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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (6363)
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@notaround

Wait... Does that mean I'll be suffering from the awfulness of withdrawal for another TWO YEARS!? I'm barely coping as it is and I'm not even off the damned venlafaxine yet. Today and late last night have been horrible. I had to sedate myself. I'm missing work today and feeling awful about it. I have to get my life together now. Today. Not at some distant unknown time. I thought I just had to force myself to survive for another week or two.

Does anyone know if there is a way to stay able to work?

I keep pushing myself harder because giving myself a break doesn't help. Resting and "self care" can't keep a roof over my head or food on the table.

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Replies to "Wait... Does that mean I'll be suffering from the awfulness of withdrawal for another TWO YEARS!?..."
kbmayo | @kbmayo | Nov 16, 2018

What are you coming off? And what dosage? And what's your taper schedule? Two years??? Hell, no.

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texasduchess | @texasduchess | Nov 16, 2018

@notaround You may be tapering off too quickly if you're barely coping. You could go back to a higher level where you can function; stay there for some weeks, or more; and then, taper just a small amount. It's better to take longer to get off this drug, then to be unable to get off, or be miserable while tapering.

I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms while tapering (I did it very slow--took two months to get off 25mg); they started 6.5 weeks later--just learned about PAWS. They have improved significantly over the past five months. The supplements I'm taking helped tremendously (you need to be off Effexor for some of these) as has the passage of time. About four weeks ago, I realized that day I felt "normal"--it was so striking because I hadn't been feeling "normal" for months! Each day since has gotten better and I've eliminated one of the four doses of supplements I was taking each day. I will be eliminating another daily dose next weekend and see how it goes. The plan is to taper off the supplements slowly like I did the Effexor.

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