Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

These doctors have GOT to wise up about these physchiatric meds. They should not be prescribing them until they figure out how to do tapers without half killing their patients. You’re doctor is way off base here as to how to taper this drug. Effexor is an especially difficult med to taper. It must be done very very slowly over many months. His taper is way too fast. Good luck and God bless.

Ok am going back to my doctor tomorrow so will requestion her. I think because she was changing me to Prozac , she tapered like that. I want to go off any meds and try to manage my anxiety. I’m on a 37.5 today.

@bev098890
Are you taking Prozac currently in addition to the Effexor?
How is the taper going have you had any side effects?
Best of luck,
Jake

Hi Jake
No, tapering off Effexor then Prozac. Spoke tp psychiatrist and he said thectaperimg is ok as only on it for 1 month. He said it’s depression now causing side effects like waking with nervousness and nausea. I am taking Effexor every other day now till Sunday at 37.5 . Then on to Prozac. By lunchtime I am eating then get a bout of the same side effects.

@bev098890
If I was trying to get off Effexor I'd use the 5-10% method. I would ask my doctor to write a prescription to a compounding pharmacy to take, for example, 10% less of whatever dose I was on and take that dose for at least 2 weeks and probably 3 weeks. Since people react so differently some take each dose 6 weeks or longer. I believe there’s a woman here who takes each lower dose for three months at a time. If I remember correctly she hasn’t had any problems although she does use a different tapering technique. It takes time but usually without withdrawals. Some people seem to need (or think they need) to use Prozac to get off Effexor but from what I've read many of those people were tapering, in my opinion, to quickly. Why add another drug (especially a Benzodiazepine) unless it's essential since then you have two drugs to get off of. Who wants that headache. I would try to invest all my time in getting off Effexor. The good thing is that you haven't been on it very long so it may be easier for you to stop.
There was a doctor in Europe (France I believe)
and he was prescribing Effexor to patients and eventually took it himself. his patients were complaining about horrible side effects when they were stopping the medicine. Eventually he stopped as well and finally understood what his patients were going through. He then began using the 5 to 10% method and became an advocate for that method.
I normally get off medications without any problems but the benzodiazepine seizure drug Klonopin was the exception.
Just a few thoughts.
Good luck,
Jake

Since the amount of beads vary in each capsule you have to count the beads you take not the beads you take out.

Just count the beads you take not the beads you take out as numbers very.

Do you think we'll ever be "normal" again? Do you think this darkness will lift? Will it take years?

Jake Saw dr yesterday and she’s given me diazepam to take. occasionally when feeling really tense. I finishEffexor on a reduced dose on Friday then 3 days without. Took 2 mg diazepam in afternoon yesterday and felt so relaxed. I start Prozac next Tuesday. Hope I’m on my way,

It's funny you mention this--my psychiatrist keeps making this distinction and it's driving me crazy. She says 'it's not something people are addicted to, because if it were, it would be sold on the street by dealers!' I'm not sure why this distinction is important for her, but I completely agree that unless a person has experienced the life-altering and soul-crushing effects of the withdrawal of this thing, it's difficult for them to understand.
I weaned off slowly after taking 150mg/day for 10+ years and have been at zero for 4 weeks. I no longer experience the brain zaps or constant nausea, which is great. Unfortunately I still feel completely unmotivated, lethargic, depressed and I have no appetite. I have ridiculous crying jags seemingly for no reason at all and every morning I wake up at dawn filled with anxiety and dread. I've started taking a bunch of vitamins (B-complex, Omega-3s, ginger, magnesium) and am trying to eat healthy foods and go on the occasional walk, but it's difficult to "practice self care" when one feels this way. It's also difficult to find a time to go on said walk that I'm not crying hysterically, and I don't want to frighten the local children :p The occasional bit of diazepam does seem to help with the morning anxiety. My doctor prescribed a 3-day course of prozac but that didn't seem to do much. Benadryl didn't help with my main issues which are depression and anxiety. I'm afraid to go on a different anti-depressant as a "bridge" and face having to do this all over again, but I don't know how much longer I can deal with feeling like this.
I know this sounds like an endless, complaining rant, and I apologize for that. I'm looking for a bit of guidance, I suppose. I know that everyone is different, but can anyone who's been through this tell me, after being on this medication for a few years and going off of it, once you were taking ZERO medication, how many weeks did it take for you to feel human again? I don't mind physical symptoms but I feel like I'm barely functioning and this medication's half-life is so short that I suppose I (naively) expected the emotional withdrawal to be over by now. I don't need to feel AMAZING, I just want to know when I *might* hope to be able to stop crying and be in any way productive again. I hope you are all staying strong and taking care of yourselves as best as you can!