Effexor tapering question

Posted by trenxt @trenxt, Jul 12, 2025

I was on 112.5mg of XR for chronic pain. I started to taper from it over 20 weeks ago by cutting every 2 weeks. It was changed to IR in liquid form and I split it into 3 doses a day. Problem is I never did the math on how much the psychiatrist was cutting every time. I wasn't having issues at first as soon as I came down to around 60mg I'm getting stomach pain constantly, lost weight because can't eat due to pain, insomnia is horrible 3 4 days no sleep. I'm at 31mg and I can't keep going like this. I did the math and if I ask for an adjustment to cut 10% of the last dose every 2 weeks will take me another year or so to get off this horrendous drug. Is there a way I can ask to be given another medication that can cover effexor so I don't have to take it anymore and taper off that other one then. This is too painful.

Will I face withdrawal if I cross to another antidepressant? Please inform me.

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cistus | @cistus | Apr 20 6:12am

In reply to @frouke "I have to agree with @mmsm, you are setting yourself up for misery, I’m going through..." + (show)

I was hoping to taper off venlafaxine by using Efexor, it's name here in UK. But pharmacists have told the psychiatrist that it is not suitable for tapering because the beads inside the capsules are too variable. Each capsule approximates to its stated dose but those tiny spheroids inside differ from one another.
Has anyone come across this as a problem?

And when tapering do you count them out or weigh them?

mitch4444 | @mitch4444 | Apr 20 6:48am

In reply to @briacirs "I want to taper effexor from 175 to 150. My taper from 187.50 was tough. Would..." + (show)

Hi , don’t do the taper fast. You need to let your body adjust . Cut the 25 mg. tablets in 1/2. You still may feel an adjustment but not as bad. It’s normal to want to go fast but it is not a race. Everyone is different but slow and steady is much better. Good luck 🤞

mitch4444 | @mitch4444 | Apr 20 6:50am

In reply to @mitch4444 "Hi , don’t do the taper fast. You need to let your body adjust . Cut..." + (show)

@mitch4444
Sorry I missed the part about pills not being splittable. Ask the pharmacist if they do liquid form of the medication.

mmsm | @mmsm | Apr 20 8:23am

In reply to @cistus "I was hoping to taper off venlafaxine by using Efexor, it's name here in UK. But..." + (show)

@cistus I weigh the small beads because they are so variable.
And venlafaxine and Efexor are the same medication.

rufus31 | @rufus31 | Apr 20 9:34am

I read the replies to medication advice with some trepidation. Antidepressants are such a mixed bag of variables from start to finish. They work wonders for some, devastate others. Some people can come off easily, some it's a nightmare. Dr's, Psychiatrists, Therapists help, of course .... but the reality is that the brain is SO complex, barely understood and different in absolutely everyone. With no substantive tests to measure any of the "chemicals" in our brains, it is all a slightly guided crap shoot. Everyone's journey is different.
I have been on Effexor 150mg for 22 years & Celexa 20mg combined. Most of the time my MDD was well managed and life was good.
A sudden an complete relapse on Dec 7th now has me venturing down the path of finding that stability again.
I've increased Effexor to 225, no progress, then a couple of weeks ago went to 300, which was clear to me and my body, WAY to much. It's a bumpy, terrifying, anxiety filled road to travel.... I have to commit myself to doing whatever it takes to live in the light again....

cistus | @cistus | Apr 20 10:23am

In reply to @mmsm "@cistus I weigh the small beads because they are so variable. And venlafaxine and Efexor are..." + (show)

Efexor's company, Viatris, told me that the amount of active drug present in each spheroid does not relate to the size or weight of it of it....
Help!

cistus | @cistus | Apr 20 10:29am

In reply to @cistus "Efexor's company, Viatris, told me that the amount of active drug present in each spheroid does..." + (show)

@cistus
Also it was not supposed to be used in tapering.
I expect they want us to stay on it, not taper off it.

depressedbutnotdead | @depressedbutnotdead | Apr 21 10:46am

Just to interject, I will repeat what I have said multiple times on this forum. Given my own experience getting off of Effexor, and the impression I've gathered here that it is the most complained about drug on this site – by my estimation more than all other drugs mentioned here combined – as well as the misery people endure getting off of it – something I've seen on numerous forums – this drug needs to be removed from the market. No pharmaceutical intended to help people should be this difficult to quit taking. In my case the drug made me suicidal and I needed off of it very quickly. It wasn't fun. This shouldn't be happening.

casstate | @casstate | May 24 2:06pm

i have never been this vulnerable to talk about my mental health…but i need help..effexor has ruined my life. As of right now I am withdrawing off effexor..here’s my plan from my doctor.
week 1 - effexor 150 mg & 10 mg prozac (done)
week 2 - effexor 75 mg & 20 mg prozac (currently on day 4)
week 3 - 37.5 mg effexor & 20 mg prozac
week 4 - 0 mg effexor & 20 mg prozac
and continue taking the prozac

rn i’m on week 2 and i am struggling, i feel like im going insane, intense anxiety, overthinking, can’t focus, dizziness, brain zaps…pls if anyone can help me cope and understand comment below, cause this is awful

currently on week 2 day 7, I go down to 37.5 mg tomorrow. I am so scared because these symptoms are awful. Today I am in a state of paranoia and having multiple panic attacks. Yesterday when I was outside with family, I felt very off balanced and every time I got up, I felt loopy or like I was lagging like a computer.

Please someone help me gain a better understanding and I hope someone can relate because it will put me at peace.

mmsm | @mmsm | May 25 8:53am

In reply to @casstate "i have never been this vulnerable to talk about my mental health…but i need help..effexor has..." + (show)

First, I am not a doctor, and am only providing my opinion, based on my own experience with effexor.
I would not make another reduction any time soon. Your doctor has reduced your effexor by 50%. It is recommended by the experts in the field (Horowitz and Sorensen) to reduce by 10% or less, every 4-6 weeks, based on your withdrawal symptoms. "Replacing" it with Prozac is like substituting an apple for a banana - they are both fruits, but don't have the same components or work in the exact same way.
While this plan may work for some, it obviously is not working for you. I have been in your position, and know how terrible and scared you must feel. Please research the above people and try to find a dr/psychiatrist that knows about hyperbolic tapering. I feel for you.