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Hi am 58 years old been Venlafaxine for 8 years and have no period for 4 years it really helps my hot flashes, mood but I'm worried about several things . My sexual desires are zero and haven't had sex for a few years my husband is very understanding but it takes it toll. I have no motivation I feel very foggy a lot and sometimes could less about life in general. I would very much like to come off Venlafaxine very much but scared.
Anyone that could give me some advice so I could discuss maybe a plan with my gp
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betsy0603 cori18565
Posted
I tried to come off over a year ago, too quickly after 12 years on it, and it was a disaster. I also had no sex drive from ven and am menopausal. I was in withdrawal for 10 months before reinstating, so a failed attempt.
I then learned about the need to taper off of these meds very slowly. Our nervous system adapts to the action of the drug by down-regulating, to regain homeostasis. Removing the drug too quickly creates neurotransmitter imbalances that cause withdrawal. When our system has been operating taking the drug's action into account for so many years, it is very slow to change back, so we must taper slowly to allow our systems to come online and return to functioning without.
I am now doing a micro taper and it is going very well. The hope is that when I finally come off of the final tiny dose, what withdrawal I do have will be manageable.
You can read about doing a 10% taper in this discussion: https://patient.info/forums/discuss/depression-resources-298570
The forum that link comes from is THE withdrawal forum for coming off psych drugs and generally accepted as a harm reduction approach. It is a far more conservative taper schedule than most doctors even have their patients do, so how can they argue with going slower? You could tell your doctor that since you have been on it so long, you'd like to slide down slowly, being sure that you are without symptoms before cutting further.
m89928 cori18565
Posted
I am about to turn 60 years old and have been off Venlafaxine for 8 months after taking for 17 years. I don't know if you are able to search the site for this discussion, but I posted a fairly lengthy description in June 2015 when I was first Venlafaxine-free on what the process was for me. On Ven, I experienced the lack of interest in sex and decreased motivation. I never considered myself a lazy person, but would feel so lathargic and exhausted on weekends (I work at a fairly fast paced challenging job during the week) that I would take long naps. literally "wasting" the entire weekend. I slowly gained about 25 pounds. But the worst thing for me was the decline in cognitive ability. I didn't experience it so much when I initially started taking it, but the last 5 years on the drug it became much more noticeable and was the primary reason I decided to stop. Unfortunately, withdrawl was/is a long process that continues still. I was taking 75mg and reduced to 37.5 without too much difficulty. I stayed at 37.5 for about 8 months to stabilize. In my case, my 37.5 capsules were ER and each capsule contained exactly 37/38 little beads. I reduced my "bead" intake very slowly over the next eight months. (painstaking and probably painful! description in that earlier entry!). (Do not try a "cold turkey" or fast reduction, it is harsh beyond measure and you will likely end up back where you started) The symptoms during the bead reduction months were difficulty in focusing, anger, irritation, difficulty in planning and strategizing. Still, I knew it was symptomatic of withdrawl and so continued on. Once I was off the drug the symptoms changed--I experienced panic and anxiety in the morning and evenings. Irritation, sadness. Again, I'd never had panic or racing heartbeat before taking Ven, so I knew it was related to withdrawl and had to diminish eventually. Gradually those windows of panic decreased (after about month 4), but I do still experience them. The good: I dropped 20 lbs without even trying. I definitely have more energy, and don't nap on the weekends any longer, I have renewed interest in a physical relationship with my husband. The bad: My memory and cognition have not really improved. My focus/planning/organization is better than in those early days, but memory and verbal acuity and writing has not improved and feels like it may be getting worse. I was on the drug a long time so I know that it will take a long time for my brain to heal/adjust. I have found that Omega 3 vitamins, B12 and minimizing intake of sugars and carbs seem to make a difference for me. Some doctors recommend a "bridge" period of taking Prozac while decreasing/eliminating venlafaxine and then eventually stopping Prozac wihich is said to be easier to go off of. I didn't do it that way because I didn't want to add another drug to the mix and then have to go off that one too. But that might be an option as well. To make a long story long, it has been a journey, and it is not over yet. I do not take any other medications and had hoped it would be a little easier.... but there you have it. I wish you all the best in your journey and please take care of yourself and enlist the support of those around you. All the best!
betsy0603 m89928
Posted
I came off 75 mg much too quickly after 12 years of use. I took serotonergic supplements to make up for not being on the ven anymore, and all I can say is that maybe they delayed the worst of it getting started, which really confused the issue for me since I didn't have severe withdrawal symptoms up front; the delayed onset prevented me from putting two and two together! Add to that that I also came off the BCPs after a lifetime of being on it, and was clearly in menopause, I confused the early symptoms as caused by menopause. Severe sweats, prickly skin sensations, increased pulse and blood pressure to name a few.
I also had the severe cognitive issues, both on and worse when off. I think the cogntive problems got a little better the further I got out, but the emotional got a lot worse. Apathy, severe anxiety, doom, fear, agoraphobia, intractible insomnia, etc. and I was desperate for relief. Sadly, at 10 months out, I reinstated 37.5 mg, resigned to the fact that I had a "depressive brain" and needed to be on the meds forever. It was only after I restarted (and got relief within an hour, a true sign of dependency!) that I learned the truth, that the drug itself had caused all of this, or more accurately, the lack of the drug that my nervous system had built into the workings. Taking the drug away was like taking a cog out of a machine and having it fail to work properly!
So, now I am doing the slow taper. I'd love to stay in touch with you and see how you are doing over the course of healing. I'm sure awareness of the process brings you some sense of relief/peace when the waves get ugly.
Do you take magnesium? It is supposed to help with anxiety and insomnia. Some find the B vits to be too activating, so keep tuned in. Pretty much anything that could be tolerated at one time may cause worsening symptoms at a later time. I've even read of people having the fish oil go paradoxical on them! I was never good at listening to my body but am getting better at it, trying to notice correlations like that.
shelbytrev m89928
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shelbytrev cori18565
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betsy0603 shelbytrev
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