Anyone reinstate Effexor (Venlafaxine) after 9 weeks off to taper more

@wynnaa I went cold turkey, but was on 37.5, so a quick drop. I had been on it for quite few years however. It still sucked badly for about four weeks, then the symptoms receded for maybe two more before I didn't notice them anymore.

Brain zaps are what lasted the longest. Initially I had nausea and a lot of vertigo, but those resolved fairly quickly.

Over time Effexor slowly flipped me until it began making me suicidal, which is a known response with young people, but highly uncommon at my age (I was 59 when I stopped). I had only begun seeing a psychiatrist a few months prior to stopping, this after a trip to the psych ward and a late-in-life bipolar 2 diagnosis (I believe it's correct, as it explains pretty much my whole life). I needed to flat get off of it. I have repeatedly told friends and family if I hadn't stopped it when I did I would have followed through by now. I'm 100% convinced of this. I was tail-spinning fast.

That was two-and-a-half years ago.

I found a study right in that period that I've been unable to relocate. It was about a correlation between bipolar 2 patients, antidepressants, and suicide. I wish I'd bookmarked it. It was NIH or some other reliable source; I'm real careful about where I get medical information. It described the previous three years of my life up until then like a biography. Daily suicidal thoughts, uncontrollable anger, eating and sleep disorders, and on and on. The study noted that Effexor was the antidepressant most frequently associated with this reaction.

I actually found it on my own, realized that I'd likely found the cause, said "I'm done," and quit. My psychiatrist knew about the study but was skeptical that this was what had happened to me until I went in two weeks after quitting and she recognized immediately that my whole demeanor had shifted for the better. It's rare. She'd never seen it before. She has since told me she's using what she saw in me as a reference for what to look out for with future patients.

My therapist saw the sudden shift as well. I went from evasive and monosyllabic for months to being unable to shut up. One week I was as unreachable as ever. I'd quit the day before but didn't tell her. Two weeks later at my next appointment (I'd informed her by then that I'd stopped the medication and that my psychiatrist knew) I was prattling like crazy before I even sat down. The only time in my life I've ever made someone's jaw drop. She just stared at me stunned for almost a minute before she could think of something to say. From there on out (I'm still in therapy) I've been pretty talkative.

Saved my life getting off of that pill. I'm taking Lamotrigine now, which has kept me pretty stable.

@depressedbutnotdead It really is worrying how meds can affect people. Very interesting reading what happened to you. Its great that you took control yourself....so many just go along with the Drs opinion, often ending tragically.

@wynnaa I went cold turkey, but was on 37.5, so a quick drop. I had been on it for quite few years however. It still sucked badly for about four weeks, then the symptoms receded for maybe two more before I didn't notice them anymore.

Brain zaps are what lasted the longest. Initially I had nausea and a lot of vertigo, but those resolved fairly quickly.

Over time Effexor slowly flipped me until it began making me suicidal, which is a known response with young people, but highly uncommon at my age (I was 59 when I stopped). I had only begun seeing a psychiatrist a few months prior to stopping, this after a trip to the psych ward and a late-in-life bipolar 2 diagnosis (I believe it's correct, as it explains pretty much my whole life). I needed to flat get off of it. I have repeatedly told friends and family if I hadn't stopped it when I did I would have followed through by now. I'm 100% convinced of this. I was tail-spinning fast.

That was two-and-a-half years ago.

I found a study right in that period that I've been unable to relocate. It was about a correlation between bipolar 2 patients, antidepressants, and suicide. I wish I'd bookmarked it. It was NIH or some other reliable source; I'm real careful about where I get medical information. It described the previous three years of my life up until then like a biography. Daily suicidal thoughts, uncontrollable anger, eating and sleep disorders, and on and on. The study noted that Effexor was the antidepressant most frequently associated with this reaction.

I actually found it on my own, realized that I'd likely found the cause, said "I'm done," and quit. My psychiatrist knew about the study but was skeptical that this was what had happened to me until I went in two weeks after quitting and she recognized immediately that my whole demeanor had shifted for the better. It's rare. She'd never seen it before. She has since told me she's using what she saw in me as a reference for what to look out for with future patients.

