nesnes: tapering venlafaxine

[nesnes]

Hello everyone, 

I've been taking and tried many ADs for 20 years. I've also tried to stop them many times,but I couldn't. I started to take Sulinex xr 75 mg(generic for effexor) in 2015. But it has lots of side effects:dry mouth, panic attacks during the night, can't fall asleep,drinking too much water,no appettite,weakness,ringing in my ears. In 2017 mg doctor updosed it to 150 mg. From january 2018 to june 2018 I reduced my dose to 37,5 mg. it. From june 2018 to mid may 2020 I took 37,5 mg. In mid may I started to taper from 37,5 mg. In july 2020 I completely stopped taking the drug. I felt great for 2 weeks,but in the 3 rd week of July wd symptoms started. I went to a pychiatrist on the 5 th of October and he prescribed me duxet 50 mg (duloxetine),sulinex xr 37,5 mg(venlafaxine),lamictal 50 mg,desyrel 50 mg and ativan. I took them for a month,but wd symptoms got worse. Then I stopped them (except venlafaxine)cold turkey in the first week of November. I just take sulinex xr 37.5 mg. It seems I have stabilized since then. But I still feel anxious and restless, can't fall asleep easily,dry mouth, feeling thirsty all the time, no appettite,pressure in my head,ringing in my ears. I don't know whether these effects are wd symptoms or side effects of sulinex. I want to start tapering. Do you think it is the right time to taper? I take sulinex xr which is generic for effexor xr

Edited January 3, 2021 by Shep
added username to title

[Shep]

Hi, Nesnes.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

Here is some information on tapering and withdrawal to get you started: 

 

Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain

 

Healing from antidepressants. Patterns of recovery video (4 minutes)

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

On 1/2/2021 at 12:01 PM, nesnes said:

Then I stopped them (except venlafaxine)cold turkey in the first week of November. I just take sulinex xr 37.5 mg. It seems I have stabilized since then. But I still feel anxious and restless, can't fall asleep easily,dry mouth, feeling thirsty all the time, no appettite,pressure in my head,ringing in my ears. I don't know whether these effects are wd symptoms or side effects of sulinex. I want to start tapering. Do you think it is the right time to taper? I take sulinex xr which is generic for effexor xr

 

I'm glad you're seeing some signs of stabilizing. Which symptoms got better? 

[nesnes]

Hello Shep,

Thank you for your kind reply. I don't have any panic attacks any more. I 've returned my my daily life. I can work and do daily chores. 2 months ago while taking 4 drugs it was the worst days of my life. I couldn't walk, eat,open my eyes,speak. I couldn't even understand where I was. It was like a convulsion or serotonin syndrome. I din't understand what happened to me. ( this had happened to me 3 times before when my doctor changed my drugs or updosed them.) Now I don't have them. Now I sometimes feel restless and anxious. I get thirsty a lot. I need to drink too much water. I can't fall asleep easily. When I go to bed to sleep, I have ringing in my ears. My feet get very cold. These symptoms worsen especially 2 or 3 days before my period.

[Shep]

You really sound like you're stabilizing, nesnes. 

 

These threads may help with the remaining symptoms:

 

Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

Tinnitus: What does all that noise mean?

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements, as many members report their nervous systems are simply too fragile to handle them. However, magnesium and fish oil tend to be calming to the nervous system and many people report they do help. Please only add in one supplement at a time and at a small dose. For more, please see:

 

 King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

[nesnes]

Hello Shep,

Thank you for your kind reply. I don't have any panic attacks any more. I 've returned my my daily life. I can work and do daily chores. 2 months ago while taking 4 drugs it was the worst days of my life. I couldn't walk, eat,open my eyes,speak. I couldn't even understand where I was. It was like a convulsion or serotonin syndrome. I din't understand what happened to me. ( this had happened to me 3 times before when my doctor changed my drugs or updosed them.) Now I don't have them. Now I sometimes feel restless and anxious. I get thirsty a lot. I need to drink too much water. I can't fall asleep easily. When I go to bed to sleep, I have ringing in my ears. My feet get very cold. These symptoms worsen especially 2 or 3 days before my period.

[nesnes]

Thank you for your reply and support Shep. I will try fish oil. I have one more question. When do you think is the right time to start tapering again? Effexor is the worst drug I have ever had. It gives me lots of side effects.

 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

I can’t believe ur doctor put u in all these meds last October! He is a horrible doctor!! You did urself a great favour when u stopped this cocktails of drugs.  Happy for u that u stabilized just taking Effexor. Take care

[nesnes]

Hi JesusSavemefromWD,

I think you re right. I don't understand why he put me on a lot of drugs. I thought I was going insane at first, but then I realized that it was just about drugs. I stopped them cold turkey. I am stabilizing I think. I just take generic Effexor 37,5 mg, but I want to stop taking it too as soon as possible. It gives me lots of side effects. 

Thank you for your support. Take care of yourself.

[JesusSavemefromWD]

Well I know psychiatrists who claim that these drugs are so mild , like vitamin for the brain!! I guess he thought he was prescribing a multivitamin!!! So stupid!! Again u have no idea how much trouble u saved yourself from. I am sure with the guidance from this site u ll be able to quit Effexor as well, very very slowly

[Altostrata]

Hello, @nesnes. What time of day do you take 37.5mg venlafaxine?

