coming off venlafaxine?

I took this vile drug for more than 12 years.  I was at 375 mg a day for the last more than five years.  Ten months ago, I began tapering off under supervision because of side effects from another drug.  I went cold when I fired the psychiatrist who put me on that crap.  That was six months ago.  I wish that I could offer encouragement but I cannot.  My life has been ruined by this drug and that psychiatrist.  So, six months in and I am still experiencing symptoms.  I cry all the time every single day, often for no specific reason and in public.  In six months, I have not once gotten more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period.  I am exhausted.  I am impulsive, constantly angry and, of course, very depressed.  I can no longer sustain personnal relationships.  I am having panic attacks multiple times daily.  I am paranoid and terrified most of the time. I can't describe the isolation, the despair that I feel.  Quite literally, no one -- including doctors -- knows what it is like to withdraw from this drug.  Doctors have no idea how long it takes to return the brain to its (so-called) normal functioning.  For the most part, they cannot even tell you what to expect while withdrawing.  Expect hell.  My experience is that psychiatrists and GPs cannot effectively treat depression.  Period.  They throw drugs at their patients -- like cooked spaghetti at the wall -- hoping that one will stick and have a positive effect.  And if it doesn't?  Well, there are always more drugs to try.  I will not take anti-depressants again.  I will never again put myself under the control of a psychiatrist.  I've suffered depression since childhood.  I've tried every thing from endless talk therapy and drugs to electroshock therapy.  Nothing has worked.  I recognize, finally, that I am alone and beyond help.  As I said, I wish that i could offer encouragement, but I cannot.  I fear that this drug alters the brain permanently and that there is no real recovery.  I know that it has destroyed my life.

 

Check out drugs .com  search for getting off Effexor xr.   Some good info there.  One person cut back 15mg. per day for a week or two at a time and had no issues.  You have to go very sow.  I am starting today.  I hate this!

Hey,

I'm not sure I have anything to add that will help people, but I have read through a lot of what was in here over the last year and it helped me a lot, so thanks.

I was taking Citalopram for 5 years and then when that didn't work for me anymore I got moved onto Venlafaxine for the next 10 years.  I started on 37.5mg and moved up to 150mg which I was taking for the longest period of time.  I've always wanted to come off these tablet but I ran into various issues when trying.

I now haven't taken them for about 4 weeks and most of the side affects have gone although my anxiety and depression have returned, to a minor degree, I certainly feel I can handle it at the moment and I have no plans on teturning to that drug.

When coming off Venlafaxine and got severe bouts of shaking, panic attacks etc etc I would actually run out of work and head to the pub for a couple of pints, not great I know, but this calmed me down enough to go back in and try to complete the day, and now I no longer need to do this.  Very much not recommending this to anyone, for obvious reasons!

But I am so pleased to have come on this forum rather than keep listening to my GP.  I didn't tell my GP that I was coming off, I just kepts breaking the tablets in half for a while then breaking into quarters etc.  When I finally told my GP that I was taking the lowest dose and planned to stop altogether, their advice was to switch me to another tablet, which I declined.

Anyway, good luck to anyone trying to come off these, it is very much possible and just try to do it slowly (and preferably without the pints)

Richard

Hi, I found this discussion whilst googling how to come off venlafaxine. I've been taking 150mg slow release tablets for 18 months, and tbh I don't feel it is helping. I used to take fluoxetine in the past, but it was making me a bit too manic (I have bipolar depression), although I was managing the manic phases by keeping busy. But since I've been on the ven I have been feeling really low, I have no energy, I am not sleeping at night and I have put on 2 stone in weight, which is making me even more depressed So I've now decided I want to come off it, I saw the doctor just before Xmas and she prescribed 20mg fluoxetine to take in addition to the ven, but leave a gap between doses. I've been ok until I take the ven, then I have the sweats, dizziness and insomnia - which I was having without the fluoxetine anyway. I cannot get to see my doctor until next week, but I've had enough and I've decided to start reducing the dose, but I am really scared of the withdrawal. Any tips to help me cope would be very much appreciated, thanks

Hello. Im new to this Internet forum stuff but afyer my with drawels coming down from effexor I wandered if anyone else was the same. I have only been on effexor for about 10 months. In that time I started on 75mg, went to 150mg, back to 75mg and then two days ago started 37.5mg. I was never depressed but just feeling down and tired all the time so my doctor suggested I start on anti depressants. I feel this was the worse decision ever! Its helped slighty but I never imagined coming off would be like this. I'd been warned coming off would be hard.

Anyway my question to everyone was, after starting on 37.5mg two days ago I had the worst possible night imagineable.

its summer where I am and I awoke freezing cold, chattrring, aching all over and feverish. To calm me down all I could do wad jump in the shower. I then vomited two times and just stayed freezing cold.

I've woken up feeling a lot better but just wanted some answers.

Has this happened to anyone else out there? It was very scary last night.

Rache

talulabelle1982... read your post where you have come off the venlafaxine. Good for you.  I've been on antidepressants over 30 years, began with Prozac.  The past 2 years I've been on ven and I am ready to get off the meds.  My Dr recommended 2 weeks. I take 37.5 twice a day.  His recommendation was take only 1/day the first week, 1 every other day the second week and then stop. My husband and I both thought that was awfully fast. So, I've been 3 weeks on 1/day.  I just wish I knew the magic formula to come off these, but I know there isn't one.  What worked for you?  So happy for you!

 

I was on venlafaxine xr 225 for many years. My gp would not help me go off and now that I have gone off with the help of another psychiatrist his answer is "Well you probably can't stay off when you are ready to go back on let me know and I will give you some. " My last pill was taken the third week in February and I do not need them. I was put on for depression, panic attacks and seizures which my psychiatrist believes were all situational from living for 35 years with an alcholic husband who was abusive. Since I have come off I have had none of the above symptoms. I am still facing some sideeffects of coming off but they will gradually disappear. I started weaning in October of 2014 371/2 mg at a time and would be 3-4 weeks between drops depending on how bad the side effects were. Don't rush and don't let any doctor tell you you can do it fast. Let them go on it for as little as two months and try and wean fast then they will know better with the next patient. The side effects are bad but the results are worth it. Take a year or two to come off if you want to. You know how your body feels. I still have fatigue and tearyeyed ( but I think the last is because I am beginning to feel things rather than have my emotions blocked.) On the good side the daily nose bleeds I have had for years are gone, my Blood Sugar has dropped almost to normal for a nondiabetic and I have been on pills for diabetis for years. I have had any extra pills taken away and now I am only on basic which I think probably will be dropped. Some days my energy level is great which I have not had in years. So keep working away at it. Take it slow even slower than I did if you have to, any drop is good and if you don't start you will never suceed. 

I'm writing this to tell you that my experience has been a positive one though a little challenging at times. I was on 150mg per day for 14 months. I took a full 6 months to come right off it dropping 50mg for the first 6 weeks, 50mg for the next 6 weeks, 25mg for the next six weeks and then 25mg every second day for the last 6. The first decreases were easier than the last - suffered the "brain zaps" nausea and diarhoea at the end the most. In the last 2 weeks rather than take the 25mg every second day I actually cut these in half right down to 12.5mg per day just to ease the side effects. Have now been drug free for 3 months and am feeling normal. You can do it. I would recommend listening to your body and reducing your dose slowly to the amount you can cope with. Using other drugs to help with the side effects also sounds like a solid plan. Good luck xxx