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venlafaxine xr withdrawal Please help
Can anyone tell me what I can do to feel better. I can barely think well enough to write this.....And I know everyone will say go to my doctor, but I can't.
I feel like I have the brain of a three year old trying to even type this, but hopefully i'm coherant enough for someone to give me advice.
I've been on 300mg for 4 years. I had reduced to 150mg, and did that for about two weeks. I didn't feel great (and i was 2 weeks in when I realized why I wasnt feeling great), but was functioning. When I became aware that I was feeling crappy because I had reduced my dose I thought I should just hurry up and get this over with. I'm on day 8 being completly off this drug. I can't function at all..dizzy, ringing in ears, headache, emotional, irritated. Omg, is this normal? When will it get better? If I take 150 mg will I feel better? Or will it just defeat the8 days of being off and set me back? Please someone help if they can.
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Why are you wanting to go off of Effexor ? I have taken it for several years, but haven't considered going off of it. It works for my depression. Would be interested to know how you are doing after 8 days. Plus as to what reason you are wanting to go off to it, as it might reflect on my taking it. Thank you
Kratz5
Hi Kratz,
I am currently tapering Effexor XR 75mg after 22 years. I was originally prescribed it for muscle and joint pain relating to an immune system issue, not depression. I have had good health through the years until about 3 years ago when I began having panic attacks, depression, and tinnitus that came out of nowhere. My life is going well with no major problems, yet here was this depression issue. After doing a lot of research into Effexor, I have learned it is a very powerful drug. Of all the antidepressants on the market, it has been found to be the most difficult to withdraw from. While I am glad the drug is helping you, I think you should consider what lies ahead if/when you stop taking it. Withdrawal is absolute hell and correct tapering for most of us takes months or years to avoid terrible withdrawal. (nausea, vomiting, headaches, brain zaps, tinnitus)
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2 ReactionsI have been on Effexor XR 150 mg daily for about 10 years (started on it while being treated for a diagnosis of Stage III breast cancer and undergoing bilateral mastectomy/chemotherapy/radiation therapy/etc.). I've not felt good since cancer treatment and thought it was because of the after effects of chemo, as well as side effects from exemestane which I was also on for 10 years until Oct. 2021. After stopping the exemestane, I was surprised that the side effects of muscle aches, joint pain, hot flashes and extreme sweating, headaches, brain fog, light-headedness, etc. continued! All 10 years, I thought it was from the hormone blocker, and I hung onto that hope tightly.
About 10 days ago, my family physician decided we should working on alleviating the symptoms one at a time....the first one being the excessive sweating and heat intolerance. He felt it could be caused by the venlafaxine. So, for the past 10 or 11 days, I've been weaning from 150 mg extended release to taking the 75 mg extended release capsule. The withdrawal symptoms are pretty lousy.
I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how long it took to wean off the Effexor (venlafaxine)? Also, is extreme fatigue one of the withdrawal symptoms you had?
I had to be woken up by my husband this morning at 11 AM and I went to bed last night at 8:00 PM! That is very unlike me and it's the second time it has happened in the past couple weeks. I'm crying at the drop of a hat and everything makes me angry. My brain feels very scattered. Everything is just "off".
Any advice? I'm 62 years old, and the venlafaxine worked really well for me when I needed it years ago, but had I known how hard it would be to get off of it, I don't know that I would have taken it at all, let alone stay on it as long as I have!
Thanks you in advance for any insights you might be able to share!
Something you might want to consider is decreasing by a smaller increment like 37.5 at a time. And wait until you feel stabilized on it before you decrease further. I don’t know if this would work in your situation, but worth asking your doctor about.
Oftentimes, the medical profession doesn’t actually understand what we are experiencing when we are going through withdrawal from this. Good luck
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2 ReactionsIt is a very hard drug to wean off of. I had severe withdrawal symptoms. I suggest doing it very slowly. The withdrawal effects will go away with time.
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2 ReactionsEffexor is great when it works, but withdrawal is absolute hell.
What are the withdraw symptoms?
Bad headache, nausea, sleeplessness, high anxiety, heart palpitations, tinnitus, dizziness, achiness, flu-like symptoms. It's bad. Very bad. That is why a very slow taper is recommend even though most doctors want patients to just take half a dose for 2 weeks, then stop after another two weeks on a half dose. It does not work for most people. I am currently tapering. I started at 75 mg and after 7 weeks, I am only down to 72.8. I tried dropping faster, but was so sick.
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5 ReactionsI have been on Effexor XR 75 mg for 20 years. I started withdrawing 7 weeks ago, and I am only down to 72.8 mg. I tried to do it faster, but was so sick. Try to taper much more slowly. Visit the Website Surviving Antidepressants for guidance.
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