Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Speaking of anxiety, when does this go away?! I have good days, then all of a sudden, I have anxiety and don’t want to do anything or talk to anyone! I want it to stop. I can be somewhere feeling fine, then anxiety hits me and I’m ready to go home and be by myself. I can’t have this in my work life or personal life for that matter. I do not want to go back on Ativan or klonopin.

Hey everyone. I'm familiar with tapering from effexor. I went from 225mg to 112.5mg about 4 years ago, it took about a year to taper down. I spent forever separating the little balls insides the capsule. Now I'm hoping to taper more to get off of it someday in the future. I went down by about 10% one day last week and it was instant flu symptoms and some brain zaps and vertigo. I reassessed and went down by only a few milligrams to be about 3%. I am at about 107% now so a 5% decrease in about 2 weeks. I'm staying at the same level for the better part of a week before I decrease the dosage by another few milligrams. I know it will take me over a year and a half to taper off this completely. I'm looking for some tips and help with how to alleviate the anxiety and depression I'm feeling and the symptoms that come with getting off these strong meds.

I currently separate each days meds by separating the tiny balls inside the capsule with a knife to take away a few milligrams. I've heard people getting small jewelry scales to measure the pills instead of doing it by eye, but I have't had any good luck looking online for a microbalance or a jewelry scale that measures milligrams accurately for less than a few hundred dollars. Does anyone have any good recommendations on scales to use? Also, I've heard about CBD, but have never used it. Would it be useful to use during my tapering or would my cannabis use be more or just as effective? Should I be taking Tylenol everyday or just days when I feel those flu like symptoms arise? Has anyone had any results using acupuncture to alleviate symptoms? Or what about people who are severely sensitive to these meds like I am where a 10% reduction isn't possible and slower tapering is necessary-any advice on how to do this in a manageable way that won't make me want to jump off a cliff because it's taking so long, but also a way to make it go as fast as possible while still enjoying my daily life?

@babydoll
Effexor affects brain chemistry--particularly the amount of serotonin available. Serotonin in the brain is thought to regulate anxiety, happiness, and mood. Now that you're off Effexor, it is no longer boosting the amount of serotonin available. I remember that you asked your doctor for Prozac after a week, or so off Effexor. Prozac can also modulate serotonin, but has a longer-half life than Effexor and takes longer to work, so yours is another steady state question.

https://www.justanswer.com/mental-health/53wzh-long-does-one-dosage-prozac.html--
"Prozac has a half-life of 4-6 days. That means one pill taken today will be 50% washed out of the body in 4-6 days. So each pill taken between now and then adds to the blood plasma level.

In Prozac, for example, fluoxetine has the 4-6 day half-life, but its metabolite norfluoxetine has a 9.3 day half-life. So it can take longer to reach plasma levels for that chemical, so that would mean 18 days to reach steady state.

Just because you reach steady state doesn't mean you have reached full potential, or full reaction from a medication. Psychiatric medications are typically given 2-4 weeks before adjustments are made to allow for steady state to be reached, but also to allow the body to adjust to the chemical changes in the brain, and to allow the short-term negative side-effects to pass.

If your body processes medications at different than average, such as kidney or liver damage which may allow the medication to hang around longer than the expected half-life, [it can take a] longer time to reach steady state and a higher steady state amount in the body.

One other note, not all generics work the same, nor do generics always work as well as brand name. If you feel like the same dose is not working as well as a previous trial on the same medication, be sure to check that they were manufactured by the same company. The same medication may not give you the same reactions twice, because your body doesn't find it to be the same novel, unique, or intense change that it may have taken the medication to be previously. Kind of like the first bites of a cake taste sweeter than the following bites."

I had anxiety and panic attacks almost all the time when I tried quitting effexor. You will probably have to have some sort of med to help you through the anxiety attacks and go really really slow coming off of effexor.

Acupuncture helps me but I still experience ups and downs.

Once I got down to 37.5 mg it took me 18 months to ween completely off by counting out 5 to ten balls at a time, and holding, depending on side effects. I have used CBD and it does work. Additionally (and I forgot I do this), I keep sublingual B complex on hand and take as needed. Basically, when my anxiety reaches a certain level and I’m losing it. I keep some at work!

My only sign efrect was the sudden and intense dizziness. It would put be down (or I would have fallen down. ). Now I only get a head spin if I’m really tired or stressed. Last time I had one was last week. Tired, had some wine with my cousin, walking up basement steps then whammy.

I’m limiting sugar and now alcohol and it’s been good for almost a week.

I’m actually feeling pretty good. My only setback was that my new doctor suggested I go back on the meds. Really disappointed me. This was literally the first time we met! My husband (whom I see every day) thinks I’m fine. Plus I think I’m fine.

She (the doc) was dubious and said to come back in June to reevaluate. Meanwhile, since I’m off, I’m less constipated and my BP is back to normal!

Sad about my new doc. My old doc was monitoring me and glad I was giving it (weening off) a try!

I once had two good days in a row! That’s better than no good days, and proof that it’s possible to have good days!

I wrote in other posts about doing other, simple things like exercise, limiting sugar (because it’s really bad for you) , eating as healthy as you can, lots of good protein and veggies, sublingual vitamin B and maybe some CBD if you have it. Oh! Sunshine! Real honest to goodness subshine! And touch/be around soil (crazy proven health benefits!)

You will be able to do this. You will be able to get off and stay off pharmaceuticals. Just please go extremely slow and find a doc who will support your endeavors. There is no race and your body is always changing. I was on meds for over 20 years (Zoloft for a few the. Effexor XR for most). Since going thru menopause, I tried (for the second time) to ween off.

Aside from expected head spins, I’ve had good and bad days. But I HAVE had good days that I am not discounting!

Terrible anxiety today! And again, I feel like I have the flu, but don’t. I’m tired of feeling so sick!

I am so sorry you feel so bad. Here’s a ridiculous suggestion (or so I thought at the time) but are you in a situation where you could enroll in a class at the local community college? It sort of gets you out of your head... my psychiatrist suggested that for me and at the end of my first course, I actually told the instructor that he changed my life. And it was true. Again, I’m so sorry about your anxiety. Sublingual vitamin B complex helps and you can grab that at Walmart... and maybe some CBD if you can get it, but it’s expensive. Hang in there.

Just a suggestion about b12, in case you have the mthfr mutation, which you will only know from DNA testing, make sure you are taking methalated b12. I took b12 and folic acid for years without knowing the ramifications.