QueenElisabeth Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 @LarryS you are having a hopeful journey. Would you describe yourself as stabile? Is the anhedonia completely gone? Nice to hear you started to play the the violin. I am a singer and played the guitar in a simple manner to accompany myself. The flute was abandoned 30 years ago when I got kids. But music can be an important tool to recover I think. If there would be lesson in the last 5 years for you, what do you come up with right now? Warm greetings from far away Lis 30mg Celexa Jan 2012 - Dec 2016 Pooped out, withdrawal syndrome, tapered in 4 weeks; 1,5mg Ativan from Dec-Apr, withdrawal from May to Dec 2017, severe withdrawal syndrome; 75mg Venlafaxine March 2017. Taper start Venlafaxine: Dec 2018. Scale method. Lowering 1 mg pw, of the weight. mistake after January 2020 reaching 40 mg and below! May 2020 symptoms of serious withdrawal, hold totally on 11 mg. June 2020 crashed on 11mg. Updosed to 14 mg, July 2020 updosed to 15,5 mg, 66 beads, trying to stabilize. 1 Nov 2020: reduced 1 bead. 1 Nov 2021: reduced 1 bead Symptoms: 1 intense week of emotional instability, fatigue, 3 days late with my period, extremely slow muscle recovery, bad recall, unstable sleep, nauseous. Oct 2022: brand switch for 1 week, lots of symptoms, nauseous, diarrhea, anhedonia, and unclear thinking, , unrest, anxiety, slow muscle recovery2023:Tapered levocetirizine. Itchiness, diarrhea, broken sleep, heart pulps, anxiety, anhedonia, loss of appetite and weight.Current Supplements: Multivitamin, spoon cod liver oil, 750 mg Quercitine, mushroom supplements with Reishi, Chage, Paria Cocos, and Agaricus Blazei. I started coaching people as a Taper coach in 2018 and working ever since. So many people getting hurt by meds, with so little support. www.thetapercoach.com My story Link to comment
LarryS Posted August 7, 2023 Author Share Posted August 7, 2023 10 hours ago, QueenElisabeth said: you are having a hopeful journey. Would you describe yourself as stabile? Is the anhedonia completely gone? I am hopeful and know that my gift of life is now, not latter, here on this earth. I am planning to live each day to its fullest potential. Of course, some future planning, such as buying tickets to a music festival or baseball game have to be done in advance so we can enjoy tomorrow if it comes. I do feel stabile in that I do not believe Venlafaxine has any hold on me. The anhedonia is long gone. 10 hours ago, QueenElisabeth said: But music can be an important tool to recover, I think. Playing my violin has been an important stimulus in my life. It is difficult for me to understand why I have not picked up my violin for almost five years. The group I was playing with were falling apart and I lost motivation. Anhedonia must have played a part, but anhedonia has gone now. No more excuses. I like to sing as much as play my violin. It is thrilling to be up in front of others singing and playing music. The applause and appreciation also feel good. I did continue listening to music over these past five years. On 8/6/2023 at 2:03 AM, QueenElisabeth said: If there would be lesson in the last 5 years for you, what do you come up with right now? I started from the beginning following the 10% drop from the previous dose recommendation. One thing I would do different now is hold at current level longer beyond the standard four weeks if I were having significant symptom issues. I up dosed several times during my tapering journey thinking this was the recommended way to resolve the symptoms. I now realize that simply holding longer at a difficult level can resolve symptoms and possibly reduce the length of tapering overall. The last up dose I did, even though small, added nine months to my taper. 1 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
2cats2272 Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 On 7/19/2023 at 11:45 AM, LarryS said: As I read Psalm 88 today, entitled "I Cry Out Day and Night Before You" a couple of verses stood out to me. Psalm 88: 6 and 7 6 You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. It is ok to cry out to God in our waves. Really need this. I’m 6 months off after a 3 month taper. Jumping off at 37.5. I was on Venlafaxine for 17 years. I’m struggling 1 17 years on 150 mg Effexor. started taper to 75 mg October 29, 2022 went to 37.5mg December 20, 2022 0 on January 27, 2023 Link to comment
LarryS Posted August 11, 2023 Author Share Posted August 11, 2023 @2cats2272 Good to know this Bible verse is helping others. Thanks for stopping by. Sorry to hear of your struggle. Hang in there. You will recover, but it will take more time than you would like. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
LarryS Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 I see it has been over four months since I have said anything here. I got stressed out in October and since then have gotten past the stress, but my sleep pattern has changed significantly. I have transitioned from a good six hours of sleep to an average of four hours per night. I think maybe I am experiencing what others are calling a cortisol spike, which wakes me up rather suddenly. I have been getting up, recording the amount of sleep time from my CPAP machine, and then going back to bed to try and go back to sleep. Sometimes I feel like I may fall back to sleep, but other times I feel like I just lay there resting without any additional rem sleep. I deal with a lot of fatigue lately. I quite often go back to bed after being up for three or four hours, to just get some additional rest time, not real sleep time. I continue to be the caregiver to my wife who has dementia. My life is in a repetitive weekly routine. I manage to push myself down to the gym about three times per week still. It is my main outside the home activity that is for me alone. I strongly believe exercise is good for me. And I do get a massage in my home once per week. It is Christmas day today. We will spend it with family today. Merry Christmas to you, fellow survivor. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
