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coming off effexor XR

my innerself

my innerself

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May 9, 2004
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OK, I've searched old threads about effexor and cant find the info I need. What I want to know is effexor XR users experience with getting off effexor. I have been on this drug for nearly 2 years and am currently on a dose of 225 mgs. I want to reduce this and ultimately get off it all togetherl. The longest I have lasted without it is 3 days which I found excruciating. The withdrawels were fffuuuccckkeeddd uuuupppp. Electrisc shocks and vertigo when ever I moved my eyes, very intense and shitty feeling. Just want to know how long it takes to completely ease myself from this shit. And also, how long until I can pill again. I have lots off E in storage and am sick off looking at them and want to munch. I feel that I dont really need this script anymore, any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Firstly I would be hesitant to mention having large amounts of illicit drugs in your possession. It is something alot of people on these boards seem to do but it is unwise considering the knowledge that the police keep an eye on these boards. Obviously it is for personal use so I doubt they would actually bother anyone but nevertheless, better to be cautious.

As for the withdrawals, the only ones I have any experience with are the "electric shocks" or "brain zaps" that I was left with after a weekend where I perhaps ate too many pills. Terrible thing to have though even for a few days, coming off Effexor expect them to last months and be probably more intense than anything I experienced.

I have heard from people that you should expect a great deal of emotional distress coming off Effexor, apparently it makes the "brain zaps" seem like a walk in the park.

Good luck though, I'm sure everyone here is wishing you the best and willing to help in whatever way we can.
 
AusDD to OD.

You need to do a taper so as to minimize WD's. Maybe someone who has been on the medication before can suggest one. And yeah, brain zaps suck.
 
Go to 150mg for 2 weeks, then 100mg weeks, 50mg 2 weeks, to zero. Taaaaappppppppeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

:)
 
BTDT with getting off of Effexor. It was a long long time ago, but I remember it well. The horrid brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, and excessive crying.

I was on the same dosage when I got off of it. I think I took it for about a year total. I had to decrease by 37.5 mgs (I believe is the smallest dose capsule) each week. Then when I was down to just the 37.5 mgs in the a.m and 37.5mgs in the p.m I would break apart the capsules and take out some of the beads. I don't remember how much or how many exactly, but I know that I had to do that for a couple of weeks before I could get off of it completely.

I remember that I couldn't even just go to the 37.5 once a day because by the end of the day I was getting the zaps and feeling like shit or if I just took the night dose, I woke up feeling like shit, so I would have to take more in the morning.

If I didn't explain that very well, just let me know and I will try again. My brain is in slow motion today :D
 
I've went cold Turkey from Effexor twice. The symptoms are insane. I would definitely taper as slow as possible and by as little as possible. I'd suggest doing what luvaluvagirl said and decrease your dose by 37.5, except I'd lower it every two weeks instead of one. Sure, it might take you three months, but ugh... anything is better than those brain zaps and everything else that comes along with quitting Effexor.
 
Nothing to add except that the E is probably what took you to the place where you needed the Effexor. I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to repeat the experience.

FC
 
No, it shouldn't be bad at all as long as he is PATIENT and goes slowly. The problem is that with Effexor you are usually so damn ready to get off the shit that you just can't deal with the taper and try to quit cold turkey like GenericMind said. It's not gonna kill you to do it, but its really gonna make you feel awful for a while.

I would say by about 3 weeks after the last little bead (LOL) I felt fine and pretty much back to normal. And as FightClub said... don't be in any hurry to get back to E or you will be right back to where you are now... trying to get off some other antidepressant and feeling like shit. Give your body some time to recover fully. By that point you will deserve a fun time. ;)
 
I wouldnt do it without the supervision of your MD. This drug is not safe to discontinue without a medically supervised taper program. I have seen family members quite literally go nuts without tapering properly. Go see your doctor...
 
^^ +1. Talk to your doctor.

Treat it like coming off an opiate. Slow and steady.
 
I was on 300 mgs of Effexor XR for three years, and quit cold turkey and felt zero effects. I would still taper, because i quit cold turkey because i didn't know that you could be in shitloads of pain, mentally and physically. just ask your doctor how to do a good taper and start immediately if you can. if your doctor is rad he will set you up.good luck man/woman.

landoallah
 
Effexor experience

I would definatly suggest to set up a (slow) taper schedule with your doctor since Effexor (Venlaxafine) is known for its extreme withdrawals in some users.

I was prescribed it for about 6 months together with a tetracyclic antidepressant called Mianserin and decided to taper off after having my first-ever seizure in my life, which was a truly horrifying experience. I decided to have a glass of light wine and a small amount of Cannabis to help me sleep when I suddenly felt very wrong, I was able to stumble into my mothers bedroom before collapsing on the ground and being unable to move for at least 5 minutes, I also blacked out briefly I think. :\
Also I felt that after six months of antidepressants I didn't feel emotions, I was just... never sad and never happy is the only way that I can describe it so decided to stop taking them and taper off slowly.

