Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

I’m a breast cancer survivor of 9 years. I was diagnosed Effexor for hot flashes like most of the people in this discussion. I believe at one time I was on 100mg/day. I decided about 11 months ago that it wasn’t really helping my hot flashes and I wanted to stop so I weaned off over approximately 4-5 months, stopping completely in April of this year with some physical withdrawal symptoms that last a few weeks. Since around that time I’ve been experiencing some psychological problems: feelings of depression, anxiety, worry…
I’ve always dealt with a certain level of worry but never feelings of depression and anxiety until recent months. I have known that something was not right but couldn’t figure it out until one day I thought “is it possible this is coming from Effexor withdrawal even though I didn’t take it to remedy depression?” I kinda thought this sounded ridiculous but after reading some of your posts I believe that is probably the root cause.
It makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only person to experience this.
I guess the reason for my post is two-fold-
1. I need some confirmation from some of you that you agree with my self-diagnosis
2. Any recommendations for a natural remedy? Serotonin maybe?
I don’t want to go back to Effexor!

I agree with you. I think my feeling of extreme anxiety/fear/worry now is a result of Effexor withdrawal because I did not have a problem with anxiety before I was prescribed Effexor for hot flashes. At that time, I wanted to avoid hormone replacement therapy. 75mg/day did not prevent hot flashes, by the way, but I thought it lessened them. Anxiety brings on additional hot flashes in my experience, so perhaps that is why Effexor is prescribed as an "off-label" treatment for hot flashes? It should not be--because withdrawal is worse than hot flashes, according to what we are experiencing. I weaned myself off 37.5mg/day Effexor by adding more hours and then days between doses, and experienced no negative results until recently--which mirrors my experience the last time I weaned myself off the drug. My pharmacist says 37.5mg/day is a mild enough dose, if I need to return to it--but I don't want to be dependent on it and I want to avoid its many negative side effects.

I’m a breast cancer survivor of 9 years. I was diagnosed Effexor for hot flashes like most of the people in this discussion. I believe at one time I was on 100mg/day. I decided about 11 months ago that it wasn’t really helping my hot flashes and I wanted to stop so I weaned off over approximately 4-5 months, stopping completely in April of this year with some physical withdrawal symptoms that last a few weeks. Since around that time I’ve been experiencing some psychological problems: feelings of depression, anxiety, worry…
I’ve always dealt with a certain level of worry but never feelings of depression and anxiety until recent months. I have known that something was not right but couldn’t figure it out until one day I thought “is it possible this is coming from Effexor withdrawal even though I didn’t take it to remedy depression?” I kinda thought this sounded ridiculous but after reading some of your posts I believe that is probably the root cause.
It makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only person to experience this.
I guess the reason for my post is two-fold-
1. I need some confirmation from some of you that you agree with my self-diagnosis
2. Any recommendations for a natural remedy? Serotonin maybe?
I don’t want to go back to Effexor!

I just researched your #2 and found this under healthline dot com:
"If you’re looking for natural alternatives to help manage your depression or anxiety, tryptophan-rich foods may be helpful. Remember that these foods [eggs, cheese, pineapple, tofu, salmon, nuts and seeds, turkey] must be combined with healthy carbohydrates [rice, oatmeal, whole grain bread] in order to affect serotonin levels.
"Exercise, light therapy, and a high fiber diet are also good ways to naturally boost your serotonin levels and overall mood..."
My anxiety onslaught occurred during a week in which I was unable to do my usual exercise routine, so I think they could be related in my case.
Wishing you all the best.

I’m a breast cancer survivor of 9 years. I was diagnosed Effexor for hot flashes like most of the people in this discussion. I believe at one time I was on 100mg/day. I decided about 11 months ago that it wasn’t really helping my hot flashes and I wanted to stop so I weaned off over approximately 4-5 months, stopping completely in April of this year with some physical withdrawal symptoms that last a few weeks. Since around that time I’ve been experiencing some psychological problems: feelings of depression, anxiety, worry…
I’ve always dealt with a certain level of worry but never feelings of depression and anxiety until recent months. I have known that something was not right but couldn’t figure it out until one day I thought “is it possible this is coming from Effexor withdrawal even though I didn’t take it to remedy depression?” I kinda thought this sounded ridiculous but after reading some of your posts I believe that is probably the root cause.
It makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only person to experience this.
I guess the reason for my post is two-fold-
1. I need some confirmation from some of you that you agree with my self-diagnosis
2. Any recommendations for a natural remedy? Serotonin maybe?
I don’t want to go back to Effexor!

KMART 720,

Hi, Qu, how long were you on EFFEXOR/ VENLAFAXINE?. As I have said before, I too, amongst many other side-effects, am suffering after stopping EFFEXOR. One positive marker, is that extreme heat tolerance issues with 30+ degrees of summer heat 2022 was , this summer, a bit better than last Summer when living thru a hot spell. So, not taking pills / titration by now - summer 2023 - has had some positive effect. But, hot body heat "flushes" , in any ambient temperature , continue. I stopped after a 2 yr titration Oct 22 from 75mg & 37.5 mg - then diluting reduced beads from 37.5 slow release. What would be good is for someone to feed back their long term, timeline resume, of ALL their Effexor / venlafaxine experiences , = post pill cessation to complete end of legacy side effects experience . My guess that all these issues (incl hot flashes etc), fall to the residue of the meds in your body. From what I can ascertain from (limited) feedback, this can take years to clear.

Been down to .5 Buprenorphine for years and cannot get below it , have tried going so slowly and it doesn’t work . Let me know how you do getting totally off it .

I can’t sleep. Have been on for 8 maybe longer years and I’m down to 75mg. It’s been almost 2 months and bad insomnia. Nothing works

Some thoughts on how I have tried to deal with this: Is your bed comfortable? Room temperature needs to be comfortable, too. Do you stop eating and drinking for a period of time before going to bed? Do you stop looking at distressing news online or tv shows for a period of time before going to bed? (I do not read or watch crime stories, whether true or not--too anxiety-producing.) I used to listen to a relaxation tape. I do a relaxation exercise where I tense every muscle in my body, then gradually relax every muscle, head to toe or toe to head. Taking deep breaths and then slowly exhaling helps, feeling my body sink into the mattress. I find meditation difficult, but trying to quiet my active mind helps if I can manage it. If I have aches and pains, I take a Tylenol PM before going to bed. Realizing that the "PM" is the drug in Benadryl, I would consider taking that if I didn't have aches and pains. Daily physical exercise is a must. Talking to a friend during the day helps, laughter during the day helps. And "pray without ceasing." Wishing you all the best; we have a lot of company!