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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (6363)Comment receiving replies
My history,
Started taking them 6 years ago after I started suffering from anxiety when my son nearly died. Tried therapy but nothing helped. Doctor started these and I did without question as I was tired of feeling anxious. Since then they have been increased twice only because they no longer worked. They never really took the anxiety away fully but definitely made me calmer in my day to day life and I liked that because I run several companies and have a large busy family life too.
I spoke to the doctor a few times about them causing funny feelings if I miss a dose and I said that I felt addicted to them because of the effects I would have if I missed one. I would often call my husband in a panic to drop them in to me because of the dizziness and nausea if one was missed. He said they were not addictive and that I could come off them whoever I liked. I also questioned my lack of physical intimacy abilities and he said it only happened to men. I questioned my weight gain and he said it was most likely because I was eating more from feeling better. I have since changed doctors and while she is a lot more sensitive and caring, she did not share anything only drink water and it should only take a few days when I met her yesterday.
I want my sex life back and control over myself. I have always been a hyper and bubbly person and I want to feel like me again even if that means living with anxiety for the rest of my life. Its better that feeling like a prisoner now and giving into a medication clearly had no idea my body relied on so much.
Why does your body react this way?
Replies to "My history, Started taking them 6 years ago after I started suffering from anxiety when my..."
@elaine0
Venlafaxine is a mind altering drug. It changes your cells... The brain heals slowly, sooo very slowly.
The kindest thing you can do for your brain and life is to 1. Go get CBD. There is a group for that here...CBD changes the anxiety to calm. I myself use 25 mg 3 x a day. Anxiety gone!!!! As long as I take it...
PS...docs don't know crap about withdrawing from this drug...just saying...BW
When I got here in what, March of 2018. Something like that...there were 141 pages...look at the count now. That's how many folks you join getting off this drug...
Oh wow! You’re even more like me than I thought! Zero libido is a side effect. Weight gain is a side effect. Change in eating (craving carbs whereas I used to crave meat. And I now crave meat again now that I’m off! Sadly, still working on libido. Still get along with my husband. He’s wonderful, but it’s literally been years!! Sorry for the TMI!)
My psychiatrist thought it was weird when I told her 1. I was no longer hypoglycemic and 2. I craved pasta and rice and breads!
I thought it was just my age.
Oh! And I was always constipated too!
Look, I was on them for a lot longer. Was on Zoloft for a couple years then, after 911, I got switched. Long story.
The 37.5 mg capsules I took about 18 mo the to ween off. It was worth it and literally the only way to avoid symptoms. Then when I was down to taking 5 small balls from the inside of the 37.5 capsules, I went cold turkey. I still had dizzy spells but no zaps. I still experience phantom smells. Get anxiety and depression. But my last dose was February. As always, go easy on yourself. That’s the main thing.
Meditate or practice mindfulness. It helps significantly.
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Hi there. Our experiences are so similar. No libido, weight gain, withdraw symptoms coming on within hours of a missed dose. I also developed elevated BP. I began to taper off 150mg 1 x a day by reducing by about 20% in February of this year. I have been staying at the same dosage for about 1 month and then decreasing again. I slowed to closer to 15% reduction this past month, just to get myself in check a little.
So far, I've not experienced withdrawal symptoms - I have even gotten a little of my pep back. Venlafaxine made me NUMB to everything--happy things-sad things-EVERYTHING. I'm so happy to start to FEEL again.
Best wishes--and my advice, stay on it at last dose you were at and then start to taper S-L-O-W-L-Y. Also, read through all these pages of posts.