Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@nathan5
Effexor makes profound changes to how our brains balance the neurotransmitters needed to function. When you stop, or significantly lower your Effexor, the brain has to wake up and start working by itself. The time this takes varies enormously.

You do not mention if your doctor has been involved in your getting off Effexor. I found the withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, agitation, akathisia and insomnia) very troubling and disruptive. When I had a particularly distressing day of ever-increasing withdrawal symptoms, I went to Care Now and the doctor (by a great stroke of luck) was familiar with Effexor withdrawal. She 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 more tablets to use as needed although her "get ahead of it" strategy was pretty effective. Since this acute episode, I use 1/2 of a 5mg Valium on occasion.

I don't 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). Supplementing with L-tryptophan helped me the most–because the body changes L-tryptophan into serotonin and my brain was used to having more serotonin after many years of being on Effexor.

@Jake,
OH you got me giggling. Remember God in his wisdom has sent me to 41 countries in my life time. Not on my dime either.
So, Yes I have done those things and more. I even blogged about it on a cruise website if anyone is interested. Let me know and I will direct you that way. It was very popular when I was writing it. Folks commented that in reading my posts of my adventures with mom around the world, as they read my writing, they could see what I was seeing, taste what I was tasting and so forth.
Sorry I digress, again...BW

@brightwings
That’s okay, digression is the spice of life.
Lead me to your blog. Were you in the Peace Corps?
Jake

No, my step father was rich. He had just paid for a cruise around the world, then died.
My mother pointed her Royal Finger at me and said, "you will go on the cruise with me." My heart sank. Mom was my greatest abuser.
It had a good ending. The cruise was 3 1/2 months long. Around the world...30,000 miles ocean miles. I was so sick of rich peoples attitudes when I got off though.
That cruise was just long enough to get me to love the stuffing out of my precious mom. and her, me. God is so good.

I feel for you! I was fine for about 3 and a half months after my taper ended. Then the anxiety returned -- which for me is far worse than depression; I can eventually make myself power through that. The anxiety got worse, becoming nearly constant, and finally culminated in a couple of panic attacks. I did not want to go back on Effexor!! My GP prescribed Wellbutrin, which I tried, but which didn't work well for me at all -- it can increase anxiety, which it did for me. I went off it, then he wanted me to try generic Celexa at 10mg for a little over a week to see if it would help. When it did, he increased the dose to 20mg, which is working fine. I also am taking 25mg of a generic beta blocker. I am so very, very, very relieved that the anxiety is gone!! (For what it's worth, I also try to keep my blood sugar level. When it's low, it predisposes me to anxiety and panic.) Good luck!!

Good for you. Not feeling good is scary, but I learned to conquer most fear in my healing journey.
I go with the flow. My mom used to sing Que Sara Sara to me as a kid all the time. What will be will be...
Poo on that, I took control of my life, one step at a time. I successfully took my life back and I am content.
Bright Wings

Protracted withdrawal can last up to 2 years. Its windows and waves. Unpredictable as to when the symptoms begin and also when they leave. For myself the shivers are the worst. The being in the depths of despair are bad too. But they go away. You just have to ride it out. Remember our central nervous system controls everything. As part if it heals we will find that symptoms crop up in other areas, or the same symptoms that we've experienced and thought were gone, will begin again. Like those shivers, or for many, the brain zaps. When the shivers come I try to envision that my CNS is telling me "I have to go work on the xx part of your body that hasn't healed yet, so in the meantime your internal temperature control will be temporarily out of order, so bear with me." I try not to be fearful and angry that I "have not gotten any better", because the truth is, I have. It just may not be showing up yet. The crazy thing with my own shivers is that at times my entire left side will be ice cold. And sometimes its only the back side of my left side, all the way up half of my back and the back half of my leg. It's a very strange feeling but I can practically set my clock by it. Same way with the internal shaking. It's very predictable, when its present for several days at a time, its first thing as I'm waking up, which is wreaking havoc with my job, and around bedtime. Taking 25 mg of benadryl helps.
I've also been sleeping much better even without ambien, by leaving my phone outside of the bedroom (even though I enjoy listening to binaural music on youtube before I fall asleep) and using a battery operated alarm clock.
Epsom salts baths help me too but it's crazy how I have to force myself to take action to help myself sometimes. Inertia is a real problem for me.
Off to bed, hope everyone has a great nights sleep and a beautiful morning.

Hi Leonard, thanks for your kind reply. I was on a low dose of 37.5mg and I halved those pills for about 2 months before doing 1/4 for a week and then none. This bed time shivering has only started in the last two weeks (happened twice). I don't drink alcohol and only 1 coffee for breakfast. I do exercise at night but not lately as I've had no energy and feel terrible in evenings (I've managed to do 10k runs during the day though).

@nathan5
Good Morning,
I am so sorry for what you are going through.
How you tapered off the Effexor can have an impact on what sort of withdrawal symptoms you have.
(I know this does not make things better.)
Anyway, it is important to remember WHY you were put on the Effexor in the first place.
If you suffered with anxiety before, the Effexor evidently kept the symptoms under control.
We need to remember that these meds do NOT CURE our symptoms, it just keeps them under control.
That being said, and I am NOT in the medical field, but it sounds like you still need some sort of med for your anxiety, or some sort of 'natural' substance.
Good luck!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Happy Monday All!

I warn you that this post might be a little all over the place, I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind (watch out......lol.....I'm thinking...lol).
First, would someone please explain to me what 'BRAIN ZAPS' are????
I know all about the shivers, but not the 'brain zaps'.

I know I have mentioned this before, just not sure if anyone agrees with me or not but.....
for those of us who were put on Effexor for anxiety or depression (not for menopausal symptoms, sorry)…….
I know I have been suffering with anxiety since I was a young child (many moons ago).
I know it is a genetic disease since my dad, son and daughter also suffer with it.
I am under NO illusion that I can 'handle' my anxiety without meds.
I tried for years and years with therapy. No, I did not try any supplements.
I believe that many of us have had similar experiences like mine.
So, after all this babbling, my question to you is....
Why do you think that you no longer need any meds to help with the symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Believe me, I am NOT trying to tell you what to do, I am just trying to understand.
I am reducing my dosage of Effexor because I feel that the high dosage (300 mg a day) has impacted my memory and my affect.
Since my reduction, I feel like my head is no longer in the 'clouds'. It feels 'lighter'.
Like I said before, I KNOW I NEED MEDS TO KEEP MY ANXIETY SYMPTOMS UNDER CONTROL.

After dealing with anxiety for years and years, I have found Effexor to be the ONLY med that has helped me, so I will continue to remain on it.
I am currently on 2-75 mg in the morning and 1-75mg at night. I have been on this dosage for about a month now. So far, so good.
I have plans for the summer so I will remain on this dosage until after the summer. I don't want to take any chances.

Well, I'm done.
I warned you, I'd be all over the place. LOL
It's too early in the morning for me to put my thoughts in any kind of order.
(No, not withdrawal, just me).

HOPE EVERYONE HAS AN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION FREE DAY!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)