I still refer to Effexor as Side-Effexor since the brain zaps and electric shocks were horrible and they scared the hell out of me, even after a very slow taper (I was using 37,5 mg at the end of my taper) I got all the withdrawal symptoms including chronic insomnia, loss of appetite, no sex drive and those scary brain zaps/electric shocks. Those symptoms lasted for months and I still have trouble sleeping nowadays, but at least I am able to feel emotions again.

I still fear antidepressants because of this medicine and would rather go cold turkey of Tramadol and Ritalin at the same time than experience the Effexor withdrawal again.

I would suggest that you read through the Erowid experience vaults to know how other people have dealt with this (IMO horrible) SNRI, just do a search for Venlaxafine and enough reports should come up. I can't tell you anything about taking MDMA or MDxx while on Effexor but I have found some reports I will post here:

Combined with Psych Meds - MDMA (Ecstasy), Pharms - Divalproex, Venlaxafine & Risperidone by Bipolar Girl
Kills the Effects of MD* - Venlafaxine (Effexor) & MDA by Cactushead

Notice BTW how few "glowing experiences" and how many "Health problems" or "Addiction & Habituation" reports there are, it really is an evil med IMO :(

I hope you can kick this med without too many problems and hope my post contributed something to this thread, good luck & be safe. :)

Peace o/
 
Coming off effexor XR makes opiate withdrawals look like a walk in the park in my opinion. I was only on 75 or 150mg's a day (can't remember which because this was years ago) for about 2 months so i can't imagine what coming off 225mg's after being on it 2 years must be like.

I went cold turkey because i don't think hardly anyone knew that effexor or anti-depressants could cause withdrawals back then so i didnt know what happened until about a year and a half later when i looked effexor up on the net and it mentioned discontinuation syndrome. I got those horrible brain zaps that are almost torture, dizziness, really bad mood swings, insomnia, nausea and on a few occasions i think i vomited. So all in all i would not go back on this drug even if i could.

The only way off this drug with any comfort is to taper taper taper. Since i didnt know what was going on i smoked alot of weed, took dimenhydrinate to help the dizziness and temazepam to calm me down and help me sleep. This helped a good bit actually it was just too bad that i waited about a week before i tried these drugs to reduce the withdrawal symptoms.

I thought my problem had to do with some kind of weird virus, blood pressure thing or something and those drugs where what i used to make me feel better from just about anything :\ .

Ive heard that prozac can help the withdrawal symptoms coming off effexor once you reach a certain dose. You can apparently taper off using that once you taper the effexor abit.
 
A good friend was telling me about his experience discontinuing and I thought he was just whining... I truly had no idea. I've come off oxycontin and morphine by choice with little to no taper and I though his description was BS.

Anyway, thanks to all who have shared their truly horrendous experience and hopefully the more this information is spread, the more informed people will be if this medication option is put on the table. Initially doctors had ignorance on their side when they chose to prescribe this, now we have to make sure there truly is informed consent when this drug is offered.

Best of luck to the OP and be smart about it.
 
Hey, on the upside, Effexor helps thousands of people.

Just treat it with respect.

I would still use effexor over a bunch of other antidepressants.
 
I was prescribed it in July. I got up to 105mgs by the first week in August. I felt that it was not for me. It had the usual sexual side effects, but I could also not urinate and food was unappealing. So I tapered myself off that dose in 10 days and I have been off it now for over a week.
I was on such a low dose for such a short time, I did not expect many side effects. But this is where the internet comes into evil play sometimes. There are COUNTLESS people that this drug has helped, When you read all the negatives, it does get in your psyche, and i am sure it played part of the reason I took myself off. BTW, I have not told my psych yet,
 
Oh man, I was on effexor xr @ 75mg/day for only a week before I stopped taking it. I felt more exhausted that ever and I had to take it slightly more often than every 24 hours because around the 21st/22nd hour I started getting brain shivers. Switched back to Lexapro 20mg/day and added 300mg/day Wellbutrin XL instead.

Even at a somewhat low dose and only a week of taking it, it was extremely unpleasant. I really don't envy you! I'd try switching to fluoxetine (prozac) or escitalopram (lexapro) and tapering from that. The extremely short half-life of Effexor can worsen discontinuation symptoms so switching to something else might make it easier.
 
I just stopped effexor for the second time not long ago. The first time I was younger (and bounced back from stopping anything faster/more easily) and smoking a lot of weed. It wasn't fun but it wasn't terrible either.
More recently was awful. I'd gladly kick a hefty benzo/opioid habit rather than stop effexor if I had a choice. Seriosuly.
I tapered SLOWLY, waiting until I felt somewhat normal after each dose reduction, then giving it another week (just to give my body a break) before reducing again. I also found taking some L-Tryptophan helped reduce the shocks. I felt like my nervous system was getting hooked up to a car battery. Many people report benzodiazepines are really helpful (becareful, you don't want a benzo habit to deal with). Weed if you smoke is helpful. Anything to help anxiety is good.
I found that being outside was really helpful, but being outside is kind of my happy place, so I can't speak for the general efficacy. Any form of distraction is a good thing for ANY withdrawal.
As far as taking E I have no idea. But I would imagine your body would be grateful for a nice break from everything. And you don't want to fry your nice shiney new(ly functioning) serotonin system again, do you?
 
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