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As promised, my successful tapering off Effexor (Venlafaxine)
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Nov 2 2:20pm | Replies (199)Comment receiving replies
Hello, I am looking for some similar experience/advice. I am tapering off of Effexor, with the supervision of my doctor. Recently I was down to 37.5 MWFSu & 1/2 tan on T/Th/Sa. What I thought was me having side effects of tapering down, turned out to be that I had forgotten to add the Effexor into my weekly medicine dispenser so I have not taken it since Tuesday night I believe. I realized just tonight that after I originally thought I had left out a different medication but realized it was in fact my Effexor. The symptoms have gotten better & since I am trying to taper off, should I continue not taking it or go back to taking it & continuing tapering down? I am still learning about antidepressants & how to navigate with them as my first doctor who prescribed them to me did not do a great job at helping me understand just what I was getting into.
Replies to "Hello, I am looking for some similar experience/advice. I am tapering off of Effexor, with the..."
You inadvertently quit your Effexor cold turkey five days ago and were having withdrawal symptoms, but since those WD effects have gotten better, are now wondering if you should just consider yourself tapered off at this point? In most cases, rushing a drug taper (especially Effexor) is not a successful strategy for getting off the drug and quite often, makes life very difficult and uncomfortable until the withdrawal effects subside.
You don't mention how long you've been on Effexor, nor the dosage at which you started your taper, nor how long you've been yo yoing between 37.5 and 18.75 mgs. If you've only been off for five days, it is unlikely that you are all that far down the road to getting off this drug–for most, it takes a lot more time than this.
Quitting Effexor cold turkey even when on a low dose is NOT a good idea if you don't want to feel like cr*p and can be dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms are the big tip off that you're tapering too fast—tapering may not eliminate withdrawal symptoms, but it sure can minimize them. ONLY YOU can decide if your WD symptoms are tolerable ... or not; if they're not, RESTART your Effexor and your taper.
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@chasoli18
I think/hope your doctor would be the best qualified to answer that question.
Sad to say but I don’t have much confidence in physicians or pharmacists tapering knowledge.
I thought the immediate relief version of Effexor was discontinued and only the extended release capsule version was available. Please correct me if I misunderstood. How do you take a half dose on Tue Thurs & Sat? How has this taper worked for you? Any withdrawal symptoms?
If it were me I would not have agreed to take 100% of Effexor one day and 50% the next day etc.
I believe a taper should be more consistent like a 5-10% cut a month and using a compounding pharmacy to accomplish that goal.
If the taper your doctor had you on I’d probably go bach on it if you weren’t having ang any withdrawals.
But call your doctor for their advice.
Good luck,
Jake