Venlafaxine withdrawal

I've been on many many many meds over the years, a lot of which were linked to addiction and withdrawal problems. I've smoked, I did for years every day. I never had a problem coming off a med and I never got addicted to smoking, I didn't crave a fag because I needed it, unless for stress reasons, I just wanted it and just one day stopped. Mainly because I moved home and my parents didnt approve, but I just stopped smoking, didnt withdraw or use patches or suffer any cravings or desires to have a fag or feel ill or anything. I just didnt do it. Same with meds like codeine. I just didnt take it anymore one day and took tramadol instead.

This all lead me to believe I just didnt have an addictive physiology. I know I can psychologically get addicted and obsessed, but I truly believed my body just didnt chemically get reliant on or addicted to anything.

But oh my god I'm suffering with this withdrawal.

So far it's taken 2.5 months to come down from 375mg venlafaxine to 225mg. I've suffered Dizziness, Sweating, involuntary muscle spasms, nightly vivid nightmares, Headaches, Shivering, Dry mouth, Random crying fits, Mood decrease, Increase in dissociation, severe eczema outbreaks due to stress… and today my GP told me the current pain I'm suffering in my neck, popping, cracking, the need to crack it etc is also caused by the withdrawal and I'm so tense all of my neck and shoulder area is locked tight and I may need physio.

This is all horrible, but the only way I can stop this is to go back up to full dose and go through it all again from the start or stay on a med that isn't helping me mentally and causing me awful side effects like weight gain, high cholesterol, fluctuating blood pressure, sleep problems, headaches, pins and needles and sinus problems.

Has anyone else had problems coming off this? Did anything help?

I don't understand why this is happening when I've never had a problem withdrawing from any of the meds I've been on in the past 15 years and I've been on ones that are supposed to cause issues like paroxetine and fluoxetine etc.

I don't have any advice, just my sympathies. Effexor is well known for having one of the worst withdrawal symptoms. It has to be tapered extremely slowly - I've known people to take a year to get off it. Maybe talk to your Dr about a slower taper schedule.

Good luck.

splitimage

My sister took venlafaxine (known as Effexor in the US) and had withdrawl when she tapered off. I have heard similar stories from other people. Effexor prevents reuptake of two neuro chemicals in the brain - serotonin and noradrenaline - whereas many antidepressants only prevent reuptake of serotonin. I think that is the reason the taper is more difficult with venlafaxine, plus you were on a fairly high dose.

Perhaps seeing a psychiatrist would be helpful in this process. I am sorry you are experiencing this.

Morgansangel, your withdrawal from venlafaxine is very different than your being able to stop so-called drugs of reward, like nicotine and codeine. Those act by a very different "addiction" mechanism in the brain. (It is great you have not had problems with those--I am the same way, just not prone to addiction.)

Your withdrawl from venlafaxine is not related to addiction. Unfortunately, it is one of the hardest psych meds to come off on. Are you tapering off venlafaxine with the help of a psychiatrist? One strategy sometimes used is to substitute (gradually) fluoxetine for venlafaxine. This can help alleviate the withdrawal symptoms. Then when you are just on fluoxetine, you can taper that off, which you have done successfully before.

As a point of comparison with your taper schedule: a psychiatrist I know tapers venlafaxine off by 10% per month.

Sorry this is so difficult. Good luck and hang in there.

Reducing your dose 10% a month to six weeks is the safest way to taper any psychotropic drug.

I have had a very similar experience with withdrawal as the one you describe: bad headaches, dizziness, disassociation, upper back pain, fatigue, irritation, etc. It is hell! I've been coming down from 112.5mg since the beginning of April, and about four months later, I am at 31mg. I didn't stick to the 10% rule, though. I wanted to go faster to feel like I was making progress because I hated what Effexor did to me in the first place--blunted motivation, took away emotions, destroyed hormone levels.

You should stabilize at your current dose, wait until the most acute of the withdrawal symptoms go away, and then decrease by 10% thus forth. Your doctor might not know you need to taper 10%. Mine was surprised that I was facing such awful withdrawal and so unwilling to just reduce by 37.5mg every two weeks (that would have killed me!).

