1. < Depression & Anxiety

Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Posted by richyrich @richyrich, Nov 2, 2016

I have been taking Effexor/Venlafaxine for years and tried to get off it a few times but each time I try to give up the chemical withdrawal symptoms are a horror story and I give up giving up. Anyone got any tips or tried and tested strategies? Thank you

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catbitess | @catamite | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @kbmayo "OMG I was talking to a friend about that last night -- after having to make..." + (show)
@kbmayo

OMG I was talking to a friend about that last night -- after having to make a phone cal to apologize to someone for my ``flash rage'' behavior!! It is a huge part of the reason why I've kept to myself as much as possible during my taper. Because I'm retired, that's an option for me, and I also told people when I started the taper that I was cutting off everything for the foreseeable future in order to take care of myself. So, yes, ``flash rage'' is real and for me it's a biggie. I'll be very interested to see if it stops or diminishes after I've been through with my taper for a while (I have about 10 days more before I finish the taper). Hang in there and best of luck!! I figure if I alienate everyone I know as a result of getting off this damn drug -- which I've been on for 25 years -- it will be worth it to have my life back!!

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I understand. I have been effexor free for a weak, and I really shouldn't be around anyone.

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1 reply
tonysdca | @tonysdca | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @maryathome "I just want to stress the importance of getting off this drug at a slow pace...." + (show)
@maryathome

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.

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1 reply
texasduchess | @texasduchess | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @renwald "I have been tapering off for close to a year after taking it for close to..." + (show)
@renwald

I have been tapering off for close to a year after taking it for close to ten years. 200mg reduces in quarter tablets over time. I want to be rid of this medicine given I don’t think it helps and if I were to ever have the supply unavailable then the consequences would be bad. I’ve tried cold turkey and it was appalling.

I’ve reviewed many statements about this medicine over the years and do not see a symptom that I assume runs with withdrawal. That symptom is flash rage. It’s the sort of thing that slips effortlessly in your mind and sits around all day waiting for someone to do something wrong. You feel it surge and know what’s happening but too late. You’re willing to stop from walking away and instead go back to just get right up in someone’s face (usually family) and transform from the gentle Dr. Jeckyl to Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jeckyl would not have had to look far to get a better transforming reaction. The change is exceptionally difficult to arrest even when I feel it lurking. It’s rare this pops up but it wouldn’t take much to offend family to the point where they wouldn’t want to be around you anymore. Any ideas on this symptom? I quit following all news of any kind and remove as much provocative stimulation as I can. But withdrawal from people is not really an option.

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@renwald
Irritability and rage are most certainly known Effexor withdrawal symptoms.

"Anger – Do you feel like you are ready to rage? This is likely a result of stopping your medication. You aren’t able to feel as good as you did on the medication so your brain is trying to compensate. This may make you become increasingly hostile and a tough person to hang out with for awhile.... Irritability – Every little thing may get on your nerves or ‘set you off.’ Try your best to relax and control yourself around others."--https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/03/12/effexor-xr-withdrawal-symptoms-how-long-will-they-last/

"According to Richard C. Shelton, M.D., a psychiatry professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, there's a name for what I was experiencing: rage attacks. They most likely result from decreased production of serotonin—the neurotransmitter that SSRIs [SNRIs also affect serotonin] increase in the brain—which can lead to aggression, says psychiatrist Steven P. Levine, M.D."--https://www.glamour.com/story/going-off-my-ssris-rage-attacks

Also--https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/3erkjn/weaning_off_effexor_extremely_irritable_and_angry/
https://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f30/effexor-withdrawal-will-this-go-away-55413/
https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/uncontrollable-rage-with-effexor-withdrawal

I certainly agree with your avoidance of provocative stimulation and news programs. There are some murder mysteries (books and TV) that are just too violent for me right now and I also found atonal, or music in minor key extremely bothersome.

It's not clear if you are still tapering. If you are, it sounds like you are going too fast. Usually when a taper is too much, the recommendation is to go back to the dose where you didn't experience withdrawal symptoms and stay there for a while before attempting another taper–usually to not such a drastic drop.

I tapered off very slowly from only 25mg, but had been on Effexor for 18 years. Six weeks after the last dose, I began having discontinuation symptoms. I am taking supplements (including l-tryptophan and GABA) which help tremendously, but when akathisia occurs, I've had to take Valium (prescribed for this).

Talk to your doctor about your rages. S/he may prescribe something to help.

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3 replies
cherylannm | @cherylannm | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @catamite "Cherylann, I am having the same symptoms. I am weepy and feel frightened a lot. Of..." + (show)
@catamite

Cherylann, I am having the same symptoms. I am weepy and feel frightened a lot. Of what, I don't even know. I have never been frightened before, ever. I have only been off a week, and I keep hoping I will even out. I came off very slowly. It took months.

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I think I went to fast and now it’s catching up with me. I wish I could sleep for a few weeks and wake up when it’s over.

