nancy2: tapering Venlafaxine

[nancy2]

Hi. I was very glad to find this group last year, and was able to taper off Wellbutrin over 7 months, with virtually no withdrawal symptoms.

 

Now I'm starting a Venlafaxine ER taper. I read the info here, counted the beads in the capsule (250), removed 25 and began last night.

 

This morning, I woke up quite manic. Not sure if it could have effect that quick, but I know it might -- every time I've missed a pill, I've had electric shock symptoms within 12-15 hours.

 

So took 10 more beads this afternoon, and will remove 15 tonight to reduce taper, and note symptoms.

 

Feedback welcome. Thank you!!!

 

Nancy

[KarenB]

Hi Nancy2,

 

So good to hear of your success in tapering Wellbutrin - well done!  You have a lovely measured approach which will pay off in this Venlafaxine taper too.  10% can be a larger reduction that some people can handle, so your move to reduce by less is a good one.  I've found I can handle about 4% monthly. 

 

You might like to consider that the amount of beads in each capsule differs quite a lot.  For this reason it's better to count or weigh what is staying in your capsule, rather than what gets removed.  That way your doses will be much more consistent.  And since you don't want to count hundreds of little beads, investing in a micro-scale might be a good idea. 

 

Glad to hear you are taking notes of symptoms.  It's the best way to figure out your ideal reduction rate.

 

Welcome to SA,

Karen

[scallywag]

nancy2 -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

A couple of topics may help explain Karen's suggestions:

Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine)

Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing

 

It's also a good idea to track symptoms. This post has a useful format for a daily log:

Take notes of doses and symptoms

 

Let us know how this taper goes for you.

[nancy2]

Hi! Tapering Venlafaxine update:

 

I bought a jeweler's scale, so am checking each pill for weight before I start removing.

 

I had to go down to removing 5 beads before I didn't have any electrical-lightening effects. So I removed 5 beads for 3 weeks, and felt positive results -- when I am tapering off anti-depressant, I feel "more me," and have more normal feelings. I don't think I can describe the "more me" thing any other way -- to me, it just feels that way and it is a definite felt sense.

 

Now I am on week 1 of removing 10 beads, and that is going well also - I have more feelings, but at a manageable level and I feel "more me," i.e. better.

 

Thank you SO MUCH for your help! This process may take me two years, but I am so glad to be able to do it in this sane and measured way with support. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Best wishes for peace, health and sanity for 2017!

 

Nancy

[scallywag]

Are you removing 10 beads, i.e. decreasing dose, every week?

If yes, please consider holding for several weeks, 3 or 4, after each decrease to give your CNS (central nervous system) time to catch up and make the necessary adjustments to the new dose. That's the whole point of a tapering -- giving our CNS time to make many gradual changes instead of one or several BIG ones.

[nancy2]

Thank you for your reminder. I'm removing 10 beads for 3 weeks, IF I am stable and without any side effects (emotionally or physically).

 

At that point, I will remove 5 more -- a total of 15 -- for 3 weeks IF stable, etc. At this rate, it will take me between 18 and 24 months to go off the medication completely.

 

Sound good?

 

Thanks again.

Nancy

[scallywag]

Using the same number of beads can lead to problems as you get lower. What is the dose of the capsule you get beads from? How many beads are in the capsule?

[nancy2]

Usually 250

[scallywag]

I see your response of 250, but I'm not clear about it because I asked 2 questions

1. What is the dose of the capsules you're using?
    
2. How many beads are there on average per capsule?

[nancy2]

150 mg

[scallywag]

The capsule dose is 150 mg. Thank you.

What does the number 250 represent?

[nancy2]

The capsule dose is 150 mg, and there are 250 beads in a normal capsule.,, I check that the weight of the capsule is normal, the weight of a capsule with 250 beads, then I remove 10 beads. (I started with 5 beads for 3 weeks)

[scallywag]

If you're going to do a 10% taper, the first few steps would look like this:

 

Month of taper

• remove 25, approx. 225 remaining
• remove 22, approx. 203 remaining
• remove 20, approx. 183 remaining
• remove 18, approx. 165 remaining
• remove 16, approx. 149 remaining
• remove 15, approx. 134 remaining
• remove 13, approx. 121 remaining << this would be approx. 75 mg

We suggest making dose changes only once per month so that you give your CNS (central nervous system) time to adapt to the dose change. It's also enough time for you to observe what symptoms occur, if any, and when they arise. Please read the posts in these discussion topics for more detail:

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine)

Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing