Effexor (venlafaxine) withdrawals

[Cloroxtastebad]

For that past 6 months ive been on 300mg of effexor. After trying multiple other antidepressants without any luck my doc decided to go with effexor.

During the past 6 months i went from bad to worse. I stuck with it and kept saying "it takes time to work" but after 6 months i fell worse then when i began.

Its been 11 days now. im now only taking 75mgs. Withdrawals havnt been bad, infact i dont notice much at all. My sleeping has been all messed up, and i feel foggy, also have been having slight brain zaps.

Its only been 11 days though. what should i expect when i go to 0 in 4 more days? is it possible that i dont have very bad withdrawals because the effexor didnt seem to do a damn thing?

 

[spork]

It's pretty hard to say because these drugs affect everyone in different ways. Personally, I got very mild withdrawals from Effexor and other SSRIs/SNRIs almost to the point where I really didn't notice anything. Like I said though, it's different for every one. Are you planning on going on another anti-depressant after the Effexor?

 

[Missykins]

You should speak to your doctor about tapering off Effexor. Every individual is different in their response to a tapering schedule, and we cannot safely provide you with that schedule, only your physician can.

 

[Vaya]

^this.

However, I will say that IME, Effexor withdrawal was long and most definitely difficult. 300mg (to me) is a lot of Effexor. I found it to be a rather nasty drug, and particularly so amongst its fellow SNRIs. I was on 100mg myself when I began to taper. The most prominent (and scary!) side effect from the withdrawals were the brain shocks (haven't they yet come up with some kind of clinical term for that, yet?? Makes us sound like we're speaking science fiction! ).

My initial advice is echoic of Missykins'; continue the taper as suggested by your healthcarer professional. And if you've got any lingering worries and/or questions - well, who more qualified to provide you an answer? I'll bet you pay 'em enough just for that very resource of information; I certainly do...

Best of luck to you!

~ Vaya