Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Hello, this is my first time posting, in a effort to gain some insight, as i'm suffering. I'm a father of 2 great boys and same common law spouse for 20years. I've been on anti depressant medication since my teens (i'm 42 now)for ocd/anxiety (pure O) first, anafranil,(and some benzo's) then zoloft, then celexa, then cipralex(didn't work), then effexor, which kindof half works.. finally in 2015,I had some elevated stress due to home renovations, and after they were finished i decided to see if i could fly on my own. I got very tired of the up's and downs by switching meds and the depersolization /derealization, which is scary on it's own!... I decided i would do whatever it takes to heal myself and not mask my symptoms anymore with a drug. (yes, that's what they do).. anyways, i got my hormones checked, i was very low in T, so now i do injections which i find is a piece of the puzzle and helps alot with concentration/focus. So for the past year, my focus has been on hormones/overall health, fitness, diet and i want to restart my mindfulness practice. I'm at a point now where i'm on a subclinical dose of effexor XR of 37.5. i did the drop from 75 to 37.5 a few months back(which i now know was too much), and got extremely angry and agitated. but it passed, and all was "ok" for the holidays.. then 2020 Jan 1st rolls around and ouch. i now deal with anxiety from the time i wake up sometimes, till i go to bed. with my ocd themes coming back, not to mention some new ones. i'm shaking all the time, and basically unable to function. it's quite terrifying. the anxiety and ocd is so intense at times, that it i roll up into a little ball and just "suffer".

My question is, i know OCD is it's own beast and i'm aware and doing ERP and therapy i have a psych etc. but..

is it possible to live without effexor or an anti depressant after having been on it for so long? especially when you have OCD?

is my current suffering still due to my taper from 75 to 37.5 2-3 months ago?

My battle here is that much more scary because i don't know if there's a light at the end of the tunnel or if i will need to go back on another antidepressant.. ie: if it's worth it at all (back to my original goal of being able to make it without the AD's) ... also, if i have to go back i'm afraid perhaps the anti depressants will not work anymore because i've been on them for so long and built up a tolerance..

i feel like i'm missing out on my kids (youth) etc.. and other things.. also, the wife has her own issues.. not only in suporting me, but the kids can be very challenging. and dealing with them when you are a ball of anxiety yourself is very challenging. bottom line, it's affecting every aspect of my life and the climate at home has changed because of it..I can't support my spouse when SHE needs it.... very hard when anxiety won't let up at all.. she's' been carrying the family for some time now and it's starting to take it's toll. sorry, that last part is a little rant.

thanks for reading

Hi cbreeze, glad the CBD is working. My sister is finding it relieves her jaw pain as well. Just a caveat - for those of us with glaucoma - it's not an option - ugh. CBD causes a 4 hour spike in pressures - so even though early research pointed to relieving glaucoma - now the research has swung the other way.

Get a MM card. Cannabinoids are miraculous healers.

I'm so sorry you and your family are going through all this. And yeah, it is easy to freak out, but take a deep breath and know that it is possible to move forward and rebuild your life. You are still so young. It seems you have been on meds most of your adult life and from everything I've read and experienced - it seems coming off them should be "low and slow." Small titrated amounts over long periods of time. (It took me two years to get off lamotrigine.) It is possible to taper off, but something has to replace the meds. For me it is eating clean (organic and vegan) and walking at least 3 and a half miles a day. Have to tell you - I'm starting to come "alive" again and it is amazing. There is light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not a train.) Hang in there! Prayed for you all.

thanks for the motivating words rainer, i hear ya. doing my best to eat clean, exercise (cardio), live in the moment.. thinking about starting up meditation again. I recall a time where it really worked for me. but lately if i try it, i get more angry at first.. like super irritable.. i'm probably trying too hard 🙂 anyways, i may start a thread on that..

thanks for reading

Yes! I do. I am 63 and on Venlafaxine for over 10 years!!! I did a sloooow taper off from150 to 75 to 1/2 a 75 to 1/4 of a 75. The first 2 weeks were horrid. Morning sickness, throwing up. Nauseated all the time, no appetite, lost weight. Chills, tremors, vertigo, ears ringing. Light headed and dizzy. Totally disoriented and felt disconnected to things around me. Bobble head syndrome when moving head or eyes. NO brain zaps! Thank goodness. Sour taste in mouth was soooo bad. MyND prescribes Zofran for nausea. A friend gave me a bottle of CBD tincture and a couple of edible gummies to try anD help me feel better. It helped immensely so I decided it was time to use my arthritis neck and thumb pain to get a Medical Marijuana card. Thank goodness. My chronic arthritis pain of neck and thumbs improved. I used CBD tincture 3-4 times a day and THC tincture 2 times a day. CBD - THC 2:1 ratio. I immediately felt better. Still required lottsa rest, but the MM has helped me get past the worst part and now I am a month without that NASTY 🤢 drug. I am not 100% yet but I am markedly improved from 2 weeks go whenever I addd in the CBD - THC. I am hoping over the next week I will begin to feel more of myself and less upset from the withdrawal symptoms. If I had only known to do this immediately Imwould have suffer d a lot less and probably felt better sooner.

There’s definitely something connected between going off Effexor and tinnitus. I developed pulsatile tinnitus as well as phantom smells of cigarette smoke. What’s more, I got vertigo and dizziness (they cal is PPPD) as well. It is not going away. It was suggested I go back on anti anxiety meds (which I have) as well as medicine for bipolar (a mood stabilizer). My mood has definitely improved but, sadly, this dizziness and vertigo and swimy headedness remains. I hope there is some research on Effexor and the vestibular system, because mine is shot.