Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

77 days Effexor Free! Still have bouts of anxiety and restless legs. But I’m finally rid of the Effexor!

I have been off effexor for 13days and it was the worst 13 days ever. I feel like I'm coming out on the other side finally but still have such bad headaches and I'm just very restless.

I'm 13 days off and think I'm starting to feel better but my head hurts so bad. I ended up in the ER the other day because my heart rate and blood pressure was so high and my head just hurt. I just can't believe how hard these withdrawls are. I can't wait until I feel better.

@grandmar
You have a process in place that's been working for you ... I'm with you; why mess with success?

@lisa0878
Last we heard you were going to drop from 37.5mg to zero, rather than taper down to zero. Tapering may not eliminate withdrawal symptoms, but it sure can minimize them. You don't say what the ER did for you. Did the doc put you on a "bridging" medication, or at least suggest OTC stuff? Reinstating Effexor is also an option--you go back to the dose where you didn’t have withdrawal symptoms, stay there for some weeks before tapering again by much smaller increments (reduce only 5–10%, or even less) and allowing 2–6 weeks before tapering again. It may seem like you're going backwards, but you're able to function AND you're still heading toward that goal of getting off Effexor.

Thx
That's what I suggested to the doc.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Hopefully you'll be better soomn!!

First off, best of luck to you keep in mind how nice it will be to not be beholden to this junk! Second, interesting to hear you mention the BP and heart rate issues, same thing has been happening to me after trying to go to 75 from 150 a few weeks ago - so far symptoms are only piling on vs. getting better and latest has been a small 20%ish increase in diastolic BP and a huge jump in resting heart rate (64 normally, climbing over the last week, now 115-130 as of tonight) . trying to decide at what point I should head to the doctor - 140? 150? went from depressed the first several weeks to somewhat manic the last week - and that is not an issue I ever had prior to Effexor - just hoping the damage this stuff has done isn't permanent. Best of luck to you al and hang in there!

I was put on heart meds called metoprolol to bring my heart rate down. If I was you I would go to the Er so they can bring it down. Our heart rate should never be over 100 or it starts doing damage to our heart I believe. I'm not a dr but that is what they told me. Especially when we r resting doing nothing anything over 100 is alarming to me. When I went to the Er they gave me ativan threw my iv which should normally bring it down but it was not helping me so they then put me on the metoporal which brought it down but now it's going back up so I'm going to the cardiologist on the 6th and he is probably gonna up my dose. Sweet jesus I never thought it would of been this hard to come off of effexor. I hope you do go get checked out. Please keep me informed. Today I was suffering all day with my head and its actually feeling better now but I had to take a xanax and motrin just to slow my mind down. I wish u luck and God bless