Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

I have been taking 37.5 mg times 3 once a day (112 mg total) of Effexor XR and 150 mg of Wellbutrin XL once a day for 15 years.

I went to a compounding pharmacy because I wanted to wean off slowly. I did the following:
4 weeks of 105
4 weeks of 97.5
I had no problems at this point.

When I got on 90 mg, after the 1st week, I’m now feeling down and very sleepy.
I take 1 Omega 3 and 1 Vitamin B complex once a day.

Any suggestions? I feel so down that I had to go to bed.

@maryathome
From everything I have read your body, brain and neurological system are going through a very stressful process. You should get as much rest as you can.

@maryathome
I had the same reaction at about the same dose level as you. I am now at 37.5 once a day and I have more energy but I have to deal with nausea, diarrhea and dizziness. tomorrow I go down to 25mg and who knows what will happen? I have learned to not be surprised by the side effects but all the reading and research I have done helps a lot to better understand what we are all going through. The best source of information has been a book recommended on this site. It is The Antidepressant Solution a step by step guide to safely overcoming antidepressant withdrawal, dependence, and ‘addiction’ by Joseph Glenmullen MD. It is an excellent book!
Hang in there. There is an end to this!

I have been taking 37.5 mg times 3 once a day (112 mg total) of Effexor XR and 150 mg of Wellbutrin XL once a day for 15 years.

I went to a compounding pharmacy because I wanted to wean off slowly. I did the following:
4 weeks of 105
4 weeks of 97.5
I had no problems at this point.

When I got on 90 mg, after the 1st week, I’m now feeling down and very sleepy.
I take 1 Omega 3 and 1 Vitamin B complex once a day.

Any suggestions? I feel so down that I had to go to bed.

Attached is a PDF file which details my plan for weaning off this terrible drug over a 20-week period, starting today when i reduced from 225mg ER to 150mg. After going down to 75mg daily, I will switch from Venlafaxine ER to regular Venlafaxine. I will also be taking Omega 3, fish oil, B6, D3, a probiotic, L-tryptophan and a multi-vitamin

My doctor also agreed to a Prozac bridge but advised that I wait until going down below 150mg and further suggested that I not take L-tyrosine.

Thoughts?

How do you wean yourself off if a 75mgcapsal is the lowest dose?

Thank you for posting @Sabrina

The idea of a compounding pharmacy is really a great one. It sounds like you're doing a lot to make sure that you're taking care of yourself. Sometimes feeling really sleepy is part of the taper process, as well as feeling down, and I think that going to bed was a really good choice you made. Sometimes sleeping through a lot of the hard stuff might not seem like it looks heroic to others, but it's not about how it looks, it's how you cope to make it through to the other side - and it sounds like you know yourself well enough to take care.

I think everyone's really different because the last dose I took was 37.5 on Aug 26 which is 17 days ago and I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms until Aug 28/29. I've been able to leave the house for a handful of hours each day but otherwise the nausea and brain flashes have kept me in bed / on the sofa. I can't even watch tv or netflix because the screen and movement makes the flashes worse. Some people have mentioned that exercise helps them but I feel more nauseous & get more brain flashes when I'm out walking and trying to get my body moving.

I've done much better by letting myself sleep a long time and when I feel tired, not forcing myself to stay away. Also soaking in warm baths, especially with a nice hot cloth over my eyes/forehead is really nice and keeps the brain flashes at bay for awhile. I haven't been hungry / able to stomach food until about 3pm in the afternoon, but I've tried to force myself to have a few crackers just to put something in my stomach earlier in the day if I'm up. Sugar has been really appealing (which is weird because I don't like sweets normally), so I've given into that a few times but the result is short term bliss and feeling more brain flashes later.

I took venlafaxine/effexor for 8 years for depression/anxiety. My whole taper schedule was not too well informed because my doctor basically just wanted to get me off it ASAP because my partner and I are trying to get pregnant, but if anyone cares to know:

225
187.5 (1 week)
150 (1 week)
112.5 (1 week)
75 (1 week)
37.5 (1 week)
0 (16 days so far. W symptoms started 2-3 days into 0)

Wishing you luck Sabrina. You can do this. 🙂

@maryathome
I had the same reaction at about the same dose level as you. I am now at 37.5 once a day and I have more energy but I have to deal with nausea, diarrhea and dizziness. tomorrow I go down to 25mg and who knows what will happen? I have learned to not be surprised by the side effects but all the reading and research I have done helps a lot to better understand what we are all going through. The best source of information has been a book recommended on this site. It is The Antidepressant Solution a step by step guide to safely overcoming antidepressant withdrawal, dependence, and ‘addiction’ by Joseph Glenmullen MD. It is an excellent book!
Hang in there. There is an end to this!