Venlafaxine withdrawal - there is hope!
Posted , 71 users are following.
I've previously posted on another discussion thread about coming off venlafaxine - I was about to take the plunge myself - but rather than re-post on that thread I thought I'd start a new one to give my account of my experience and I hope a chance of light at the end of that awful tunnel for others.
Diagnosed with clinical depression many years ago most of my adult life has been spent on one or another SSRI - finally arriving at venlafaxine ten years ago as nothing much else was helping. At this time my mood was scraping the bottom of the barrel - emotionally I was empty & swung between desolate and merely oppresively sad.
I can't completely right off vnlfx - it did lift me initially and give me motivation, but unfortunately over the years the efficacy weakened and therefore the dose I was taking increased - until at the beginning of 2012 I was on 300mg daily.
As I progressed through last year it became obvious that not only was vnlfx not helping me in anyway, it was also producing some alarming side effects - these had crept in slowly over the years and I had been so caught up with my mental health I hadn't noticed. Forgetting a dose resulted in the most debilitating nausea, dry mouth and brain zaps - I began to fear going away and forgetting my medication or not being abe to get to the pharmacy for a prescription and running out. All the time I continued presenting myself as a contented, together, capable professional woman, and as any of us who suffer mental illness know, this 24/7 act is absolutely exhausting. By the autumn of this year I was sleeping in huge chunks. The sedative effect of the drug combined with being asleep being an excellent way of hiding from my problems, I found it all to easy to succumb to sleep. I'd sleep for ten hours solid at night, then wake for a few hours in the morning, feel sleepy and give in - only to wake again briefly during the evening before the cycle began again. Luckily working a shift pattern as well meant I could get away with this, but my non-working hours were spent asleep & hiding from the world.
I don't know why the lightening bolt hit, but once day I became aware that this was no quality of life & went to see my GP about withdrawal from vnlfx. I must emphasise here that my GP has been wonderful during the entire time I have known her, and I'm aware that I'm lucky to be in this situation. She was aware of anecdotal evidence of vnlfx withdrawal syndrome and we made a plan for a very slow dose decrease - suffering such marked side effects when late taking my meds meant that we were expecting a tough ride.
I cannot emphasise too much just how important it is to go slowly slowly slowy, and to reduce your dosages by tiny amounts. Each time I cut down too quickly, or reduced the dose too quickly I'd be pole-axed by side effects and mental disturbance. A couple of times I did think about giving up, and remaining on vnlfx for life - but the thought of returning to that hideous emotional no-man's land was enough to motivate me to pick up & go back to the previous 'good' dose again & persevere. The key stage was probably getting down to a quarter of a 37.5mg tablet (told you the dose reduction needs to be minute!) and then my doctor adding in fluoxetine 20mg for two weeks before I took the plunge and took my last ever dose of vnflx. That was over six weeks ago and the relief I feel now is immeasurable. I now have clarity of thought and emotion to the extent that I can't ever remember having before. Don't get me wrong, I'm still clinically depressed, there is no magic wand, but I feel just like I have been released from venlafaxine taking my mind prisoner. I don' t think that unless you have experienced this drug first hand you can possibly imagine just how much it really ***ks with your mind - absolutely terrifying.
Key to my success has been managing to find a therapist that by some fluke I have a superb connection with and weekly sessions with her have been more valuable to me than any drug ever has. I expect to be seeing her for a very long time to come - to reiterate i'm by no means 'cured' but am happy at last to be back in control of my mind.
Happy to pass on further details of what worked for me on my withdrawal - I kept a diary, helps you have faith to get through the bad days - but please don't expect miracles, I know that just because it's worked for me it may not suit anyone else.
But - please do have hope! I was one of the many in despair on here a few months back not ever being able to see a way to get free of this hideous drug, but I've done it, so it can be done
xxxx
14 likes, 115 replies
jodie35286 annasch
Posted
Debzjoy annasch
Posted
Just located this site and your post.
Glad that you are doing well. I have reduced down from 300mg to 37.5 over a period of months. I started feeling better immediately.....not as exhausted all the time and more able to feel emotions.
However down to 37.5 and getting off that has been dreadful. If I stopped for more than 2 days I would get zaps, exhaustion, constant crying, dizziness..... So I would take the 37.5 every 2 days or so. It's now been 5 days since my last dose. I REALLY want to be free of this dreadful drug.....but I feel AWFUL. Very emotional, crying, exhausted with no motivation to do anything. I've recently moved so have had to change doctor. My old doctor who I was with 15 years knew me and my issues inside out. The new doctor is not convinced there is anything wrong with me or understands my history and emotionally unstable personality disorder. Please, am I better just taking 37.5 every day for ever or do I stay off and ride the symptoms. Can you help?
