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Advice please - coming off 37.5mg Venlafaxine / Effexor

Posted , 37 users are following.

daniobentley
daniobentley

Hi all, 

I have been on Venlafaxine for about 9 years for anxiety and panic disorder. I was only ever on 75mg but it was the only thing that help stabalise my mental health. When I was pregnant 6 years ago I tapered to 37.5mg p/day which was horrible and when i was pregant again 4 years ago, I didn't change it. 

I have been feeling for the last couple of years much less anxious and more able to cope with things, therefore I've been wanting to come off these for a while. I noticed that if I missed a dose I would really suffer for it the next day, causing panic if I had run out or something. Anyway, things in my life are positive and I feel now is a good time to try and get off completely. 

Thing is, I have been halving my 37.5mg pills for a few weeks and that's been good, but I can't do less than that without horrendous side effects. I don't want to go back to the anxiety I experienced in the first place but I don't want to stay on hese forever either. 

I have tried a half pill one day and a quater pill the next for a week and just don't feel myself (dizzy, foggy brain, anxious, angry easily, nauseous etc.). I don't get capsules so can;t take"beads" out so I have to snap the pills in estimated halves/quarters. I felt so bad this morning I took the other quarter from last night. 

Docs keep saying "you're on such a low dose, just take one every other day and you'll be fine" but it's really hard even on such a low dose. 

Any advice greatly appreciated - I am weary of "bridging witg prozac" because I don't want to swap one drug to another. I am happy to try vegetarian diet, or detailed weaning plans, etc. 

Thanks in advance

1 like, 84 replies

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  • gillybean36
    gillybean36 daniobentley

    Posted

    I don't think it matters what the dosage is, there's always going to be withdrawals, I was on 75mg a day too, I've been off them for nearly 2 weeks now. The withdrawals have been bad but I just wanted off them so much that I've persevered. Have u tried taking omega 3 fish oil? That's supposed to help with the brain zaps, I've also heard that antihistamines are supposed to help with the withdrawal symptoms. 
    • daniobentley
      daniobentley gillybean36

      Posted

      I could try the Omega3 and I've also heard that 5-HTP is good? I'm just not comfortable in myself physically and mentally anymore which was the whole reason I decided to start weaning off in the first place!

      Has anything been helping you & how did you come off from 75mg?

    • gillybean36
      gillybean36 valerie48279

      Posted

      Brain zaps are hard to describe, it kinda feels like an electric shock to the head, common withdrawal symptom when coming off any of this type of medication 
    • gillybean36
      gillybean36 daniobentley

      Posted

      To be honest I've just kinda got on with it lol, I decided to come off them as it just made me fill ill all the time, I had constant headaches, no energy and just felt yucky in general. For the first 3 days i pretty much slept, I've been taking multi vitamins and omega 3, but not sure if they are hek
    • gillybean36
      gillybean36

      Posted

      Sorry pressed reply button by mistake!! Yeah I'm not sure if the vitamins and omega are helping or if it's just getting better day by day. I was going to cut down to 37.5 a day but I missed a couple of doses as I was sleeping so much, so just decided to go cold turkey!
    • daniobentley
      daniobentley gillybean36

      Posted

      Well done! I missed 2 doses whilst away over the weekend, thought why not cold-turkey, and by the end of day 2 I was sofa-bound and just not functioning properly which is hard to cope with (I have a 3 and 5 year old) so I gave up on cold turkey, but still haven't been myself since. I don;t want to rush it in case it sends me backwards, but I'm impatient and don't want weeks of withdrawals! 
    • gillybean36
      gillybean36 daniobentley

      Posted

      I think it's gonna be different for everyone according to circumstances, my kids are 17 and 18 so they can look after themselves, I'm lucky that I can sleep or lie in bed or on sofa and get through it without having to look after anybody but myself! It's obviously gonna be a million times harder with having small children who rely on u and don't understand. I definitely wouldn't recommend changing to Prozac as I had the same withdrawal coming off that. I know everyone is different but if it helps I was on citalopram a few years ago and I had no withdrawal whatsoever coming off that, I again missed a couple of doses and just never went back to it. Might be worth speaking to ur doc about changing to something with less withdrawal symptoms?
    • anne240
      anne240 valerie48279

      Posted

      Zaps are like quick electric charges through your head.  Very weird.  I got them when I stopped cold turkey.  This time I withdrew really slowly and got no withdrawals at all, including brain zaps.
    • sam72309
      sam72309 gillybean36

      Posted

      Yes I agree, I've also been pill free for 2 weeks and the side effects were pretty awful but taking omega 3 and vitamin B complex really, really helped.

      I

    • Imemine
      Imemine gillybean36

      Posted

      I know it's been awhile since you posted but I've been trying to get off Effexor 37.5 milligram for a month now I've been taking one and then I tried every other day but it's affecting my equilibrium and my heart rate. I do get the brain zaps all the time when I don't take it. I just tried your idea about omega-3 thank God I had some in the cupboard. I was going to try HTP 5 but I don't feel like driving. anyway I just want to thank you for the info on the Omega threes I never knew that let's see what happens.

    • Imemine
      Imemine sam72309

      Posted

      I was having terrible brain waves or zaps today and after reading Gilly Bean's post went and took some Omega-3 and it helped 85% I was also having all last week heart palpitations. I couldn't get up and walk 10 feet without heavy breathing and heart palpitating. Omegas helped with that too. Today is Sunday and the last Effexor I took was Friday night.

    • sam72309
      sam72309 Imemine

      Posted

      That's great! It works a treat. Keep at it x

  • leanne61579
    leanne61579 daniobentley

    Posted

    Hi Daniobentley,

    It isn't something you can do fast I have found out and even though 37 mg sounds very low, it can make us dependent on it.  As I have stated before I have been on finally 37 mg now for a couple of weeks and doing the every other day and will be done with them this week.  I'm hoping I can be done now but no guarantee of it.  I might still have to get a few more of them to get me through it.  Wishing you the best with this problem.

     

    • anne240
      anne240 leanne61579

      Posted

      Very difficult to stop at 37.5mg and not get withdrawels.  You have to go down lower and lower, and I did this by cutting up pills with a pill cutter. 
    • leanne61579
      leanne61579 anne240

      Posted

      If I cant get along after the 37.5, I will definately ask the Dr for a few more to get through and off for good.

       

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