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Venlafaxine withdrawal serious problem

Posted , 11 users are following.

ricardo31
ricardo31

Hello!

I've been on venlafaxine for about 2 years, taking a dose of 150mg per day. I used to take the generic pills which are cheaper. To be honest I didn't even know there was an 'original' one, named Effexor, until last friday.

When I changed town I continued the treatment with another doctor, and he suggested i came off the drug. I thought I'd try, and for the first month I reduced from 150mg to 75mg. Nothing wrong there. Then I took another step and reduced from 75 to 37,5mg and in the fourth day I collapsed.

I had this breakdown, feeling all kind of weird symptoms: dizzyness, dry mouth, excess sleepness, confusion, mental oblivions (memory lapses), total apathy, total loss of libido. 

I got really scared and tried to go back on my own since I was off town and couldnt talk to the doctor.

I took for 3 days the 150 mg pills but that didnt help. I consulted another doctor and he suggested to take a 107,5 mg dose (75+37,5) for 20 days and then restore the original 150 mg dose afterwards.

It's been 6 days since I started taking this dose and I still feel awful! I feel like I'm not the same anymore!!! It's the strangest thing ever. I had to ask for a job-absent license cause I can't work in these conditions.

One other thing is that a moved from the generic pills to the Effexor (from Pfizer - Wyeth) - the doc suggested that - and I don't know if that is making things worse...

I feel really akward, useless, like my brain is in slow motion. I've been thinking about goin' cold turkey since taking back venlafaxine didnt help.

I appreciate any messages. Sorry for the english, I'm Brazilian and the head also feels awful.

2 likes, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • ricardo31
    ricardo31

    Posted

    It's been 20 days now since I stopped Venlafaxine cold turkey. I’m feeling awful. Nightmares and dizziness are gone, but I’ve been feeling so depressed I’m considering taking some other SSRI (too afraid to go back to Venlafaxine). Can’t really do anything but stay home all day long. Insomnia and intense heat (hot flashes) at night bother as well.

    I’ve tried fish oil, vitamins, ginger, none of that worked.

    Are there any other natural methods to cope with withdrawal?

    Thanks

    • lucy159
      lucy159 ricardo31

      Posted

      Have you tried excercise? It has a really good antidepressant effect generally and may even help you sleep better. Hope things start improving soon x
    • plainden
      plainden ricardo31

      Posted

      hi how are you now? i am thinking of going cold turkey myself from 37.5mg.It may not sound a lot but i seem to be super sensitive.I tried reducing by 10% but after 4 days got awful withdrawal so now back on 37.5 for 6 days and feeling awful .Perhaps my brain still needs time to readjust or reset itself after the reduction for 4 days.
  • el_shiz
    el_shiz ricardo31

    Posted

    Are you wanting off anti depressants totally, or just ven? Cross tappering on to another AD can help if you are just switching
    • ricardo31
      ricardo31 el_shiz

      Posted

      I just wanted to get off of it. Doctor suggested I switched to Escitalopram (Lexapro), and I even bought it, but after reading load of people bragging about it too I decided to go cold turkey instead of switching. I tried to taper off before and it didn't work out.

      I'm afraid to have definitive brain damage from that crappy drug. Just google 'effexor brain damage' and you'll see what I'm talking about. I feel hopelessly...

    • anne240
      anne240 ricardo31

      Posted

      I have had depression for over 20 years and in all that time I took anti depressants.  Was on Effexor for 9 years.  Took me 10 months to withdraw from it.  I have not got brain damage.  Even after all these years my brain is fine thank you.  Been 16 months without anti depressants.  Coping as best I can.
    • ricardo31
      ricardo31 anne240

      Posted

      Thank you, Anne. I don’t know if I feel comforted, since 10 months seems like an eternity to me – I gotta get back to work by the end of the month, got 2 weeks of vacation left. As my job requires more than manual skills, I’m a bit terrified of what is going to happen when I return.

      Today I took my mom’s dog for a walk and felt awful! People say how exercising will improve your condition – not mine! The weather didn’t make it easier, though.

      Didn’t you have memory issues back when withdrawing from venlafaxine? My short time memory is gone for good.

      There’s so little info on venlafaxine in Portuguese language I decided to create a blog and write about my experience in it. People will think twice before taking it after reading my posts; not that I damn the drug as the worst crap on Earth, but isn’t it a devil’s pill? I also hope people will learn to wean off of it the right way, in small doses.

    • anne240
      anne240 ricardo31

      Posted

      My memory is absolutely fine.  I am retired, but age has not dimmed my brain in any way, and anti depressants have not affected it either. 

      Yes I expect you feel you have had depression for a long time.  I was off work for months and months because of depression. 

      Withdrawing from Venlafaxine was not difficult because I took it very slowly, and had no problems at all.  I had done it cold turkey once before, but that was difficult.  Certainly no memory problems either time. 

      Venlafaxine helped me a lot, but I know withdrawal can be difficult if you do not do it slowly.  It is not crap if it helps people with their depression.  Sounds like  it did not suit you at all and you had side efects, which happens with some people. 

      Yes just withdraw slowly by small amounts at a time.

    • lucy159
      lucy159 ricardo31

      Posted

      Hi, I had terrible memory problems coming off venlafaxine...this improved as withdrawals subsided though. Depression as well as antidepressants can impair short term memory though, so i'm sure you're not alone. My STM is terrible! For important things i always write lists!!
  • ricardo31
    ricardo31

    Posted

    Today I had an appointment with another psichiatrist, as my mother was worried, and he prescribed me Pregabalin (Lyrica) to fight withdrawal from Venlafaxine. Only after I refused to get back to Venlafaxine.

    Can anyone who's ever taken it spare a word?

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