Effexor discontinuation - how long until it is safe to try aMT?

[JackiePeyton]

I realize this is a bona fide question, so feel free to move it. I have been told by one of our very fine mods who I trust that I need to wait 2 weeks off SSRI's before taking AMT. I just wondered what thoughts are when I clarify that I am taking what docs call a "micro" dose of them - to be exact I take 25 mg of Effexor which is short acting and the regular dose is anywhere from low end 75mg -300mg twice daily (I take it once) and 5mg of Prozac and the norm is 20mg daily but this is long acting. In case anyone is curious there is a school of thought that people take way too high doses of SSRI's and that micro doses can be very effective without the side effects. I am very against them so this is the only way I would agree to take them.

So does everyone still think 2 weeks is best? I hate to go that long without the Effexor cuz I notice a bad mood drop even when I go 12 hours past when I am supposed to take it .
Tyvm

 

[Solipsis]

Effexor is not (just) an SSRI but (also) an SNRI.. the half-life may be up to 7 hours but the active metabolite's half-life is up to 13 hours.

Also usually build-up in system is accounted for, and I assume advice for 2 weeks wait is to try and account for the longer acting ones. And finally, and this is important: your brain chemistry needs to readjust and go into a new balance again. Obviously with higher doses of SSRI's / SNRI's etc the discontinuation syndrome may be a lot more severe, but then again Effexor is a notorious drug to come off of.
If you wanna shave something off of those 2 weeks, first see how your withdrawals go ... if you can come off it relatively quickly and the potential nasty discontinuation effects don't really bother your case, then I guess you may shave a little time off, but still even if you feel fine, wait a number of days extra after coming off the drug, ideally just that week to let your brain readjust. I guess I'd suggest still not going below 1 1/2 weeks.

LSD is in itself a pretty safe substance, but acutely it is quite potent in disrupting your neurochemical household.

Oh sorry you were talking about AMT.. SSRI's with LSD is of course not that physically threatening..
But AMT? Well 2 neurotransmitters being involved with this contraindication, I'd be extra careful!

You just do NOT want to be impatient here. Starting up and down with SNRI type drugs is hopefully not something you do routinely and neither is trying / taking LSDAMT after coming off it. Be glad if you can come off Effexor safely and without lingering problems... then don't push your luck.

You clearly know that wasn't a social question. I understand you might be tense and curious about this issue but just use the forum the regular way please.

 

[JackiePeyton]

Thanks for your answer. Sorry I couldn't figure out quite where to put it.
I do not do any of this routinely at all. I am glad I am not on a high dose of Effexor.
I want to use the AMT for therapeutic purposes.

 

[greengummybear]

potential nasty discontinuation effects don't really bother your case, then I guess you may shave a little time off, but still even if you feel fine, wait a number of days extra after coming off the drug, ideally just that week to let your brain readjust. I guess I'd suggest still not going below 1 1/2 weeks.

yeah man, discontinuing SSRIs suddenly causes emotional instability that way.

Solipsis, do you think Prozac could have an interaction. the monograph says that Prozac inhibits several metabolic pathways significantly. the list of potential interactions is very long. supposedly Prozac inhibits its own metabolism. that means that the plasma concentration and metabolic inhibition increase significantly with chronic dosing.
http://www.drugs.com/monograph/fluoxetine-hydrochloride.html

 

[Solipsis]

Being an SSRI the same can be said for prozac as for other SSRI's when combined with LSD: the interaction is unpredictable and depends on:
- the individual
- the exact SSRI taken, the dosage of it etc
- the psychedelic taken, the dose
- set & setting, random variance in experiences.


Not sure if therapeutic use of AMT is meant to be that it is taken in low doses as anti-depressant (I have tried that myself for one or two days), or that the trip resulting from a full psychedelic dose is meant to have psychotherapeutic potential. I would urge you to try and avoid getting in any sort of hurry here either way.
AMT may have therapeutic potential, but IMO you do best to focus on stabilizing your state of mind and neurochemical household as much as possible before you go altering it again. Disregarding the importance of that stability may turn out to weigh heavier than the positive benefits of the intended therapy.

 

[treezy z]

i can't speak on effexor but for ssri's the 2 week washout period is too short, i got serotonin syndrome taking dxm two weeks after stopping zoloft or some other ssri. i'd wait a month.

 

[Smoky]

I've taken SNRI's and SSRI. I used to wait a few weeks, after the withdrawals subsides, and the brain buzzes stopped. I was having blackouts where everything would go dark, and my brain felt like it was buzzing… and I would lose consciousness.

Just to be sure wait 2 weeks.

So you know what is what. It's hard to tell coming off meds.

 

[treezy z]

2 weeks is an internet-drug-website rule that's made up. Noone at this point could even tell you where it came from, most likely, and based on my experience it's false.

OP, wait a month, and everyone else... shit the bloods not on my hands if this poster is laying in a casket after their two week wait.

 

[Doldrugs]

Effexor is serious shit. I'd wait a month.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Since you're on effexor if you want to stop taking it, talk to your doctor that prescribed the medication to you and tell them this.