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Harm Reduction Pristiq and Effexor Withdrawal

suessmayr

suessmayr

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Jun 30, 2008
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I'm not sure if I've picked the correct prefix for this topic - so, sorry if I've not.

I'm posting this for the information of others and because it may be of some small interest to the members of the forum.

I used to scoff and people who said anti-depressants were addictive - probably, I suppose, I was right in that the people who make comments of that sort are usually conservatives/christians who are just oppposed notionally to the anti-depressant idea.

I tapered over a period of a week off devenlafaxine (Pristiq). What I have to say will probably apply almost equally to venlafaxine (Effexor). After this I woke up and felt some odd symptoms, which I ignored at first, but they intenified the next day. They included: intense and all over sweating, nausea, headaches, tingling, and this bizarre thing where I would hear noises in my head whenever I moved my eyeballs. Also, I felt like there was something in my throat that wouldn't leave, like when you're intensely upset. It was like I was constantly on the verge of crying, and I felt miserable.

I then resumed small dosing for two or three days, and the symptoms abated. Now I've stopped again and they've come back with much greater intensity. It's almost as bad as any opiate WD I've experienced, and my Psyhiatrist told me that these meds are notorious for their WD's, but that I'd just have to swallow it.

Don't make this mistake! Pristiq didn't help my mood AT ALL and now I'm paying hardcore to get off it.

S.
 
Antidepressants are addictive, although I think this is interesting because I haven't read any reports of Pristiq WD. It almost sounds like benzo WD by the symptoms you've described.

Hope things get better, I would consider discussing a tapering plan with your doctor if you haven't already.
 
^Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) and effexor (venlafaxine) are nearly the same thing (the former being a major metabolite of the latter which accounts for 70% of its effects) so their discontinuation syndromes will be very similar.

Several people over years around here have claimed that SNRI-discontinuation was actually worse than other withdrawals they've endured.

I wouldn't exactly call these drugs "addictive" though because they don't take over your life, induce compulsive use, get you high, affect personal relationships and so on... they produce physical dependence.

It may seem like a semantic distinction, but its an important one in my eyes. Although this original post is better suited for BL Blogs or the trip reports forum, we can see what kind of discussion this generates first... it also might be better suited for the dark side or healthy living.
 
I would say your distinction is proper. And I'm aware of the pristiq-effexor relationship, hence the thread's title.

I honestly just want to get off this shit for good. So I don't think that I will bother with any tapering. Probably just take some valium and try to sleep it off. Terrible, useless drug, pristiq, and I've tried at least 6 anti-dep.'s and the same number of mood-stabilisers and also of anti-psychotics.
 
having cold turkeyed off Effexor without the direction of my p-doc i gotta say that experience made me a vehement Effexor foe. the wd's were horrifying. as bad as any serious opiate addiction and lasted forever.

i'm not sure that people become addicted to Effexor or Pristiq, but they do become dependent. to me, there's a difference.

so, what to do? well, you really need to have a managed taper and work with your p-doc. sure, being on these drugs sucks, but the wd is that bad. according to what i'd learned, an Effexor or Pristiq taper could/should take 2-3 months. You have to step down very slowly.

i'm a hypocrite though cause i was like you, wanted off and just stopped. man, that was a bad decision.

good luck, really.
 
Plan to step down pristine

After about a year on effexor, my dr and I decided to stop taking it since I wasnt feeling much different. I spent the summer slowly reducing the amount I was taking by counting out the grains and reducing a few each day. Even with the gradual decrease, I still had withdrawal issues - vivid disturbing dreams, itchy feet, low moods. After a few months off effexor, I had even more converging stresses on my life so my dr suggested pristiq. I've been on it for7 mths and it really just takes the edge off. (If that makes sense) . The most disturbing aspect of the experience has been the unexpected weight gain (30 pds) . My dr said this fx wouldn't cause weight gain. Has this been true for most people?
I'm going to start step down tonight with 1/2 tablet alternating with a whole dose for 2weeks. Any advice?
Thanks in advance.
 
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I am not recommending you continue to take SSRI's, however, if you wanted something to help you "step off" of pristiq/effexor, then prozac (fluoxetine) is probably your best bet. It has a very low incidence of SSRI discontinuation syndrome, when compared to zoloft (sertraline) and another SSRI - I forgot which one.
 
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