[nesnes]

Hello Altostrata, 

I take it around 11 am.

[nesnes]

Hello JesusSavemefromWD,

You're so right. They really believe these drugs are multivitamins. But I don't understand how bilind they are not to see the fact that these drugs make us ill and they say it is our disease getting worse and add more drugs. Why do they do these? I really don't understand. As I read here, I think they are the same all around the world. I am really angry about this. 

Thank you for your words and encouragement. Lots of love.

[nesnes]

Hello everyone 

I need your help and suggestions. I started my tapering on 16 january. I tapered 5% from 37.5 venlafaxine. For the first two weeks I was doing ok. Then I started to have some physical and pysychological problems. It has got worse since monday. I can't eat,walk,speak,sleep,open my eyes and even breathe. Life has just stopped for me. I have heart palpilations,panic attacks and fatigue. I just lie down closing my eyes and waiting it to stop if I can.It is like a torture. I think I am going crazy. I take ativan these times to calm down. My mom urges me to see my psychiatrist,but I refuse. I know it won't help me at all. I am sure it is these drugs that have put me into this horrible situations. 

 

 

[ShiningLight]

How are you doing now?

[nesnes]

Hi ShiningLight

Thank you for asking. I m doing Ok I think. I m having some windows and waves. I think it is good to have them. I was taking generic venlafaxine, but in the beginning of January I sarted to take effexor to taper beads. I ve been tapering effexor (37,5) very slowly since mid January. Now I ve been taking 34,743 mg effexor for 6 weeks. I'm just waiting because I ve got a cold and a sore throat. When I get well,I want to start tapering by 1,25% or 2,5%. I also take 1,5 mg melatonin at 22,30 and 0,5 mg ativan at 23.00. I take 100 mg magnesium everyday. I want to give my thanks to everybody on this site. I can't express how grateful I m to you. You re doing a great job. If I hadn't found this site, I would be still going to psychiatrists to find out what's wrong with me and still be feeling miserable. Lots of love.

my drug schedule:

34,743 mg effexor at 10 in the morning

1,5 mg melatonin at 22.30 

0,5 mg ativan at 23.00

100 mg magnesium 

[ShiningLight]

Glad you're feeling better than you were. Good decision to not taper until you are feeling physically better.

 

Yes, this is an amazing site @Altostrata with a lot of wonderful people here.

[nesnes]

Hi everbody, @Altostrata, and @Shep

I desperately need your suggestions.

I have been going through hell for 8 days. I had really bad tremors,panic attacks,convulsions. I just lie,take ativan and mourn.I couldn't even breathe and talk. I also think I ve caught Covid even if the test has showed negative. Mom forced me to go to a psychiatrist today.She thinks it is our only option. The doctor prescribed me citolex (essitolapram) and olfrex (zyprexa)and ativan. I don't want to take them at all. I know they will definitely make me worse. I hate them. I have been tapering for 9 months. I think I have come a long way. But now I don't know what to do. I take 34,75 mg effexor in the morning and 0,5 mg ativan before bed. What should I do? I last tapered effexor 2 months ago by 2,5%.Should I start my tapering or wait until I get better?  Your answers are really appreciated. Thank you.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @nesnes

 

What times (o'clock) do you take each of your drugs, with their dosages? You started taking Ativan last October, is that correct? Have you been taking it continuously since then? How often have you been taking Ativan over the last 2 weeks?

[nesnes]

Hello @Altostrata

I take 34,7 mg effexor at 10 a.m and 0,5 mg ativan at 11 pm. I started taking ativan in 2017. I used to take it when I felt panic. I have been taking it continuously since March for sleep. I don't know precisely how often I've been taking it,but I guess maximum 3 times a day for 9 days. Thank you.

[Altostrata]

13 hours ago, nesnes said:

I have been taking it continuously since March for sleep. I don't know precisely how often I've been taking it,but I guess maximum 3 times a day for 9 days.

 

It's very possible the symptoms you reported are adverse effects from the Ativan. It's also possible that your sleep difficulties are caused by the venlafaxine. 

 

You will need to track your Ativan use and symptoms before and after you take your drugs. Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. We need to know how you feel before and after taking each drug, and your symptoms in between. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right. This can show if your symptoms are adverse effects from one of your drugs.

[nesnes]

Hi @Altostrata

21st August

9 a.m: woke up/ not feeling good/had breakfast but no appettite 

10 a.m:took 34,7 mg effexor 

10.30:stomach is upset/ nausea/ sweating/tension in the body/ breathless/nervous

13.00:had lunch

13.30 p.m:getting worse,panic attack 

 14-14.30: fell asleep

16 p.m: started to feel better

18.30:nervous, anxious,panic attack

19.00: 50 mg magnesium 

20.00:had dinler,feeling better

21.30:nervous,anxious

22:15: 1,5 mg melatonin 

22:40: feeling worse,panic attack,sweating

23:00:0.5 mg ativan 

23:30:slept

1.30 a.m:woke up,better,watched tv

3 a.m: worse,panic,breathless, couldn't sit still, walked around (aka?)

4.30: slept

6.30: woke up with anxiety, panic attack 

9.00: ativan 1 mg

10.00: feeling better

How many days should I write about? Thank you so much for your support.