I'm sorry I can't offer any advice to make withdrawal any better. If I knew how, I wouldn't have suffered as much as I have. I can only recommend going slowly and not pushing yourself too hard in anyway that might trigger a worsening of withdrawal symptoms.

I was on venlafaxine for 15 years and last year i decided to come off them, omg the withdrawal you describe Morgan is just what i went through, i was only on 150mg ,75 in the morning 75 at night , thapered to 100mg then gradually to nothing, i think i'am still suffering the effects to this day one year on, i also ended up with anxiety and panic attacts, not because of the med because they worked brilliantly for me, just the withdrawal from venlafaxine, so i sympathise with you. thinking of you
gismo x (( hugs to you )))))))

Echoing everybody else who has replied - it is a very unpleasant drug to come off of! I was up to 187.5mg when I started to go off it - and it was painful going down the first 37.5mg! (Which I hadn't expected from such a tiny little pill!)

Drink lots of water. Things that have electrolytes in it. Chocolate. Those helped me through (okay, the chocolate was because I was pitying myself, but it DID help!)

Thank you all for your replies.

Yes I'm under a psychiatrist, but he doesn't want to reduce it in smaller amounts, each tablet is 75mg so he's reducing by 75mg each time. The only thing he'll do is extend the time between the reductions. But surely all this does is extend the amount of time I have to deal with this withdrawal?

Why not just stop it right away and just have to cope with the withdrawal for a relatively short time than the months it takes to withdraw?

I mean like if I'm going to suffer the withdrawal then why do I have to drag it out?

I mean what worse could happen? I don't see how the withdrawal could be any worse so why do I have to suffer it for months?

I'm not being funny I'm genuinely interested in if there is a reason anyone knows of?

I cut out 1/3 of the dose at a time and managed with minimal symptoms. I had a lot of dizzy spells, but not too much else. My pdoc had transferred me onto prozac first though before tapering off.

Unfortunately, naught to do but ride it out.

And, the ride totally SUCKS ... !!!



Not gonna sugar coat it for ya ... It took me about a year to be withdrawal free.

If you go back on it, you'll just have to go through it all over again.

I'm sincerely sorry you're having to go through it in the first place!

This is not a good idea. It might seem like it makes sense to discontinue like ripping off the Band-Aid, but it send your brain into shock, which will only increase the amount of time you deal with the symptoms of withdrawal. If you don't withdraw properly, you could deal with the symptoms for years after while your brain heals from it.

The safest way is in small decreases with a few weeks in between, as mentioned above. Tell this to your doctor. They are not being fair to you, making you go down by 75mg.

This is not meant as a threat. It is simply the reality with this drug.

There is some good information in the Sticky: Matter to Consider When Coming off Medication just above this forum topic box.

Oh wow, do I ever have trouble coming off venlafaxine. The stuff works wonders for me, but all I have to do is miss taking it at the same time and I'll get severe migraines and get sick as heck! I missed it one day and couldn't even walk the next day. I thought I was having a stroke it was so bad.

I also have the side effects, the weight gain has been tremendous. I've put on 30+ lbs even though I've tried 2 different diets. Even gained wait on them. I'm also somewhat anoragsmic and that sucks.

I've heard of people having to go 6 months or more to wean themselves off of it very slowly. Personally, it works for me and I'll be on it the rest of my life anyway ... just have to remember to take it in the morning!

Its an awful drug to come off. My previous pdoc took me off it far too fast, from 600mg to nothing within a month. Definitely dont do this, get yourself off it slowly. I have never ever been so sick in my life. I was on sucide watch for 3 weeks, carrying a spew bag with me and collapsing from dizzy spells regularly. I couldnt sleep, eat, and after a few days moving was hard too but the nurses kept making me go to group. It was truly awful and I refuse to go on any drug that is remotely like effexor now.

I dont envy you at all and I am sending big hugs.

^I'm so sorry to hear about your experience.

You know what else sucks about this withdrawal process? I had to pay $17 for a refill just so I can continue slowly tapering down...argh

What is the worst that could happen??????? I will tell you what , Death by SUICIDE . I survived only by chance not by changing my mind.