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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (6296)Comment receiving replies
Granted Effexor is a short half-life drug in the tablet form, but I take the XR form. Doesn’t this extend the half-life? I’m confused. I’m tapering of Effexor XR as we speak. I’m doing it by counting beads. I’ve only been on it since Aug. And I’m doing it slowly. 10% every 2-3 weeks. Does this sound OK?
Replies to "Granted Effexor is a short half-life drug in the tablet form, but I take the XR..."
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I did not find specific info re XR's and regular's half-lives, but did find this: "Effexor XR provides a slower rate of absorption, but the same extent of absorption compared with the immediate-release tablet." The XR version evens out the amount in your system over the course of the day; that may mean the half-life of some of the drug is extended, but that's probably just a few hours.
You will know if you are tapering too fast–withdrawal symptoms are the big tip off. Only you can decide if they're tolerable, or not. If not, the recommendation is to go back to the level where you felt good, stabilize at that dose for weeks (or even months) before tapering again (you may want to taper less than 10% from this point on).