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Effexor withdrawal and body aches!!

Posted , 8 users are following.

she61241
she61241

Wondering if anyone has experience body aches withdrawing from Effexor and if you have any insight I am coming from 150 mg and I'm titrating down I'm currently at 18.75 and the tail end of this my whole body is aching taking ibuprofen right now but wondering if anyone else has to have these experiences?

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 she61241

    Posted

    I have been tapering ultra slow so no body aches for me, but body aches are a well documented WD effect for Effexor.  There's a face book page for Effexor and they have a whole list of withdrawal symptoms in which body aches are one.

  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 she61241

    Posted

    Meant to say take that as a warning that you may be going too fast.  You are in the home stretch and may feel tempted to rush the last part.  There is a research paper that shows graphs for serotonin transporter occupancy of various SSRIs and Effexor, and at 18.75 mg yours could still be blocked by about 65%!  I'm down to 6 mg and still blocked by about 40%!  It's an exponential curve with a steep slope so small changes in drug cause large changes in transporter occupancy the lower you go, which means big symptoms if you go too quickly or cut too steeply.  Allow 3-4 weeks between cuts and only cut if you are feeling ok!

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 betsy0603

      Posted

      Do you know anything about the occupancy rates of mirtazapine ?

      How long have you taken to get to 6mg from what dose ?

      How do you make small cuts with tablets ? I have the cspsules XR.

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 betsy0603

      Posted

      Is mirtazapine the same in that it is a steep curve on the lower doses ?
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 sarah24378

      Posted

      Hi Sarah, 

      I have not seen any papers looking at occupancy rates of Mirt, but I would assume a similar type of curve.  I've known people who got down to where I'm at and been blown out of the water by insomnia, so the lower you go the harder it can get, probably because of that curve - small cuts equally big changes in receptor binding.

      I've been tapering for 33 months, both mirtazapine and Effexor, so doing less than 10% of each, more like averaging 5% each.  I had such a bad experience coming off Effexor before that I never wanted to have to reinstate and start over again!  My reinstatement dose of Effexor was 37.5 mg so tapering from there all the while.  Same for mirtazapine, though I managed to get ahead with the Mirt because my cholesterol went high on it and I wanted to get it much lower, focused on it for awhile.

      I take the extended release Effexor that has little beads inside. I use a milligram scale to weigh beads.  The scale is not so accurate the lower you go so I am contemplating switching to a liquid.   However, any time you switch forms you run the risk of nervous system upset.

      Some people count beads.  Count how many are in three capsules, total and divide by 3 to get the average bead number.  Then take a percentage of that number each day for 3 to 4 weeks.  For instance, if the average was 100 beads and I wanted to start with a 10% cut, I'd take 90 beads.  They are tiny and it can be time consuming to count so many so I find it easier to use the little milligram jeweler's scale you can get on Amazon, Gemini 20. It has its quirks but once you get to know it, weighing is a little more straightforward than counting.  My brand, the beads have varying sizes, so I was worried that counting wouldn't give me a consistent day to day dose. For sensitive people that can make a difference.

      I hope that helps!

    • john059
      john059 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi Betsy. Dont mean to be butt in but I read your post. I have counted how many beads are in a 37.5 mg pill and there are 100 beads in each. I am reducing by taking 15 out of a pill so I am taking one full 37.5 mg pill and one with 85 beads in it every day. I plan on reducing by 15 beads weekly if it doesnt get get too rough. So sick of feeling crappy and want off these meds altogether. Once again sorry fo butting in. Enjoy your day!!!!
    • she61241
      she61241 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi All

      Just a quick thought...I wouldn't have the patience to count beads. I have the pharmacy do it..currently at 18.75 mg ...they put into capsules for extra $15

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 betsy0603

      Posted

      I have vensir 150mg xr it has only 12 beads. So are there more in lower doses.

      How did your taper on mirt go....at what point did withdrawals kick in.

      I am doing the mirt first as side effects are so bad.

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378

      Posted

      I am on liquid mirt.

      Did not know you could could get liqiuid ven.

      What doses do you plan to jump off at ?

    • nana401
      nana401 betsy0603

      Posted

      I am on a compound venlafaxine 25 mg Sr at night. It's powder inside. Any suggestions on lowering this dose. I R tablet s make me sick.

  • james22918
    james22918 she61241

    Posted

    Hi, just read your post.  Just thought i would let you know what your experiencing is normal.  I’m withdrawing and had body aches plus other symptoms too.  Also don’t take ibuprofen with Venlafaxine as it can have interractions with it.  
    • she61241
      she61241 james22918

      Posted

      Oh my ! Thank you James! I just bought Ibuprofen today!
    • john059
      john059 she61241

      Posted

      She. You can take Tylonol. I take it all the time and my Pharmacist also advised me I could take it
  • nana401
    nana401 she61241

    Posted

    Ibuprofen will make you need more effexor. Look up drug interactions . It did me.
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