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22 days on Venlafaxine... When will it,stabilize at good

Posted , 7 users are following.

Leahe
Leahe

So 22 days on ven at 75mg at 2xday.. Still good and bad days..moments..when will this level off and I start to feel more consistently better?

0 likes, 56 replies

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  • linda19709
    linda19709 Leahe

    Posted

    My dr told me that will get bad before it does hood. And it's taking 2 steps forward one back. It really sucks. As of tomorrow I am not taking anymore Ven, and I'm quite terrified, my dr ordered me a anti anxiety med and something for nausea. I just have to tell me self that this will get better, my dr promised me it would. I'm sorry we all have to.go thru this. I wish you luck and I pray for the strength and comfort to get thru this.

    • tammy76379
      tammy76379 linda19709

      Posted

      Linda, don't quit cold turkey. You might and probably will have some very uncomfortable withdrawals symptoms. How long have you been on it? Venlafaxine is something you must wean off of. I did it once, but now am taking it again. It does take an average of 6-8 weeks to reach the therapeutic levels, and in your case, you may need a higher dose if you've been on it longer than two months and have not seen consistent benefits. Just rethink this before you stop altogether. God bless you

    • linda19709
      linda19709 tammy76379

      Posted

      Tammy, I'm not doing this cold turkey, Lord, I couldn't do that. When I said I was taking my last Ven, it's from over a month ago, weaning off of it. And I was prescribed the anti anxiety and nausea in case I need it. I've had panicky feelings the past few days. But no, never cold turkey, for me.

    • linda19709
      linda19709

      Posted

      I have been on it for 17 yrs, I think you responded to me when I first posted about withdrawl from Effexor
  • tammy76379
    tammy76379 Leahe

    Posted

    Hi. I'm sorry you're on medication for your anxiety. I am too, but it will help. You should start feeling a difference right about now. You're only into this for 3 weeks, and typically, we reach the therapeutic levels at about 6-8 weeks. Look at it this way, you've waited and come this far with and without medication. I bet you feel a bit better than day one, right? So hang in there and be patient.

    You can try vigorous exercise like walking or biking. It's Summer, so if you can swim somewhere...

    I cut out caffeine and sugar and usually shut off all electronics about an hour or two before bed. I also use the "calm" app on my phone.

    It's always good to help the medication do its job, Get your rest. Oh, there are ways to boost serotonin ... Just Google it.... With vitamins, foods and exercise.

    Come here for support when you need it! I also find that I feel better when I help someone. God bless you with peace of mind for a good night sleep!

    • Leahe
      Leahe tammy76379

      Posted

      Thanks Tammy! I need,all the,support I can get! God Bless❤️I will be patient..
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 tammy76379

      Posted

      Tammy I have been on Lexapro 10 for four weeks now and my anxiety is through the roof. I had a gene sight test and Lexapro was not a good one for me. I have terrible anxiety. Should I give it another couple of weeks. My doctor suggested venlafaxine and gave me a prescription for 37.5 for 5 days than 75mg. The test said I should stay on a low dose. Is it working well for you. On Lexapro I am afraid to go out much and it seems much worse. Any advice.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Similar happend to me on cit, which is similar to laxapro. Anxiety went through roof at about week 5, and got worse over following 6 weeks. Should have realised sooner that cit was no good for me. Switched to venlafaxine, and am now much better. Anxiety is so much better on ven for me. Have felt no side effects on ven at all.

