I have just gotten off of Venlafaxine. Anyone else?

Thanks for your suggestions. I’m so tired. Today I’m also edgy. Makes that cortisol theory spot on. Have you finished your taper? And off Effexor ? Have you found foods which help?

I see you are still not off completely. Ignore my other question. Would you mind describing your withdrawal symptoms?

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!!!!

Yes, I have finished my taper and am completely off of meds and it honestly is great. Food that helps are ones high in magnesium including spinach and leafy greens (I have eaten spinach and veggies every single day once I found out my cortisol levels were high). Cinnamon, dark chocolate (try to find w/no sugar), broccoli, seeds (I eat chia seeds and flax seeds everyday), nuts, olive oil, and probiotics (could be a probiotic supplement taken daily). I also eat berries, oranges, ginger and drink green tea to help lower my glucose levels since cortisol also causes you glucose levels to rise!

I have heard that they are starting to give this medicine to women with menopause, and that is not the right move. This medicine is not used to treat any sort of bodily function like that at all. If I were you, I would slowly taper off and look into supplements that help with hormone imbalances. My withdrawal symptoms were quite like having menopause which was odd because I'm 25. I started to take Happy Mammoth Hormone Harmony supplements and they helped so much with the process because I found out that my cortisol levels were really high whilst on the medicine and once getting off the medicine. It's' worth it to research ways to lower your cortisol levels as well because this medicine heightens those stress hormones!

I actually am completely off of it now! I just didn't taper off of it slow enough. My doctor was also not educating me on the medicine or during the process of withdrawal at all. I am feeling so much better now because I was able to treat the symptoms that I was having! I got fasting blood work done. The high cortisol levels in turn made my glucose levels rise.

Thanks for sharing. I do eat many of the foods you have listed but I know I can and should do better. I have often thought high cortisol is one of my problems especially in the morning when I wake at 2, 3 or 4 am and cannot fall back to sleep.

Are you feeling well/normal? Any long lasting withdrawal?

I’m tapering off cymbalta which is similar to Effexor. I’m down to about 4 mg counting beads. I never felt good on these drugs and I am struggling each day as I taper.

One more question. Do you drink coffee?

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.

When I started eating those foods, I made it every day and incorporated most of those foods in every single meal and snack. You of course, should make sure to have some sugars in your diet, but I made sure to incorporate some if not all of those plus lots of water every single day.

I have had to quit drinking coffee/alcohol, but since I'm feeling pretty much 100% better, I'm going to try and incorporate it back into my diet after eating breakfast. The only other thing I have really had to control is my mental (stress management) and my heart rate because it was high due to my cortisol levels.

Make sure to take a walk in the morning for 10 minutes or more. Bring your water with you if you need it, that's what I did and still do. Have a routine when you wake up before and/or after the walk - include the walk in your morning routine! Don't scroll on your phone first thing in the morning. Meditate. Also, ginger and green tea after a meal help to lower your blood sugars. I struggled for a good 2 months after constantly feeling faint and gaining weight due to eating so much food from that feeling. I'm finally feeling so much better and all of these things actually really helped me.

Something else that has really helped me are Happy Mammoth's Hormone Harmony pills. I couldn't really feel the effects at first, but once I started to feel better, I felt the effects. This will help to balance out your hormones which includes cortisol, your stress hormone.

Instead of eating junk food, eat foods that will help lower your cortisol. This will help you immensely. I would try eating healthy foods even if it's forced because they will make you feel better overall.