Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Some thoughts on how I have tried to deal with this: Is your bed comfortable? Room temperature needs to be comfortable, too. Do you stop eating and drinking for a period of time before going to bed? Do you stop looking at distressing news online or tv shows for a period of time before going to bed? (I do not read or watch crime stories, whether true or not--too anxiety-producing.) I used to listen to a relaxation tape. I do a relaxation exercise where I tense every muscle in my body, then gradually relax every muscle, head to toe or toe to head. Taking deep breaths and then slowly exhaling helps, feeling my body sink into the mattress. I find meditation difficult, but trying to quiet my active mind helps if I can manage it. If I have aches and pains, I take a Tylenol PM before going to bed. Realizing that the "PM" is the drug in Benadryl, I would consider taking that if I didn't have aches and pains. Daily physical exercise is a must. Talking to a friend during the day helps, laughter during the day helps. And "pray without ceasing." Wishing you all the best; we have a lot of company!

Thanks! I was thinking of trying Benedryl. I have some and it usually knocks me out. Really need some sleep

in reply to @kmart720
I dropped down from 150mg venlafaxine to 75mg, and now want to taper to the 37.5mg capsules. My doctor has suggested I do this slowly, but how does one do this? Did dropping from 75mg to 37.5mg cause any awful problems? Initially, my doctor had me go from 150mg to 75mg capsules, but that was terrible. So, I went from 150mg caps to 75mg capsules, and I am now ready to taper further. Can you please tell me about your experience going from 75mg capsules to 37.5mg capsules?
Thank you

I don’t believe I experienced any severe withdrawal symptoms when I decreased from 75 to 37.5.
If I did I probably didn’t realize what was causing them because I honestly didn’t realize the side effects/withdrawal symptoms that was possible until I had completely weaned off.
When I was put on Effexor I it was by my radiation oncologist, when I decided I wanted to go off of it I was no longer seeing him so I discussed it with my regular oncologist. Honestly, in hindsight, he must not be very familiar with the drug because at that point I was down to 37.5/day and he told me I didn’t have to wean off that I could just stop. So I did. Big mistake. The withdrawals were horrible and it took me a week or so to figure out what was causing it because it had never been explained to me.

in reply to @kmart720 Thank you very much. I will try this regimen tomorrow. The side effects from dropping to 75 mg from 150 mg were downright awful

@frances007
I’d never reduce a medication by 50%. My guess is you’re going to regret it. Especially when you’re in your last phase of discontinuing.
My brother stopped it within 1 week with no symptoms at all.
Your best option is a compounding pharmacy and at a much lower percentage. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

Frances 007, Hi. Regarding dropping down from 75mg EFFEXOR XR to 37.5 mg. This was done with ease * over 3 months or so. Compared with what was to follow. * I had no noticeable reactions, barring a short term (1 week) "step down" withdrawal jolts to my system, each time I dropped down to 37.5 . These reactions were short lived. The REAL issues, (as is commonly experienced by others), come when titrating down from 37.5 to zero. In fact, I was eventually **diluting individual beads from a 37.5 MG slow release capsule (3x beads in each) so, 3,2,1 beads. Then** syringing down in a diluted pot @ 10ml degradations , every 2 months 3,2,1 beads. This took 24 months. BUT, as someone else here has said. The withdrawal effects DO NOT STOP @ zero pill taking! No one knows , as it on a individual basis, as to how long the final , (after pill taking), withdrawal / side-effects issues will last. I have identified 3 to 5 years ! Also , the effects go away & come back over this period. Recent info I have secured , indicates about 50% of people have NO issues with EFFEXOR withdrawal and can even stop quite abruptly. But the rest are all over the place. Critically, as has been commented on here, it is the PACE of titration off that is key to mitigating these severe issues in the most sensitive of people. To stop @ 37.5 is not recommended.

Hi Leonard, please see my reply to @ Frances 007, I re-iterate your advice based on my experiences.

I was on 75mg per day for hot flashes. It was not a problem for me to drop to 37.5mg per day. If you want to be cautious, I recommend a slow process, such as alternating capsules for a week to see how you respond on days of 37.5mg. If no reaction, then you should be okay to go to 37.5mg per day. On rare days that I forgot to take a pill, I would begin to feel nauseous--a reminder that I missed it--and take it immediately, and be ok. It is more difficult to discontinue the lowest dosage, in my experience. I weaned myself off by adding more hours between 37.5mg capsules, then a day between pills, until I was taking so few that I figured I could do without.
I've been off them for about two months, and am feeling extreme anxiety now, after feeling ok after stopping the drug. During withdrawal period, I had occasional nightmares (without realizing they were the result of withdrawal). I am no longer constipated and have less of an appetite for food, so I've lost weight since stopping the drug. With this degree of anxiety, I am not sure I can stay off the 37.5mg per day, but I am trying to alleviate the anxiety by other means--exercise, deep breathing, etc. My doctor suspects that I need the drug now to control anxiety; I would prefer to be off the drug, due to its side effects and difficulty of withdrawal. (No change in hot flashes; I still have them with and without Effexor. It was a mistake to prescribe this drug for hot flashes.)

@simon007
Yes, I understand some people can stop abruptly and do well. Some can titrate slowly and still have problems. My brother is one who stopped in a week without one withdrawal symptom. One person here decreased their medicine by such infinitesimally small amounts and still had withdrawals. One lady here abruptly stopped and had a stroke.
Studies show that stopping Effexor quickly the
symptoms are worse and last longer than in those who stop slowly. So, it seems more reasonable to me that when someone wants to discontinue Effexor it seems to me they may have a better chance of success to titrate a small amount from the start not wait until the end of the taper. Admittedly, this is not everyone's experience. I believe in safety first. Why not decrease the chance of withdrawals as much as possible?
Take care,
Jake