Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Dramamine, sorry for the typo

I stopped taking Effexor at 150mg at the suggestion of a Dr in order to start taking Citalapram. This was a huge mistake and had a very detrimental effect on my partner and my children. Within 3 days I was feeling sick, upset stomach and highly sensitive and emotional. Busting into tears at my daughter's Graduation in the toilets. Then I went on to have a flying rage and melt down and tried to take an overdoes I was so emotionally distressed. My son had to stop me. He is 20 but still my son and I am sure I have traumatised him. I feel sick with guilt having allowed him to see this. I have subsequently done a great deal of reading and also talked to a Psychiatrist and been told that stopping in this way is never advised. I just want others to read this so they do not do the same thing. Tapering off has to be the only way. I have started the pills again, feel good and will start again to wean myself off when I have got a good few months under my belt. All best

@tmgg
Just taper extremely slowly.
If you have any withdrawal symptoms increase your dose and restart your taper even slower.
You might want to consider a new doctor.
Best of luck,
Jake

Thank you yes I will do so.
T

Have you guys tried adding cbd with no Thc?

@pitilina Yes I have at night which seems to help me sleep while tapering off Lorazepam slowly.

Hello fellow sufferers.
I feel like this drug, ( with similar chemical properties to pcp) is poison to my system.
I've been researching how to get off this drug-venlafexine. Here's what I found:

1. Some people can taper faster than others.
2. It is a good idea to start with a 10% taper and hold for a few weeks. Sometimes as long as 4
3. The next lower dose than 37.5 ER is 25mg IR. Which is taken 2-3x a day. And can be cut smaller.
4. 25mg IR is water soluble and this makes it easier to taper to the lowest possible dose.
5. Symptoms should be minimal or gone before next taper.
6. If a reduction gives you intolerable symptoms, reinstate and hold that dose for a few weeks before next taper. This means it was too much of a taper.
7. Some people take a year or longer to completely taper off this drug and that's ok.
8. Listen to what your body is telling you.
I was on 37.5er for a few years. It stopped working and was giving me terrible side effects. I wound up in the ER June 2022. I stopped cold turkey for a month and initially felt a little better. July I tried Prozac which made me terribly sick vomiting and diarrhea. Then I tried Pristiq which worked for about a week then made me extremely angry and aggressive and feeling very agitated. Beginning August I started 25 mg immediate release. Half a tablet three times a day. It did help but unfortunately with all I had done to my nervous system I was taking it sporadically. I had 3 days of no medication then I made a liquid out of my 25 mg IR tablet however what you should know is this enters the bloodstream very quickly. It made me quite sick at 6.25ml 2x a day. I tried one day to switch back to 1/4tab and immediately vomited.
So as of right now I am taking 1 ml of liquid mixture two times a day. This is a very small amount but it is staving off my withdrawal symptoms for now.

Hi,
I am currently tampering off of Effexor. I am in the beginning of month 3 of this process. Each month, I reduce the amount by 37.5mg. At the start of each reduction, I have gotten diarrhea & short lasting abdominal queasiness. Last month the queasiness occurred over a longer time period than the actual diarrhea. I have been using Metamucil as a supplement and eating yogurt on a daily basis. When I feel queasy I also eat Saltine style crackers. I have been trying to use exercise (powerlifting 3 days a week & cardio at least 2 days a week) as a natural means to replace the serotonin. The first month I was aware that I was more irritable than normal & was teary on several occasions. This past reduction, I noticed I became teary & was engaged in ruminating thoughts. That observation allowed me to change my behavior which ended the tears. I am also more sensitive than normal to heat. Although I no longer feel depressed, I am continuing to see my therapist on a weekly basis through out this process. This is the second time I have tappered my amount of Effexor. The first time was a disaster. My then-psychiatrist recommended too big of a jump. I quickly ended up back on the prior dosage. This time my goal is getting off of it completely.

I would love suggestions as to what else I can try for the gastro issues.

This is a incredibly helpful list for recommended tapering, it’s paralleled what I’ve experienced, as well as my plan for eventually getting off this drug someday. Thank you

You are very welcome. Another great resource is Surviving Antdepressants. It's a wonderfully informative site 😊