j1290 Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 Merry Christnas Larry! Always glad to hear an update. I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience. Consult your physician. 2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor. Back in the Paxil Progress days. No rebound. 2005-2021: 450 mg Bupropion XL Daily 2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/ 2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE 2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022: 290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023: 262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023: 190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23: 140mg to 100mg// Link to comment
2cats2272 Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 @LarryS merry Christmas 🎄 17 years on 150 mg Effexor. started taper to 75 mg October 29, 2022 went to 37.5mg December 20, 2022 0 on January 27, 2023 Link to comment
medfreeoneday Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 Hey @LarryS Merry Christmas! just wanted to stop by to say you have been an inspiration to me in your slow taper. I really wish I hadn’t been so impatient myself- I could have avoided (or at least reduced) the pain I am going through at the moment. 2000: Feb: went on Paxil 20mg 2019: Feb: came off Paxil 20mg bridged to Prozac 20mg over 2 weeks. 2019: June: BAD TIME: had mother of all WD waves 2019: July: went on Effexor XR 150mg and WD symptoms stopped. 2020: Dec: started 10% per month taper from 150mg. 2021: Steadily dropped dose with some WDs but manageable. 2022: mid April- had terrible WDs in drop from 50mg to 45mg. 2022: 25 April-reinstated at 50mg 04/25/22--09/30/22: 50mg 10/31/22: 47.1mg 11/30/22: 42.3mg 12/31/22: 37.5mg 01/31/23: 33mg 02/28/23: 28.5mg 03/31/23: 24mg 04/30/23: 19.5mg 05/30/23: 16.5mg 06/30/23: 12mg 07/31/23: 9mg 08/31/23: 6mg 9/30/23: Back to 6mg (tried to switch to bead counting and miscalculated) 10/30/23: 5.1mg SEVERE WDs 11/8/23: 5.7mg UPDOSED 12/31/23: 6mg 1/1/24: 6.6mg Link to comment
LarryS Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 @j1290 @2cats2272 @medfreeoneday Thanks for stopping by. You all will conquer the drug with perseverance and patience. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
2cats2272 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 @LarryS I’m just over 11 months at 0 😊 windows and waves for sure but progressing 17 years on 150 mg Effexor. started taper to 75 mg October 29, 2022 went to 37.5mg December 20, 2022 0 on January 27, 2023 Link to comment
LarryS Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 @2cats2272 Thanks for stopping by. I understand that dropping Effexor as fast as you have done can be a difficult journey. Since I have not read your story, I dare not make any comments at this time. Keep reading and studying your situation looking for answers. Best Wishes Larry "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
LarryS Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 As stated in my most recent post, I have been suffering from stress and lack of sleep since October 2023. In preparation to go see my current primary care doctor I summarized and calculated an average of my sleep hours derived from notes I have been recording about my sleep. The sleep hours are only from nighttime hours in bed and do not include nap time hours during the day. The sleep hours are also restricted to the first time that I wake up during the night. I generally go back to bed and try and get more sleep, but I generally do not fall back to sleep and get back up with less than an hour of additional time in bed with my CPAP machine on. The average sleep hours are for a 14-day period from January 14 through January 27, 2024. My average hours of sleep per night was 4.83 hours. I believe that sleep has become more difficult due to my mind starting to think about all the responsibilities I have taking care of my wife with dementia and trying to keep up with everything going on. The general fatigue has progressed to EXTREEM FATIGUE. The good thing about EXTREEM FATIGUE is that it has driven me to make some decisions that I have been kicking down the road. Yesterday I hired professional in-home care for my wife starting at 16 hours per week: 4 hours on Monday, 8 hours on Wednesday and 4 hours on Friday. I will also initiate a claim with wife's long term care insurance company. They denied us last time. Her neurologist says he will support me in getting the insurance up and running. I do not see how they will be able to deny us this time. I'm determined to fight them if necessary. I have read a lot of reviews by others who have found the insurance company very difficult to work with. Regarding the primary care physician visit, all he had to offer was Trazodone. Initially I told him I had taken it before and was not interested. But he kept talking and I in desperation finally said OK give it to me. I took the 50 mg tab the night I received the prescription. It did nothing for me. I'm not surprised. And then I said to myself, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? That is why I have come back to SurvivingAntidepressants.org today, to help me get my thinking straight about nasty Trazodone. I took it that one night, and no more. I know better than to get hooked on Trazodone. Thanks again SurvivingAntidepressants.org. 2 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