Thank you for reading this xxx
Jojocull Debzjoy
Posted
Hi, I would definately suggest to stay on 37.5mg until your brain adjusts to that dose and when you feel a bit more stable and able to cope with the withdrawals, cut the dose down. Alot of people in the US open there capsules and take the little granules and take ages to get off it but avoid the hell that you are going through and what I did too. A psychiatrist who took me down off the ven said when I was not coping with it to stop it cold turkey. After alot of research I text him and said no way on earth would I stop this abrubtly as it will be way to detrimental to my brain and I also said please do not recommend this to your patients either. I could go on about this for ages!! Anyway so don't stop it at all yet. Let me know what you think and write to me anytime
msfree annasch
Posted
Thank you for your time and willingness to share your story for others to read and have hope on their journey to wellness without venlafaxine! I believe this discussion has been and will continue to be help for many. I have personally known 4 other people alongside myself whom have had very bad experiences with the side effects and withdrawal of this medication. The withdrawal can be so bad that medical attention can be necessary if the drug is immediately ceased. This has already been stated by others on here, but I am repeating it again as a warning.
My personal experience with the medication is that after being on it for nearly a year I began to suspect is was causing my insomnia to be worse and prevent me from having proper REM sleep. I was also having episodes of heart arrythmia where I would suddenly lose energy and have to lay down for 30 to 90 minutes to try and mind control my way out of it. (I don't have insurance so I didn't go to the hospital.) This was happening on a nearly daily basis. I weaned myself down from 225 mg to 150 mg over a week. Then I moved to 75 mg over the next 2 weeks. I didn't have the 37.5 dose so I tried to just quit. At this point the withdrawal caused me to shake uncontrollably, stutter, be confused, I was dizzy, I could not drive, I was extremely nauseated, I had violent headaches, I had brain zaps, strange sensations on my body, and inflammation in my head, intestines, and joints. I had to go back and take a 75 mg every other day as I had not read about breaking open the capsules and taking half. I did figure out that taking Prozac / fluoxetine helps with the transition so I began taking 10mg a day (from a previous prescription) for about 2 weeks. This did help! I switched from Prozac to St. John's Wort and have been doing that for probably a month now. Unfortunately I am still having withdrawal symptoms from the venlafaxine. I am happy I can at least drive my car now. This drug is dangerous and anyone on it needs to be monitored closely. I would not suggest it to anyone that I love. I really hope that some day I can be like so many others that I have read about and can get off of prescription medications for good and function normally.
jacqueline69942 annasch
Posted
I sweat terribly on Venlafaxine and I* want to get off of it....But after reading the horrible side effects, I am now afraid to get off of it...Your post gave me some hope, but you didn't actually say how slowly to go off and did you have horrible side effects? Everyone has told me they have horrible side effects for months and months..
nicki16 jacqueline69942
Posted
I was on venlafaxine for probably almost three years. I took 150 in the morning and 150 at night so a large dose and this was as well as a large dose of lamotragine as a mood stabiliser and mirtazapine. I was admitted to mh ward in August 2014 and the psych decided I was on so much medication that I could be getting seretonin syndrome. They took me straight off the lamotrogine and reduced my venlafaxine over about two weeks till I wasn't on any. I did have some fairly mild withdrawal but they started me on paroxatine as a cross taper so that probably helped a bit. Unfortunately the paroxatine didn't suit me because it made my tinnitus really bad - me having tinnitus meant I probably wasn't a suitable candidate for that a/d but the psychs never discussed side effects with me. after a few months I had to come off that a/d as well. To be honest I didn't have too many side effects coming of venlafaxine. Probably some weird feelings In my head like brain zaps but not really debilitating. On the other hand I had really awful side effects coming off paroxatine. I didn't realise how much the venlafaxine had helped me and I really went down hill to the point that I was anxious through every waking moment and hardly went out of the house for 18 months. After been given high dose of quetiapine, being tried on duloxetine which made me very sick, I asked to go back on venlafaxine. Within a week or so my anxiety had got so much better and I felt more hopeful and less despairing. Unfortunately that didn't last. It felt a bit like a honeymoon period in that I was so elated to feel a bit better that I went overboard. My anxiety is still a lot better and my mood is slightly better but not a level I want to be at or feel able to live with. I know venlafaxine doesn't suit everybody and some people have bad withdrawal symptoms but mine weren't that bad and after trying probably 7 or 8 antidepressants this is the only one that helps at all though more with the anxiety and less so with the depression. My advice I suppose is that no a/d is without side effects and changing from one to another can be difficult and take weeks or months to do so if there is anything that can be done to make venlafaxine more bearable for you then it may be worth doing that. If you do have to come off it then see about cross tapering to see if that helps. I am on 150 a day now with mirtazapine and quetiapine and the last two zonk me out from when I take them at night until about midday. Not that they make me sleep, just make me feel so tired that I hardly have the energy to sit up or keep my eyes open. Mh meds probably cause more problems than they solve
jacqueline69942 nicki16
Posted
Thank you for your reply, but the other two drugs that you are taking I have never heard of. Maybe that's why you didn't have such horrible withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine. Everyone else said they have such horrible side effects, vomiting, headache, suicidal thoughts, dizziness, brain zapping, etc. I am so scared to get off of them because of all these awful side effects. I just don't
Sunvally59 jacqueline69942
Posted
Hi Jaqueline
Good luck with coming off - it is worth it, I had horrible sweats too and despite being menopausal they have almost gone.
