venlafaxine withdrawal- please help!!

hiya again tg,

the flu like symptoms you are experiencing, shivering etc, should disappear very soon now, leaving you on lesser withdrawal symptoms which are a pain in the bum but a lot more manageable, the dizziness and electric 'brain zap' like feelings are very weird but are totally harmless so dont panic :O)

as regards stopping the zopiclone at the moment, dont even think about it, you have been on quite a high dose for a long time now, im afraid it wont be easy, so just concentrate on the venlafaxine at the moment, if you try to do both at the same time, theres a very high chance that you'll fail on BOTH counts.

oh for the record ive successfully come off venlafaxine and zopiclone myself in the past at the first attempt, all be it not both at the same time, so hang on in there you can do this :O)

cheers,

keep in touch,

Ken~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Ken, thank u very much for getting back to me i really appreciate the support. Well yesterday i had a emergency docs appt because i was not doin very well at all, they have decieded to put me on fluoxetine (prozac) 20mg for one week only to help the withdrawal symptoms, it is apparently not goin to be used as a anti depressant or replacement to the venlafaxine it is just to get me through this wk. I myself wasnt aware that goin on prozac would help?! im goin to try it tomoz and see how i get on. But i certainly dont want to take it long term to get off one drug only to go on another! They also increased my trazodone to 200mg at night, which im tolerating.

So Ken please tell me what dose of zoplicone were u on? how was it to come off? and how long did it take? im dreading doin that one lol.

hiya tg,

i didnt mention the prozac substitute as some doctors dont use it to help withdrawal, i think its a relatively new method to help come off venlafaxine (both meds are of the same family/type but prozac has a very long half life) as little as one tab of prozac is said to be effective, dont worry bout becoming dependant on prozac, after a few days use its not gonna happen :O)

i was on up to 15 mg of zopiclone a night, as i dont recollect having serious withdrawal from it, so it cant have been that bad, the main effect usualy is rebound insomnia, ie. not being able to sleep well again for a while, i stopped by tapering the dosage over a period of time just like the venlafaxine, the doctor may taper the dose and add in diazepam (valium) over a long period of time as you have been on it a very long time, again zopiclone has a very short half life where valium has a long half life, as you are also on trazodone presumably for depression and also to help you sleep, your doctor may adjust that too :O)

anyhooooos hows it going at the moment tg ??

cheers,

Ken~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi tg, I was on 225 mgs of Venlafaxine for about two years and my GP took me off it way too quick. I had seriously bad withdrawal, hallucinations the lot and ended up in hospital until they brought me down to 37.5 mgs. I stayed on that dose for six months because I was so scared to try to stop completely given my previous experience. However, last week I realised I had forgotten to take it for three days and haven't taken it since. So far nothing and that's over a week. I've come off many a-ds over the years but nothing like venlafaxine so you're not alone. Don't beat yourself up. This med has more posts on this forum than any other. I've found with other a-ds that I couldn't come off them the first time I tried but when I was ready it was a lot easier but you're probably past the worst now. As for Zopiclone, I have come off them too and it's been nothing like as bad as coming off of other sleeping tablets.

Like Ken, I have another bit of experience but the moderators might not want to post it as it's still in early trials.

Good luck, Christine

I don't know if it's just coincidence, but I was recently put on a drug called Baclofen for pain caused by muscle spasms which have trapped a nerve. I'm on a good research database because of my job and when I get prescribed something new I always check it out. While licensed only as a muscle relaxant there is currently a fair bit of research going on into it as a treatment to lesson cravings in alcohol, cocaine and other drug addictions. I have to wonder if being on this has helped me stop venlafaxine so easily this time. Just a thought! C

Hi Peep's,

My Partner was on Venlafaxine for three years. 350mg at night was her dosage for her depression. We have both tried to wean her off the Venlafaxine for 1 year now dropping the dose as advised on the Venlafaxine/effexor forums. We eventually got to the lower advised dose of 37.5mg. This was dreadfull: Vomiting, Brain zapps, Tingling/Pins and needles all over her body, Severe Headaches, Suicidal, Crying uncontrolably, Severe sweating and Shaking like a heroin addict.

As most the UK Medical proffession dont accept there are ANY withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine/Effexor, i went on the American forums for Venlafaxine/Effexor.

Advice i followed from there was to take Benadryl Hay fever medicaction. After getting back down to the 37.5mg of Venlafaxine my partner started getting the same above withdrawal symptoms, so we both decided to use the benadryl at TWO 10mg capsules THREE times daily with stopping the Venlafaxine immediatly. Within 2 hours ALL withdrawal symptoms had subsided and she was quite happy. We continued the Two 10mg Capsules Three times daily for 2 weeks, Two 10mg capsules for one week, 1 10mg capsule for one week and then stopped the Benadryl capsules. My partner has had NO WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS AT ALL now since stopping the 37.5mg Venlafaxineand taking the Benadryl.

We tried for 1 year to get her off the Venlafaxine with no help, or acceptance from her Doctors that there are any withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine. We both had nothing but heartache my Partner suffered Dreadfull Withdrawal symptoms from the medication prescribed by her Doctor/Psychiatrist and no warnings of Withdrawal or the dreadfull time she was going to have getting off the medication.

With the thought that all it took was a simple HAYFEVER capsule taken correctly, to combat all the withdrawal symptoms from this ridiculous Venlafaxine medication, my partner and i were very angry. If only the UK Doctors and "Medical Proffessionals" would only admit and accept that there IS withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine/Effexor, Just as the American Medical Prroffessionals do, Life would be a lot easier for Venlafaxine/Effexor withdrawal sufferers here in the UK.

I feel and think the UK "Medical Proffessionals" WONT admit or accept the Known withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine/Effexor medication is because they KNOW there ARE and could possibly be sued for the suffering caused by the Doctors prescribing the Venlafaxine/Effexor medication so willy nilly as if it were an asprin. Both my Partner and I have considered Suing the Doctors involved but, Being in the UK, the Medical Proffession would still deny there are any KNOWN Withdrawal symptoms from ANY anti-depressant medication.

My partner is now a very happy person, at the moment, and we are both hoping the Depression does not return. If and when it does, She will not accept Venlafaxine/Effexor from her Doctors and will use the American Forums to "Investigate" any anti-depressant that may be prescribed by her "Doctor".

Benadryl May not work for everyone and we are not suggesting anyone should run out and buy Benadryl and stop the Venlafaxine/Effexor but, It worked perfectly for my Partner who has been off Venlafaxine/Effexor and Benadryl now for three months with NO withdrawal symptoms at all.

John.