Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)?

I am currently on day 3 of not taking Effexor anymore. I did a taper over 2 months. I wanted to stop because I did not think it was helping me at all and it was more harmful than anything. I had gone up to 75mg from 50mg in September. I adjusted to the 75mg fine until December when I had a full week of brain zaps and dizziness. The brain zaps would come and go but it was still awful and made it really hard to do my job. I was taking the 75mg pill at the same time every day because of I was even 5 minutes off my schedule I would start feeling the symptoms of withdrawal. My doctor suggested I go down to 50mg and that made things much better. Then I went down to 37.5mg, and again things were better. I went down to 1/2 a pill. Maybe I should have gone down to a quarter of a pill before I fully stopped, but honestly I just wanted to be off of Effexor. Regardless of the dose I was on I was starting to notice that even before I was supposed to take my pill I would feel symptoms of withdrawal. Especially with the 75mg! Day three of withdrawal feels worse than day 2. I haven't had full on brain zaps, but the sensations are pretty close to a brain zap. I have sensitivity to light. I wish I had never started this drug. I took it for about a year(?) when I was in my early 20's (I'm 42 now) and do not recall going through this when I got off of it. I don't think it ever really helped me and now I'm dealing with this b.s.
I have spent the last couple of nights reading through y'all's experiences and it really makes me mad! It's infuriating to know that this drug is so wildly prescribed and yet it's so dang difficult to get off of. The only reason my current Doctor suggested it a year ago was because I had taken it in my 20's. I wish I had said I wanted to explore other options! NEVER AGAIN will I take an SNRI or an SSRI for that matter. The one thing I can say is that my mood has been pretty stable despite it being a couple days before my period and going through withdrawal. I think that's primarily related to the fact that I stated taking a low dose of liquid ketamine 2 weeks ago. If nothing else I am not super depressed even though I typically suffer from PPMD. Now if only my brain could stop feeling weird every time I move! Here's to hoping the withdrawal symptoms subside sooner than later.

in reply to @lolomahala Thank you for sharing this experience. I am tapering off of the Effexor XL, now down to 37.5mg. Since I was having such a difficult time "measuring" or weighing the beads in the capsules, my pharmacist recommended taking the regular 37.5 Effexor as a substitute, as she thought it might be easier to taper in this fashion. I have not started doing so yet because of the side effects I had when I began tapering off of the Effexor XL 37.5 capsules. I agree that this drug is not a good choice, and from my understanding, doctors are not required to take as many pharmacy course in medical school as they should, especially if they are prescribing antidepressants or other mood altering drugs. In any event, were you tapering off the regular Effexor or the XL? When tapering from the 37.5mg I did experience what I believed to be withdrawal symptoms, especially the nightmares. Since my doctor and I both agreed that I no longer need an antidepressant, I do want to get off of this "awful" drug as I am aware of its potentially harmful effects etc. It is my understanding that the Effexor XL takes about 5 half lifes to leave one's body, making it more difficult to get off of completely, per my pharmacist, who knows a lot more about the drug than my doctor, that is for sure. Thanks again.

in reply to @lolomahala Thank you for sharing this experience. I am tapering off of the Effexor XL, now down to 37.5mg. Since I was having such a difficult time "measuring" or weighing the beads in the capsules, my pharmacist recommended taking the regular 37.5 Effexor as a substitute, as she thought it might be easier to taper in this fashion. I have not started doing so yet because of the side effects I had when I began tapering off of the Effexor XL 37.5 capsules. I agree that this drug is not a good choice, and from my understanding, doctors are not required to take as many pharmacy course in medical school as they should, especially if they are prescribing antidepressants or other mood altering drugs. In any event, were you tapering off the regular Effexor or the XL? When tapering from the 37.5mg I did experience what I believed to be withdrawal symptoms, especially the nightmares. Since my doctor and I both agreed that I no longer need an antidepressant, I do want to get off of this "awful" drug as I am aware of its potentially harmful effects etc. It is my understanding that the Effexor XL takes about 5 half lifes to leave one's body, making it more difficult to get off of completely, per my pharmacist, who knows a lot more about the drug than my doctor, that is for sure. Thanks again.

Hello. I contacted Morgan &Morgan, the law firm re: filing a class action suit against the manufacturer of Effexor. If you agree that you did not receive any warning about the devastating side effects, short and long term, PLEASE contact them. Also, pass it on, and as others to do the same. Thank you!

in reply to @toekneet Does this law firm feel that they have viable causes of action against the manufacturer? The only warnings I received were those provided to me by the pharmacist; those patient information sheets with the side effects and things of that nature. As a former insurance investigator, who handled medical malpractice claims, I am curious about what negligence if any, the manufacturer would be liable for. Additionally, I would not want my doctor dragged into some lawsuit for obvious reasons, even though I agree that this drug is more than likely not the best one out there to treat depression and /or anxiety. Please let me know so I can follow up accordingly.

Hello. I’m so sorry. My doctor transferred me from Effexor extended relief to immediate release. I have not noticed and side effects from doing doing so, and I am able to taper more slowly. I hate this drug. I would like to find an attorney to see if a class action lawsuit can be filed because of the long term side effects caused by Effexor. Good luck.❤️

I, too, hate the drug and recently switched from Effexor XR capsules to Effexor immediate release tablets. I did this so that I could more easily adjust the dosage, being that Effexor XR comes in 37.5 and 75 mg, and Effexor immediate release is available in multiples of 25 mg. I now take 25 mg morning and night. After a month or so of being stable on 50 mg per day, I hope to begin my third attempt at tapering with a goal of weaning off entirely with the help of my pharmacist. I know it will take a long time, possibly years, to accomplish this. Best wishes to all who are trying to conquer this drug.

Law suit, shmaw suit. Does money help you heal the years of unnecessary emotional, physical, and spiritual pain of long-term over-prescription of a medication meant to be used for a short time only? We as human beings always have the choice to: heal ourselves with exercise, nutrition, life-style changes that use meditation, prayer, and spiritual tools to help us help ourselves and loved ones overcome chronic illness. Mental illness is a chronic illness, just like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or any other illness that lasts longer than a cold or the flu? What are we doing to ourselves and our families when we depend totally on medical practitioners and Big Pharma as if they are God. Putting our lives and our lived ones' lives in their care, without doing for ourselves what we can do naturally, simply, one day at a time is a form of self-destruction, surrendering our birthright to freedom, health, and happiness to bean-counters and bottom-liners who are indifferent to human pain and suffering. Wake up and smell the coffee, folks! God has given us a brain and a heart to advocate for ourselves and the best possible health care which requires self-care. No pill or doc can do for us what we need to do for ourselves on a daily basis. Let's take back our God-given power to do for ourselves what our Creator has created us to do and spread the word to others still suffering from chronic illness in themselves abd their families. Medicine is only one tool and a crapshoot at that. Makes no sense to make Medicine our Higher Power when we have the internal power within us to heal what can be healed in partnership with God and common sense. As a wise man once asked: "If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If I take no action now, when will I take action?" Hey, if with the help of a humane, spiritually-centered psychiatrist, U could be SLOWLY weaned off Effexor and Depakote after dependency on them for 20+ years with better health at 76 than at 46, you can do this too! Go for it & God bless...