Venlafaxine withdrawal?

I am very sorry to hear that Janet. Why was it your husband had to come off the venlafaxine? You'd think the doctor would have your husband slowly wean off the venlafaxine. 7 weeks isn't an extreme amount of time to be on a medication to be experencing such extreme withdrawals from it. So that in itself makes it quite worrying to start taking it. I was on 10mg of lexapro for about a year a few years back. When I went to the doctor and said I wanted to wean off it they told me to take 5mg for one week and then stop. I have had withdrawal off another anti depressant before so I decided to wean off the lexapro much slower. I weaned off it in about 6 months halfing and quartering tablets. I didn't experience any withdrawal doing this but within about 5 months of being off the lexapro my bad anxiety and depression returned. I don't think a lot of doctors have a clue about the withdrawal of these medications. It's either they don't have a clue about the withdrawal or they don't see the withdrawal as serious because it is not life threatening and is just mental. I know docotors tend to be a lot more careful when weaning people off benzodiazepines. Probably due to the fact that the withdrawal from them can cause fits seizures and even death. So it's as if because the withdrawal from anti depressants might be mental torture it is still not physically going to kill you so maybe that is why the doctors don't take it seriously enough. I hope your husband feels better soon. No one deseveres to go through the withdrawal of these things.

Doc said it was better for him to come off cold turkey as he was experiencing slurred speech but now this seems worse plus insomnia,sweating,dizziness, just no life at all in him

I am very sorry to hear that. Maybe you should go back to the doctor and see if they can try him on something else.

Well I have been on 37.5mg for 5 days now and still experencing these side effects? Do you think it would become a lot worse on 75mg? I am happy to continue to taking the venlafaxine just as long as I know these side effects will go away? I have been on Lexapro and prozac before and experienced these side effects on them. I recently tried zoloft but they side effects were the worst I have ever had on that. So this is why I have been put on the venlafaxine now. I just don't want to take it for a month to discover these side effects have not went away and then have to suffer the withdrawal off coming off it.

You should be ok stopping now but there must be a reason you were prescribed them and that reason won't go away x

I have bad anxiety and depression. I have been on ssri anti depressant's before and mentally feel much better on them. But I don't want to be on something that makes me impotent the entire time I take it. What anti depressant have you been on for 23 years if you don't mind me asking?

Mainly Venlafaxine but tried Prozac, cymbalta, citralapram and mirtazapine. I'm ready to sign up for ect if these don't work!

Well I have tried a lot of anti depressants previously and have experienced these side effects and that is why I have been switched to venlafaxine. I was on prozac and lexapro in the past and they both worked really well at treating my conditions. I am really at my wits end with anxiety and depression and feel like I need to give this venlafaxine a shot. I would be happy to just continue taking it if I knew these side effects would go away the longer I took it? What I don't want is one to 2 months down the line notice that I am still experiencing these side effects and have to go through the withdrawal of coming off it. Would you say it is usually just on the higher doses of this drug that the withdrawal is so bad?

I was on it for 18 years and came off cold turkey last year under docs orders. I've had a full year of trying different meds and now back on Ven so I'm really same as you, just waiting and hoping. We don't know if the side effects will go away but have to give them a chance. Pretty crap I know

I've been on AD's for 23 years and never had a libido, I'm too old to worry now after all you don't miss what you've never had 😀😀

Are you still suffering bad withdrawal the now? Would you say you cope with the withdrawal? Some of the thing's you have wrote about venlafaxine make me quite scared to stay on it. I have felt really tired this first 5 days but I have seen that as a good thing because I have been able to have a lot of relaxing sleeps. I have also had a constant dry mouth and a bit of a sore throat. Would you say your libido did not improve what so ever on the venlafaxine? I hope the withdrawal of this drug passes for you soon and you feel better.

Yes I am but not as bad as they were at the beginning. I suffered sickness, diarrhoea, headaches, nausea, crying, anger, rage, tearyness, sleepy, insomnia, foggyness,no concentration, pain, aches, flu like symptoms, total apathy, nastiness. You name it I had it. But by far the worst was the brain zaps, like electric shocks that travelled all through my body. It was constant and only stopped if I didn't move my eyes! Horrendous. But it's passing now and I only get the zaps when I'm tired.

The lack of libido never went away. No matter what dose I was on. I ranged between 37.5 and 300mg, finally settling at 225mg and have been on it for 6 years. Since stopping it's come back, which is nice 😌

Yeah that sounds like some nasty withdrawal. I am glad you are feeling much better now though. I am really not sure what I should do if I should keep taking this medication. I am worried about all the withdrawal symptoms and if these other side effects do not go away I know I will not want to keep taking it. I just really feel like I really need something for my anxiety and depression.