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Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 3 hours ago | Replies (6412)Comment receiving replies
I tapered from November to that May 19th date. Ended up in the ER twice. I didn't know what the brain zaps were. I thought I was having mini strokes. My doctor had me taper from 225 to nothing in 3 weeks. Not good.
Her suggestion was to either stay on the low dose indefinitely or to check myself into an mental health institution. The doctor that prescribed the Effexor would not return my call or the calls from my doctor. Very frustrating.
I 100% agree with you, if I had any idea that the hell I have been through was even the smallest possibility, I would have never switched over to Effexor. The kicker for me is that I had put myself into an alcohol rehab and that is where they prescribed the most addictive pill I have ever had.
Replies to "I tapered from November to that May 19th date. Ended up in the ER twice. I..."
May I suggest reading the book "The Anti-Depressant Solution" by Dr. JosephGlenmullen. Dr. Glenmullen has 30+ years experience helping people discontinue Effexor and other medication in that group. He is also an expert witness against the drug companies. The book is helping me discontinue Zoloft. I am in that special 4% of people highly sensitive to Zoloft. Doctor suggested tapers had me in complete misery. One taper had me in the hospital because I was so weak and tired. Thanks to the book I have learned that I can only taper 0.4mg at a time. From the book I learned that slow tapering is important. Brain zaps are a signal that too much is being tapered. Good luck!
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That is so disheartening. I hope you have since found a doctor/psychiatrist who is more helpful! I'm sorry to hear that you still have the cloud, but I'm glad that things have improved. It makes you wonder why there aren't doctors who specialize in helping patients wean off these drugs. Though when you try to search the internet for information about withdrawal from them or search for "discontinuation syndrome," the first few links that come up are ads for rehab centers, so it's not as if it's a secret that these issues exist.