I have been taking Effexor/Venlafaxine for years and tried to get off it a few times but each time I try to give up the chemical withdrawal symptoms are a horror story and I give up giving up. Anyone got any tips or tried and tested strategies? Thank you
What if you lived what I call a "non-depressive lifestyle" with deep breathing, exercise (as you can tolerate), volunteering (when you help others, like visiting a lonely person in a nursing home, you help yourself, too), doing things you enjoy, being gentle with yourself, and lots of social activity? Worth a shot? Feel well!
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@ainsleigh I have not tried the genetic testing but will talk to my doctor about it next week!
I am so happy I found this group..I have been asking different psychiatrists..even my current one..2 take me off it…there is no more efficacy.
.I have more & more breakthrough depression…so my current psych…just kept upping my dose…I knew intuitively that no one has taken me off due 2 the detox…Now I need 2 really get off this…many years ago my awesome PCP..gave me Prozac while I tapered off…worked great…got on Effexor AGAIN & have been on it 4 years…I know it will b a slow detox…they better give me something 4 the brain zaps…maybe Prozac again? I will b discussing all this next month when I c my Psych…U ALL HAVE BEEN SOOOO HELPFUL TY TY TY…pray 4 me & my detox lol
Jill
Liked by Jim, Volunteer Mentor, Effexfree4ever
Hi, @jillmeryl, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. So glad this discussion on tapering off of venlafaxine (Effexor) has been useful to you.
Hope all goes well this next month as you discuss all this with your psychiatrist.
What would you recommend to others who are going off of this medication? Discussing with your primary care provider the possibility of putting you on another medication that might help with the side effects during the taper? Any other strategies you found helpful while tapering off before?
I've tapered off Effexor many years ago…my PCP gave me Prozac the 1 tablet weekly..no side effects..however; at that time was on a much lower dose…honestly no other medications I tried worked..so back on Effexor smh…been on it for years..I will defiantly b asking my Psych 4 something 4 the withdrawal. I already cut back 75mg..it's been a few days off & so far so good. I am VERY ANGRY that not on Psychiatrist discussed the difficult withdrawals!!!..I just got a book from the library called "On Depression" authored by Nasdir Ghaemi..so far it's very interesting…he's been categorizing the different types of depression..some are genetic or environmental..he will get into the drug aspect as well…I will keep all u wonderful people who have been brave enough 2 share u personal experiences, posted. I c my Psych i believe on April 17th..th. Jill
Liked by Lisa Lucier, poisonivy, Effexfree4ever
Thanks for the help. I have tried to wean off Effexor several times, the last time was a 12 week plan. It was difficult and I still haven’t succeeded.
I wonder if anyone has tried weaning off Effexor with the help of CBD oil. That is what I am trying this time.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. My history is similar to yours, I have been on several antidepressants starting with Prozac for 30+ years.
Liked by Lisa Lucier
I wrote in March how I had begun to wean off of Effexor after 20+ years of use. I was on 150 mg. My Psychiatrist lowered my dose from 150mg to 75mg and for a month I had no problems or withdrawals. She then lowered it to 37.5mg and for the past week, I have been so sick. Dizzy, nausea, vomiting, problems focusing, chills sweating and a feeling of restlessness of my arms and legs and a constant headache. I called my doctor today for advice and she told me I could go back on the 75mg for a week and see if the symptoms disappeared. If they did it would my decision either to go back to the 37.5mg dose or wait another 4 weeks before trying again. In the meantime, I have been prescribed Ondansetron for nausea. I'm asking for advice. I want to get this poison out of my system as I have recently been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure and Effexor is one of the drugs that are bad for kidneys. I'd like to soldier on but I don't know if I can. Any advice welcome.
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@4732 I did not wean off of Effexor with the help of cbd oil but I recently started using it in hopes that I won’t need to go back on the anti-depressants. I made the huge mistake of taking too high a dose at the beginning which made my depression much worse. I’ve dropped down to 1 drop and am doing well & am encouraged.
Liked by GailBL, Volunteer Mentor, Brightwings AKA Cute Susie, exeffex, tundra ... see all
@poisonivy I did fine weaning off Effexor till I finished the week of 37.5 then the withdrawals started bad. I found that taking motion sickness meds OTC helped a lot with dizziness and nausea. I used Botene. However it take about 6 weeks for the withdrawals to go away after I stopped completely.
Liked by Lisa Lucier, poisonivy, Effexfree4ever, tdib
@tambra
I truly believe you MUST want to be clean and not look for anything to replace any one of these poisons. Yes it is very tough. But you and you alone CAN be clean. I pray for the best outcome for you. I stopped smoking the same way after 47 years of smoking. You just must do things for yourself
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