withdrawal venlafaxine hell

I went through 3 weeks of sheer hell followed by 8 months of blips! I was also on 150mg for 3 years. I then reduced it to 75mg and found being on 75mg a nightmare! On 150mg I was able to function normal but on 75mg I was like Jerkyll and Hyde! :twisted: I didn't care about family/friends, was nice one moment nasty the next. But worse yet - I had no concept of danger - I thought I was invincible and took up extreme sports!

I eventually went cold turkey and spent 3 weeks in hell. Painfull muscles and joints, nausea, headaches, brain zaps, knealing on the floor not sure if I was going to pass out or throw up! I stuck with it and eventually it passed. All that was the easy bit!

I then saw my life clearer and saw how my behavour had been and the damage that I had done - Repairing that damage was the hard part. I had good days and bad days - but life's like that and you have to learn to put things back into prospective.

Life is better without medication and if you have resolved the issue that put you on medication in the first place then my advice to you and anyone else is to stick with the withdrawl and re-claim your life back.

Good luck

AJ

I had been on Venlafaxine 150mg for 3 years!

I managed to cut down to 75mg then onto 37.5 without much difficulty, but trying to get off them all together was the hard part.

I was advised by my doctor to take one every other day but the brain zaps would appear so i ended up taking my tablet, then I asked my aunty for advice who is a pharmasist. She advised cutting them in halfs then quarters, this seemed to work even the tinyist dose seemed to help with the zaps. Then after 2 weeks on quarters it wos time to just stop! I had had enough of these tablets i felt like a prisoner to them.

Even after tapering them down to such a tiny dose i still went cold turkey!

I had brain Zaps weakness severe dizziness, anxiety halucinations and couldn't sleep, I went to see my doctor. He said that venlafaxine is very rarely used now because of it's withdrawal symptoms and advised me to stick with it.

After 1 week i started to feel better and the brain zaps were there but less.

It has now been 2 weeks and i am functioning normally but still with the odd brain zapp. I honestly think that no matter how much or how slowley you stop venlafaxine you will still go cold turky but you just have to ride it out because there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have more energy now and am starting to lose weight already and my bp seems to be going down too.

Stay focused on the fact that it will pass and you will get off them.

I am up and down but now need to learn to deal with this. If I can do it with 3 kids to look after anybody can!

I had been on venlafaxine 75mg 3 times a day for 3 yrs due to depression caused by having fibromyalgia chronic fatigue syndrome.

sorry hadn't finished hit wrong button, to continue my GP decided to take me off Venlafaxine straight away on Thursday, so going cold turkey to start a new tablet last night that may be better to help the symptoms of of chronic fatigue. I started to feel tired about an hour after I took new tablet(Valdoxan) so went to bed ,I ended up in the toilet being violently sick then went to bed. I woke up a few hours later feeling very scared but didn't know why. this morning contacted my Gp told to try the Valdoxan again tonight see what happens.

I thought having Fibromyalgia,CFS,Osteoarthritis in my back and neck and asthma was bad enough but compared to the withdrawal symptoms of Venaflaxine its not half so bad. I.ve never felt so ill in my life as Ihave been since Friday but i,m determined to stick it out till this horrible drug leaves my body rather than start taking them again to wean off slowly which may mean less symptoms but longer to get them out of my system . I sympathize with anyone who is going through this at the minute.

History:

A Consultant Psychiatrist made a decision in 2004 to move me on to venlafaxine. A GP allowed me to carry on taking it until for eight more years and I thought they were making the best decision. I did not think and there rests my big error.

After eight years on venlafaxine and increasing soaked night sweats and dependency on this anti-D, it was agreed that I should come off them after I raised the fact that may-be it was time. The journey is on-going.

Getting off venlafaxine:

First cut down from 2 x 75mgs (or 150 mg if you're in the higher 2 x150mgs ...do they go that high) by cutting the tablets in half and taking at first twice a day, then ones a day, then reduce size to a quarters of the tablet and at first take twice a day, then ones a day. Then move on to the 35.7mg twice a day, and then ones a day, this took a whole month and is important to do to avoid dizzy spells (motion sickness).

Then take the 35.7mg and reduce this down to a small for me to get to a small crumb (slightly less than a quarter size) of this pill.

