Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@jakedduck1
Good Morning,
My son works for Kaiser in Maryland. He is a nuclear med tech. He told me that Kaiser is like any other medical program. You have your good and your not so good docs. When choosing a doc, you have to research them.
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@cherylannm
Good Morning,
I am so sorry for the horror you have been going through.
Out of curiosity, if you wouldn't mind.
Can you share the schedule you followed to taper off?

Hoping you find good health soon!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Good Morning All!
After reading all that everyone has gone through trying to come off Effexor, I wonder if the doctors really know and understand what a good schedule would be to taper off the drug.
I know 'one size does not fit all,' but it seems to me that we probably need to come off even slower than the recommendation.
I have at least one surgery (the next one in 2 weeks) to have done before I even attempt to taper off.....One thing at a time.
As I have mentioned before, my psychiatrist is leaving so I will be looking for another one to manage my meds.
I will listen to this new person but my PCP tried to get me weaned off years ago on a schedule that was not good for me.
I am at the point that I am willing to take as long as necessary in order to try to minimize the impact of this this drug.
FYI.....I take 150 mg in the am/pm. I have been on Effexor for many years and this top dose for about a year.
The way I see it, I've been on it for years, it may take me a year or more to get off it.
Anyway, I am NOT suggesting this to anyone, I am just thinking, out loud, that this might be a good way for me to taper off.

Here is to a good day.......
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Good Morning All!
I received this article that I thought might be of interest.
I think this might be something that might help some of us as we try to taper off this drug.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/pet-therapy/art-20046342/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=managing-depression
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@youngsally
Good Morning!
I agree with you. I know that these doctors were not be malicious.
What amazes me, in general, is that the US takes so many years to approve drugs for use and yet they still approve drugs that can be dangerous and in some cases deadly.
I remember when I was pregnant over 40 years ago, they were giving moms-to-be drugs for morning sickness. They later found out that the children of these mothers were being born with all sorts of birth defects.
There has to be a better way to test drugs. I don't know what that would be, but there has to be.

Have a great day!
Ronnie

Yes the “bead” protocol had been used successfully by some. I found it a very frustrating and difficult way to titrate off this medication. In addition, as soon as you pop open the capsule and you have just the beads separately, you lose the extended release nature of Effexor XL, which is the form of the medication that most people are on. I know it seems counterintuitive to use one medication to get off of another, but as I have mentioned before on this post, I strongly recommend you speak to your physician about doing a Prozac bridge, which in my opinion is the best way to get off this very difficult medication.

Ronnie - are you taking immediate release - or XR? Also you are taking 150mg BID (2x day?).

As a starting point here's been mine: and I was taking 150mg of Effexor XR once a day for about 15 years.

Week 1: 112.5mg side effects - none.
Week 2: 75mg side effects - 1 day with facial numbing (fleeting)
Week 3: 37.5mg side effects - one night of crazy dreams - really draggy for a day.
Week 4: 37.5mg side effects - one day with nausea, dizziness and headaches for a few hours. However, may have been heat and/or allergies and that I hadn't slept the night before - so had about 90min of sleep in 24 hours (which was yesterday)

I am going to titrate down to zero on Monday or Tuesday and see how things go. I rescheduled my psychiatrist appointment today because I still have a lingering headache and didn't want to take the 90 minute commute in the heat both ways....also had spent hour on phone arguing minor legal process details with the person unlucky enough to have gotten my call - but who deserved it for hanging up on me last month 🙂 Actually - it made me feel better.

Ronnie -- It is the nature of clinical research. Even with our exhaustive drug approval process in the US - these drugs are generally still only being tested on a group of individuals in a controlled situation by physicians who are very familiar with the NDE (new drug entity)...and for a decidedly limited time (which varies by indication).

Side effects start to show themselves in aftermarket studies (phase 4 clinical trials) which are longer in duration....but then datapoints and trends show up once any physician can write a scrip for the drug....the drugs are taken by a wider variety of people in terms of age, health, gender, racial, ethnic factors and lifestyle differences. It can take a number of years before there's enough data (assuming it's reported back to the FDA or the drug company) indicating that there may be a problem.....and then if the problem is considered significant - there is a process to put warnings on the labeling for these drugs....but then that requires more testing.

In general, withdrawal from SSRIs/SNRIs by individuals without any significant comorbidities is safe - even if someone decides to go cold turkey (which isn't saying it's a good idea) -- but withdrawal can be unpleasant. Getting on these drugs can be pretty damn unpleasant as well....but that is a factor with many drugs.

I'm wondering where you found the information on the "change the extended nature" of the XR when the capsule is opened. In capsule forms the extended release is usually built into the bead coating -- the capsule disintegrates quickly. In tablets, where the extended release is built as a combination of coating and/or structures to the tablet (laser drilled holes or a gel matrix) - then one definitely changes the absorption rate if the tablet is broken in half or crushed. It's one of the reasons why there has been such a push to make opioids "tamper proof" - can't crush em and smoke/snort or inject them.

It's a minor point - and I agree that a bridge is an option for people...and bead counting is tedious - and difficult to do correctly every time.

Wow. You are really going fast young sally. I wish you all the best. I will be off soon too. Monday I will be down to 12mg for a week, then down to 0. I got very sick with nausea and insominia when I tried to go from 37.5 to 0. I am still waking up with an occasional headache lasting no longer than an hour. It will be so nice to get this monkey off my back.