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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Apr 29 8:17am | Replies (6299)Comment receiving replies
I reinstated just shy of 6 months. The withdrawal was too hard on me and on my family. I had started self medicating with 2 or 3 mg of ambien in the early afternoon just to hold off my symptoms and scared myself by doing that. I would rather take an AD than become a drug abuser. I had a NP tell me he didn't think I was experiencing withdrawal and that I should start taking a mood stabilizer called vraylar. And to just stop taking the effexor I had restarted at 75 mg. I read the pkg insert and decided not to take a medication that is indicated for schizophrenia and bipolar given to me bysome nitwit who had free samples. So today I saw a psychiatrist who suggested 150 mg of effexor xr instead of 75 mg because 75 isn't enough for most people. And said I am probably not bipolar and for sure not schizophrenic. He said if my goal is to get off the medication or switch to something else, that would be my decision but I would need a much slower supervised taper. We agreed to get me stable on effexor for now. I have suffered so much in the past six months and worse I caused my elderly parents great concern, as well as my husband. I was in a great deal of denial saying I was ok with my taper and I apologize for giving anyone here false hope or bad advice. It was a matter of ego and I learned my lesson. You know what they say, pride goeth before the fall.
Wishing everyone well on this journey.
Replies to "I reinstated just shy of 6 months. The withdrawal was too hard on me and on..."
Hi Sandi, I am 62 years old and had been on Effexor for too many years to count. I started at 75mg, then 150mg and in the end was taking 300 mg and tried many times getting off it on my own. Well, guess what?? I did it finally. I started hearing so much about CBD oil that I decided to try it. I went from 300mg to just taking 150mg by taking a few drops of CBD oil under my tongue in the morning and then before bed. There were days that I would get that sicky feeling(mostly by the afternoon) from withdrawel and would take 2 tylenol. I stuck with this for about 3 weeks and then went down to 75mg effexor and the CBD oil for another month. I then went to my doctor and he couldn't believe it and reccomend I then go to the 37.5mg for 2 days 75mg for 2 days, etc. Did this along with the CBD and all was good. I'm a little scared to stop the effexor completely so I'm still just taking the 37.5mg but now I have stopped the CBD. I could never have got this far without the Cbd oil. I feel great getting the Effexor out of my system(almost anyway). I'm not going to give up though until I can be free of it!!
Never give up! I hope you are feeling better.
Shelley
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Sandi--Getting off Effexor is HARD! My last dose after tapering over two+ months from a 25mg tablet was 4/14/18--I still am struggling with the withdrawal effects!
You tried really hard. You figured out this attempt is not working. You've got a plan to deal with the now. You might try again later. "Better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all." Others on here have gone back to the drawing board; we're all trying to figure out how to get off this stuff. Hope you are feeling better soon.