Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

@pattpooh Hey, welcome Patty Pooh. You must of liked Winnie the Pooh. Glad you are with us. I never had too many problems getting off of medicine. Now I am on Lexapro 20 mg, Lamictal 200 mg and Klonipin, which I only take at night to help me sleep with melatonin and sometimes Ambiem. Sometimes I do take Klonipin in the morning. I'm allowed 3 a day. One in the morning and 2 at night, but I only take one, because I'm on a muscle relaxant too. I haven't heard of Kelly Brogan MD"S book on withdrawal from antidepressants.
I'm not familiar with Venafaxine, that's probably the generic name. Good luck getting off of it. I really like Lexapro. Rexalta was my favorite, but I started having side effect from it with my mouth quivering. Oh darn I thought, found one that really worked and it that to me. I wish you the best and let me know how it comes out getting off of it. I'll remember patpooh.

Hi there! And welcome! I have not read the book you’re talking about, but I did a lot of reading before I went off Effexor (venlafaxine). It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about it and go very very VERY slowly. Give yourself lots of time so that you have minimal (if any) withdrawal symptoms. No need to put yourself through unnecessary hell! But, that being said, it is very possible to wean off :). I did it but I am not off antidepressants completely. (I was, but apparently I’m bipolar and am back on Seroquel and zoloft). But all is well.

It’s not a contest. Be good to yourself and stay in contact with your doc and us 🙂

Thanks for joining!

Suzi

There's a lot of good information on this discussion board; I hope you'll start at the beginning and work your way through up to the present.

If your doctor suggests a tapering plan for you, please keep in mind that only you know how you feel. Many times doctors are more optimistic than their patients find comfortable regarding how quickly you drop and how steep the drops should be (based on the experiences related here and elsewhere on the web). Withdrawal symptoms are the big tip off that you are tapering too fast.

You don't mention how long you've been on venlafaxine—I was on it for 18 years for hot flashes (25mg regular-release, once-a-day) and found that it took about six weeks for me to use up the Effexor stored in my body tissues AFTER I tapered off; you really aren't off the drug until the stores are gone.

Let us hear from you and what your plan is. Much success.

I have dealt with depression for years and have been on various medications. For the last five years or so have been on both Venlafaxine and Welbutrin. I don't think there is any way I could get off of them. I am lucky I don't have anxiety also

Hi @paperwork4 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you joined last month, but this is your first post. Glad you found the group. How are those two medications working for you? Do you remember what medications you have taken in the past and what their effectiveness was?

Good morning: I am new to this group and looking for some help on how to manage my withdrawal side effects from Effexor. I have been on Effexor for 15 years and its time to wean off with my doctors help. I have tried weaning off many times over these years with no success. The dose I have been on was 150mg for 15 years. My doctor started tapering down to 75mg and now I am on 37.5. I am now taking 37.5 each night and then skipping a day. I have ten pills left. The side effect i find most difficult is the dizziness, nausea, euphoria and flu symptoms. Any suggestions on what I can do to alleviate these symptoms?
K.

@karathine99
My first thought is your doctor has you tapering to quickly. Are you able to procure a new prescription preferably through a compounding pharmacy? Are you willing to share your taper schedule with us? It’s a reasonable assumption to make that since you’re having withdrawl symptoms your tapering too much at a time. I wouldn’t recommend skipping any days. From what people have shared few people find that effective although I know I’ve got at least one person here who does but she no doubt capers at a much slower rate than you currently are.
Good luck,
Jake

@karathine99
Hello again,
If you can’t get a new prescription I suppose the best option would be to count out the beads and make sure there’s an equal number in each one. I imagine it would be better than growing from 37.5 to zero but it won’t be a walk in the park for sure. This medication needs to be withdrawn extremely slowly I’m talking infinitesimally small cuts. after all you’ve taken the medication for 15 years In bed alone would require a longer taper. What difference does it make if you take a year or two to get off of it if it can be accomplished 100% withdrawal symptom-free.
Or by decreasing the number of beads in each capsule by more than equal parts so at the end there will be more on day 10 but very few on very few beads on your last day. That’s a super fast taper but hopefully it will be better than going from 37.5 to nothing.
Ideally, you need more medication for a VERY SLOW taper. Talk to your doctor and explain the withdrawals or go to the ER.
Sadly doctors are very ignorant when it comes to tapering this medication.
There was a psychiatrist in Europe who put many of his patients on Effexor and he also was taking it and decided to quit and so he used the same taper schedule he had been giving to his patients and was having the same withdrawals. At that point is when he became an advocate for the 5 to 10% taper Were you reduce the percentage of your medication every 2-6 weeks Depending on your tolerability.
I hope you get more medication growing off from this point probably won’t be easy.
Best of luck,
Jake

Tapering off these meds is not a race. Take as much time as you need. And more importantly find a doctor that will work with you on an extremely slow taper. These docs hand these antidepressants out like candy and are clueless when one desires to taper. The majority want patients to taper waaaaay to fast. They want to get us out of their hair. They don’t care about the misery you’ll go through for many many months to years with a hastily done taper. This applies to Benzos also. Good luck.🙏

@karathine99
@sears makes a valid point regarding how freely the Antidepressants are prescribed. I'm sure if physicians prescribed them by meeting the necessary criteria there wouldn't be near the amount there are. Sadly responsibility is at least in my opinion lacking in many doctors.
Health & happiness,
Jake