← Return to Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

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@saku

I was on 75 mg daily for well over 20 years. I had tried the Drs. Suggestions about going to 37.5 for 2 weeks and then stopping which was, as most of you know, inefficient to say the least! I finally opened the capsules and took out about 5 pellets at a time. All went pretty well until the very end ( after a year). It seems that now I am completely off them I am having headaches daily, am anxious and cry easily. Why now when it did not happen during the year I was reducing dosage. The final month I was down to 5 pellet dosage so it was really gradual. Any suggestions. I purchased a CBT workbook this weekend

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Replies to "I was on 75 mg daily for well over 20 years. I had tried the Drs...."

@saku
I did not have any difficulty with withdrawal until 6.5 weeks AFTER my last tapered dose. Effexor/venlafaxine gets stored in fatty tissue all over your body and I think it took 6.5 weeks for my body to use up all the bits in all the nooks and crannies. Like you I was not on that much (25mg) for a long time (18 years). The anxiety, akathisia and irritability were very not like me, so I knew it was discontinuation syndrome/withdrawal effect. You can click on my name and read back through my posts to see what supplements I am taking; they help tremendously--especially Lidtke tryptophan (cannot be taken while on Effexor) and GABA. It's been 10 months since my last dose of Effexor and even with the supplements, I have some days when anxiety and akathisia break through--weekends are really tough; I need distraction, not contemplation. Also, be mindful of what you watch on TV, read, or listen to--some things are just too agitating. It is getting better--I feel "normal" most of the time; it helps to know that for some of us, recovery (PAWS--post-acute withdrawal syndrome--https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/post-acute-withdrawal.htm) can be as long as a couple of years.

Big question for me is how long have you've been completely off the meds? From what I've been told, it takes 1-2w to not feel any more withdrawal symptoms. Also, the med has a long release/life cycle, meaning it still in your system after you stop.