Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

I went off the Effexor back in October. Probably did it a bit too fast. My psychiatrist also helped me to taper off Wellbutrin in late November. She gave me a small dose of Prozac to help take off the edges because the withdrawal was intense.

I am now on Lamictal only. Still feel very altered, tire easily and depressed. Am trying to put one foot in front of the other but worry it will be like this forever. My doctor thinks my continued symptoms are out of the norm but not impossible.

Pep talks are welcomed.

@annfog1954 If you think you "probably did it a bit too fast," then you almost certainly did. I cannot speak to the other drugs you have taken, but delayed/continued withdrawal symptoms from a too-fast taper from Effexor do occur. My worst withdrawal symptoms kicked in two months after stopping Effexor entirely.

I was never warned by doctors or pharmacists how difficult it is to quit this drug. In my case it proved to be driving me into far deeper and dangerous depression than I was already experiencing. I quit cold turkey in a fit of rage and before I knew what was going on. It was miserable and persisted for weeks, but the depression was lifting so quickly that I rode it out. Especially after discovering studies on PubMed and BMJ describing what had been going on with me in almost precise detail. It’s highly uncommon, but documented.

If I had known both the risks and the difficulties of quitting, I don’t think I would have accepted the prescription. But I was never told. It was simply handed to me. I feel that doctors need to be both more informative with patients and more careful with prescribing this one. I think the number of threads here about how hard it is to stop support that view.

@annfog1954
I've been trying for over 2 yr to taper off venlafaxine but I find instant release wipes me out. Reducing the drug gradually inevitably means instant release for at least part of the dose. In England even the tiny beads of Efexor are useless bec they are so variable. I can't find a way through. Help!

Terrible drug it s 😞

@catamite can’t believe you are not having more severe symptoms!!! Been almost 20yrs for me too & i am on 75mg but if I miss 2 pills I get crazy. Did you go on for depression? Did that come back since you’ve been off?

I tried to come off it , got down to the lowest dose. wow the side effects, so I am stuck on it.

I have been on this for 7 years and finally am coming off. It has taken me a full year and I have made many mistakes as I had very little guidance. I read somewhere you should go down by only 10 percent of your dosage at a time and that the last weaning can be the most challenging. I ended up opening my capsule and counting the beads. I’m pretty sure this would be discouraged but I couldn’t figure out any other way. There were 100 beads in a capsule so it was easy to come down 10 percent. I am now on my final 4 beads and I swear I can tell when I go off a single bead. I wonder if it’s just in my head but I am getting there and I am happy to be off even though my husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and the world is such a rough place for my transgender son. Pretty sure I could just as easily drug myself up to numb but I am ready to be alert and face the challenges. Sigh.

I am counting beads, as well, and I'm down to 36 per day, after one and a half years. It is not surprising that you can tell when you remove a single bead, because that equals a 25% drop now. Which is why the last part is the hardest part. Hang in there. You've accomplished a lot, and are needed. I'm hoping for a kinder world soon, and progress in medical science, both of which would benefit every body.

how long did it take you? I did the cross taper from Effexor to Lexapro. I am on day 60, day one of week 9. the spikes i get are better and have gone 2-3 days with none. Using hydroxyzine as a bridge on those bad spikes. There was a period of 2-3 weeks that was horrible! I keep thinking i will never get out of this. I was on Zoloft for over 20 years and went through caregiver burnout in 2017 after taking care of my mom who had Alzheimer's. then covid hit and the anxiety went through the roof. then my husband's health went south and started dialysis in April of 21, and basically watched him go down for four years. I am 64 about to turn 65. He passed away April 4 2025 and 11 months later had one of my brothers tragically killed. About two years ago i realized the zoloft was no longer working and dr put my on effexor. They never once told me how hard it was to get off or i would have never taken it. Anways...everything i read says by week 12 of the Lexapro things should get much better. I have a highly sensitive system and under stand it could linger for a couple weeks past that, but the spikes by week 12 will be much better. I pray this is true