Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@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.

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!

Hello, I just found this group today, 2 weeks too late to save me some misery. I've been on and off anti-depressants for many years and I'm a pro at weaning off. I thought I was anyway. This has been a scary and humbling process. Since I was only on 37.5 to supplement my Wellbutrin I didn't think going to every other day for a while then stopping would be a big deal. This is day 4 without and I still want to crawl out of my skin. I just gave in and took one with the plan of calling my Dr in the morning and confessing to doing this without his knowing and give him this list of symptoms.

Abdominal upset & diarrhea
Night and periodic daytime sweating like hot flashes
Inability to concentrate
Loss of memory
Deep sadness
Intensified and different reaction to alcohol
Severe brain shivers
Muscle and joint pain
Intense craving for sugar and carbs like pasta
Deep sense of overall shame and repeating tapes of things I said and feeling deeply ashamed. I don’t think these things warrant this reaction, time will tell. Example: telling dinner companions about the string of tragedies I had in a very matter of fact way during a light-hearted dinner, making them uncomfortable I’m sure.
Hopelessness with no sense of why
Dizziness
“out of body” feeling
Facial features drastically changed, not recognizable by my iphone

I'm very grateful that you all took the time to share here, it made me feel not so alone and ashamed. God bless you all!

@wrkingitout
Okay, you apologize for sharing too much and say that you had an unexpected reaction to a medication change.

Dinner was a faux pas--you didn't kill anyone and the hopelessness and feelings of not being worthy ARE withdrawal symptoms as are the other things you listed.

Talking with your doctor is a very good idea.

So was reinstating Effexor until you connect with your doctor.

You didn't say why you thought you'd quit Effexor ... if you felt it just wasn't helping you, or if you had side effects you weren't willing/able to deal with anymore. You found out that dropping from 37.5mg to zero AND taking this drug every other day is TOO much of a taper ... your doctor can help you taper off Effexor and onto a different medication if one is necessary, or to help ease you off Effexor (a Prozac bridge). He can prescribe a different formulation--changing from extended-release to regular release, or from capsules to tablets (I was on 25mg tablets that could be cut), or specifying a certain brand (@farm_mom found Teva had the most consistent size and number of beads within a capsule--helpful to those counting and throwing out beads to taper). He can write a prescription for a compounding pharmacy to make tapered doses for you.

@wrkingitout
Okay, you apologize for sharing too much and say that you had an unexpected reaction to a medication change.

Dinner was a faux pas--you didn't kill anyone and the hopelessness and feelings of not being worthy ARE withdrawal symptoms as are the other things you listed.

Talking with your doctor is a very good idea.

So was reinstating Effexor until you connect with your doctor.

You didn't say why you thought you'd quit Effexor ... if you felt it just wasn't helping you, or if you had side effects you weren't willing/able to deal with anymore. You found out that dropping from 37.5mg to zero AND taking this drug every other day is TOO much of a taper ... your doctor can help you taper off Effexor and onto a different medication if one is necessary, or to help ease you off Effexor (a Prozac bridge). He can prescribe a different formulation--changing from extended-release to regular release, or from capsules to tablets (I was on 25mg tablets that could be cut), or specifying a certain brand (@farm_mom found Teva had the most consistent size and number of beads within a capsule--helpful to those counting and throwing out beads to taper). He can write a prescription for a compounding pharmacy to make tapered doses for you.

@farm_mom
I remember that you're motivated to get off Effexor because of eye side effects (glaucoma). Others have mentioned blurriness. I took my last dose of Effexor 4/14/18 and had my annual eye exam on 5/22/18. Prescription was unchanged. Picked up my new contacts a week later and couldn't see with them. Was reexamined--left eye had changed in that week from -4.75 to -4.25 (improved!). It's a year later and just had my eyes examined--both eyes are now -4.00 (more improvement!).

Hello, I just found this group today, 2 weeks too late to save me some misery. I've been on and off anti-depressants for many years and I'm a pro at weaning off. I thought I was anyway. This has been a scary and humbling process. Since I was only on 37.5 to supplement my Wellbutrin I didn't think going to every other day for a while then stopping would be a big deal. This is day 4 without and I still want to crawl out of my skin. I just gave in and took one with the plan of calling my Dr in the morning and confessing to doing this without his knowing and give him this list of symptoms.

Abdominal upset & diarrhea
Night and periodic daytime sweating like hot flashes
Inability to concentrate
Loss of memory
Deep sadness
Intensified and different reaction to alcohol
Severe brain shivers
Muscle and joint pain
Intense craving for sugar and carbs like pasta
Deep sense of overall shame and repeating tapes of things I said and feeling deeply ashamed. I don’t think these things warrant this reaction, time will tell. Example: telling dinner companions about the string of tragedies I had in a very matter of fact way during a light-hearted dinner, making them uncomfortable I’m sure.
Hopelessness with no sense of why
Dizziness
“out of body” feeling
Facial features drastically changed, not recognizable by my iphone

I'm very grateful that you all took the time to share here, it made me feel not so alone and ashamed. God bless you all!

EFFEXOR...no matter the dose or the time on the drug is a medication that needs to be avoided at all costs. The withdrawal symptoms from effexor are intollerable I was on 225 mg for 5 months and my physician decided to stop my med cold turkey and put me on Lexipro . The withdrawal was insufferable and lasted 6 months . The only way I received any relief was thru my Psychiatrist who herself had been on Efexxor and understood the chronic withdrawal process. There are safer antidepressant meds that do not have the same withdrawal effects. anyone who has been thru this understands. If your provider suggests Effexor, REFUSE...Sincerely hope this helps someone. The life altering effects of Efexxor withdrawal will stop It's just very hard to see that light at the end of the tunnel when it's happening to you.
Dr. Michael Mann