Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@lisa0878
From 37.5 to 0 is a BIG drop. Logically, you would think the hardest part is over and that jumping off at 37.5mg would be easy ... but this process of getting off Effexor isn't linear--the withdrawal symptoms can get much worse when reducing at lower levels, especially if you make large reductions. You've worked hard to get down to 37.5; getting impatient now isn't usually successful AND can be unpleasant.

Here're some thoughts by a frequent poster to this thread, @jakedduck1, "I’d reduce [your] current dose by 5-10% every 2-4 weeks. 37.5 -10% = 3.75 to 33.75mg, then 10% of 33.75 [33.75 -10% = 30.38mg]. Don’t decrease by the same original amount [3.75] because that will increase the percentage of the taper the closer you get to zero and that’s when the taper should be at an even lower percentage especially if there are any side effects .... Maybe you could taper faster, who knows? Even a 5-10% taper isn’t a guarantee that withdrawal symptoms will definitely be avoided, but the chance is greatly reduced."

I personally was on tablets--they were tiny, but easy enough to chip off slivers at the beginning and the end of my taper and cut into halves and quarters in the middle. Other folks count the beads in their tablets and guesstimate how many to remove at each taper. You can look for a compounding pharmacy to make specific tapered doses; a commenter on another site who was getting off Ativan used Johnson Compounding and Wellness in Waltham, MA.

Even though you have klonopin on hand, mixing drugs willy-nilly is not a good idea. Can you go to your doctor and ask for tapering help? You would need a prescription if you want to use a compounding pharmacy, or you can ask about a "Prozac bridge" to soften the blow when withdrawing from a short half-life drug like Effexor.

P.S. You don't mention how long you were on Effexor. Be aware that this stuff gets stored in your body fat. If you've been on it for years, the more you've tucked away in nooks and crannies. Your body will find those stores and use it--so once you've tapered off, you might think you're off Effexor completely, but you're really not. This is another good reason to go really SLOOOOW during the final stages of tapering.

@lisa0878
First off, Welcome!
I hope you have taken the time to read the variety of postings regarding this issue.
If you have, you will see that without exception, anyone who has gone cold turkey has had some sort of withdrawal symptoms.
These symptoms started immediately or after some time.
These symptoms were long lasting or lasted a shorter period of time.
These symptoms were livable or landed people in the hospital.
There is NO way of know HOW you will react to going cold turkey other than YOU WILL HAVE WITHDRAWALS!!!
Regardless of how long you have been on this drug, how much you have been taking or what you have done so far, YOU WILL STILL HAVE WITHDRAWALS!
By going VERY, VERY SLOWLY, you lessen the chance of having severe withdrawals, if any.

I reduced by 25% over almost 6 months!!!
I am not sure if I am having any withdrawal symptoms.
I have always been a horrible sleeper, but now it is worse.
Withdrawaly????
I don't know??!!??!!
Reduction of 25% was my first goal of reduction.
Since I've reached this goal, I've stopped reducing.
I want my body to get used to this dosage before I continue to make another 25% reduction.
(Beside, with summer here {I live in Florida}, trips are usually in the plans and I don't want to take a chance and be away JUST IN CASE I DO WITHDRAW).
In addition, I have had GREAT SUCCESS with Effexor, I have NO INTENTIONS of coming off of it completely.
My goal is to take what I consider to be a reasonable doage.
I was at 300 mg (2-75mg in the morning and evening) trying to get down to 150 mg.
Depending on how that works, I'll see if I'll go down further.

Good luck to you!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

Guys, my problem wasn’t with the head spins and stuff. I feel depressed again. It’s not lifting. What is the bridge again? Prozac? I think I need something.

@secretwhitepop
Susan, as I recall, you have a lot of stressors in your life right now--your mom's Alzheimers, dad's passing a year ago, you moved, etc. You got off Effexor because you wanted to see who your "baseline" self was. It IS possible that you do need to go on something, but you also said you really didn't want to do that. You mentioned taking positive steps such as gardening, moving your desk to face a view and natural light and taking sub-lingual Vitamin B. It can take us 2-3 years to get our brains back to functioning well without Effexor (you were on Effexor for 20 years). The good news is we're moving into summer (more light for longer and more opportunities to get out and walk, or just enjoy outdoor activities).

I don't subscribe to ayurvedic disciplines myself, but there are some commonsense suggestions in these two articles--
https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/finding-joy-mind-body-spirit-guide#1
https://medium.com/@ayurdhamahgurgaon/effective-and-safe-ayurvedic-cure-for-depression-4cbf4b09d056
Here's an article about natural supplements (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314421.php). I take l-methylfolate (a prescription B vitamin), L-tryptophan (Lidtk* brand), Solg*ar GABA, omega-3s and ashwaganda.

@secretwhitepop
Susan, as I recall, you have a lot of stressors in your life right now--your mom's Alzheimers, dad's passing a year ago, you moved, etc. You got off Effexor because you wanted to see who your "baseline" self was. It IS possible that you do need to go on something, but you also said you really didn't want to do that. You mentioned taking positive steps such as gardening, moving your desk to face a view and natural light and taking sub-lingual Vitamin B. It can take us 2-3 years to get our brains back to functioning well without Effexor (you were on Effexor for 20 years). The good news is we're moving into summer (more light for longer and more opportunities to get out and walk, or just enjoy outdoor activities).

I don't subscribe to ayurvedic disciplines myself, but there are some commonsense suggestions in these two articles--
https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/finding-joy-mind-body-spirit-guide#1
https://medium.com/@ayurdhamahgurgaon/effective-and-safe-ayurvedic-cure-for-depression-4cbf4b09d056
Here's an article about natural supplements (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314421.php). I take l-methylfolate (a prescription B vitamin), L-tryptophan (Lidtk* brand), Solg*ar GABA, omega-3s and ashwaganda.

His article was very good! Ok, onto the next. Incidentally, since I’ve been “Effexor free” I am no longer constipated while at the same time I crave meat! Interestingly, that’s how I used to be before I began. I remember telling my psychiatrist years ago that since being on Effexor, I crave bread and pasta. That didn’t used to be me. Now I’m back to craving meat. Just something I find interesting.

32 days effexor free. I'm doing great. I have some weird physical sensations, which are not bothersome, just interesting to observe. It's like things inside of me are waking up. I'm not sure if that is due to the medication leaving my system, or if its the result of hard inner work that I have been doing. Either way, I'll take it!! Hope you all are having a great day.

Hi everyone. I'm new here . Im needing some help. I have tapered myself down from 150mg of effexor to 37.5...I really wanna come off it. Should I just cold Turkey it now? I got a few klonopin left I was thinking that would help me get threw the hard times.