Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Most doctors don’t know how to taper correctly. They love to put you on these drugs and have no idea how to get you off! Sad state of affairs. In my opinion most of the antidepressants are just as bad as Benzos. And side effects are much worse than a any benzo.

I agree with you totally my doctor thought I could come off the Effexor Xr that quickly then just start taking the Viibryd and I'm having headaches on that and when I see him on Wednesday he's going to have to take me off of the Viibryd for sure. I've basically have been sick and this is no fun for me.

Do you have any idea how sick people get trying to get off drugs like yours? It’s terrible and can take years to taper off correctly. I had a complete breakdown getting off Paxil. Not trying to scare you. Please please get your doctor to take you seriously or find one that will. Research Effexor. The worst to come off of. Read people’s testimonials. There are several websites available on the internet to refer to. Doctors have GOT to start taking this more seriously! They’re killing us.

Now I realize it and I feel like my doctor has been taking this too lightly and he's going to have to listen to me on Wednesday and take me seriously. It's not worth feeling like crap.

Stay strong with that! Being overdosed, wrong med, badly managed taper were all the fault of drs who didnt listen to me. I wish we could have a way to not be at their mercy. Good luck!

Not killing but taking years away, family away, careers away, and making us not want to live.

Hi it’s me again. 2 weeks off this damned drug and I’m still suffering from absolute confusion, lack of concentration, extreme mood swings, anxiety, etc etc. Feels like my brain can’t find any balance. Something similar to being constantly high, living through a bad bad chemical trip.
Has anyone experienced something like that?
Is it going to stop.
Will I ever be able to think clearly again?
Without pills. Call me dumb but it feels so wrong to treat withdrawal symptoms with other psychoactive meds.
ISN’T IT JUST FALLING TO THE SAME SPIRAL.
You treat symptoms from withdrawal of one drug, need to then suffer from withdrawal of another. Repeat.

Ps.
The lack of concentration or difficulty making any decisions was already there while taking meds.

I just read a side effect of viibryd overdose is a headache. Perhaps cut the pill in half? Some folks (me!!) are highly highly sensitive to medications. Never go off cold turkey and I always ween on, too. Just to see how my body will react. I also always chat with the pharmacist whenever I get a new Rx. They are VERY helpful and easy to talk to.

I was on Effexor for about 20 years. And it worked! I thought hey, I’m 50 years old, gone thru menopause, feel great! Maybe I should try and ween off... well, a bit over two years later I’m back on an SSRI as well as a mood “stabilizer” Some folks just do better with science 🙂

Go easy on yourself and let your doc know everything you’ve learned here. Docs aren’t perfect and if s/he is any good, s/he will take what you say to heart and hopefully no other patients will have to endure what you’re going through!

Hang in there.

Hi there... did you slowly ween yourself off? I was completely med free for 6 months after taking 18 months to ween off the last 37.5 mgs. (You read that correctly. 18 months. A few beads at a time). Even those last few beads, daily, seemed to work and then, when I was totally off I had symptoms of withdrawal. Not so much physical, but mental. Emotional. I literally cried every single day. Now, my father passed away during all this. Don’t ask me why on earth I would even attempt such a feat during this time, but I did. I also moved my family out of state. You could say I was going through major crisis mode.

But, when I couldn’t take it any longer, doc put me back on an SSRI. Turns out, a mood stabilizer was needed, too. I almost think the SSRI and the antipsychotic (scary name, right?) together make up the active ingredients in Effexor! (I’m going to google that now!)

Anyway, during the 6 mo this of no meds, meditation worked quite well for me. There are lots of free you tube videos and I downloaded an app, too. It can’t hurt.

Also, scroll through this forum for some ideas for supplements to take. And/or CBD oil.

Take it easy and I wish you well. Keep taking to us. There will be answers for you. Don’t give up.

My experience with a bad withdrawal sounds much the same, especially brain not being able to find balance. It is getting better, lighter, brighter. Still a very long way from emotionally stable and it seems once the pile of issues hiding in the back corners of my brain came busting out that they wont go back in. But, and its a big but, no more pukey, head spinny feeling. No more dreams that made me afraid to sleep. No more sugar craving. Certainly not as much anger and wanting to crush people. All I keep hearing is to be patient.
No choice but patience as nothing will speed up this re-adjusting time.
2 big challenges/frustrations - 1 is explaining to others and dealing with the wanting to explain, 2 is to feel vindicated as this was not self- directed, it was done to me. To us.