Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

How long were you off of Zoloft before finding success with it again? My mom was on it years ago. It stopped working. She’s tried like 5 diff meds with no success. Currently on remeron with no good result. Thinking of asking dr abt going back to Zoloft.

Exactly what withdrawal symptoms are you having? If it’s dizziness or nausea, have you cut out sugar and caffeine?

Hang in there! My daughter has hit a wall at about 40mg. We're going to take a break from the weaning so she can stabilize and then we'll try again. You've always given such wonderful advice and support...we're pulling for you!♥️

@secretwhitepop it used to work, now it's making me more anxious! This recovery stuff is so weird. I really have no intention of torturing myself but I have no idea what to do next! The NP I see says maybe I am one of those people with a chemical imbalance that needs to be on medication. I'm not sure I believe that or not and I dont want to start something that wont work. I'm so glad you found what works for you! You're going through a rough time with so many changes.

@sheffieldsmith fortunately I am not having dizziness, nausea or brain zaps, I'm having increased anxiety or depression, I'm not sure what to call it, and I have pretty consistent chills. At times my muscles are extremely uncomfortable. And i dont want or cant carry on conversation . Just weird feeling. I'm not drinking any caffeine at all and have no appetite for sugar.

Thank you! Continued good luck to you and your daughter!

Yeah. I thought since I’ve gone through “the change” maybe I could ween off Effexor and be ok. Well, life is too rough for me. And looking at my family, I think it’s kind of a heredity thing. Maybe a real chemical thing.

I was on Zoloft, successfully, about 20 years ago then switched to Effexor due to low libido side effects. Doc put me on seroquel as a mood stabilizer since Lexapro caused me to have crazy anxiety. The Zoloft seems to be ... well... not having bad side effects. My mood is slightly less bleh but I’ve only been on both for about two weeks. Not giving up. And sadly, and I’m not kidding, sad news and drama abounds still in my life! Praying and listening to uplifting stuff and meditating and eating healthy as much as possible. And yes, even after only two weeks, feeling slightly better.

Sigh. It’s such a shame so many of us feel better in chemicals. Why? What gives? Sugar? Plastic? Fluorescent lighting?

Wish I knew. But truly, life is short.

It’s admirable to want to be drug free. It would be ideal. But depending on the diagnosis and neurochemistry you may very well have to treat it like a medical condition no different than type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia or any other condition where the body is simply wired in such a way as to cause problems.

Some individuals and groups sneer at psychiatry but it’s really puzzling because the same biochemistry, genetics and developed anatomy that sends them running to the doctor for medical emergencies is somehow not the same as that of the brain. I’ve absolutely never understood that disconnect.

Therefore, while one can take any other physical, genetic, endocrinological, or analogous system and modify one’s lifestyle, habits and factors to minimize disruption, the fact remains that a part of the system isn’t functioning well. The problem with any condition is how it interrupts life’s daily activities and quality of life. The underlying condition will remain regardless of taking medicine, so you can certainly stop, many do. But they are not always enthusiastic about the consequences and what can follow in its wake.

There are reasons that bipolar people have life expectancies at least ten years less than the average, are more susceptible to weight issues, type 2 diabetes, job instability and a trail of unhappy relationships. My suggestion is to fix what you can wherever possible to improve health, habits and stress triggers while firmly acknowledging that the biological is a fixture of life.

Finding ways to cope and improve is a vital and lifelong pursuit with no guarantees except that as one gets older it can get harder. (I think we get more intolerant, inflexible and simply slow down making bounce back and adaptation harder).

There is a book I read by an author named Alisa Roth,
Insane : America's criminal treatment of mental illness

It is worth a read and should be at the local library. It covers what happens when people stop. Everyone here likely already knows but the book is a good read and equips you to warn others and understand the bigger problems with treatment today.

@renwald thanks for this! I'm not sure what I believe about mental illness. I just know I would like to give myself a chance to become stable, at the least, before making a hasty decision. Honestly the effexor never helped me avoid anxiety, it was kind of crazy for me to stay on it. I think I'm experiencing withdrawals, not relapse, I'm hoping it will let up soon.