Effexor withdrawal

I wanted to give an update and just say to everyone to hang in there!! Get the support you need and keeping pushing yourself--fight! Tapering off the effexor was one of the best and one of the worst things I've ever done! The journey can be difficult but also, very freeing! I am just now feeling more and more like myself after six months and still imagine I will continue to improve. It has been an emotional ride. But, I have used the book/workbook by Craig Groeschel, "Winning the War in Your Mind". It has been a tremendous help and I have had success using some of the tools he mentions such as "framing, reframing and preframing". He explains information about how our amygdala and prefrontal cortex work in controlling our mind and our emotional responses. I don't know about you but the more facts I have the better I understand how to heal my brain. Because, that is what you are doing is healing your brain and giving it time to reregulate itself. But, you must help reregulate it in a positive direction!! So repetition of giving yourself positive feedback, giving yourself lots of grace, taking care of your body through exercise(no matter how slow or out of shape you are, just move), and eating correctly and drinking lots of water--think about detoxing your body and breathing in good and exhaling bad! After a long wait, I was able to get into an Ob-gyn/Psychologist. She has been fabulous to recommend different supplements my body was lacking through doing the correct bloodwork. I had already been low on Vitamin D, but now also take a Super Vitamin B Complex, Magnesium Glycinate, Fish Oil(not krill oil), Calcium. I would recommend adding one at a time to be sure your body doesn't have any reactions to each supplement and to definitely speak to your doctor about how much to take--we're all different. Be sure the laboratories your supplements are made in are in the US and regulated by a third party. Try to obtain as "clean" of a vitamin as possible without all the extra stuff some companies add to them. We are now also looking at my hormone levels and trying to decide if I should try hormone replacement. The supplements my physician recommended all help the brain and help regulate mood and anxiousness!! BUT, besides the book, the supplements, a good doctor, ... obtain support from a counselor and don't be afraid to walk away from them if they don't understand what you're going through. I have tried four different counselors--only two of them understood the effexor withdrawal and believed me(unfortunately the first one died unexpectedly during this process). The other two counselors just wanted me to talk talk talk so they could psycho analyze my childhood. I needed a counselor who would not only listen, but also someone who could offer facts, concrete tools/skills to learn to regulate my brain again. As one counselor explained--the effexor controlled all the highs and lows in my life for years and now the brain without it, was saying "help!, no one is telling me how to react". Understanding that I needed to start telling my brain how to react and practicing, repetitiously practicing how to react has been the most helpful. My new normal going off the effexor, was to cry about everything--happy, sad, angry. This has been the hardest to fight through. Forgive yourself, give yourself grace and if you need a nap or time out to go for a brief walk, take it! Then start again. Give yourself small positive talks for achieving small things--take courage and take victory, don't be afraid. Mornings and evenings had been my hard times initially. And then there would be days, that all I'd focus on would be wondering when the anxiousness would subside, which as you know causes more anxiousness. But, I'm evidence of pushing through and you can do this too!! Make yourself get up and exercise--whatever you enjoy as a physical movement or come up with something new and joyful, like bike riding or dancing around your living room(physical exercise helpf increase serotonin which you need). The process can be a roller coaster, but hang in there. I have had a difficult time listening to and watching action movies and extensive drama shows. It was just too much for my brain. My brain had a hard time handling all the quick changes in emotion. I know this sounds strange and I thought it was just me reacting strangely, but I did find others who have had this same response off the effexor. One person said all she could watch for the longest time, was cartoons. So maybe be prepared to take a break from too much drama on the tv or facebook or the news--I'm just now starting to be able to handle listening to US and world news reports because I felt they were all doomsday reports. I have felt fearful about my children living so far away from me even though they lived far away when they were in college and now in there careers for some years. That fear is greatly subsided but I still need to be careful not to dwell on it. So get a good counselor and ask them to help you practice emptying your mind of negative thoughts and then telling your mind to stop, and move on to healthier topics. You can do this! Personally my faith in God has been helpful, but you will all have to decide what helps you best! I hope your families and friends are patient with you! Be patient with yourself and remember to celebrate the small hurdles! I'm now able to get up in the morning and feel positive about my day. I try to look at my schedule the night before and come up with at least one thing where I can focus my energy and have a positive outcome the next day! I hope this is helpful!!

@dorothy1914
I have been suffering terribly with protracted withdrawal from Effexor. I am losing my ability to walk as I have no balance. I look anorexic. My tinnitus is so loud that it’s really affecting me. My hair is falling out and my heart palpitations make me feel that I am dying. I don’t know what to do. I no longer have a life.

I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad, your symptoms are very similar to mine but for different reasons. I think you might need some more help from your doctor, medication withdrawal can be brutal for some people and can cause undo suffering. My symptoms are due to a covid infection two years ago and it’s been rough but now I feel like it’s easing up more and this is good. I also know how difficult it is to stop medication and deal with withdrawal symptoms, mine are due to benzodiazepines. I hope that you will start to feel better soon, it usually improves with time but if it doesn’t then you should see your doctor for help, best wishes.

