Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)
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
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Thnk you luisa3115!
How long do the effexor withdrawal symptoms last? I have read that they may last up to a year, is that correct? I had been on Effexor XR, 150 mg., for 18 years. Under a doctors supervision, I weaned off of it after 5 months. It's been a month completely off and I suffer different problems, like headaches, gut pain, dizziness, nausea on a daily basis. So, how long will I have to experience this?
I have been on 450 mgs for almost thirty years( I know that’s crazy), after 20 years I wanted off. No doctor would even try. So I did it myself. I instantly developed psychosis. Ultimately I lost all concept of reality and ended up breaking the law for the first time in my life. I ended up in prison where they put me right back on it.
I did a short sentence but my life was destroyed. I lost my family, my business, the respect of the community and any resources I had.
I am still at 450 mgs and still no doctor will touch it. If I miss one day the next day I start to withdraw. 7 plus doctors have continued to fill this prescription.
I will likely be on it until I die, which at times seems like it is taking forever to happen.
If you can get off it my recommendation is to do so. If you are considering it let my story inform you. I had the American Dream Venlafaxine contributed to me losing everything. I now live with consequences
I’ve been told Prozac can help with the withdrawal. I just need to find a doctor willing to take it on.
Good luck to everyone and do your own research. The medical profession doesn’t even no what causes depression but they have hundreds of drugs to treat it.
My physchiatrist no longer prescribes Effexor or Paxil due to the fact it is so fact it is so difficult to discontinue.
Now I’m really scared. I have taken 225 mg of Effexor daily for about ten years. It was originally prescribed by a psychiatrist, and my Internal medicine specialist just kept prescribing it after the psychiatrist moved to another practice. For me, it has been a wonder drug – the first antidepressant that has truly worker for me, after trying 7-8 others.
Now i’m on a long waiting list to see a new psychiatrist. Guess I will be on Effexor for life! I’m almost 65.
I’m my experience it worked so well I asked for more. If it works well for you and the side effects are tolerable then don’t give it another thought. Lots of people take drugs till they, most probably.
For me the side effects became intolerable.
I was on it for a year and it stopped working and caused extreme anxiety. I went on short term disability when I weaned off. I had a tragic loss before weaning off and the effexor didn’t help at all that’s how I surmised it wasn’t working and made my anxiety worse. I weaned off too quickly and had the worse side effects. I was vomiting and had absolutely no filter. I was saying things to people that I would never had said otherwise. I couldn’t sleep it was the worst. My psychiatrist wanted me to go back in a low dose and I refused as I would never go back on it. It took a couple of weeks and it finally passed but during those few weeks it was extremely hard.
I was on Paxil for at least 15 years. It was very difficult to go off of. I switched to Luvox which is an antidepressant that helps anxiety more than depression. It took months to adjust to the change. Recently I started treatment with Spravato. That has helped my depression immensely. Please don’t give up. ♥️
I’m checking to see how you are. It’s now 5 years later but I’m currently where you were then….. it makes my heart hurt to know someone else is where I am now – yet I somehow feel like less of a weirdo.
Please let me know you’re alright and loving your life again ❤️
I am considering going off of my 150mg of Effexor. I have taken it less than a year. It was prescribed while I was being treated for breast cancer to help with hot flashes and night sweats; it has not helped at all. I am not sure how to go about tapering since it is a capsule. Do you open the capsule or start taking it every other day? I am using some of the supplements and am going to add the fish oil. Can anyone tell me how to go about this?