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1 reply
catbitess | @catamite | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @renwald "I tell anyone contemplating anti-depres. Meds to avoid this one unless no other reasonable choice available." + (show)
@renwald

I tell anyone contemplating anti-depres. Meds to avoid this one unless no other reasonable choice available.

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This is a particularly bad one. My kids are telling me I look frail. I'm not eating on purpose. It's just that food doesn't appeal to me. I cannot tell if I am feeling sick or hungry. I am beginning to wonder why I decided to get off this drug in the first place.

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2 replies
catbitess | @catamite | Sep 21, 2018

I feel like I need a time out in a rest home. Someone to feed me, look out for me. I don't know if this was worth it, really. The crying jags are bad, the scary thoughts are worse.

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2 replies
renwald | @renwald | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @tonysdca "you are absolutely correct. I tried tapering (from 75 mg./day) over 3 months (but reducing the..." + (show)
@tonysdca

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.

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Gp’s are in a tricky position and would probably prefer a psychiatrist deal with it. If anyone takes more than two psych meds they prob should see a Psychiatrist who is more fluent in the interactions and withdrawals. Monitoring those meds is all they really do anyway in this day and age. My FP saw me every 3 months, asked how I was coping and reduced by another quarter of a tablet. He dropped it by half a tablet last time but I didn’t do it. I didn’t want the sudden wallop I would get.

Proper sleep, nutrition, stress reduction and modest exercise is a baseline for anyone disorder or not. After that, it’s the brain, body med combo for those of us dealing with conditions. This med can override all the above. How much worse for people who don’t meet even those basics.

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2 replies
renwald | @renwald | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @texasduchess "@renwald Irritability and rage are most certainly known Effexor withdrawal symptoms. "Anger – Do you feel..." + (show)
@texasduchess

@renwald
Irritability and rage are most certainly known Effexor withdrawal symptoms.

"Anger – Do you feel like you are ready to rage? This is likely a result of stopping your medication. You aren’t able to feel as good as you did on the medication so your brain is trying to compensate. This may make you become increasingly hostile and a tough person to hang out with for awhile.... Irritability – Every little thing may get on your nerves or ‘set you off.’ Try your best to relax and control yourself around others."--https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/03/12/effexor-xr-withdrawal-symptoms-how-long-will-they-last/

"According to Richard C. Shelton, M.D., a psychiatry professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, there's a name for what I was experiencing: rage attacks. They most likely result from decreased production of serotonin—the neurotransmitter that SSRIs [SNRIs also affect serotonin] increase in the brain—which can lead to aggression, says psychiatrist Steven P. Levine, M.D."--https://www.glamour.com/story/going-off-my-ssris-rage-attacks

Also--https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/3erkjn/weaning_off_effexor_extremely_irritable_and_angry/
https://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f30/effexor-withdrawal-will-this-go-away-55413/
https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/uncontrollable-rage-with-effexor-withdrawal

I certainly agree with your avoidance of provocative stimulation and news programs. There are some murder mysteries (books and TV) that are just too violent for me right now and I also found atonal, or music in minor key extremely bothersome.

It's not clear if you are still tapering. If you are, it sounds like you are going too fast. Usually when a taper is too much, the recommendation is to go back to the dose where you didn't experience withdrawal symptoms and stay there for a while before attempting another taper–usually to not such a drastic drop.

I tapered off very slowly from only 25mg, but had been on Effexor for 18 years. Six weeks after the last dose, I began having discontinuation symptoms. I am taking supplements (including l-tryptophan and GABA) which help tremendously, but when akathisia occurs, I've had to take Valium (prescribed for this).

Talk to your doctor about your rages. S/he may prescribe something to help.

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I’m glad you posted these because I never could find anything on this particular part of it. I’ve been tapering for almost a year and I am to the last quarter tablet. I’m guessing the brain isn’t going to be happy from here out. I cut out watching, reading and listening all news, especially politics. It would get me so mad it affected me and spill over into my interactions with others. It’s going to be tough to constantly pick up stressors on an early warning radar. I know about news and politics well enough but new ones are tricky.

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renwald | @renwald | Sep 21, 2018

Be sure you warn others away. Coping is hard enough. I kind of look at it as telling others it’s a nightmare and as close to addiction as you could ever hope to be. No nutrition will of course aggravate it. The brain chemistry is already in chaos but no nutrition or improper nutrition for normal brain and body...probably exponentially bad. I have no trouble eating and don’t ever think that will be an issue, but looking for adequate calories and concentrated nutrition might be a must if you’re not feeding your body. Even ensure is better than nothing or a prisoner of war diet.

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renwald | @renwald | Sep 21, 2018
In reply to @cherylannm "I think I went to fast and now it’s catching up with me. I wish I..." + (show)
@cherylannm

I think I went to fast and now it’s catching up with me. I wish I could sleep for a few weeks and wake up when it’s over.

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Double check with md. They might dial you back, so to speak, to get you a more gradual and tolerable withdrawal

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