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Effexor Tapering Off and Side Effects
I am tapering off Effexor after being on it for over a decade. I've noticed my stomach gets queasy & I have digestion issues. Has anybody else had this problem?
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@pjs70 Thanks for that!
@kratz5 I’m sorry this has been a bad experience for you. We are all different and medication affects everyone different. I will pray your withdrawal improves. God bless you.
@saliannadana This happens to me as well, except the next day. To me, it is like my brain is 'wooshing'. It isn't a good feeling. It takes a few hours after taking the next dose to feel normal again
I was seeing a doctor for depression. He prescribed Effexor. When I complained about side effects he wrote a new prescription at a larger dose. I immediately visited my Family Doctor as a walk-in patient. He wrote me a prescription for cymbalta and told me to take that instead. It's been over 20 years. Still taking cymbalta at same dose, Not every medication is right for everyone.
You are already doing the hardest part most people find the last few milligrams are the most sensitive. Many tapering experts suggest jumping somewhere around 1–2 mg (sometimes even lower), since stopping at 8 mg is still a big drop for Effexor and can trigger withdrawal.
For the patience part: try to reframe this as active healing, not lost time going slowly now is what protects your future quality of life. It’s okay to grieve the time it’s taking, but you’re not failing or stuck; you are being careful and kind to your nervous system.
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4 Reactions@dhoni44551 Thank you for such a supportive response.
Has anyone with these symptoms ever
Gone to the hospital and actually got help.
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1 ReactionI've been on Effexor for years and tried coming off it several times. It takes months to slowly taper off this antidepressant. Quitting cold turkey throws your body for a terrible surprise. Each time I tried, my clinical depression was waiting for me. May be that's your problem, you need to be on something. It may be that you go back on the Effexor for a while and then once you've r recovered, taper off of it properly. Research it on Google!
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1 ReactionI started on Escitilopram about 3 weeks ago and it’s been horrible from day one, I have so many side effects and my dose is very low because I’m thin and medication sensitive. I never seem to do well with these types of drugs but I need help due to health anxiety, Ativan is my only medication and it’s gotten me through some difficult times with cancer but unfortunately it’s not enough because I need help with depression. I stopped taking the Escitalopram after two hellish weeks but I’m still having strong side effects the doctor prescribed a new medication Paxil and felt it might cancel out the side effects but nothing is for sure as we well know. I took Paxil in my 40’s and it helped me a lot for about a year but I’m in my 70’s now and it may not help me the same, I read that Paxil isn’t very good for seniors but I will try micro dosing and see what happens, medications are sometimes a real pain but what other choices do we have.
@frouke Medications are a real pain but nothing is worse than depression.
Can you imagine what it was like before SSRI’s came on the scene?
Find an SSRI that works and enjoy your life. Depression is a real disease that affects millions of people.