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Coming off Venlafaxine cold turkey...am I in the clear?

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helen32926
helen32926

Hi everyone!

To put it simply, I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have tried two medications, Prozac and Venlafaxine. Prozac worked for about 1.5 years in high school, and I did experience symptom improvement for awhile. Eventually though, this improvement decreased and I felt symptoms again. So, I went off Prozac, and my psychiatrist started me on Venlafaxine. I've been on it for about a year, and I can honestly say I think my symptoms became worse. I was extremely anxious and limited by my obsessions, and I really wanted to get off of it since about the 6 months period. Occasionally, I would miss a dose or two on accident, and the withdrawal symptoms from that was so bad that I didn't think I'd ever be able to go off Venlafaxine. 

Anyway, I just finished my first year of college. I decided this would be as good a time as any to go off Venlafaxine. I decided to do it cold turkey (bad, I know), but I just didn't want to have to deal with the bureaucracy of informing my counselor, psychiatrist, GP, etc...

So, I've been "off" (not taking) Venlafaxine for two weeks today. Amazingly, I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms. My mind feels clearer, and I haven't been getting the infamous "brain zaps" or anything. 

At this point...am I in the clear for avoiding negative withdrawal symptoms? I know Venlafaxine has a very short half-life, so I wonder if it's all out of my system already. 

If anyone could give me any words of experience, that would be great!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest helen32926

    Posted

    Hi,

    I came off Citalopram cold turkey and felt great for a week but then it hit me. Anxiety came back and I am now back on the med starting over. If it works for you great but I would never go cold turkey again.

    Best wishes

  • helen32926
    helen32926

    Posted

    I was on 150 mg. I'm still doing good, no negative symptoms...any idea if I'm out of the woods at this point?

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