To @frouke
Thank you for your reply. I am so isolated and have to rely on my husband for everything. I haven’t left the house in weeks as I don’t want my neighbors to see me in this condition. They have no idea what’s going on. I am sure they are wondering where I am as just several weeks ago I used to walk with my husband around our neighborhood greeting everyone as they walked their dogs.

Try not to think about what the neighbours are thinking, I can’t be bothered because there’s nothing I can do about it, I always get reclusive when I’m not well. If the withdrawal is having such a bad effect on you then it’s probably something you need more help with, I know it’s not what you want because they’re just going to use more medication but even if it’s just to get you through the toughest times it will help you stay strong, try using some protein drinks to keep yourself hydrated and get some energy, I use them when I’m feeling weak. I sincerely hope that you feel better soon, please stay connected and let us know how you are doing, best wishes.

Anyone in the group that’s in protracted withdrawal from nortriptyline?

These antidepressant withdrawals are brutal. Trying to find a doctor that understands is near impossible.

@mmsm, I know this is an old post, but I’m going through the Effexor withdrawal process now—and this forum seems very helpful to hear others have a hard time with this too. If anyone out there is still getting notifications from this thread—I’d love some more insight.
I’ve been on Effexor on & off for over 16 years. I have tried several other psych meds, and Effexor always worked the best for me with the most tolerable side effect trade-offs, so I kept getting put back on it. I was hospitalized a few years ago when my depression hit a scary low. I expressed while there that environment would’ve been a good setting to finally come off of Effexor (since the weaning process is SO challenging) & try something else, but my psych MD chose to increase my dose & add Buspar instead (the latter didn’t help, but the increased dose stabilized me enough to be discharged a week later). Fast-forward to 2025: I have since been on 225mg Effexor since, and recently encountered a huge shift in depression & anxiety following my gyno taking me off of birth control when I started experiencing perimenopause symptoms a few months ago. The change in hormones did not resolve my hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, or weight gain (all that’s still there)—but it did shatter my mental health. I found a new PCP who has decided to wean me off of Effexor while simultaneously introducing Prozac and I’m feeling pretty awful. It’s a slow taper: I’m taking 187.5 mg this week while adding 10mg of Prozac, then am supposed to reduce to 150mg next week +prozac, then eventually go up to 20mg on Prozac while I keep lowering Effexor. I feel truly awful, despite this gradual change. I haven’t had the brain zaps yet (maybe bc of the Prozac offset)-but my mood swings, near-constant crying, severe headaches, and generally feeling like I have the flu every day has made it too challenging to keep one of my jobs. I am hoping to avoid hospitalization again because it will be pretty costly under my current insurance, but I also can’t just remain out of work for several more weeks or more—-I’m reading some of you say it took months to feel better/baseline again, and that scares me. Any tips for what I can do to keep from losing my mind and fully falling apart? Has anyone gone on disability to accommodate this very difficult medication change? I know I’m not alone here, and that’s somewhat comforting—but I don’t want to feel this way for several more months…I don’t think
I will make it without a higher level of support. Would super appreciate a response from anyone else who’s been through this. Sending hugs to you all. ❤️

@kikinc
I highly suggest you investigate the tapering “movement” that has been gaining momentum these past few years. Go to “angiepeacock.com or google Mark Horowitz or Outro.
I think you will find the help you will need there.
Main point is you must micro taper Effexor; your doctors are taking you down too quickly causing your withdrawal symptoms.

@kikinc I agree with mialucy123's comment. The general consensus is that Effexor should be decreased by no more than ten percent over time. That is, for someone taking 225mg, the first step down would be 225 minus 10%, or to 202.5 mg per day for however long it takes your body to adapt to that amount without feeling the effects of withdrawal. The next step would be to decrease 10% of 202.5 mg, or to 182.25 mg per day for however long it takes your body to adjust. In other words, your experience thus far has NOT been a "gradual change." Over time, you might have to decrease by smaller percentages. Mark Horowitz explains it better in his book, The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines.
I know nothing about adding Prozac, but the book discusses that, as well. You can also find webinars about the process on YouTube.
Hormones are a third factor to be considered. Effexor has been prescribed in the past to deal with hot flashes (that's why I started taking it), but hot flashes are also a potential side effect. (I know--makes one want to swear.)
Take comfort in knowing that there is a wealth of information and support available online now which was lacking just a few years ago. You may need to make a slight increase in your Effexor to stabilize yourself--and give yourself time to learn how to do this the right way--then proceed accordingly. It can be done. Others on this website have done it; Mark Horowitz himself has done it! I'm still in the process. Please feel encouraged; you can do it, too.