I need some advice. I have been slowly weaning off 112mg of Effexor XR. I have been tapering by 10 mg every 4 weeks and have been doing great. At 90mg my mood changed and I started feeling down, so my compounding pharmacy told me to go back to 97.5mg for another four weeks and then back to 90mg for another 4 weeks. I have now done two weeks of 80mg and I’m feeling a lot of anxiety (especially when I’m watching t.v. or when I go to bed. I am also on 150mg Wellbutrin XL. My doctor had suggested I wait until I wean off Effexor XR before I wean off Wellbutrin.

I’m wondering if the anxiety is coming from the Wellbutrin, since in the past I was unable to increase the dose because it caused me a lot of anxiety and agitation. The reason I took Wellbutrin was because Effexor effected my libido. To sleep and relax, I need to take 2mg of Lorazepam, where in the past 1mg was sufficient.

Do you think I’m feeling anxiety because the lower I go on Effexor, the higher dose of Wellbutrin is making me anxious? Also, would it be better for me to stay at 80mg of Effexor and go no lower and instead wean off Wellbutrin; and if that takes away the anxiety, then I can continue weaning off Effexor? I hope this makes sense.