Hi. I was on ven 225 mg but stopped taking them 3 months ago I can't cope now.

Thank you for replying. I was getting on well with venlafaxine and I really wish I never stopped. I'm just not looking forward to the side effects.

Hi Christophe, 

The reason you have your symptoms back "big time" is likely because you've been in protracted withdrawal from ven.  You were on a very high dose for years and came off suddenly, which is NOT advised with ven!  Ven has a horrible discontinuation syndrome associated with it.  

Were your symptoms coming off bad to begin with, or is it only recently that you began to feel bad?  Anxiety, depression, insomnia, OCD are all withdrawal symptoms but since those might also be the original condition that you went on ven for, doctors call it relepse.  We call them neuro emotions; they might have a seed of truth to them but are usually  much bigger than is your norm.

Doctors don't acknowledge withdrawal past a couple of months, but they are wrong.  I myself went through protracted withdrawal from Effexor for 10 months but didn't realize what was happening because it came on slowly.  I did reinstate 37.5 mg at that point and had a reversal of symptoms within an hour, just like a junkie getting a fix of heroin!  I have since learned all about protracted withdrawal!  

I can honestly say that my symptoms in withdrawal were by far worse than I had ever experienced in my life, very "chemical" in nature.  It was a very frightening time.  

It helps to understand that ven blocks receptors for serotonin and norepinephrine causing an increase in those neurotransmitters between the nerves.  The nervous system perceives this new imbalance (that causes those side effects you had) and begins remodeling to restore balance, adding more receptors among other things.  This is a physical remodeling in the brain. People don't realize when they take these drugs that they are physically growing a new brain that takes the drug's actions into account, to in an attempt to restore balance.

When you stop the drug, too quickly or cold turkey, all those receptors are freed up, but since your brain added more, the new imbalance is even more profound.  It can take time for the cascade of imbalance to unfold, since there are intereactions between serotonin, norepinephrine and other chemical systems around the body, enzymes, hormones, etc.  Kind of a game of pinball!

What to do?  Talk to your doctor about reinstating a very small amount to see if it brings you relief.  Your brain has been doing some remodeling back towards balance without the drug, but that process can take months and years, with withdrawal symptoms sometimes getting worse before better.  Taking too large of a dose might cause even more upset since there has been some recovery in the three months you have been off.  It is best to start small and add if needed, to try to find that place you have recovered to.  

A lot of people report a windows and waves pattern of recovery in withdrawal; feeling good followed by feeling bad again, and then good again.  No one can predict how the pattern will go for you if you decide to just stay off the ven, though.  Withdrawal can last for months and years, not linear but gradually getting better.  I have read of people having a really bad wave hit them a year or more later, so there doesn't seem to be any benefit to "just getting it over with."  Reinstatement is about harm reduction.  You could try 37.5 mg and see if that is enough to relieve symptoms.

I am following a 10% taper method. You can learn about that here in this thread; go to the Reducing ADs by 10% link.  That link is at a forum for withdrawing from antidepressants and other psych drugs.

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/depression-resources-298570

Should you chose to get off of Effexor eventually, you can then do a very gradual taper off, such that your brain can make small adjustments with as little discomfort as possible.  There may still be withdrawal after jumping off, but it shouldn't be as severe.

I hope this helped!

 

Your comments on Ven have been very informative , thanx

 

Thank you best help so far

Thank you, Christophe.  I feel for you in your suffering.  You are likely experiencing neuro emotions, those that stem from the imbalance caused by coming off so quickly, and those are very tough to sit with, I totally get that!  But it helps a little to understand why it is so, and to know that it is not a permanent state of mind.  Have you decided what you are going to do?

I think the biggest beneftit, though, of my having gone through this experience of protracted withdrawal is that it set in motion a deep desire to finally do the work to make changes in myself for the better, because I just couldn't stand being "me" any more.  I will admit that suicidal thoughts were part of all of this in the midst of it all, but I knew that wasn't an option because of the suffering it would cause so many I love. And so I became dedicated to do the work and doing so has been fruitful.  I now know that life after drugs does not have to be one with depression, anxiety, suffering, being the me that was "unacceptable."

I wish you peace. Take care of yourself in the raw state you are in right now, and keep us posted as to your journey :-)

Hi. I am planning on taking the tablets again. I am really struggling at the moment and thought of suicide. But I have a family that I think would miss me. I'm taking it hour by hour at the moment I can't focus on much at the moment. The thoughts that are on my mind are horrible. I'm seeing my doctor on Thursday hope I can get to talk to someone.

What you are experiencing, Christophe, is not at all unusual, believe it or not.  The troubling thoughts, suicidality, are very common elements of withdrawal.  I am glad that you are thinking of your family, because yes, it would be such a tragedy for them if you were to give in. And, this is temporary!  What a shame to give up when it's actually a passing phase!  You are wise to take one moment at a time and try not to indulge the thoughts about the future; many have prolonged their suffering, actually, by such ruminating!  Self-care is a priority and it sounds like you are already doing it.

It is important to not updose too high.  Could you remind me what your taper schedule was, from how high and how much you jumped off from?  How long have you been off?  This is all important for determining what your reinstatement dose should be.  You might ask for the extended release with the beads inside the capsule, or the liquid version might be even better so you can measure odd doses with a syringe.

Hi. Thank you so much for replying to me. I stopped taking them at the beginning of September. I became very ill with my back I had to stay in hospital for a few weeks. I was on 225 mg one tablet was 150mg and one 75 mg. I was thinking maybe I could start back on the 75 mg for say 2 weeks then go back to my full dose. Would that be a good idea? Thank you

You have been off for four months from that high dose, so I would start with 37.5 mg and give that a week to see how you feel.  A lot of recovery may have occured in your nervous system in which case reinstating at too high a dose can be probematic if it exceeds where your nervous system is at, making you feel very bad.  It is better to start small and work up.  I would give it a week to see how it sits with you.

For all you know, you may find that that small dose is all you really need.

Keep us posted!

Betsy 

Forgot to add, keep track of your symptoms and whether anything has improved on the reinstatement  You can then adjust accordingly.