TimeToQuit Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Hi. I've been on 225mg Venlafaxine and 15mg Mirtazapine per day now for about a year. The first to help against depression and panic-attacks, and the latter to help me fall a sleep. First I was on Citalopram 20mg for about six months, but that didn't work well for me. Things are looking a lot better now for me, I'm back at work, socializing more and haven't had a panic-attack in more than six months. So I think it is time to see if I can live with less or no Venlafaxine at all. I know all about the "brain zaps" since I experienced them when I was on 150mg at the start, that's why I am on 225mg now. I don't really have the urge to quit Mirtazapine at the moment since I'd rather loose the Venlafaxine first. So, do you guys have any tips for me? I know that in my country there is only 37,5mg 75mg and 150mg pills available. At the moment I take 75mg at night and 150 in the morning. Any idea how long it should take me to reduce to 0mg? What kind of withdrawal symptoms can I expect? Thanx for the help! Regards. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted January 22, 2017 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 22, 2017 Hi and welcome to SA. Venlafaxine is notoriously hard to quit but it can be doing with very careful tapering and lots of patience. I think that is a wise choice to taper it first. We recommend tapering no more than 10% of the current dose with at least 4 weeks between drops. Having tapered it myself I personally would recommend even slower, with a micro taper. I will post some links for you. The solid pills can be crushed and mixed with water, the capsules can be opened and beads removed then the capsule put back together again, this is the method most people use here. Tips for tapering effexor (venlafaxine) http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/272-tapering-off-effexor-venlafaxine/ Micro taper http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2878-micro-taper-instead-of-10-or-5-decreases/ How to make a liquid http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/ Counting beads from a capsule http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1461-counting-beads-in-a-capsule-versus-weighing/ It would help us if you could put your drug history in your signature, we ask all our members to do this, it shows at the bottom of every post and we can see at a glance the starting point without having to go back to the beginning. You can find instructions here.. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ Any questions, ask away! **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
nz11 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 TTT hows the tapering going? Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
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