these threads. I have included a link for details about the use of CBD in New York:
https://www.marijuanabreak.com/cbd-oil-in-new-york-2018-update (This is from July 18, 2018.)
You can obtain CBD Living Water online @cbdlivingwater.com, and it will be sent to you. I used that for my withdrawal from Tramadol. If you want something stronger, you will need an MM CARD which I think you may qualify for as it is ok'd for opioid withdrawal now. The link has a lot of good information on it about CBD and what New York is doing. I hope this information is helpful in you search for some relief from withdrawal symptoms.

@cherylannm
@haleysmom
From my post 8/13/18--In my research, one person going off Effexor said, "When I am nauseous, I hate to drink water, but I find that ice water actually helps my nausea as do hard boiled eggs."–https://forums.webmd.com/3/anxiety-and-panic-disorders-exchange/tip/92

When I went through chemo, I often would experience dizziness in the days following a treatment. I had been given medication for nausea, but since I didn't feel nauseated, I didn't take it. When I talked with my oncologist about the dizziness, he explained that the nausea medication worked on the brain and that I should take the medication because if I was having dizziness, I was having problems with my brain. Perhaps your problem is the reverse of mine then. You might not have ondansetron, or prochlorperazine handy, but you could try Dram*mine.

I actually have Dramamine and a prescription for nausea from another surgery. Today my withdrawal symptoms have been great. Just really bad pain from surgery today and one 3 wks ago. I'm hoping tomorrow will be the same.

@jamiejames
Your taper may be too much. The best advice on this site is to taper off slowly and to take as long as necessary to do it. Dropping 37.5 may be too big a drop too fast for you. Please read all the posts on this site for more information.

During my research, a writer pointed out that the doctors prescribing this stuff and helping you get off very rarely have ever taken the drug, or experienced withdrawal themselves and another writer (I think that one was a doctor) said in these situations (what you are feeling), the patient is rarely wrong.

"For some people, discontinuation symptoms can feel as if their depression or anxiety is coming back, and indeed, stopping your antidepressant may increase your risk of relapse. Because of this, it's important to distinguish between discontinuation syndrome and relapse. The biggest difference between the two is that discontinuation symptoms typically begin within a few days after stopping your antidepressant whereas a relapse normally takes longer to occur and the symptoms develop more gradually.

Another difference is that discontinuation syndrome often involves physical symptoms that aren't associated with depression or anxiety, such as dizziness, nausea, or flu-like symptoms. With discontinuation syndrome, the symptoms eventually go away, usually within one to three weeks, but if you're having a relapse of your depression or anxiety, the symptoms don't go away and may even get worse. Additionally, if you start an antidepressant again, discontinuation symptoms will resolve quickly, but depression or anxiety will take longer to respond."--https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-to-reduce-antidepressant-withdrawal-symptoms-1066835

I took Effexor for hot flashes because I could not take hormones to control them. I never had anxiety issues. Six weeks after slowly tapering off 25 mg, I began experiencing anxiety, fear, akasthisia, etc.,--all discontinuation effects. Effexor affects your brain and how your neurotransmitters work; it will take time for your brain and neurotransmitters to balance. Go as slow as you need to.