Any advice on successful reduction of Venlafaxine?

Hi Rachel, this is what the doctors recommend, but the head zaps are very hard to manage over a long period of time. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to wean myself off.

Hi Rachel, my advice would be to start reducing by only 37.5mg daily for two months. You will probably get some mild withdrawal effects but these should stop after a week or so. If you continue very slowly like this you should be ok. Please read my earlier post of about a week ago for more information. Good luck!

Hi Rachel,

It's not the best idea to take different amounts on different days. The brain sees it as not enough one day and too much the next day. It can't cope like this as it needs continuity to regulate effectively. Pls don't listen to the doctors who tell you to reduce a little bit 2 or 3 days in the week. They have never taken Venlafaxine so they don't really know. They want to help but how can they possibly know about all the drugs on the market?

I have been on Venlafaxine for about 6 yrs and have also tried in the past (unsuccessfully) to come off. This time round I've been able to taper down and the only withdrawal I've had is night sweats. I did LOtS ofresearch in figuring out how to do it.

-Most important thing is that each time you reduce it should only be by 10% of your dosage. For me that meant reducing by 37.5mg per day. That's the smallest dose Venlafaxine comes in anyway so it's a good amount for the first taper.

- stay on your reduced amount for 3 weeks before reducing by another 37.5mg and continue like so.

There is a really good group / forum where I got supplements to help me. They studied the brain purely for the purposes of what happens with medication withdrawal and how they can relieve the symptoms.

Look up

THE ROAD BACK DOT ORG

Obviously you need to put a . And not type dot but this site is funny about sharing websites so I've had to type it.

Good luck

Hi I was taking the 75mg slow release dose if venlefaxine for over 10 years when I decided to come off it 3 weeks ago . My GP suggested that I just increase the time between doses ..I did this for a week getting to 40 hours between doses but I started to feel that each time I took a dose it was sending me backwards. last weekend I was due to take one at 10pm Friday (42 hrs after the last dose) so I decided to leave it until I woke up . In the morning I felt nauseous and the head was spinning but no worse than I had been feeling so I bit the bullet and didn't take anymore.

Now nearly a week after my last dose I am still a bit dizzy and nauseous but I'm managing to work and get on with things. My main problem now is that I'm crying over the slightest things, facebook manages to have me in tears most days and any emotional story I hear sets me off !!!! The GP did say that this may happen as my system clears itself of the drug and not to see it as a sign of the depression returning so I'm trying to remain positive . Should it turn out I do need to take anti depressants I am going to insist on a different one, this is just so hard to stop.

Good lunch raychi6

Hi Rachel. I am successful getting off my effexor so far. Amino acids are what you need to take away the withdrawl symptons. I am hooked in to a program and to professional people who dedicate their lives to the wellbeing of others and their mental health. It has been working with very little symptoms. I continue to work part time as well as take care of my family. There is hope. I'm sure there are many ways to get off this drug, but the way i was told was to take 4 balls out of your capsule a day until you are down to 20 balls. There were times that I halted the process until I felt stable and then continued along. I am now taking out about 55 balls per day. I'm almost half way there!You will have to go to TRUE HOPE DOT COM to look at what i am doing. I am not sure how I would be feeling if I was not taking the supplements as i've been told to.

Hope this helps.

Definitely know what it feels like to want to be free of this drug.

Another great forum of people coming off their medication with the help of experts is THE ROAD BACK DOT ORG

they've helped me every step of the way off Venlafaxine (450mg per day for 8yrs!!)

I'm only a third of the way there but no withdrawal thus far (apart from night sweats but that's nothing in comparison to the hell I've experienced trying to come off previously.

I have hope for the first time ever