Venlafaxine withdrawal

Hi,

I am so relieved to have come across this forum. I have been on antidepressants since a teenager and I am now well into my 60s. I have tried just about every antidepressant on the market and for the last 10 years, I have been on Venlafaxine. Towards the end of last year, I decided to take the plunge and come off Venlafaxine. I was up to 300mg and felt the antidepressant was just making me like a zombie. A few months prior to coming off, I had also visited a private psychiatrist who also prescribed Zyban in addition to the 300mg Venlafaxine. The Zyban made me feel completely spaced out. I couldn't function properly and it resulted in me retiring from my job, which I had been in for 33 years. That was in April last year. I stopped the Zyban, but continued on the Venlafaxine until the beginning of October last year. With the guidance of my doctor, I gradually reduced the dose and by Christmas Eve I was off the antidepressant. The first week of coming off wasn't too bad, but then the symptoms started. Complete exhaustion, muscle aches, anxiety through the roof, mood swings, hot flushes, upset stomach, dry mouth, insomnia. I cannot describe how tough it has been. The morning anxiety is the worse. If it is really bad, I throw some clothes on and go for a walk. I have to function as I have family who need my help. My Mum is 95. She lives independently, but I run errands for her and help her in her flat. My daughter has just had a baby and needs a lot of help. I see my other daughter, who has 3 children, twice a week and a husband and a home to run, plus I have taken on my daughter's two cats. I have also signed up for some voluntary work and help a lady once a week. I didn't realise how bad I was going to be feeling, otherwise I wouldn't have committed to the voluntary work. I am now in week 6 and really can't see any improvement. I went to see my GP about all of these symptoms, but had an extremely unsympathetic consultation. After reading other posts, they have given me hope that I will eventually start to feel better. Why are GP's aloud to prescribe such an awful drug? I have an assessment with the psychiatric team next week and will tell them I need to find an alternative to antidepressants. I am not going through this horror again. I wish you all the very best in your journey to recovery😊

0 likes, 0 replies