    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 tammy76379

      Posted

      Is it better to take at night or morning. It started working for me last October pretty quickly at 37.5 moved up to 75 but my nurse practitioner raised it up to 150 and the nueronephrine made my anxiety go crazy along with high blood pressure.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      thanks Nigel, I feel like I’m losing it on Lexapro don’t even want to go into town or see people. Do you take it in the am or pm
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hello, morning and night. Its immediate release ones. I spent too long on cit, with raging anxiety, and then having dose reduced etc that i got into a really bad state, thats why immediate release, morning and night.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hello, its hard to say as i think it depends on the state you are in when you start ven. Due to a long reduction in cit, and a too slow and low introduction to ven, it brought me completely down. Was on ven at 37.5, then 75 for about 4 weeks, felt no improvement at all. No side effects. Then 5 weeks at 150, felt minimal improvements, then just after going to 185 felt more solid, periods of okay and down. Did that for 2 weeks. Improvement on 185 was noticeable. Still had some periods of being down, so went to 225mg, been on that for 1 week. Have really come on in last week or so.Still get fleeting down periods, but mostly feel okay. Coping better now, regaining some interest in things. Feel stabalised, not yet happy. Had no side effects with ven or increases at all. With 185 and 225 felt benefits after a few days. I dont think increases work that quickly though, but thats what its felt like. Its only in last 2 or 3 weeks ive noticed improvements. Still cant read or watch tv, listen to music, although thinking about them more now. I think you are ahead of me with recovery.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Only on day 2 of Effexsor. I have a long way to go. Trying to have a 4th celebration with family. I can’t wait for this anxiety to end.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Sorry i thought youd been on effexor for a while, got you mixed up with someone else, although you have taken it before,? You went to 75 okay, but couldnt stay on 150mg because of anxiety. Presume you are going back on it, as it did work up to 75mg. When you get yo 75mg i presume you will not go higher. If you are still not recovered on it, you could ask your pysc to give you a small amount of mirtazapan on top of ven, if its okay with your gene test. This combination is well.known for being more sucessfull together than on their own. Also, mirtazapan is a bit sedatative, so with only a small amount on top of ven, it can keep you calmer, but pack a bigger punch for depression. Look up california rocket fuel, which is the nick name given to it. With you not being able to go above 75mg on ven, could be a good option for you. Thats for in fiture though. Its probsbly going to be a few weeks before you feel.much benefit.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      I go up to 75 on Thursday.. Doctor gave me Klonopin and vistaril if nicety gets real bad. A deer ran head on in front of my car yesterday on a four lane highway. Unfortunately he died, I am okay but my car sustained a fair amount of damage.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Did you take any other anxiety meds to halo you through the rough timeline 
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Oh yes. Diazepam. On cit i had what i called raging anxiety for 6 weeks. I was telling my doctor i was really anxious, but dont think that explained it enough. Eventually, had some sort of meltdown, couldnt shut my mind off. Doctor gave me 15mg of diazepam a day to take. Didnt abuse it, generally took between 7.5 and 10mg a day. Made a huge difference. Now im down to 5mg a day. Supposedly, theyre addictive. Been on them for 2 months now, and never take more than i need, as i dont want to feel tired all the time.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Did you have a hard time going out and being around people
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Yes, but once i had the diazepam, it made it much easier. If you have issues like that, use the other meds your doctor gave you.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      I take 2 mgs of it a day. Did the anxiety come down once of lexapro or after Effexor started to kick in
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hello, i started diazepam while on citalopram, as cit really didnt agree with me. Anxiety went through the roof, had to drop down, depression got worse, and anxiety didnt improve either. This was after being on cit for 13 weeks. I was allowed 15mg of diazepam a day on cit. Found i used between 7.5 and 10mg, a couple of times 12.5mg. When ven eventually kicked in (took a long time, as was kept on too low a dose), then naturally gradually reduced diazepam to 7.5mg, didnt need any more. Improvements on ven have snowballed in last 2 weeks, after ven increases 3.5 weeks ago, and 1.5 weeks ago, when i went up to 225mg. Now im down to just 5 mg of diazepam. I now dont need or want as much. Could even possibly reduce diazapam further, but will wait a couple of weeks to be sure. Ive probably got another 6 weeks of improvements to expect from latest ven increase, and imagine i will be able to reduce diazepam further. In answer to your question, if ven is the right med for you, and you continue to improve, then you should feel that gradually you want less diazepam. Based on my experience, i used as much as i needed at any time, didnt feel need to take more, and now finding i need less, as ven is now doing its job. Been on diazepam for 2.5 months now, and do not feel addicted to it. Take as much as you need or are allowed for now. Dont try cutting down at the moment, as its probably too early, and could hold up your recovery, if you got too anxious.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109

      Posted

      Started taking diazepam after being on cit for 13 weeks, where i had what i called raging anxiety. Eventually, that anxiety caused me to have some sort of meltdown, at about week 15 of just cit. The state cit got me into, necessitated the need for diazepam. If id started ven instead of cit at time, probably wouldnt have needed diazepam at all. I ended up in a much worse state on cit, then when i started on it. Lexapro is a refined version of cit.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Start to take 75mgs of venlafaxine tonight down to 5 Lexapro. I have been 37.5 for the past 4 days. Do you suffer from anxiety or depression
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Yes to both, although now where near as bad as on cit. Ven has been a life saver, in last 3 weeks, following increases to 187 and 225, ive really improved, so much so, people wouldnt know any more, and i feel so much better in myself. It look a long time for me to get where i am now, looks like your switch is being done more quickly. You are going through worst part at the moment. If you take to ven like i have, you can expect to feel consistantly good in about 5 to 6 weeks. Anxiety is much lower as well. You may need future dose increases. Although its taken a long time for me, wasnt increased quickly enough, i allways liked taking it, ie had no side effects, and felt it was the right one.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      3 months now. Started on 37.5, for 2 weeks, with a bit of old one, 75mg for 3 weeks, then 150mg for 5 weeks (way too long on that dose) 187 for 2 weeks, and 225mg for 10 days. Improvements were very slowon 150, speeded up on 187, and really started doing well on 225mg. Can expect further improvements, as havent been on 2 highest doses for very long.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Did you take Valium when you were first starting venlafaxine
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      No, just diazepam. I was already on diazepam for about 3 weeks when i started ven, because of the mess citalopram got me in. 13 weeks after starting cit, i was in a much worse state than when i started. I switched to cit in jan, as old anti depressant seroxat had stopped working. Sounds like something similar happend to yourself, as lexapro is a refined version of cit. Experience on ven has been complete opposite of cit so far. My pysc and doctor delayed drew out my switch from cit to ven, which didnt help much. 225mg of ven sounds frightenly high, however, in comparison, its similar to 40mg of cit, or 20mg of lexapro, ie they are all .ax doses. So dont be frightend if you have to go on a higher ven dose.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      6 days on venlafaxine  and 10 lexapro. Tried 75 today but side effects bad will stay on 37for another week. Today was the birthday of my daughter who died almost 5 years ago hard day for me . What was your taper cross like? Yesterday was better.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      It would also help if you let me know what sort of state of mind you were in on the different doses. Just trying to relate it to my own ecperience, to try to help.
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