The crumb must then be spread out, initially one a day, to one every other day and then every three days. As you have longer gaps between the tablets your brain will complain. This is shown by a dizzy spells (motion sickness). When this dizzy spell kicked in (usually at the end of each day three without the drug) I took the crumb. It will soon become clear to you that your brain is starting to accept the withdrawal. The dizzy spells eventually reduce and (you'd be pleased to know) vanish.

Life without venlafaxine.

When you have stopped taking the drug that is when the fun begins. Tension headaches ripped through my forehead, no ice-pack could cool down the forehead and temples. Emotional roller-coaster of moods, sorrow and unhappiness hit me and has knocked me down so hard it was hard to get back up. I was right back where I started. A tearful individual, crippled by headaches and ANGER that was akin to hating everything. Suicide began to look like a solution. BUT................

I've been running through this drug-free emotional battlefield for eight weeks now. The good news is it is getting better. I am more aware of ME and my thoughts. I am learning right now how to actively deal with the sadness and the anger that pools in my stomach (and hurts like a living monster). It is taking me a long time. The headaches have retreated. The sadness is every other day now and the anger is hard work to put back down but I am learning. Each day is a journey and some days it is a 'bad day' day.

Do it. If you can fight your thoughts that are your own, do that. Do not stay on an anti-D on long term basis. Venlafaxine does not vanish the depression, venlafaxine hides your depression. Better to learn to deal with internal thoughts. SLOW DOWN and think when the down / bad thoughts come. They do reduce. I am able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. O.k, I know the tunnel is long but so is life.

Whatever you do, be prepared for a sudden rush back to hell on earth when you finally break free from Venlafaxine withdrawal. My G.P told me it could take up to six months for this drug to be vanished from my brain. Do therapy and do go see anyone who will let you moan at them about how UNFAIR it all is. Eventually your thoughts will remind you that you can deal with this unhappy, moody and upset part of you. Be o.k.

Do I need to put a disclaimer down? Ask your G.P first before deciding to leave venlafaxine behind (then you can get the lower dose drugs to help cut down on). Do be aware that your G.P will say that the emotional unhappiness you are left with after stopping this drug is a sign that the anti-D's were working. Not at all. You have re-opened a part of your brain that the drug had blocked out and put to sleep. Now you will either choose to learn to train yourself to deal with this emotion or go back on anti-D's. Me, I am not going back and I will learn to deal with me. Not hiding from me any-more.

That is my thoughts on your question, Mr Guest. Good luck.

It's now been a week since I stopped taking Venlafaxine and 4 days since I started the new tablet. Its definitely been an extremely horrible time as I said in my previous message. Not only have I been going throughwith drawl symptoms from the Venlafaxine but having side effects from the new tablet,however I'm now beginning to feel better. I used Stugeron for the feeling sick and the dizziness which helped a lot. I still tend to get angry over things which only used to annoy me but I'm trying hard not to lose my temper with my family ( I think I made my point when I blew up last week about help round the house especially whilst I'm going through this difficult period). I'm hoping by Xmas I'm feeling something like normal.

Hi all fellow Venlafaxine withdrawal sufferes.

I was put on 75mg of Ven back in 2009. to help with anxiety and mild depression. this worked well for me. Then after a period of bad relations with my employer i was put on 150mg per day. This again helped and really improved my confidence and anxiety.

I am currently on a reduction progranmme. I use Venacilic. there is a 75mg tablet and now a 37.5 mg tablet. So i am down to 112.5 mg per day.

I had some bad effects for the first 3 days but these stopped. I then had 12 days of being fine. However i am now starting to feel tired low and lethargic. I have read in other posts that a very short course of Prozac can help with withdrawal symptoms? If anyone can give advice on this then i would be grateful.

Thanks in advance.

Mark

Hey people, god what a relief when I found this site and discovered im not the only one! Iv been taking 150mg for 2 years. Iv been cut down to 75 + 37.5 , week 1 on this dose gave me horrendous heafaches, week 2 nausea but feeling mentally ok until yesterday! I was due to reduce to 75 which I was feeling confident about but then all of a sudden I crumpled to the floor and couldn't stop crying, couldn't move from my bedroom, I felt like somebody was pushing down on my shoulders, I felt confused and panicky, I then slept for 3 hours (in the day which I never do!) Today l went to doctor and she has signed me off work for a week and given me diazapam (which scares me) im considering going cold turkey and just dealing with it! Dont want to prolong the agony, may as well suffer once and for all! Any advice gladly revieved xxx help!