venlafaxine withdrawal- please help!!

Daria, this is withdrawal . You are not going mad . Withdrawal can feel terrifying . Apart from feeling physically ill you feel no interest in doing anything . I know how hard this phase is but practising mindfulness , going with observing the feelings , does help enormously . Rest up and know you are not alone . This too will pass . Hang in there . 💕

Thank you. I tell myself all the time that it's just the chemical in my brain and it's not really who I am. It's hard being alone in something like this, I never imagined that it will mess with my brain this much. I was doing better before, that's why I decided to gradually stop taking antidepressants. 

When I reduced 50mg to 37.5mg I was literally laid up for a solid 4 weeks. Then as if by magic I woke up and felt brighter and happier in the sense I had come through 4 weeks of hell. Palpitations exhaustion unbelievable nausea anger excessive crying the list goes on.

But... you WILL get through it.

If you have little support I would advise preparing for the road ahead. Get plenty of easy food in for example soup and fruit. Drink loads of water and not forgetting omega oils. They work wonders during your taper.

Sleep sleep and sleep to allow your brain to reaccimatise and for the electric shocks to settle.

Allow yourself time to recover and treat yourself with kindness.

With all my heartfelt wishes ❤️

Thank you so much, Sara.

I think that it's the hardest stage for me also because the last times I tapered - I was unemployed, so I could sleep and rest a lot, worked out every day and generally took care of myself more.

Now I'm working full time (started in May) and I have to wake up at 5 every day, and then work for 9 hours. Oh, and the long commute isn't really ideal while experiencing nausea and brain zaps.

I'm considering going to the doctor and asking for a few days off work, but I'm too scared that I'll have problems with my boss because of it. 

I'm sorry to hear that you have no support system. I don't either as my household rely on me completely so I have had to  increase my tapering dosage again to a quarter of a tablet daily - for now. I still feel incredibly tired and have the occasional brain zap but it's manageable. In a week or two I'm going to reduce to even less and see how it goes but I know it's going to be a very long, slow and uncomfortable process. I tried going cold turkey but it was totally impossible and probably was doing more harm than good. I reckon slow is the key, even if I have to take literally a crumb of the hideous drug! As you have no support system I suggest you really make sure you pace yourself and keep in mind that this is not a race and that it will happen, eventually. Don't make yourself ill and look after yourself. All the best to you x

How you feeling?

Have you increased your dose?

It must feel impossible for you whilst trying to go to work during this time. X

Hi Sara,

No, I'm still on 37.5 mg. I don't want to go back to a higher dose, because I went through so much and I need to go forward with this process and not take any steps back. It's super hard for me, I feel incredibly sick physically. Also my anxiety got worse, I find it hard even walking outside. I feel like crying all the time... 

I've been working out for 8 months but lately I barely manage to go to the gym. I went only once this past week. Wanted to go today, but felt too sick (I'm throwing up a lot).

I guess I just need to push through it and try not to get upset over all the things I can't do while I'm going through this process. I tell myself that I'll work out when I'll feel better and be able to focus on reading again, won't get a headache from movies etc.

Yesterday at work I had to email a client and I got stuck in front of the screen for 40 minutes. I just had a blackout, my mind went numb. So I'm taking it easy at work, as much as I can. I try not to stress myself out, which is always hard for me -and especially right now.

Hey

Have you shared any of what you're going through with your boss? They will have a duty of care for you and would support you at work. I do appreciate how difficult this may be, but someone may notice that you're not being your usual self.

When I reduced from 75mg I was taking the beaded capsules. I was able to reduce one bead at a time. Therefore I went from 75mg to 50mg. It's worth considering. It could give you a little more balance for a while before the 37.5mg.

I don't know how you're managing this alone. ??

I started working at this place only a month ago, so this is my usual self as for as they know, haha. I just don't want to lose this job because it's important to me to get into this profession and it's the first place I've found that was willing to take me without any experience. 

I honestly don't know how I'm surviving this by myself. It's the hardest thing I've ever experienced, even harder than the depression I had and all the years with my anxiety disorder. I feel broken, like my body and brain are betraying me right now. It's such a rollercoaster of emotions, I never imagined in my wildest nightmares that quitting antidepressants could be so difficult.

I know and they shouldn't be difficult it's so unfair.

I understand your term feeling 'broken.' You can stare into a mirror and wonder how you got here.

If you truly feel you are able to manage and you really don't want to increase the ven, even by a small amount. Then speak to your GP and maybe get a referral to have the support from a mental health team.

And remember you can increase at anytime.

It's wonderful you are in work and doing what you enjoy. Xx

Well, I actually don't do what I enjoy. I'm an accountant, I started in this field because it's a good job for mothers and I've always wanted kids. I studied it at 19 but since then I never managed to actually start a family... That's a big part of why I began taking these pills in the first place.

I just want to get it out of my system, that's why I don't want to increase. If I'll increase, I'll have to go through all of that again later when I'll decrease again. 

I just wish I either could work out again (because it's the only thing that helped me earlier in this process) or that I'd have someone close to me that would be here for me. My ex left me right when I started tapering... I just didn't want to let this stop me from going clean so I continued. I want to feel like a person again, without this medication making me fuzzy and numb. 

I'll look into my options with the healthcare system. Thanks. 

I was just thinking. Could you manage getting yourself to a pool. That might help rather than the gym just until you get back into it.

I realise everything is difficult when it comes to any sort of motivation. I feel myself putting on weight because I can't muster up the energy. X

Thanks for the encouragement, I'm still on a quarter of a tablet and the withdrawal is improving after another week of tapering! A friend of mine is making up some Bach remedies for me so I will post with the results.

Hi, 

did you go cold turkey?

225 mg is a lot... I'm tapering from 150 mg and it's a nightmare. I've been on 150 only for 2 years.

I am a retired psychiatrist and had been on Effexor xl 150 for about 12+ years. It you get the brand vensir and open the capsules there are 13 tiny tablets inside and you can decrease by one a week which is what I did and had very little ill effects till I stopped altogether last week. I've been surprised that even though it was only 11.5 mgs I was taking for the last week I have had withdrawal effects increasing over the past few days!! The whooshing of blood in my head and funny dizziness then today nausea!! I will stick it out but I really wish all of my colleagues could experience these first hand and not have such a cavalier attitude to decreasing medication!! Especially SNRIs