Withdrawing From Effexor (Venlafaxine)

I am 72 years old and had depression for 30 years and have been on many different anti depressants.  I read a lot here about struggling to withdraw from Venlafaxine.  I just want to say on advice on my doctor I withdrew, and I am doing well.

I stopped cold turkey once, and so I know what withdrawals can be like.  This time I did it rreally slowly, and I want to give everyone assurance who wants to come off this drug, that it is not so hard if you are really disciplined about it.  I am a little old lady, and believe if I can do it, then anyone can.  I was on 150mg a day for 9 years.  Well I thought, let me see if I can cope without anti depressants after all these years.  Well it is 18 months since I stopped, and yes, I can manage without.  I am doing really well.  Have ups and downs, but feel I will never need to go onto anti depressants again, which is good news at my age.

I am not on any prescribed medication at all.  Now withdraw really, really slowly.  And I mean SLOWLY.  Reduce dosage a very little at a time.  Capsules only go down to 37.5mg, so only way I could reduce further was to go onto the generic tablets.  These can be cut into smaller and smaller doses.  I stayed at each stage for months.  I was down to a tiny amount on a finbger tip at the end. 

I kept charts to show me what I was taking each day.  I worked hard at it, and it paid off.  So to all you people who are finding it difficult to withdraw, I say if you do it slowly like me, you will be fine.  If you begin to feel bad, decide whether you think it is the depression or withdrawals.  Depression, for me, always returned in a few months if I stopped anti depressants.  This time it has not returned, and believe me I was in hell with this illness once.

Take heart.

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