My therapist saw the sudden shift as well. I went from evasive and monosyllabic for months to being unable to shut up. One week I was as unreachable as ever. I'd quit the day before but didn't tell her. Two weeks later at my next appointment (I'd informed her by then that I'd stopped the medication and that my psychiatrist knew) I was prattling like crazy before I even sat down. The only time in my life I've ever made someone's jaw drop. She just stared at me stunned for almost a minute before she could think of something to say. From there on out (I'm still in therapy) I've been pretty talkative.

Saved my life getting off of that pill. I'm taking Lamotrigine now, which has kept me pretty stable.

@cas2001 yes it is. Are you tapering off of Extended Release or Immediate Release? I was on the extended release capsule and since it couldn’t be reduced any lower, I switched to immediate release since it is a pill. I cut the pill every 4-6 weeks and then once I couldn’t cut it anymore, the doctor said to take it every other day for 2 weeks and then stop. Looking back, I wish I had been given the option to bead count to taper off slower 😏

@wynnaa I think my reply went through with a lot of other stuff ahead of it? ? Yes I was on a slow release, as its called here. There is no lower dose available in Australia than 50 so I went on to a 40 capsule and then back to splitting the 50 to get onto 25 daily then capsules of 10. Yesterday I decided to take 2 x 10 to stay on 20 daily. I opened a capsule yesterday, its just powder so no counting beads here. Your capsules are largeish beads? I might end up cutting the 50 til it cant be cut any smaller...wont be getting an even dose each day then. Not sure if Compounding Pharmacy can do a 5, why not? I feel like Im all over the place changing dosage often, not a good idea really 😒hoping I can feel normal!!

@cas2001 In the U.S., Venlafaxine comes in an extended release (ER) capsule, which contains small beads. The lowest ER dose available is 37.5 mg. There is also an immediate release (IR) version that comes in tablet form, with a 25 mg tablet being available.

When I reached 37.5 mg, I switched from the extended release capsule to the immediate release tablet so that I could make smaller dose reductions. I took 25 mg for about two months, then reduced it to 18.75 mg and stayed at that dose for six weeks. I then reduced it to 12.5 mg for four weeks, followed by 6.25 mg for four weeks. After that, I took 6.25 mg every other day for two weeks and then stopped completely.

Looking back, I think I may have tapered too quickly once I reached 6.25 mg but i followed the instructions of my doctor. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor soon, and I’m considering asking about restarting at a very low dose using a liquid formulation prepared by a compounding pharmacy. My thought is that this would allow me to stay at each dose longer and make much smaller reductions as I taper off very slowly. It’s been 10 weeks since I discontinued Venlafaxine and I am not feeling well.

@wynnaa There are many posts on here which address the same issue. It sounds like you have a great doctor, but the experts recommend no more than a 10% decrease over time and not skipping doses. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I recommend (to you and your doctor) The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines.

@cas2001 In the U.S., Venlafaxine comes in an extended release (ER) capsule, which contains small beads. The lowest ER dose available is 37.5 mg. There is also an immediate release (IR) version that comes in tablet form, with a 25 mg tablet being available.

When I reached 37.5 mg, I switched from the extended release capsule to the immediate release tablet so that I could make smaller dose reductions. I took 25 mg for about two months, then reduced it to 18.75 mg and stayed at that dose for six weeks. I then reduced it to 12.5 mg for four weeks, followed by 6.25 mg for four weeks. After that, I took 6.25 mg every other day for two weeks and then stopped completely.

Looking back, I think I may have tapered too quickly once I reached 6.25 mg but i followed the instructions of my doctor. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor soon, and I’m considering asking about restarting at a very low dose using a liquid formulation prepared by a compounding pharmacy. My thought is that this would allow me to stay at each dose longer and make much smaller reductions as I taper off very slowly. It’s been 10 weeks since I discontinued Venlafaxine and I am not feeling well.