Effexor no longer is working for me after stopping it for 1 month?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I was on effexor for 3 years (75MG). it worked great for me. Then I stopped it for "1 month only". and then anxiety came back again. I started Effexor again... here is how i Take it now.
first 2 weeks: 75MG
next 2 weeks: 112MG
its been 4 weeks and I see little to NO effect. sometimes i wake up feeling good, but that lasts only for "few" hours and then anxiety comes back. Does this means, effexor no longer will work for me? I am also moving to a new house, and moving is always a "Trigger point" for me.
Currently I am also taking klonopin 0.5MG with my effexor. why klonopin doubles my anxiety for first hour and then i feel little relaxed?
i am meeting my pdoc next week, but i am very restless and confused why effexor is not helping me anymore.
0 likes, 3 replies
Anne1968 adil12426
Posted
I was on effexor for 24 years before a gp took me off too quickly, restarted it last June and have been on 375mg for 2 weeks. It's not doing anything except make me tired and not care about anything. I'm not sure if it will work for me but dread having to get off it.
Dannie1989 adil12426
Posted
Could it be that you're getting withdrawal and normal side effects all at once??
If you came off for a month then you will definitely be getting withdrawal symptoms (which are almost exactly the same as when you first go on venlafaxine) but again it's like your body is starting a whole course of antidepressants anew and so you might be getting the side effects like when you first ever took them.
Maybe it's just waiting out that 4 to 8 weeks until they "settle in" again?
Don't forget the side effects of upping your dosage could last another 4 to 8 weeks from when you began taking your new higher dose.
Sounds like you've had 3 bouts of side effects sweetie.
I'm sorry to hear all isn't well after 4 weeks but maybe it's a case of holding on a bit longer. Plus your trigger isn't going to help much going through all this on top.
Remember to let yourself recuperate for this period of time to let your tablets settle in and get to work.
Hope things get better for you.
D x
Purpledobermann adil12426
Posted
When exactly did your anxiety kick back in after stopping Effexor 75mg. And how did you stop them?
There are several contributing factors to how you are now feeling, based on the info you shared.
One is you likely stopped it prematurely (maintenance at steady dose is required for quite a while AFTER all your abnormal symptoms are in remission - most people and even doctors tend to rush this maintenance phase). How long since all your anxiety disappeared before stopping effexor?
The second issue is that you likely stopped too fast (judging from what i read here nearly everyone stops too fast). How long did the taper take from 75mg?
Another important point is that you stopped around a time of major life change - moving house is quite high on trigger list. This is bad management on your or your doctor's part, depending on who initiated the discontinuation of the drug
If your situation does not improve over the coming days the doctor will likely opt for increasing the dose further as opposed to changing it altogether. The reason why you now seem to need higher dose is because you are going through withdrawal induced imbalance as well as rebound as well as major life event. That is much more complex than the initial issue you came to treat. And will require patience and a bit more time to re-balance so hang in there. Venlafaxine is very potent but progress is slow when things are complicated like your case.
The reason why your anxiety increases upon taking clonazepam can be two-fold: extreme tension and difficulty releasing and/or some adjustment issue or mix with venlafaxine. The answers lies in how and when you take it? Do you take it at a set time? on its own or at the same time as effexor? Once per day? Day or night?
Finally when did you start taking clonazepam?