bluemojav Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I’m about six months off of Effexor and just found your story on here— I couldn’t imagine dealing with protracted withdrawals on top of being a caretaker and unable to sleep. It seems so hard to deal with any type of stress after getting off that drug, I’m only tasked with working a dinky little hourly wage job and sometimes it feels like the stress puts me back at square one of recovery. I hope sleep comes easier for you soon. Take care of yourself! Medication History: Prozac: January 2020-August 2020 Zoloft: August 2020-October 2020 Mirtazapine: October 2020-November 2020 Risperidone: October 2020-May 2021 Effexor XR: November 2020-July 2023 - Highest dose of 225mg. Began tapering in June of 2022. Last dose on July 17th, 2023. Supplements: Generic Men’s Multivitamin; Probiotic; 250mg Magnesium 2x daily; Omega 3/6/9 vitamins Introduction Post Link to comment
LarryS Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 @bluemojav Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the well wishes. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
Carmel5 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Hi Larry. I take adrenal support supplements to help with morning cortisol spikes. My naturopath suggested this for me and I believe it works. One natural doctor suggested taking it at night and another in the morning but i take it in the morning. It's called Adr PX. Also are you taking magnesium glycinate 2 tablets an hour before bed? It really does help with sleep and day time anxiety. I'm now one month off effexor and sleeping 6ish hours and some nights more. Best wishes to you know your healing journey. 2023 - July - 4 beads or 1.6 mg, tapering 1 bead per month since 13 beads, will be done on October 31, 2023 2022 - 15 beads or 5.5 mg of Effexor, tapering 10 percent, doing 2 beads per month at the moment. Held 4 months due to increase in anxiety. 2018 - Effexor taper - 10% - 47 mg 2017 - Tapered off Trazadone with THC oil 2016 - Suicidal ideation returned Effexor up to 225 mg, trazadone 150 mg, Lorazepam prn, 2015 - June - Reintroduced Effexor after CNS crash due too fast a taper, off work for 3 months. Addition of Lorazepam, Trazodone and Zoplicone. Zoplicone used for 3 months only 2014 - Fast taper off Effexor 2012 - 6 month taper off Effexor, CNS destabilized, back on Effexor in May, off work for 3 months 2006 - February - Taper off Effexor again by April 2006 return on effexor 150 - 225 mg 2001- January wanting to get pregnant, tapered on my own by August Remeron 30 mg was tried, September back on effexor 150 mg 1999 - Effexor maintenance dose of 150 mg, by October I wanted to switch to Celexa 20- 40 mg, not working suicidal ideation return to effexor 1996 - 1998 Zoloft (not effective), Luvox (not effective) Elavil (not effective), Serzone (taken off market but worked), Paxil (worked for 1.5 years and pooped out) OD on Xanax, Risperdal gave me a seizure Link to comment
LarryS Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 @Carmel5 Thanks for the tip regarding ADR PX I take total 165 mg Magnesium Glycinate Liquide, half at breakfast and half at dinner. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
LarryS Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 I have not posted much of anything on my “LarryS” blog because I have been quite busy taking care of my wife who has dementia. My wife started mentioning her poor memory to her primary care physician in early 2018. My wife’s first visit with a doctor of Neurology for memory issues was in October 2019. My wife was put on fluoxetine in September 2018 for anxiety. I started another blog June 2023 called “CaringHusband” which documents my helping my wife wean off Fluoxetine. It will document our journey together as I help her wean off Fluoxetine and how dementia impacts our lives. The link to the introduction of “CaringHusband” is shown below. CaringHusband: Tapering from 20 mg Fluoxetine (Prozac) - Introductions and updates - Surviving Antidepressants If someone posts to either blog, I do get notified weekly of these occurrences. I will do what I can to answer. Posting, of necessity, has been a lower priority for me. Care giving has been the highest priority. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 See LarryS Health History https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976 Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg. Other Pharmaceuticals per day: Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg Vitamins per day: C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019 49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019; 37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023 Link to comment
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