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Progress coming off venlaxafin....

Posted , 5 users are following.

Dani21397
Dani21397

Hi all smile

Just wanted to see how everyone was getting on with the whole weaning off this disgusting drug?? Hope you all had a lovely Xmas and new year too smile

I literally cannot express how much I detest this medication! I've heard awful stories as well as experiencing the worse side effects of my life! I'm short tempered and have been a horrible tempremental bitch! I don't sleep (even when I was on them) and I wake up feeling groggy even on the days I do take them now! Goes to show there no good! I'm literally now taking one every 3rd day and the side effects are slowly easing off I'm just struggling with the sickness as well as not feeling with it! Sometimes I can't even drive to work and the whole day is a blur it's so strange! I would highly recommend anti sickness tablets (ANY) as well as kalms as they really do work! Also if it's a warning or even just comfort to someone else who has also done it, I would cut down or avoid alcohol whilst having anything to do with these meds! I swear they make hangovers last 3 days for me at the moment and it's not worth it! With Xmas and new year it's all been a horrible crappy feeling blur haha I always learn the hard way of course! It's caused me an upset tummy as well as these weird brain zaps and dry mouth, I sound like such a delight!! The only plus side is that I've lost weight but then again I put it on with these pills so really again it's the poison! If anyone ever asked me about these tablets I haven't got a good word to say! I want to warn everybody the sooner your off the better! Don't want to scare or worry anyone as side effects affect people differently but bloody he'll the last month or maybe even two have been a blur which involved me being a grouchy cow who constantly complained how crap she felt! I work in a little wine bar aswell and even customers commented on how I wasn't right even my pupils were dialated. Weird, but anyway sorry to ramble on I'm literally wide awake at 5am telling myself it's only going to get better and it has bit by bit! I'm more than happy to help anyone or even just be here to listen because even though I'm better in myself I still have down days where my anxiety OCD and depression take over! Xx

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 Dani21397

    Posted

    Hi Dani, 

    I agree, ven is rotten!  

    I tried to come off a year ago, and thought things were going well, except for the brain fog and extreme sweating, which I thought were due to delayed menopause, having also come off BCPs I'd been on my whole life.  Then, about four months out, I began to lose it entirely.  The wheels came off the bus!  I suffered through some horrific anxiety, insomnia, and depression that were far worse than anything I'd ever had in my life, AND I became agoraphobic to boot!  I still didn't know it was withdrawal, and none of the many healthcare providers I saw during that time recognized it either, even though they knew I'd come off. I ended up reinstating after going on Remeron, which didn't work.  Now I'm stuck on two!

    I am tapering Remeron slowly, since it is also well known for its horrific withdrawal.  I am very slowly tapering the Ven, but I see this as a two year propositiion since my brain clearly became so dependant on it that 10 months out I was non-functional. 

    So, I just wanted to warn you that this could happen to you and you are probably doing a too fast taper!  You might want to join the forum Surviving Antidepressants where you can create an intro and read other peoples' experiences with recovering from ven.  Skipping days is not at all advised. I know it sounds like you are doing better with the side effects over time, but like I said, I came off rather quickly and really didn't have any trouble doing so; it was well after I was off that the s$#t hit the fan!

    At least now you know so that if this happens to you, you won't be blind-sided and led to think you have relapsed! 

    There is no shame in reinstating a bit to get control over things, and then do a slower taper.  I reinstated 37.5 mg on my doctor's orders, thinking I had relapsed.  After 10 months, I probably could have reinstated a much smaller amount, like 5 or 10 mg.  Yes, it requires a scale to do. The forum helps with those issues!

    Anyway, best of luck in your journey off.  I truly wish for you to not have to go through what I did!  And agreed, this drug should be the LAST resort after all other non-drug methods of dealing with anxiety and depression are explored!  These drugs are just a band-aid anyway; it's best to go ahead and do the work now rather than later.  Wish I had!

