Resistance to venlafaxine

Hi.

There must have been a point during your therapy when it became obvious to your doctor that progress is less than ideal. Round about that time, likely about 4 or so years into therapy it would have been pertinent to reconsider the approach.

Are you taking anything else other than venlafaxine and have you been given anything else during your therapy at any point - if so what and how did that go?

Have you switched from original to generic or vice versa in the last few weeks - couple of months?

Have you switched from XR to IR or the other way around?

What 'withdrawal' symptoms are you experiencing?

What is it prescribed for? Depression/manic depression/bi-polar or depression with anxiety?

Have your original presenting symptoms ever stopped for more than 3 months? If so at which dose was this.

Are you currently undergoing any major life-changes, hormonal shifts etc.

Any other health concerns/issues you may have?

Have you recently had a cold or viral infection or a stomach bug?

Any digestive tract issues of late?

Do you smoke or consume alcohol?

Taper after 13 years of steady use needs to be monitored by a licensed psychiatrist.

(If these 13 years were managed by a GP, it explains a lot. 13 years without reaching peak is unacceptable. Unless you suffer from severe manic depression/bipolar or PTSD in which case choice of medication could and should have been reviewed at some point in those 13 years.)

The taper needs to be done in increments no greater than 37.5 mg and ideally spaced at least 3 months apart so the brain does not recoil and to minimize discomfort for you. You are not supposed to make the next cut until any disturbance from previous decrease have eased off and you have been clear for at least a month and preferably 3 This method was my psychiatrist's holy grail. It took long which is fine unless there is a reason/emergency calling for a more agressive drop.

 If your condition is escalating now or any time during the taper, a taper is risky without having a specialist looking after you and possibly prescribing a bridge to ease the process.

I do not think that increasing, since you are already on it is a huge deal, however if you were not improving sufficiently on it, the situation really needs to be reassessed as it may be pointless and another approach may be better for you.

Good luck.

I've had similar symptoms and asked the same questions. I was on 225mg Vensir XL capsules. I opened up the capsules and discovered the 150mg caps have 12 pellets and the 75mg have 6 pellets. In about November I started reducing by one pellet every 2-3 weeks I'm down to 137.5mg. I'm getting the brain zaps but otherwise I think I'm doing ok. I hope this helps

All the best

Catherine