Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@mmesco
Ok, so you are one week in withdrawal. Yikes, that is a huge jump to go from 300 to 150mg.
You have not even started the hard withdrawal yet.
I went cold turkey from 150 mg. I ended up having a stroke from the nightmares.
Unfortunately, I had not found this site to gain the wisdom of others who came before you.
So, how much reading have you done here??? If you have not done much, I am sure you are in for a very hard withdrawal like mine.
There is a way of counting the little balls in each capsule. That is my best suggestion for you.
Good luck, this is possible but tough to do. Keep coming back...Bright Wings

@jadedduck1
Check your messages
Bright Wings

Please forgive my absence. I believe I had shared my challenges and absence the last time I was posting.
New house, lousy heat and no storm Windows almost took my life again Tuesday night.
Now I will share why I am still alive and NO, I AM NOT CONFUSED.
Tweekers used to live in this house and sell meth out of it. Other tweekers wanted the product inside and almost every single storm window has been busted out.
So the intense cold inside the house caused such hard shivering, even my bones were shivering for weeks.
The only reason I am alive is my husband, who died in 2011 came and held me all night. I could feel him and communicate with him thru thought and touch. I could not see him or hear him.
It was so wonderful to be in his arms again and feel his very well muscled from his 25 years of judo. What a gift that was....to tell me he had gone, he left the front door wide open. But I already knew he was gone as soon as I woke up.
Thankfully, the polar vortex is done. My MS got activated again which caused the cold intolerance. (I also suffer from heat intolerance when my MS is active. Which is now....)
I have been living so successfully with my MS for so many years, I just knew I had to protect myself from extreme cold or heat but couldn't exactly remember what the symptoms were.
Unfortunately, I remember now what the challenges I will face in the future, so I will be a mighty warrior to protect myself.
I am ok, that is the main thing but am so missing my husband of almost 41 years.
I am giving myself more CBD cuz I am soooo emotional. I am worth what ever it takes to go on cuz I have things to do...smiling at you all thru my sadness. Bright Wings

Ok, now let me tell you about the absolutely wonderful thing happening in my life.
My MS took my ability to sing and play my mandolin some time after 2006. I used to drive 200 to 300 miles a month playing and singing.
Then all of a sudden I couldn't hold my pick anymore, and then I couldn't play a rhythm or sing in rhythm and so forth and so on...
It was probably the greatest loss in my life to lose my music.
But, suddenly I CAN SING...BEAUTIFULLY. So much better than I ever did before. Hmmm, did hubby bring it back? Not going to dwell on it.
So, tomorrow I am going to my first music jam in years.
Oh, the joy inside me is overflowing.
So happy, Bright Wings

Since I tried going off the 75mg of effexor a few weeks ago and ended up going back on the effexor I have some of craziest thoughts. Things don't seem real, confused I know what I'm doing but ask myself why, seems like I'm lost in time, brain fog, derealization, depersonlization and I get a thought in my mind that bugs me and it goes around and around like a broken record. Feel like I'm forgetting who I am. I feel disconnected from things. Has anyone else felt,feel or had this happen to them? It's scary as hell and I'm getting tired of fighting this fight. It's like this everyday from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Any help, suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thankyou, Farmboy.

I used to take 16 medications, 6 of which were sedating...
I had a tremendous amount of trama as a kid. It was appropriate back then While I was going thru the memories to need that much medical help, to be on those meds. My story is in the first few posts I made here. Click on my name and it leads you to those.
However, I am now medicine free.....why? Because I never stopped moving forward, in the midst of my pain. My journey of healing took 33 years. Why did I keep going? Why??? Because I was worth it. That's why.
Now I have tons of tips inside me that got me to today.
If I could change one thing in all my healing, do you know what it would be?
I wish CBD had been available to me back then.
It does everything my Effexor used to do.
Keeps me calm, promotes a feeling of well being inside myself. It helps me to stop worrying, helps me feel hungry (never a problem before those 4 gallons of pesticides were dumped on my appt in Sept and Oct. )
I sleep better. I want to do things, not just sit on the couch (remember its cuz of my MS).
So long story short, please, please do yourself a favor and go get some CBD while you are in this crappy withdrawal process. Look for a bottle with about 225 mg then take it as you need it...when getting upset, dizzy, anxious, feeling like you will fall, what ever, try some.
I, myself have been using it for about a year...maybe a little less. I do know one thing, when I die I will still be using it. It helps me that much.

