Hello @rmce72a and welcome to Mayo Connect. I can certainly understand your concern about the side effects of reducing Effexor. Did your doctor indicate that the Prozac bridge is supposed to lessen the effects of the withdrawal? Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor?

If your doctor has not explained this process in detail, you might consider talking with your pharmacist. Many people are not aware of the value of a talk with a pharmacist. Pharmacists are of course very knowledgeable and can often be a great resource when you have questions regarding medication side effects and changes.

I would be interested in hearing from you again. Will you consider a conversation with your doctor or your pharmacist and let me know how you are doing?

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your message. Even though I am working with my GP and a therapist, neither is knowledgeable in the area of antidepressants. I have seen a person on staff who is supposed to be knowledgeable in anti d meds, but I find she is not very knowledgeable. (When I mentioned bead removal as a tapering technique, she said she had never heard of it.) It was she who suggested trying Prozac as a bridge, but Prozac is in the red area of the gene test she did. Frankly, I don't think any of them knows about withdrawal, just prescribing. Thank you again and I will be in touch with you if you don't mind.

I know there are several of you who have used Prozac as a bridge when tapering off Effexor, but I would appreciate reading more input/advice. I am starting my taper off Effexor XR 75, and doc want to add 10 mg Prozac. Would you please share your experiences?

I did a 60 day wean from 75 mg Effexor XR without a bridge and still had serious side effects. I will attempt to wean with a Prozac bridge this time. Venlafaxine is the most difficult anti-depressant to wean. Doctors that advise to drop from 75 mg to 37.5 mg in a week for long time users are inexperienced in this field.