Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

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.

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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 .

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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

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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!

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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.

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in reply to @kmart720
I dropped down from 150mg venlafaxine to 75mg, and now want to taper to the 37.5mg capsules. My doctor has suggested I do this slowly, but how does one do this? Did dropping from 75mg to 37.5mg cause any awful problems? Initially, my doctor had me go from 150mg to 75mg capsules, but that was terrible. So, I went from 150mg caps to 75mg capsules, and I am now ready to taper further. Can you please tell me about your experience going from 75mg capsules to 37.5mg capsules?
Thank you

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I don’t believe I experienced any severe withdrawal symptoms when I decreased from 75 to 37.5.
If I did I probably didn’t realize what was causing them because I honestly didn’t realize the side effects/withdrawal symptoms that was possible until I had completely weaned off.
When I was put on Effexor I it was by my radiation oncologist, when I decided I wanted to go off of it I was no longer seeing him so I discussed it with my regular oncologist. Honestly, in hindsight, he must not be very familiar with the drug because at that point I was down to 37.5/day and he told me I didn’t have to wean off that I could just stop. So I did. Big mistake. The withdrawals were horrible and it took me a week or so to figure out what was causing it because it had never been explained to me.

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in reply to @kmart720
I dropped down from 150mg venlafaxine to 75mg, and now want to taper to the 37.5mg capsules. My doctor has suggested I do this slowly, but how does one do this? Did dropping from 75mg to 37.5mg cause any awful problems? Initially, my doctor had me go from 150mg to 75mg capsules, but that was terrible. So, I went from 150mg caps to 75mg capsules, and I am now ready to taper further. Can you please tell me about your experience going from 75mg capsules to 37.5mg capsules?
Thank you

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