I sure wish I had known about it when I was in withdrawal. Maybe I would not of had that stroke. I was having the nightmare of all times and it was only very persistent knocking at my door that got me out of the nightmare. I dragged my foot to the door, drooling on the way. Left fist tight and left arm useless.
Today, no one could tell I had a stroke except for the missing brain cells.
Now here is another tip for the ladies, you men don't want to try this. I am 68 years young. Yes, my face is wrinkly, but it doesn't hurt.
However, when I called the health food store to see what they had cheap to help with the overdose of pesticides, the immediate response was Red Clover Tea. Oh, my gosh, I went home with my 1 ounce of dry leaves and blossoms, cost? $1.60 for an ounce. I will use this tea until I die too.
First of all, it tastes good....always a blessing. I add a scant tsp of sugar to the 5 cups of water I steep the tea in. I add a little more than 1 regular tablespoon you would use at the table of the dried Clover. I steep it for 15 to 20 minutes.
Again, it has a calming effect. It also gives you some estrogen which stabilizes moods.
You got PMS, go get some...are you in menopause or are you past it, go get some...painful periods, go get some....again, I will use this until I die....just saying..
Bright Wings

@farmboy
Yes, I totally get what you are saying...been there, done that, don't want to do that again.
Now hang on....it will get better.
Since I just got back here, please allow me to go read you whole story before I suggest anything. I would be irresponsible to just blurt out anything. So, let me go read and I will be back. I am aware you have been posting much, which is great. So off I go. I will return, smiling at you, Bright Wings

@farmboy
My gosh you have been going thru it, haven't you. You probably feel like you fell over a waterfall and are still falling.
I kind of read little parts of so many of your posts. I got the gist of what is happening.
1. You went too fast in your withdrawing from the effexor on your first go around. Way, way too fast.
Please share again, when you started weaning and when you got back on the meds. My brain did not retain it all.
One thing that is happening right now is you don't have enough Effexor in your blood to be helping because you just restarted the Effexor. . If my memory is correct, ha, it takes Effexor 6 weeks to get a good blood level going. You are only on it again for 2 weeks, so your levels are not what you need at present.
My gosh guy, I feel for you with all the things you are sharing with us.
Can you do this???? ABSOLUTELY...AND it is going to take you longer than others...fact, Jack...
It took me so much longer to heal my stuff than others and do you know what, I still made it.
So first thing I want you to do is go get some CBD. Instant calming...like less that 20 minutes. You can not over dose on it. It helps me ground myself and stay in the moment. You need that ability right now...to stay in the moment...not where your mood or thoughts are taking you.
I have 50 years of mental health under my belt, both working in hospitals and getting the care I needed. However, today I am not writing as a professional, but as someone who has accomplished what you are trying to do.
1. When you get upset, I want you to breathe. That's all...breathe in and out. Long slow breathes.
2. Say out loud, I see the tv, I see the couch, I see the..., I see the... What ever you see, say it out loud.
It keeps you in the here and now. I can remember saying these things I could see for about 20 minutes, no lie...I was still upset...
3. Then say everything you can hear...I hear the diffuser, I hear the dog fart, I hear the car, again and again, say what you hear.
These 3 tips keep you in the here and now. Being so focused keeps all those feelings and thoughts at bay which is what you need right now and probably in the future too.
You are worth what ever it takes to get thru this...keep going, keep going, one foot in front of the other, keep going...you are worth it...
Ok I am going to post this so you can reply to my questions.
Tomorrow, I will focus on other tips that can help..
I hear your desperation...now point blank, are you suicidal, no shame in saying yes, I was suicidal thousands of times...I am still here. Why, because I was worth what ever it took AND if I killed myself, all my abusers would have won...there was no way I was allowing that!!!!!!

@farmboy
Please keep communicating with and letting your doctor know you are having issues.

My withdrawal symptoms started with my having trouble sleeping–had fear/reluctance about going to sleep, circling thoughts wouldn't let me slip into sleep, couldn't sleep for very long and if I woke, the whole cycle began again–the fear, circling thoughts, difficulty dropping off. When I had a particularly distressing day of ever-increasing anxiety and akathisia, my doctor had me take three days off work and take a whole 5mg Valium twice each day to "get ahead" of the anxiety and akathisia and she prescribed 15 more tablets to use as needed although her "get ahead of it" strategy was pretty effective.

I did not want to rely on Valium and through trial-and-error came up with a number of supplements that help me and have listed the supplements I take in previous posts (click on my name to go back through and read). Ben*dryl helped me sleep and kava kava and GABA during the day helped with anxiety.

Weekends are still hard for me; I am not retired and find working keeps my mind off my physical symptoms. I believe you are not working right now, so find distraction in reading, hobbies, exercise, etc.; avoid frenetic, or over-stimulating tv shows/movies/books; and don't listen to atonal, off-key, or minor key music (these set me off). It also helps to be with other people–go out to dinner, play cards/board games, find a walking buddy to go around the block, etc. Also, very important–get exposure to natural light; light reaching your eyes will lift your mood.

@brightwings ,no I don't feel sucidal. To many people need me and I wouldn't do that to my girls. To answer your question. This all started about a month or so ago. I was weaning down and got to 75mg every other day. Then stopping after a week of doing that. I was completely off for about 2 weeks. Then the anxiety and panic attacks started. So I went back on the effexor. I've been back on it going on 3 weeks I believe. When I went back on the effexor I started at 75 and now the Dr wants me to go through 150. Not really liking that idea. She also put me on serquel to help with the anxiety and panic attacks. I also take clozepam as needed. No more than 3 times a day. The reason I don't want to go to 150 mg is it will be that much harder to get off of the effexor. This is like a broken record. I get anxiety and panic attacks because I'm not working and bills are coming in. But I get anxiety and panic attacks about getting back in my semi and driving. It's a evil circle. Thank you for your replies.