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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 3 hours ago | Replies (6412)Comment receiving replies
I just want to stress the importance of getting off this drug at a slow pace. 10 mg every 4 weeks works best. My only problem is not wanting to get out of bed and some anxiety. If you search my emails you will see that I recommend a compounding pharmacy. Some insurance companies will cover the cost. I’ve been on Effexor for around 20 years. Please take it slow.
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you are absolutely correct. I tried tapering (from 75 mg./day) over 3 months (but reducing the dosage by 18 mg. every 3 weeks). It was pretty rough. When I stopped all together on Monday of this week, I found I was experiencing nausea and brain shivers and fatigue like I had in the very early days. As much as I want to get off it, I realize slow and steady does the course. Fortunately I have not been on the XR so I can keep cutting the 75 mg tablets down into smaller chunks. I think I'm about at 10 mg. chunks which I will take for at least another month. At this rate, I have enough tablets for a year or more. I will take that long if I need to. I will increase the dosage slightly if I need to minimize the worst side effects. I am also trying L-Tryptophan, and a daily detox - not sure if they will be of any benefit, but it couldn't hurt. I am grateful for the information I have gotten here. I found nothing helpful in medical literature and my GP is clueless.