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Withdrawal success!

Posted , 20 users are following.

Sparklewhizz
Sparklewhizz

I'd been on Venlafaxine for 2.5 years and came to the conclusion with my GP that I was only on it now as the withdrawal symptoms of even missing a dose meant I was staying on them. I came down to 75mg twice a week over a year and three weeks ago I was ready to come off them. I had read a lot if information on forums and I was pretty scared and apprehensive.

i did have brain zaps for 5 days and bad vertigo for about two weeks. I had insomnia and I was very tearful over the slightest thing. I was unable to drive for two weeks.

I took travel sickness tablets when I needed them and they really did help - despite what the pharmacist said!! I also started taking fish oil and vitamin B, again , seemed to really help.

its three weeks today since I took m y last tablet. I feel wonderful. For the first time in 2.5 years I feel like I am seeing things though my own eyes. I smile a lot more and I really appreciate everything in my life. I look forward to things and I enjoy the company of friends and family.

i still get the odd bit of vertigo, maybe a few seconds every few days and I still have some insomnia. Others than that, I'm off it and so very relieved I am. When I went on Venlafaxine, my GP didn't tell me how awful it could be coming off it.

good look to everyone coming off it. Put your mind to it and you will do it. Just allow yourself time off work and be prepared to be housebound for a while.

 

5 likes, 104 replies

104 Replies

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  • KVSF
    KVSF Sparklewhizz

    Posted

    Hi, I've never written on a forum about health but following coming of Venlafaxine wanted to find some answers. I was on 2 x 75mg a day for six months and I found, alongside therapy,  they have changed my life. I now feel strong enough to come off them and have cut down my dosage over a numbers of weeks until I was down to 1/2 tablet every 3 days. During my cutting down (dosage recommended by my GP) I had the usual brain shivers, bursting into tears, shaking, lack of sleep, irritability, sweating, lack of concentration, lack of interest in things and electric shocks in my head but over the 3-4 weeks of cutting down these have all now become much less frequent and I was starting to feel loads better.... until today. Today is my 6-7 day without taking any medication and I have felt dreadful. I cant concentrate, want to cry all the time and have just started getting this itching all over my body and face. Has anyone else had the itching? Is it normal for withdrawal? 

    Thanks for any help. 

    • KimPH
      KimPH KVSF

      Posted

      Now that you mention it, I did have some really odd itching one night.  I thought I was going to lose my mind!!  I totally forgot about that!  It was just that one time, thankfully!!
    • sunnyaria
      sunnyaria KVSF

      Posted

      Yes, I have itching and pin prick sensations as well as almost everything else that you reported.  Last night, I had itching inside my feet :-(  I tried Benadryl and I think it helped. In spite of the withdrawal, I feel better.  I do have some emotional lability but I think it is worth it.  Hang in there:-) 
    • KimPH
      KimPH sunnyaria

      Posted

      Hi Sunny, sounds like you're right there with the rest of us in withdrawal hell!  I hope you are able to feel better mentally and physically and stay off the v!

      I've been thinking about the class of SNRI's and their withdrawals.  Seems to me the SSRI's didn't have these withdrawal symptoms.  So, in my mind, I'd stay away from any of the SNRI's.  Something to do with the norepinephrine is cuasing these withdrawals I think.  I'm no doctor! I just have a lot of experience with lots of antidepressants.  And I'm sorry to say that I have ALL this experience with something like this!

    • warren81211
      warren81211 KVSF

      Posted

      i am on day 6 without , got burnt tongue feeling and general zonking out , insomnia, but sticking to it, hopefully doesnt go on for ever, do have an itchy sensation but paracetomol, vitamins do work. need to get the omega 3 as suggested on here. good luck !
  • Hiness58
    Hiness58 Sparklewhizz

    Posted

    Hey KVSF!  OMG!  I forgot about the itching!!!! I was doing that last week and I was like WHAT??? We had moved to a new area and had a lot of mosquitoes but this was my head, my feet my whatever!  SO YES!  I did experience that.  I'm about almost three weeks clean after tapering for a few months.
    • KVSF
      KVSF Hiness58

      Posted

      hey Hiness58, Thanks for your reply. I'm so glad I'm not going mad (again! haha) I cant wait to get these out of my system. I feel so strong emotionally and mentally but the physical side effects are full on. I have itching eye balls and the inside of my nose as well as the back of my neck, arms, back, legs, head and stomach. Its driving me crazy. I've had an antihistamine but its not helping. Hopefully it will be short lived. How long did you have the itching for?
  • KimPH
    KimPH Sparklewhizz

    Posted

    And they say heroin is a bitch to withdraw from. HA!
    • Hiness58
      Hiness58 KimPH

      Posted

      Yes, the doctors should seriously tell you to voluntarily commit yourself for a few weeks.  Thank GOD my husband has been working on our other house getting it ready to sell.  Because when the rages and the nausea showed up it was really ugly. 
    • KimPH
      KimPH Hiness58

      Posted

      The lack of support in the medical community annoys me to no end.  I think they have no clue how to help us through this.  Very sad state of affairs!
  • Help_Needed
    Help_Needed Sparklewhizz

    Posted

    I had not given any thought to the itching.  In my effort to swim throughout the side effects with 3-4 hours in the surf everyday, I thought it was the sunburn that was making me itchy.  I have to say it is the least of my concerns as rivers of emotions have been drowning me. I did manage to get through the day only losing my temper once due to an anxiety attack.  That is a big improvement.
    • KVSF
      KVSF Help_Needed

      Posted

      Well the itching seems to have subsided today, just back to very mild brain shivvers, crying outburst and tirdness. I am going to do this though. Hoping I dont get the rage and wishing I was able to swim in the ocean everyday too! :-) 
    • Help_Needed
      Help_Needed KVSF

      Posted

      Hi KVSF

      well done on the itching. Today is day 14 for me and I am sorry to say a relapse day. In another dimension anxiety, massive mood swings a general horrid. Slept for an hournthisnafternoon hoping that would ease the problem.

      tomorrows another day.

    • KimPH
      KimPH Help_Needed

      Posted

      Since I felt so weak yesterday, I left work a little early and took today off to sleep.  Emotionally, I seem to be ok, but still tired and a tiny bit of dizziness today.

      KVSF, I hope you start to feel better when your holiday ends.

      HN, so glad to hear the itching has stopped!  That one time I had it, I thought was losing my mind!  I wonder what causes these relapses?  I felt fine all wekend and come Monday morning, I was just exhausted and weak.  Sorry to hear of your relapse. sadEvery tomorrow is one step toward "normal" again!!  We can do this!!

      Is anyone else noticing that food just tasted gross?  I joined a weight loss program and on a strict diet.  I am eating a few things I never would eat, but even the things I normally like just don't taste that good.

      I found a program called "The Road Back" and they have a book I started reading last night called, "How to Get Off Psychoactive Drugs Safely".  It seems to be a program for those at the beginning of the process, but  it also offers help for those of us already in the withdrawal stage.  I've only just started reading, but it has my attention and I am going to continue to see what they offer.  There is are some sort of supplements they sell but I haven't gotten to what they are or how much they cost.  

      I too will continue on (or off!).  I cannot be a slave to something so awful!

      Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the direct link as we do not publish links such as these. Users can Google the information supplied if interested.

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