Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@catamite You will make it, have confidence in yourself. I can only imagine how difficult it must be not having been on these miserable drugs myself, but there are success stories out there and you will be one too. The people on this topic are very supportive of each other so whenever you need to "talk" to someone I am sure they will respond.
JK

What caused you to go off the effexor?

@rschroeder The best advice on here is to slowly taper off the drug. It is easier to reduce your dose if you change over to the tablet form (which can be cut), or use a compounding pharmacy to make reduced dosages (costs some and may not be available in your area). Click on my name to read my posts for another way to reduce your dose by dissolving in juice. If a reduction brings on distressing withdrawal symptoms, go back to the previous dose where you didn't have symptoms and stay there awhile before attempting reduction again to not quite so big a drop. Hope this helps!

Actually, I had no good reason to go off it except that I felt 20 years of a drug was surely long enough. I also believed it would be kind of nice to be able to feel something again, to cry. I was beginning to feel heartless as I had little response to almost everything. I also thought maybe the drug was causing me to sleep so much of my life away. Well, now I cannot sleep at all and that's not working either. I am a zombie. The psychiatrist says maybe I should go on BUSPAR now? What is this drug? He says it has no withdrawal effects. I don't know. I am just goiing to see if I can work this out on my own. My regular doctor is very anal. She gave me 15 lorazapams, and said it they didn't last for 3 months I should go back on effexor. These doctors. I'm just not liking any of them.

Thank you JK. I appreciate your encouragement.

I’m wondering if you or anyone else had to take a leave of absence while getting off this drug? I could not function at my job when I decreased to 75 mg. I had to go back up. I’m afraid to try it again

@catamite
Re BUSPAR, contrary to what your doc told you it has been known to cause some of the same side effects as Effexor including brain zaps. However most people don’t seem to have any problems quitting. The reports I read did not specify how the medication was dicontinued although most experts don’t believe it makes any difference if it’s tapered or stopped abruptly. Although if your on a high dose it is generally accepted to taper. We’re all different and what works for one isn’t going to work for all. This is particularly true with BUSPAR. Good luck on whatever you decide.
Jake

@smurf
I don’t know what dose you were on or how much you decreased your dose but you obviously cut it too much.

Try decreasing it by
10-15% and stay at that dose for at least two weeks before you decrease it again. A compounding pharmacy could make tapering easier.

@richyrich
How have you been tapering? Probably too quickly.
Occasionally some side effects happen regardless of how slowly you taper. But very slowly is still the most successful method.

I have been off of it 3 weeks I still feel like shit My pharmacist friend told me that there are no real facts about seratonin deficiencies So I feel like shitno Doctor to trust and no one to tell How can so many people he so miserable Plus my pharmacist also said going back on this shit drug , that a psychiatric doctor put me on, won’t work the same. So yeah this blows