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Venlaflaxine withdrawal from low dose

Posted , 2 users are following.

Kazzie17
Kazzie17

Hi all,

ive been on venlaflaxine for six years and they really are the devils work, they should be banned!

Anyway im looking for some advice please. I was initially taking 75mg for a year, which i cut to half without any issues at all. I have been taking this daily until six weeks ago when i started taking 18.75 one day and 37.5 the other day. Despite doing this for six weeks it feels like i am barely managing it the day after i take the 18.75 and i am literally desperate to take my 37.5 dose at my usual daily time of mid afternoon. its just not getting any better. i was assigned a pharmacist when i requested help at the G.P's and she was no use at all, she told me to resume the 37.5 dosage! i said that the side effects of discontinuation for me is a bit of memory loss, feeling spaced out and losing track of my thoughts, which she said wasnt usual side effects.

I dont know if i should go back on the 37.5 dose and miss a day and do it that way or just continue as i am and hope i feel better. can anyone help please? i am so desperate to stop, I am considering going sick from work and going cold turkey.

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1 Reply

  • karen24264
    karen24264 Kazzie17

    Posted

    YES. They really are the devils work!

    I have been on Venlafaxine for about 10 years. 150MG. I do not know how I came to that doseage as I do not recall going from lower to higher. For the last several years I was thinking about going off because I would sometimes complain that I felt worse on it and did experience times when I was more depressed that not.

    SO, this year was the year I started to titrate off. After all this time I have had absolutely NO problem going from 150 to 35mg. I think 35mg is the smallest extended release ER they have. Then I started it every other day. Did pretty well with some "brain zaps". Then I went to 25mg still ok with some zaps. Now I am on half of that 12.5mg and cannot get rid of the zaps.

    So, I became super frustrated and went off cold turkey for a week and this did NOT work at all! I am not back to 12.5mg every day - feeling OK but i fear that I will never be able to come off of this.

    I will add I am doing this with the assistance of a psychiatrist since they are the ones that know the drugs. It has taken over 7 mos for me to get to this point.

    The dr says Venlafaxine is very hard to get off of.

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