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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (6363)Comment receiving replies
Hi, @notaround, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. If you've not had the opportunity to do so, reading through some of the past posts in this discussion about going off of venlafaxine may be insightful.
Just wanted to learn a little more. I believe you are saying that ideally, rather than go off of venlafaxine, you'd like to stay on the medication, and that you are trying to see if your primary care provider would take over this prescription that was formerly managed by the psychiatrist? If so, does he or she require a visit for an assessment of your current status prior to him or her taking on the prescription and calling it in for you to the pharmacy?
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@lisalucier No, I want off venlafaxine. It hasn't worked for my depression for a long time and for the past year I've been taking it only to avoid the withdrawal. The side effects aren't immediately serious but I recently realized that the persistent extreme fatigue and sleepiness I've been trying to get my doctor and psychiatrist to address for over a year might be caused by the med - it's on the label even but no one said it's possible as a cause. I don't trust doctors anymore. I've been burned too many times now. It feels like all mine do is bill me and tell me I have depression. I know that! I want to actually live instead of struggling through every hour of every day.
It's just worse because I'm tapering very fast since I can't seem to get refills, rather than by choice. I haven't heard anything from my PCP. No response in almost two weeks.
I'm scared because twice now I've had severe problems with withdrawal. Once I stayed at a friend's house for a holiday for 2 days and after 48 hours, I started to go into medical shock and was pretty sure I was dying (nothing at all like a panic attack). Recently, I had a small seizure and smell hallucinations. The recent event was from stepping down to 75mg suddenly from 150mg. I don't want to lose what little dignity I have.
I have read several pages of this thread (the oldest ten or so and the most recent 5 or so). It seems like the people who succeeded all had a cooperative doctor (and the financial ability to see them) and support, usually from a spouse. I want to know if I can do this without having those. Or maybe I'm doomed to fail.