Hello @mbryan . I am currently tapering off of this medication and having some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. My pharmacist recently told me that of all the antidepressants, this one is one of the most difficult to get off. I do not know how long you have been on the medication, but I have been on it for 10 years at a dose of 150 mg. I had to stop taking it because it began to cause severe eye pain, among other things. A long answer to your short question. Good luck.

Yes, that's what I heard as well. I don't think that I tapered off of my medicine correctly because I am having some bad withdrawal symptoms right now.

Hey there!
I’m also very slowly tapering off Venflaxine because when I tried to quit cold turkey I could not take the withdrawal symptoms. Fun fact: my doctor told me that Venflaxine is harder to withdraw from than heroin! I have only tapered down 20mg in the last two months, but I’m rooting for you! It’s interesting that you can’t seem to feel full. Are you having any other side effects?

Thanks 🙏🏻 for all the insight. I feel the Mayo Clinic performs a wonderful service providing this forum for patient experiences.

Namaste 🙏🏻

My doctor won’t prescribe Effexor or Paxil any longer due to the extreme tapering issues.

I’m on day 3 of cold Turkey of 75mg venlafaxine. I forgot my meds at home and I am 2.5 hours away. Major brain zaps! They pulse right from my head to my toes hundreds of times a minute then subside for a few minutes. And over and over again. I started taking this drug for hot flashes from menopause. No help. Would never have begun knowing how hard it is to come off. I think Tumeric helps me perhaps. Heck I don’t know. Feel crappy!!!!

I am on day 4 today. I slept better because I took Benadryl but still slogged w night sweats. Brain zaps are still present. I am at an isolated cabin with no stress and I am telling myself, I got this. My appetite is poor unless it’s junk food! Thank you all for this thread.

What sources tell you Effexor is dangerous- I’ve been on it 20 yrs. Interested in citation or doctors or FDA warnings you all might be reading.

I recently came off 450mg of Effexor/Venlafaxine that I had been on for fifteen years. Effexor can and does cause just about anything you can come up with. I have avoided most of the discontinuation effects except sleep disturbances. The medication causes sleep disturbances when on it and when discontinuing it. I only sleep two hours at a time.

As for the other discontinuation effects, yeah Effexor causes them. Google it when you get a chance.

I avoided most of the worst effects by dramatically changing my diet and exercising everyday. My doctors have confirmed that good nutrition and regular exercise are the best things anyone can do for their mental health. I of course wonder why no one, during the fifteen years I've been prescribed toxic medication, ever mentioned to me that I should change what I eat and get some exercise. From my point of view not informing me of the importance of these two interventions was negligence bordering on malpractice.

All my docs tell me how important nutrition and exercise are now that I have made these changes myself. During my recent crisis they told me how happy they are that I am off Effexor. Why did no one suggest getting rid of this poison before?

I believe if I wasn't sick before, Effexor has so changed my biology, that I am sick now.

The changes I made are simple; no refined sugar or fast foods. More protein. More complex carbohydrates and good fats. I eat pretty much as much as I want to eat, generally around two thousands calories a day. I exercise two hours a day, though that is more than I need to. As little as thirty minutes is probably enough.

I've lost thirty five pounds. My blood sugar is great. My blood pressure is terrific and I am much stronger.

There is no pill I can take that has as much effect on my biology as what I eat and how much I do or do not move. If I am unwilling to do what I can to get better than how can I expect some magic pill to make me better. If I had taken responsibility for my physical and mental health fifteen years ago I might not have lost everyone and everything that mattered to me.

If one wants to avoid the discontinuation effects of any medication, good nutrition and exercise is a must.

I know it is not alway easy but it beats the hell out of the alternative; at least for me.

May you live in peace and good health.

My doctor is tapering me off Effexor and putting me on pristiq. Anyone out there doing this