Effexor Tapering Off and Side Effects

Yes, that's correct, but I think Effexor causes emotional blunting so I try to go off it.

Hi everyone, hope you all are doing well. I am wondering if anyone has similar experiences and suggestions that may help, thanks!

I started to take antidepressants in 2012 when I was 13 because my mood was unusually low for long periods of time and sometimes felt tearful. I was first put on Zoloft for a year and then switched to Effexor. The dosage was 75 mg for most of the time. Since 2016 I also started to take Depakote, a mood stabilizer, because I was suspected of bipolar disorder (which was likely not the case in hindsight), and stayed on it because the doctor thought it could enhance the effect of Effexor.

For me, a palpable unwanted effect of these medications is emotional blunting. I consider myself a likable, confident, and sociable person by nature. I have always wanted to have a romantic relationship but have never been able to. The sexual attraction is there but my emotional responsiveness is just too low to develop the attachments needed for either friendships or relationships. In fact I think despite the sexual attraction I stopped having crushes (which I think are a sustained emotional effect) on girls since I started to take antidepressants. The emotional blunting made me mostly stay in a not-fully-conscious mental condition in the past 10 years.

I made several attempts to go off Effexor. For me, each time I reduce the dosage, after about 2 months I would start to feel tearful. Then, I had to go back on the old dosage, and the tearful feeling would be resolved almost immediately. Recently I tried to wean off Depakote. But the robot-like state worsened after I stopped.

Any comments would be helpful, thanks!

Have you talked to your prescribing physician/therapist about this?
I have a long history of anti-depressant use, going back almost 50 years. Initially, for panic/anxiety attacks. Most severe episode was post partum depression about 30 years ago.
After being depression free for quite awhile, I restarted paxil in late 2020 due to stress of pandemic related income loss and death of several close friends/family.
Anti-depressants include a lot of options, and fortunately many more than when I was first prescribed one. Some have literally turned my life around. Others were actually toxic
(for me) and caused me to be nearly dysfunctional.
Of course I can't give you medical advice, but a few questions occur to me:
1. Many anti-depressants have sexual side effects. Have you discussed this with your medical team and tried something besides Effexor?
2. Are you stopping Effexor all at once, or trickling down the dosage slowly? I have not taken Effexor, many anti-depressants can have severe side effects if stopped cold turkey.
3. Are you in therapy as well as medication for your depression? Therapy, along with medication, saved my
ability to function and lead a (fairly!) normal, productive life. (Some therapists were worse than useless, by the way. If it doesn't feel helpful or even " right" , find someone else. Also with physicians.)
4. I have taken the time to educate myself about the medications I am prescribed. and would recommend reading all you can on reputable websites ( I have found Mayo Clinic, other major hospitals, Medscape and others helpful).
I understand where you're coming from and wish you the best.

Hi everyone, hope you all are doing well. I am wondering if anyone has similar experiences and suggestions that may help, thanks!

I started to take antidepressants in 2012 when I was 13 because my mood was unusually low for long periods of time and sometimes felt tearful. I was first put on Zoloft for a year and then switched to Effexor. The dosage was 75 mg for most of the time. Since 2016 I also started to take Depakote, a mood stabilizer, because I was suspected of bipolar disorder (which was likely not the case in hindsight), and stayed on it because the doctor thought it could enhance the effect of Effexor.

For me, a palpable unwanted effect of these medications is emotional blunting. I consider myself a likable, confident, and sociable person by nature. I have always wanted to have a romantic relationship but have never been able to. The sexual attraction is there but my emotional responsiveness is just too low to develop the attachments needed for either friendships or relationships. In fact I think despite the sexual attraction I stopped having crushes (which I think are a sustained emotional effect) on girls since I started to take antidepressants. The emotional blunting made me mostly stay in a not-fully-conscious mental condition in the past 10 years.

I made several attempts to go off Effexor. For me, each time I reduce the dosage, after about 2 months I would start to feel tearful. Then, I had to go back on the old dosage, and the tearful feeling would be resolved almost immediately. Recently I tried to wean off Depakote. But the robot-like state worsened after I stopped.

Any comments would be helpful, thanks!

Thanks for your reply and helpful comments. Sorry about your loss. Yes, I have kept my doctors informed of my experiences. I think overall my current medications are doing me more good than bad. For therapies, it is a good suggestion. I have gone to therapies many years ago but I have been feeling well enough to have nothing to go to therapies for. This is also a reason why I want to go off medications.

