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225mg Venlafaxine struggling to withdraw

Posted , 9 users are following.

leanne62426
leanne62426

I've been on 225mg of Venlafaxine for nearly 5 years for depression but I'm now doing very well, been back at full time work for 4 months and things going well. My dr agreed I could start to reduce my medication and put me on 150mg of Venlafaxine. After just 3 days I couldn't hack it anymore and went back on my 225mg. I had a constant headache and was so afraid to fall asleep because the night terrors were the most disturbing thing I have ever experienced. Then the lethargy. About 2 weeks later I attempted it again but again at 3 days I gave up, it was like my world became so surreal and strange I felt odd. Again went back on 225mg. I have an appointment in 2 days to discuss. But I'm wondering what others experiences are? Is it too much of a jump 225mg to 150mg?

2 likes, 53 replies

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  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 leanne62426

    Posted

    It is the withdrawal doing this to all of you posting here!  I was in protracged withdrawal from ven for 10 months, and the mental symptoms didn't come on until after 6 months!  I was tricked as well!  But I am on a psych drug withdrawal forum where this is discussed in depth, and it happens this way for virtually everyone who is coming off too fast or who cold turkey's.  They recommend a 10% reduction per 3-4 weeks.  When you cut from 150 to 75, and 75 to 37.5, you are cutting by 50%, which is huge where the brain is concerned.  Ven and other SSRI/SNRI drugs occupy the receptors 80% at the lowest effective dose, 37.5 mg where Ven is concerned.  When you cut 50% from there, you are going to 40%, and your system definitely notices that, with all kinds of horrible WD effects. The lower dosages are where WD will really catch up to you due to this.  And it's not about getting them out of your system; your neurons adapted to the presence of the drug by adding receptors.  Now that the drug is being taken away, the receptors are still there but unblocked, and so serotonin drops and causes the symptoms.  It takes time for the neurons to remodel back to a level that creates balance of serotonin and other neurotransmitters.

    The longer you'e been on the drug, the harder it is for the system to remodel in response to cuts.  You need to make the cuts smaller so that the impact is less.

    I had depression and anxiety and doom like I had never had before in my life during withdrawal.  It is NOT relapse.  If you are having such severe withdrawal as to feel that way, you are going too fast or came off too fast.  Reinstatement of a very small dose can help alleviate symptoms if done sooner rather than later; then, do a more gradual taper.

    Info about all this is in a post I created for stopping these meds:  https://patient.info/forums/discuss/withdrawing-from-antidepressants-and-benzos-safely-485891?page=0#1809368

    • ian25191
      ian25191 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi Betsy. Your info has been very helpful to me over the months, thank you.

      Am wondering how everybody is doing? I am now 6 weeks off after 225 for 4 years. Its been a long 7 months of trial and error but i made. The WD's have all gone now except extreme fatigue and mentally am fine. Had a couple of wobbly days but ignored them.

      My BP is normal and weight is still coming off and my chloestral is ok so now drug free for the first time in 5 years.

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 ian25191

      Posted

      Ian, I am so happy to know you are doing well now!  That is so exciting!

      I hope that you are truly done.  Forgive me if I am repeating myself, but I just wanted to caution you that it is possible that you are in a window and that there may yet be a wave coming.  That is the normal pattern of recovery from withdrawal.  Just know that if you have anxiety/depression/insomnia recur, it is more likely a wave than relapse, but the docs will have you belive it is a relapse.  I know of a medical doctor who himself did a cold turkey from Effexor and is in his 17th month of withdrawal!  His first p-doc did't believe it was withdrawal, so he fired him and found another who recognized protracted withdrawal but was at a loss as to how to help him.  This fellow has had windows of feeling great, but then has waves with depression and anxiety.  So, awareness is key. 

      As I said, I hope you truly are done!  I recently did a 5% cut from 30 mg to 28.5 mg and still had light anxiety and irritability five days later.  I am also tapering Remeron, had been focusing on that one as it is generally advised to only taper one drug at a time when on a cocktail.  Stable now, though, feeling pretty good.

  • elaine92718
    elaine92718 leanne62426

    Posted

    I also did this jump. The side effects are awful. Unfortunately it's one of those where it does eventually ware off. Each reduction comes with different side effects. I was on this drug for 15 years. Managed come off for 12 weeks but my anxiety came back so was put on citalopram. My main side effects were brain zaps, headache, tiredness, crying and feeling anxious.

    Hang on in there. It does get better. Very difficult drug to come off. I wouldn't take it again. Just hope the citilipram isn't as difficult to come off x

  • steph77910
    steph77910 leanne62426

    Posted

    i thought i was the only one whos on ven and feels this way. Im on 225mg and 21 years old. Been on it for 4 years soon. When i forget a dose i cry without wanting to. Start shaking my hand and my hyperactivity and depression comes out all at once. I sweat reallllllly bad. Dont know if im cold or hot. I feel terrible. Without it im helpless. Im also a mother with adhd, depression and anxiety. So i needed something to keep me on track. I also take atarax before i sleep. I cant get through a day without ven. I act like a mental person. I dont think i will ever stop them. I cant imagine how to cope.
  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 leanne62426

    Posted

    leanne, how are you doing now?
    • leanne62426
      leanne62426 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi Betsy

      Yeah I'm ok. I think. You no what I mean, your never really ok.

      I still feel pretty deflated and I'm worrying about everything!

      I'm still getting that panicky feeling though I haven't had a panic attack.

      Thank you for asking 🙂

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 leanne62426

      Posted

      Just keep reminding yourself it is the withdrawal and that you are healing.  It is hard to talk yourself out of those thoughts when you are having them, I know.  I remember that feeling that something bad is going to happen, something I never had before either before or during taking Effexor, but when I went off of it, oh my god I thought I was going mad!  So, I'm glad you are tapering, and you are wise to hold at this dose, good and long if needed, until you are feeling ok again.  The worst thing you can do is reduce more when you aren't feeling right.

      You are taking the immediate release twice a day, right?  Last I read, you are taking 75 mg AM and 37.5 pm.  Your next cut could be from the 75 mg AM side, but you can do it more gradually than dropping by a whole 37.5 mg as follows:

      Take 37.5 mg in tablet form in the morning.  Additionally, take another 37.5 mg tablet and place it in the barrel of a 10 ml oral syringe (may get from the pharmacy or cheaply online, though you'd have to buy several to make shipping worth it). Suck up enough water to equal 10 ml with the tablet occupying part of the volume,  Expel the water into a small medicine cup or glass and dump the tablet in with the water.  All the tablet to disolve.  I have never disolved one so don't know how readily and thoroughly it will dissolve; mixing with a knife or such may be necessary.  Once it is thoroughly mixed, suck up 8 ml of the  mixture and squirt into your mouth or into a glass of juice or such.  This would remove 7.5 mg of your morning dose, which equates to a reduction of about 7%.  You could do that for two weeks. see how you feel, and then take off another 2 ml (taking 6 ml) and waiting another 2 weeks.   Eventually you'll be down to 37.5 mg 2 x day.  Then you would do the same for the pm dose until down by four mls, then work on the AM amount until it is the same.  Since the half life of immediate release Ven is so short, you don't want to eliminate one of the doses because you will have interdose withdrawal.

      Dang, hope I dind't scare you with all of that!

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