Long term effects AFTER withdrawing from Effexor

@texasduchess
Hey there Tex,
EXCELLENT POST.
I hope people use the advice you provided if they want a
withdrawal-free taper.
My only concern is the people who may need Prozac is them becoming dependent on it. Although some will disagree I believe if they follow your other suggestions few to none will need Prozac.
Thanks much Duchess,
Jake

You can find a lot of tips, strategies and advice on another Mayo Clinic thread—"Tips on minimising withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)." It's a long thread, but well worth reading ALL of it.

You can click on my name and go to Discussions to read my previous posts.

Things to be aware of—

1) "Cold turkey" stopping Effexor/venlafaxine can be dangerous—another commenter to the above thread did this and had a stroke. Folks who taper off the drug are usually more successful at getting off it.

2) Skipping doses, or days puts you into withdrawal because Effexor/venlafaxine is a very short-lived drug in the body.

3) Slowly taper—reduce by no more than 5–10% each drop. If you drop the same amount at every taper, that drop is a bigger percentage each time (75mg – 12.5mg to 62.5mg is a 16.7% drop; 62.5mg – 12.5mg to 50mg is a 20% drop; 50mg – 12.5mg to 37.5mg is a 25% drop, etc.).

4) Stay at each new level for weeks (even months) AND stabilize BEFORE dropping again. This is a very powerful drug that affects your brain's neurotransmitter levels—it takes time for your head to recalibrate these without the drug, or at lower levels of the drug … hence, withdrawal symptoms (nausea, dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, etc.) when you taper too fast.

5) OTC medications and supplements can help with some of the withdrawal symptoms. Ben*dryl, Bon*ine, or other seasickness remedies can reduce/minimize the dizziness/vertigo. Here's a good article re how to mitigate withdrawal effects with supplements–https://www.4mind4life.com/effexor-withdrawal-symptoms. (Fish oil may be more helpful than krill oil.) Do NOT take l-tryptophan, or 5-HTP while still on Effexor (can trigger serotonin syndrome).

6) Your doctor can prescribe a different formulation (I was on 25mg regular-release tablets that could be cut), or he could specify a certain brand of capsules (@farm_mom found Teva had the most consistent size and number of beads within a capsule–helpful to those counting and throwing out beads to taper–see @sandij, or @doorman on how to do this). Or your doctor can write a prescription for a compounding pharmacy to make tapered doses for you (the extra cost may well be worth it because you can glide down in incremental amounts, rather than make rather large jagged drops).

Ask your doctor about a "Prozac bridge"–essentially, the Prozac cushions the effect of no Effexor and lets you "ride out" the withdrawal process.–https://natashatracy.com/treatment-issues/withdrawal/antidepressants-effexorpristiq-venlafaxinedesvenlafaxine/. See also https://www.depressionforums.org/forums/topic/107532-coming-off-of-effexor-with-prozac-bridge/.

I joined this page just to comment. I am in absolutely horrific pain and the muscles in my neck and shoulders are in constant spasm after being on Effexor for many years. I have been off since Jan 2019 and I see no end in sight of the pain.

Will I have a bad time even low I'm only on it coming 7 months

Hi, @dissidentdaughter -- I'm really sorry to hear about the chronic pain you have developed. That must be very difficult. You are wise to consider all possibilities that might have led to this debilitating pain.

What I thought might be helpful would be to tag some members who have completed their taper off of venlafaxine (Effexor) and see what they have to say about any lingering side effects in their experiences, like @texasduchess @cathy615 @sadiesmom @aririkatotomoto @lalyfa. @gailb and @hopeful33250 may also have some thoughts.

@dissidentdaughter -- have you had the chance to ask your doctor what he or she thinks about a potential link between the medication and your chronic pain?

Each person's situation is different (age, weight, reason for being on Effexor, dosage on, length of time on the drug, other drugs on, how you metabolize the drug, etc.). Some folks have been able to discontinue Effexor easily. Many of us on the "Tips on ..." thread encountered difficulty. Doing a slow taper (small drops in dosage and staying at each drop level until stabilized) has been a successful strategy for many on the "Tips on ..." thread.

Long story short, I was put on Effexor (17.5mg) for my anxiety when I was 19 or 20. When it didn't work (made my anxiety worse), they just kept upping my dosage. ~2 years later, I was at 300mg and still having daily panic attacks. I missed a dose by accident one day, and when I woke up I had such bad withdrawal symptoms from just that one missed dose that I decided to wean myself off. I still had all of my past prescriptions as "backups" in case something happened to my regular prescription, so I was able to wean myself off gradually. After I weaned myself off, my daily panic attacks fortunately dropped to monthly.
Unfortunately, however, I feel that I cry a lot more now than I did before I started taking Effexor. I cry very easily, and not just triggered by negative emotions. If I get excited or I'm feeling extreme euphoria, I cry. If I'm embarrassed or mad, I cry
I can't help it, either. I've tried to just /not/ cry, because I know I don't actually have a reason to.
I'm wondering if, because I was taking Effexor while my brain was still developing, my brain didn't develop properly somewhere and that's why I cry easily.

Forgot to mention that I'm 26 now, 4 years off Effexor

Long story short, I was put on Effexor (17.5mg) for my anxiety when I was 19 or 20. When it didn't work (made my anxiety worse), they just kept upping my dosage. ~2 years later, I was at 300mg and still having daily panic attacks. I missed a dose by accident one day, and when I woke up I had such bad withdrawal symptoms from just that one missed dose that I decided to wean myself off. I still had all of my past prescriptions as "backups" in case something happened to my regular prescription, so I was able to wean myself off gradually. After I weaned myself off, my daily panic attacks fortunately dropped to monthly.
Unfortunately, however, I feel that I cry a lot more now than I did before I started taking Effexor. I cry very easily, and not just triggered by negative emotions. If I get excited or I'm feeling extreme euphoria, I cry. If I'm embarrassed or mad, I cry
I can't help it, either. I've tried to just /not/ cry, because I know I don't actually have a reason to.
I'm wondering if, because I was taking Effexor while my brain was still developing, my brain didn't develop properly somewhere and that's why I cry easily.

Forgot to mention that I'm 26 now, 4 years off Effexor