I stuck rigidly to my GP's plan :
150 a day for a full week,
Then 75 on the Monday, 150 rest of the week.
Then 75 on Mon and Wed 150 other days
75 Mon, Wed, Fri, 150 rest
75 Mon,Wed, Fri, Sat , 150 rest
75 Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat , 150 rest
75 Mon, Tues,Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat , 150 Sun.
75 all week
The exactly the same for 75 to zero.
But I was also recommended the 75 - 0 week to put in Prozac on the 0 days (20 mgs)
To be honest I did not have any horrible side effects using that method - though I think I had only been taking Ven for about 2 yrs.
When I tried just stopping it altogether I became very unwell, headaches, nausea, vomitting, shaking, crying, - just felt dreadful.
Good luck again x
jacqueline69942 Sunvally59
Posted
Thank you so much Sunvally59. I do appreciate you teling me what you did. I am so very tired of this constant sweating day after day..I am going to what you did...I will tell my doctor. I read on this site that many doctors don't believe the witdrawals are so horribble.
I have been on Ven for 12 years. I went on it for acute anxiety. During menopause I had panic attacks and became afraid of many things.. Hopefully when I get off of Ven my anxiety wil not return..
Thanks again for your helpful reply.
Sunvally59 jacqueline69942
Posted
I have no regrets!
jacqueline69942 Sunvally59
Posted
Hi Again....I just want to ask you a few more questions if you don't mind.
What was your dosage when you decided to stop? I am on 225mg a day. So I guess I would have to start with that and work my way down little by little.
I see you did the 75 on Monday and 150 for the rest of the week for two weeks, not one. Is that correct? And when you did the 75 all week did you then do 75 and 37.5 the rest of the week before you went to 0??? Or did you just do the 150, the 75 and then stop? Sorry, but I was a bit confused by your explanation. Thank you..
Jackie
Sunvally59 jacqueline69942
Posted
Sorry for confusion.
So you start on the Monday by dropping 75mgs on that day. The rest of the week you maintain your usual dose.
The following week you drop 75 mgs on mon and wed. Retaining your usual dose the rest of the week.
So fundamentally you drop 75mgs every other day until you are taking 75mgs less on every day.
Then you have a week on the 'new' dose
before starting the same process again .
It takes you 7 weeks to go from e.g 150mgs to
75mgs. A week to 'settle' then 7 weeks to go from 75mgs to 0.
But as you go from 75mgs to 0 you add in Prozac 20 mgs on the 0 day.
So if you start at 225mgs it will take you 7 weeks +1 to get to 150 mgs, 7 weeks +1 to get to 75mgs and then 7 weeks to get to zero, replacing the 0 with prozac/ or preferred drug.
So I dropped 75mgs a week over 7 weeks until I took the lower dose consistently. A week to stabilise.
Does that make sense?
I was advised if the 75 was too big a drop then cut to 37.5mgs over 7 weeks +1. But I did not need to.
Hope I haven't confused you more!!!
Val
doreen01734 annasch
Posted
Your post sounds positive. I have been on it for 8 years but now know I must come off it. My gp told me to just go from 150mg to 75mg overnight and I'm scared that the dizziness I experience if I forget to take it will be unbearable, but I'm going to try it.
ronnie_21593 doreen01734
Posted
How's your withdrawal going ?
ronnie_21593 annasch
Posted
Did they have to be exact ?