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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (6295)Comment receiving replies
Jake -
I'm stunned by your heartless response.
You write: "It’s a shame people don’t come here first and read this thread to educate themselves on others experiences, if they did they wouldn’t have to experience the awful withdrawal symptoms." What an utterly odd thing to say. I didn't know this site existed until yesterday! Shouldn’t doctors and pharmaceutical companies be accurately advising patients?
You seem confused about how I have come off Effexor. I did not disobey my doctor and take “large cuts.” We discussed the process and I took 6 months – that’s six months - to taper down and off. Do you consider that "stopping this medication too quickly"?
Many patients have shared their difficult experiences with Effexor on message boards over the past 20 or so years. You admit that doctors and pharmaceutical companies have not focused enough on testing and discontinuation. Prior to starting Effexor 12 years ago, I discussed the side effects and withdrawal experiences Effexor patients were describing on message boards with my doctor and my doctor dismissed those experiences.
You write: “…this drug does help a large number of patients…” Effexor helped me! But it is not worth the nasty side effects and withdrawal experiences. There are other equally effective antidepressants available without Effexor’s downsides. This is why I advocate for removing Effexor from the market. Perhaps then doctors and pharmaceutical companies will be held to a higher standard.
Replies to "Jake - I'm stunned by your heartless response. You write: "It’s a shame people don’t come..."
@seashore
Good morning,
I’m sorry you found my comment to be heartless. Although it may not have been as compassionate as you may have thought it should have been. I don’t believe I ever targeted you specifically. I never said you disobeyed your doctor or that you took large cuts. Yes, I do believe 6 months is to short to taper off 225mg after taking it for 12 years. Admitting I’m not a medical professional, it’s simply my opinion based on thousands of posts here and other forums. You said I seem confused about how you came off Effexor. I don’t know how I could be confused since I had absolutely no idea how you came off of it. I never saw what your taper schedule was. I am not a medical professional and my opinion is based on the thousands of threads I have read here and on other forum’s and the consensus has been they were having withdrawal effects because they have been coming off it too quickly. It is a perfectly logical and normal conclusion to come to. But the sad truth is regardless of whether people have taken this medication for a few months 10 years or 30 years when they decide they wanna quit they want to quit fast. One lady here who was a medical professional was on it for 30 years, she came off too quickly and had a stroke.
You mentioned there are other equally as effective anti-depressants and that may well be true for you and some others but it’s not necessarily true for everyone. A number of people have said Effexor is the only drug that helped them. It’s possible some of those may not have tried every single anti-depressant on the market but I can only go by what people are kind enough to share.
I do believe doctors need to be more enlightened to some of their patients needs.
You obviously have strong opinions as do I so I hope we can agree to disagree.
Have a nice day,
Jake
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@seashore, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You mentioned that Effexor helped you. What led to your decision to taper off the drug? What was your taper schedule? Did you have to modify it along the way?