    • Dani21397
      Dani21397 betsy0603

      Posted

      Oh blimey I wish I never started taking these!! Thank you for your advice and help smile my doctor is a bit of an idiot so I think I'm going to make an appointment to see another one and have a chat with them about it! I hope everything gets better for you, keep me updated! We can all help eachother xxx
    • lesley99443
      lesley99443 betsy0603

      Posted

      hi betsy i hate this drug sooo much have been on it for about 6 months..have not been myself at all...worse anxiety...gone all agraphobic...dont care about myself...my flat or anything really...its like they have changed my personality totally....i am on 150 a day am going to cut the dose in half and go for 75 a day and see what happens...the withdrawals cant be worse than how im feeling...i hope not and pray to god i survive !!!
    • Dani21397
      Dani21397 lesley99443

      Posted

      Hi Lesley,

      Have you spoken to your doctor about weaning off them? I can totally relate to how your feeling but what worries me is that if you cut down too much too quickly you will suffer from the side effects pretty badly! They are so strong and are such poison that I don't want you to feel any worse that what you do now! You will survive you just have to be very careful not to end up making yourself feel worse, depression is a scary thing and these crappy tablets don't help or make life any easier! I can relate to feeling like your living in a bubble and everything being a blur but you are on quite a high dosage too! If you do see your doctor and they guide you how to wean off these then at least you've got a bit of guidance! I was saying earlier but things to ease the side affects off as I went into the chemist and had a chat with the pharmacist who was lovely! Worth doing that aswell incase you have different side effects to me! Kalms and anti sickness tablets have eased the side effects somewhat as well as plenty of sleep and avoiding alcohol, I learnt the hard way with drink over the Xmas Period and it felt like I had a 3 week hangover! It will get better I promise! I keep telling myself that even tho I feel like an emotional angry psychotic bitch 😂 Little steps and you will be good in no time! It's great we can all help eachother on here and I'm always here for a chat xx

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 lesley99443

      Posted

      Hi Leslie, as I mentioned to Dani, you might want to join SA, a non-profit withdrawal support forum, to get guidance, because the fall-out from withdrawal is pretty danged horrible and can go on for months and even years.  You might get away with a 50% cut at that high dose, but doing so after that will assuredly cause you trouble.  It is horrible to be in this bind, believe me I know!  They hand these drugs out without condideration of ever having to come off!  

      I would definitely agree that this drug is not for you!  I was spellbound by it, not realizing the negative impacts it had on me unlike you.  I wish I had fingured it out, but that's what these drugs do to people; their affects can be subtle so we don't realize it is due to the drugs!

  • jasparottie
    jasparottie Dani21397

    Posted

    i'm on 3x 75mg a day - been on it 10 yrs plus , i hate it , i keep trying to come down on my own by just taking two , but i get like electric shocks running thru my body and my balance goes - how is the best way to get rid i feel like just rattling off them just not taking them - would that harm me ? xxxxxxx
  • jasparottie
    jasparottie Dani21397

    Posted

    my husband is doing a rattle off bupermorphine - so its caos in this house sad 

     

    • Dani21397
      Dani21397 jasparottie

      Posted

      Whatever you do please don't just stop taking them because it's really dangerous! It's gonna take a while to get this horrible stuff out of your system but slowly and surely you will feel better, even though the physical side effects are getting better my emotional side seems to be very difficult at the moment and I'm like a dynamite waiting to explode! It's so difficult dealing with these feelings but keep busy and keep in your mind that it's going to get better! Drink plenty of water aswell as these tablets give me dry mouth! I wouldn't advise coming off them on your own as you are on a very high dosage compared to me! I would make an appointment at your doctors as soon as possible so they can advise you how to wean yourself off them! Let me know how it goes xxx
    • jasparottie
      jasparottie Dani21397

      Posted

      bless you  and thankyou , i hate the stuff , its like poison , i know what you mean about wanting explode i'm like that even on the tablets , am gonna make an appt with the doctor and will defo let yuou know

      ​thankyou for caring it means alot xxxxxxxxxxx

    • Dani21397
      Dani21397 jasparottie

      Posted

      It's awful isn't it! let me know what they say! Always here for a chat smile xxxx
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Dani21397

      Posted

      Be warned that doctors know little about how to properly wean people off thse drugs and have you do it much too steeply and quickly!  Please see the link I provided above for the 10% taper method.

      This website is full of people trying to come off various ADs using the taper that their doctor told them to do and running into big trouble!

       

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