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Are these Venlafaxine Withdrawal Symptoms?

Posted , 5 users are following.

dave13717
dave13717

Hi All,

I was on 150mg of Venlafaxine for a couple of months but they didn't seem to work. I managed to cut down to 37.5 with no real problems and stayed there for a few weeks to get my holiday out of the way. Last week, I tried stopping completely and within a day or two, started feeling a bit dizzy. This has carried on through the week and is really not fun now. I'm not full on dizzy but seem to have an awful lot of tension in the lower back of my head and neck. My head feels really full and slight movements can make me feel a bit dizzy and disorientated. My ears feel blocked and my normally mild tinnitus is more noticeable than usual.

Slight eye movements can give me a strange sensation (Sort of disorientated behind the eyes) and change in noise (short ringing) in my ears for a very short while. I have had sinus issues in the past and have been a bit hayfeverish this week and my sinuses have been a bit painful. I did wonder if this was causing my issues but withdrawal symptoms seem more likely. I don't know if these are the famous brain zaps I read about but all I know is I want them gone.

I don't really want to have to go to the Doctor as you either say it is an emergency or wait 3 weeks and I can't really take time off work as I was off for 6 weeks recently after a toe op but it makes working difficult when you can't really concentrate and feel a bit dizzy when you move. I did read about Benadryl/Nytol helping and I had a couple of Nytols so have just taken them - hopefully there will be some relief from that.

Has had anyone had anything similar and is there a way of lessening it? If it carries on much longer, I will probably end up taking a tablet again to stop feeling like this which will just delay the inevitable.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • david7897
    david7897 dave13717

    Posted

    Hi Dave - each time I change Ven dose I get dizzy and sea sick.It's a right beast. Sorry I don't have any magic for this one, I am having waves of it right now. I will have a cup  of tea and carry on. Or throw up, not sure which. Tomorrow will be better. D.
    • dave13717
      dave13717 david7897

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply - as I say, it is not full on dizzy and I've had no nausea. The Nytol seem to have made me feel a tiny bit better so maybe that is the way to go for the next couple of days.
  • judy1959
    judy1959 dave13717

    Posted

    You could have both hay fever and withdrawl symptoms. Take something for the hay fever and some good omega 3's. For the withdrawl.  The omega 3's should be mosly dha and EPA   You need to watch as the cheaper ones contain less of these and just straight fish oil otherwise so they are not as effective. 
    • dave13717
      dave13717 judy1959

      Posted

      Thanks Judy - I'll give it a go. There has definitely been some hay fever and my sinuses have been playing up - I was offered  an Op but the surgeon told me that it was possible that brain fluid could leak out of my nose, really he did! - but there is definitely something more. I think I was a bit blase about stopping altogther after cutting down so easily.
  • tessa94849
    tessa94849 dave13717

    Posted

    Am on my second day of complete w/d after having reduced down to 37.5 and my head is spinning so was wondering if you'd managed to stay off them...
    • dave13717
      dave13717 tessa94849

      Posted

      Hi Tessa,

      So far so good. Although I still feel strange and have vivid dreams that seem to go on all night, I have felt better after the first week. Nytol seemed to help but should be tested in case they cause real drowsiness.

      hang in there. It does get better, albeit more slowly than we would like.

  • Wildrover
    Wildrover dave13717

    Posted

    Hi. I stopped taking 225mg of a daily dose a few days ago and I have to say that I feel like crap. My head just seems to be fuzzy and I feel quite nauseous. My anxiety just seems to be getting worse. 
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