Hello everyone, I have been in effexor for fifteen years been on 150 for seven. Finally found out a lot of my issues were do to ADHD so was on the wrong med. Finally think I found a good ADHD medsso been trying to lower my dose of effexor with psychatrist help. I went from 150 to 75. During the first few weeks felt vertigo and Shakey that went away. Then about four weeks into it felt body shocks. Now I feel like itchiness in scalp and tingling and brain zaps. Is this a normal side effects? Also thinking I jumped to big of a dose so thinking about going up 37.5 then taper off again from there. I do have a psych and he recommended that he is fantastic. It's been hard and stressful. But I am getting through it. Thank you for listening. Blessings.

In March I started on Zoloft/Sertraline to treat depression, and after noticing it wasn't helping, I was switched to Effexor/Venlafaxine 225mg. After another six weeks, I noticed the Effexor wasn't working, so I decided to go off it, tapering down over two weeks.

Once I was fully off the drug in mid July, I began having the brain zaps, nausea, and other symptoms, but it was all fairly tolerable. Two weeks later these symptoms began to subside just in time for my planned vacation in America. I live in Europe.

Throughout the whole 10-day vacation, I miraculously felt completely symptom-free, but began experiencing symptoms again the very day I returned to Europe (seven days ago).

I was initially hoping it was due to jet lag, but seven days seems quite long for that. I feel generally unwell and mildly nauseous much of the time, which leads to low moods. I'm also very fatigued and sleeping 9-10 hours a day. It seems to be good-quality, restful sleep. No more brain zaps though, but occasional headaches.

I'd really like to know whether these symptoms are more likely to be a continuation of Effexor withdrawal or some sort of (travel-induced) depression relapse. I don't understand how I could feel so well on vacation and then immediately feel bad again.

Thanks in advance for the input!

Hi, from my litany of problems with VENLAFAXINE = aka EFFEXOR in USA, your " jet lag", is attributable to EFFEXOR withdrawal. I am experiencing your problems (& alot more). I spent 2 years titrating off (from only 75mg !) getting down to taking beads out of a 37.5 slow rel capsule & diluting them! I kid you not. Luckily, you were on it only a very short time, so I guess your issues will be short lived. The longer you are on it, the longer these symptoms take to cease . AND, as you observe, they go away , and come back ! Severe problems are seemingly all down to genetics. Some people have no issues at all. I have read the drug gets absorbed into your body fats / cells. Thus causing "withdrawal issues" as your body tries to rid itself. Hope this helps .

Thanks for that helpful and informative response! Could you provide a source about Effexor storing itself in the body's (fat) cells? This is concerning. I wonder how long the body needs to get rid of it.

Based on your seemingly extensive knowledge about this topic, would you say that the withdrawal from six weeks of 150mg Sertraline followed by six weeks of 225mg Venlafaxine should be less severe than for the average person trying to come off these drugs?

Also, would you be willing to provide more information about your own situation? How long had you been on the 75mg dose prior to the two-year taper period? How long have you been off Venlafaxine now? What are you withdrawal symptoms like?

Hi, like you I am in Europe. UK.
First of all, I recommend, as an overview (and as an American) you look out last months documentary on BBC i Player. "The truth about anti-depressants". FYI, it seems to have been separately put out on You Tube. One hour duration. It features THE top Professors in UK & USA who are now dealing with the "fall - out" of these (80's & 90's next gen pills). The USA Public health Drug oversight body is also featured. I have, over the past 3 yrs, spoken to ALL the UK Neuropharmacologists on the show. I am no medical person, but have had to "reverse engineer" my situation to find out what is going on with me. In your case, 225mg seems alot to start on. Your body would take a hit @ that level. It is the titration off (slow draw down) that is some help vs the symptoms. BUT, I am hyper sensitive to ANY A.D. & EFFEXOR/ VEN is reputedly worse than HEROIN to get off of. ! both in time and symptoms. Dr's gave me 75mg to start. = It now transpires I should have not been given ANY A.D.' s as I am ALLERGIC to all of them ! (That is a wholly separate story). I have let the famous TEMPLE GRANDIN in the USA know about A.D.'s dangers to Autistics !