Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Hi, I’ve seen lots of posts mentioning having withdrawal, but few mention what the symptoms are. I have started to withdraw. Started at 225 mg, but have cut out one 75 mg pill every third day. Around this time, I started experiencing waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. I’ve always had problems falling asleep, and take Ambien, Magnesium and Tizanidine to help. But once I was asleep, I slept through the night. Not any more! This seems like a sudden change, and I can’t think of anything else that would have caused it.

Has anyone else had this symptom?

Any ideas on what would be a good conservative plan to lower my daily dosage to 150 mg from my current 225 mg?

My doctor recommended alternating between the two. I was even more careful by taking the lower dosage every third day, and still had unbearable side effects.

I’m just now weaning off of Effexor. I was 75 and 37,5 daily. My doctor had me take the 75mg for 2 weeks and now I am taking the 37.5 mg for 2 weeks. I am experiencing awful headaches and stomach cramps along with diarrhea and nausea. The problem is, is that while I am getting off of this, I am also starting on estrogen and progesterone because I am now in menopause so I don’t know what is messing my body up!! Is it normal to feel this way getting off the Effexor?!

I was on Effexor XR and eventually it gave me night terrors, hallucinations, deep anxiety and a slew of other undesirable problems. Also high blood pressure, which aggravated migraines. Deciding that I could not and did not want this drug in my life anymore, I tried making an appointment with my primary (who had prescribed it). Because my primary was not available, I was seen by the nurse practitioner, who told me to get off it immediately and to take the one that she felt I should take, starting the next day. I just did not think that was wise, so I went home and searched for info. No way was I going to follow her advice! Effexor is not an antidepressant that you can just stop taking, especially not then following it with another antidepressant. The literature was very clear on that. So I stayed on it until a neurologist was able to see me. She was appalled by what the nurse practitioner had wanted me to do. She created a schedule for weaning off the drug, over several months, until the dosage and frequency of administration was next to nothing. Even with that, I had withdrawal symptoms, such as what I called brain-squeezes and auditory disturbances. I've been off that drug for over 15 yrs and took NO antidepressants until I agreed to take a low dose of Zoloft, which was ineffective but also created issues for me. THAT ALSO needed the guidance of the professional who prescribed it, and it took about 8 MONTHS of a detailed, finely tuned weaning schedule, along with check-up visits. When done, I still felt unwell, sluggish, cotton-brained, and kept hearing nasty whoosh wounds in my ears, even being awakened by it. The pharmacist worked with my doctor to create a tincture of the Zoloft, and that also had to be worked into a "weaning" schedule. When all was over, I was grateful to be free of the drug, but still felt somewhat unwell , and that is how I attended our younger daughter's wedding, feeling like an observer, struggling to smile, greet people, and not let on that what I needed to do was crawl under a blanket. I could well have won an Oscar for my performance that night, but what propelled me was not wanting to spoil our daughter's wedding. To this day (12 yrs later), I look back with much regret at how a medication could have sabotaged what was such an important family event.
Based on my very real and personal experiences with these two often-prescribed and "popular" antidepressants, I urge not handling the discontinuation of any medication sans medical guidance.
Just my two cents...I sincerely hope all goes well for you as you aim to be released of the Effexor.🌺

Hello
I have come to give hope to everyone. After taking venlafaxine 225mg for years I decided to take the plunge and come off it. I got down to 37.5mg but every time I tried to go further it caused such horrific side effects I gave up. I tried cutting the tablets into pieces but it was so hard to not have them crumble it got to a point I became so dejected I had almost given up. Now anyone here coming off knows the side effects. Literally horrific. Luckily I did some research being in the medical profession and found in the UK BNF that they did a liquid preparation. I spoke to my GP about my terrible experience so far and persuaded her to allow me one 37.5mg/5ml bottle (£290) on NHS prescription. Well using a variety of syringes till I got down to 0.25ml I am now done. Very very slight vertigo but keeping busy makes it barely noticeable. To all my UK friends, if you have a caring GP, ask them for this regime. Honestly I never thought I would see the day I came off this drug, it was a life saver for me but coming off was a journey in itself. I promise if you do it this way, you can succeed 🥹

I’m just now weaning off of Effexor. I was 75 and 37,5 daily. My doctor had me take the 75mg for 2 weeks and now I am taking the 37.5 mg for 2 weeks. I am experiencing awful headaches and stomach cramps along with diarrhea and nausea. The problem is, is that while I am getting off of this, I am also starting on estrogen and progesterone because I am now in menopause so I don’t know what is messing my body up!! Is it normal to feel this way getting off the Effexor?!

Hi from UK !, DELIA 74, I am keen for any EFFEXOR/VENLAFAXINE feedback. Especially from long term users like your good-self. I was on 75mg from April 2017 to the end of a 2 year taper down = Oct 2018 to Oct 2022. I stopped a year ago taking any . I note your above post. My question to you. After stopping EFFEXOR , did you get any * long term, going away & coming back , side effects / withdrawal effects? I do, & have read * this phenomenon can occur for 3 or 5 or more years ! after titration off, as the drug remains in ones system. I got / get nearly ALL of the side /withdrawal effects = ONE YEAR NOW after titration / cessation. Appreciate any past reflections on your post effexor time . Regards SIMON