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Anyone tapered off Effexor and used Prozac as a bridge?
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Jul 30 10:33pm | Replies (74)Comment receiving replies
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.
Replies to "I did a 60 day wean from 75 mg Effexor XR without a bridge and still..."
“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”
Please tell us the source of this information. I don’t believe either statement is correct. Who says “the most difficult”? “Doctors”? All doctors? You may mean well, but your writing is irresponsible and potentially feeds hopelessness and dangerous decision making on the part of fellow Effexor users.
I agree. Effexor is known by the medical community to be the most difficult to wean off.
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My doctor originally advised the same thing which I refused to do because I had already done enough research to learn that a slow taper is the only way. I am currently counting beads in my 75mg capsules which I know Mayo Connect does not endorse, but what choice do we have? I have decided against the Prozac bridge because I don't want to have to taper off another drug when my Effexor hell is over. How are you doing now? Are you now completely free of Effexor with no more symptoms? I certainly hope so. Do take care.