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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
Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I was put on Effexor a few years ago to help with my dizziness and migraines. It hasn't helped at all. I told my doc and she said " that's just your anxiety, you need to increase your dose " BS! I dont have anxiety at all. No clue where she came up with that. I was already on 225mg a day. I've gotten myself down to 150mg every other day, but I don't know how to decrease from there. Ideas???
Replies to "Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I was put on Effexor a few years ago..."
Take it SLOW.... that just can't be stressed enough.
Taper dosage by no more than 20% at a time and step down every 4-6 weeks. There are loads of posts within this board about tapering methods. (counting beads if capsules, cutting pills)
Will it take a while (12 months or more?) YES! Will it be worth it? YES!
Withdrawal from Venlafaxine is debilitating for some.
Best wishes!
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@angiee
Read these posts–at the very least, look back 1–2 weeks–you'll find links to quite a few helpful articles and sites as well as good advice on how to taper off Effexor as well as what withdrawal symptoms can occur and how to minimize/deal with them.
Reducing/quitting Effexor (and other antidepressants) can CAUSE the very issues they were designed to treat--a backlash effect; you may well experience anxiety, agitation, irritability, depression, etc., while tapering off EVEN if you were put on Effexor for non-emotional/non-psychiatric reasons. Many of us experienced major dizziness and vertigo while reducing--if you still have dizziness; this may get worse. Effexor makes profound changes to how our brains balance the neurotransmitters needed to function. Your brain has to reset itself and learn how to work on its own; the time this takes varies enormously.
Reducing SLOOWWWLY significantly minimizes the unpleasant (and sometimes debilitating) withdrawal effects. Your doctor will need to get on board. Prescriptions for other dosage amounts (i.e., 75mg, or 37.5mg), or for a different formulation (changing from extended-release to regular release, or from capsules to tablets) will allow you to mix and match to lower doses. With the right prescription, a compounding pharmacy can even make tapered doses for you.