Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@ GrandmaR
Ronnie, thanks for replying. The only two side effects I get is depression and anxiety. I also don’t care how long it takes. I will stay at the dose I’m at until I feel good. Actually my doctor is young and a Family doctor and really doesn’t have a clue. I’m the one who tells him how I wish to taper. He wanted me to taper every two weeks. Mary

@maryathome
Hi Mary,
Your being very wise with your taper. Especially since you’ve been on it for so long.
Are you having any symptoms?
Wishing you good health and happiness.
Jake

@jakedduck1 Darn, I can only like this once! It's a real shame, though, Leonard, that you held back saying what you really thought. I am putting "Jeez almighty what kind of quack doctor are you going to?" on my fridge!

@merpreb Thankfully, I find there are many more really caring doctors out there than there are doctors who are concerned about power, but it is definitely an issue with a few.
JK

@sandij As I commented before, I have been fortunate with most of my doctors being caring and respectful. I'm sorry to hear that most of your experience has not been positive. They do always downplay what you may have read thinking it might not be from a reputable site but I always tell them that I am very careful about that. I go to the NIH site or the Mayo site. I find that Mayo has a really excellent site with information about just about everything. There are a couple of other reputable sites but they are not generally as comprehensive as Mayo and NIH.
JK

@maryathome
Good Morning!
I'm with you! Read your own body and do what works for you! As I said before, when docs give you advice about how to taper off, I believe they give us the 'book' answers. After all, unless they have gone through it themselves, how can they possibly know? Wouldn't it be nice that after they make their recommendation that they say, 'however, if you don't feel comfortable, wait until you do.' I think in that way, many of us would not feel pressured to reduce at the pace the doctor gives.

Have a wonderful day!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@contentandwell
Hello there JK,
Oh yeah right, and his/her name is..............
I see your having a nice delusional day.
Jake

@texasduchess
Howdy Tex, how ya’ll doin back younder?
Hahaha!!! Your a kick Tex. I would have liked too but I’ve been in enough trouble lately. If I really said what I sometimes think needs to be said, heads would roll (mine) I’d be kicked outta here in a New York minute. Someone said I wasn’t compassionate awhile back, imagine that. I took a little offense to it at the time but maybe I need to give it a rethink, well maybe??????
I visited friends in Holiday in 1984. Have to admit the people are friendly in Texas. Waitress sat down at our table, introduced herself, talked to us and wrote our names upside down. I was quite impressed but I’m from California so any act of kindness is impressive. Restaurants here it’s more like sit down, order quick eat fast and get out.
Have a good ole day thar Tex,
Jake

@shellyz
Good Morning!
I am so sorry you are going through such a bad withdrawal. Seems to me that your doc cut your dosage too much, too fast. You have been cut almost 50% in one shot. That, in my opinion is not only cruel, but dangerous.
First off, I was told when I reached 300 mg a day, that was the highest recormmended dosage (and you took a dosage that was doubled that).
I understand your insurance issue. I am surely not in the medical field, but may I suggest that if you still have some of your other pills left, that you use them to reduce your dosage. Or, ask your doctor for something else to supplement your Effexor dosage.
As frame as reference, I can tell you that I have been on 300 mg (I take two 75 mg tabs in the morning and evening). I started by reducing one 75mg by 1/4. I took the reduced dosage every other night for 3 weeks. I felt fine, so now I am taking that dosage every night. My goal is 3 weeks. If I feel fine, I will reduce it another 1/4 (for a total of 1/2 of one 75mg pill) every other night for a goal of 3 weeks. If I am fine, then I will go to that dosage every night. Etc.

I do not have a goal as far as how long this process will take. The only goal I have is to get down to a reasonable dosage that will clear my head and keep my anxiety under control. I'm thinking about 37.5 mg, twice a day.

Good luck to you!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Welcome @shellyz. That is a huge drop, 1/2 of your daily dosage to start your taper. Perhaps he could supplement this with another type of antidepressant like Wellbutrin, or something like that. I'm not sure why he had you one such a high dose. Have you been chemically tested for other illnesses other than depression?