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Sleep issues while on Ven

Posted , 3 users are following.

lloyd32582
lloyd32582

Hi all! I am currently on 2X37.5 ER tabs per day, having tapered from 2x75 ER tabs several months ago (doing pretty well). One issue I have is the feeling that my sleep quality has been poor, particularly once I return to bed from the inevitable early morning pit stop! It seems like I toss & turn for the rest of the night, but in reality, I am consistantly getting around 8 hrs of sleep each night. I discovered this encouraging fact by purchasing a fitness watch which has a very sophisticated heart rate monitor and detailed sleep quality readout. I happen to have the Fitbit Ionic, but there are many similar devices on the market. It is a comfort to me to know that I'm sleeping far better than I think I am!!

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had the same experience with a fitness watch.

Cheers

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 lloyd32582

    Posted

    I use my Fitbit every night. I wish I got more deep sleep and less light sleep. I take Trazadone adobe to sleep along with Effexsor
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615

      Posted

      I average between 7.5 and 8 a night. Venlafaxine has not really effected REM sleep but maybe it’s the Trazadone.
    • lloyd32582
      lloyd32582 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hi Lynn! I find the "benchmark" for sleep stages on the Fitbit to be useful. For me (age 75) the percentages are:

      Awake - 15-33%

      REM - 12-22%

      Light - 40-60%

      Deep - 6-12%

      I am typically awake much less, and am sleeping deeply a higher percentage than the benchmark.  I mention all of this because it often feels like I am awake half the night,  when in reality, I'm  sleeping better than  average. 

      Cheers

    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 lloyd32582

      Posted

      my awake time is low, but my deep sleep is really low some nights
    • lloyd32582
      lloyd32582 lynn67615

      Posted

      My 30 day average for REM is 18%. Do you know if REM is particularly influenced by Ven?
  • tanya20181
    tanya20181 lloyd32582

    Posted

    I use Apple Watch, but my readings are almost the opposite! I feel like I’ve had max 4 hrs sleep and exhausted, my watch says I’ve had even less than I felt like I’d had, yet I know I slept around 1am and woke around 9??!! 
  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 lloyd32582

    Posted

    How long have you been on venlafaxine. I am just starting again 37.5 5 days and 75XL for 9 days how long did it take to kick in for you for panic and anxiety
    • lloyd32582
      lloyd32582 lynn67615

      Posted

      I've been on Ven for almost 2 yrs. Started at 150/day for about a year, then tried to taper to zero over 3-4 months. Spent a few weeks  at zero, but was irritable and impatient. Tried 37.5 for a short while, but found that I really needed 75.

      It's probably different for each person, but for me, it took several months at 75 to fully stabilize. I still have an occasional down day or night, but basically doing well. Periodically, I have a few mild side effects (loose stool, issues in bed), but on balance, I really think I'm on the correct dose. I plan to try tapering to 37.5 again at some point. For me, it's a matter of balancing dose and  side effects.

      I'm doing this on my own, not under  the care of a psych.

      Good luck

    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 lloyd32582

      Posted

      I guess I got awhile before I see improvement then only 15 days in and only 10 on 75mg. Thanks for your imput. Can’t believe you started at 150 and didn’t have bad side effects
  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 lloyd32582

    Posted

    Lloyd did it take 4  to 6 weeks to kick I ?
    • lloyd32582
      lloyd32582 lynn67615

      Posted

      Lynn, I seem to recall that it was around 3-4 weeks for me, but everyone is different!

      Good luck

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