Christian999: Effexor reduction story - success and failure

[Christian999]

I would like to share my experience with Effexor XR and my attempts to wean myself off it.  I have been a consistent user of the medication (150 mg daily) for 22 years.  Before I begin with my tapering history, however, let me say this--unlike many people out there in internet land I am NOT an opponent of taking this medication.  I began taking it when I was 30 years old after trial and error with many other antidepressants and found that I tolerated it better than anything else (Paxil, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Zoloft, etc.).  At that period of my life I had many stressors that had me in a state where suicide, although not something I actually tried, was something I fantasized about.  Effexor stopped all that.  So I am very grateful that such a wonderful medication was available to me.  It probably saved my life.

 

So then why am I a member of this community talking about weaning off a medication that is so wonderful?  Well, as we all know everything comes at a price.  For me it is my libido.  While not as severe as Prozac (which completely killed it), Effexor seems to make sexual ability a challenge.  While I was married this was not a problem, as my wife understood and we worked within my limitations.  But after my divorce and I started dating again, my inability to "perform" caused huge problems.  Ironically, it has caused severe anxiety for me.  That is why I have attempted to taper off Effexor.

 

Let me now talk about my many past attempts to reduce or halt the use of Effexor.  At least 5-6 attempts and all failures.  My first attempt was a doctor suggested schedule of reducing by 37.5 mg per week until finished (4 weeks total).  That doctor and any other doctor that supports that timeline should have their license revoked.  Given the amount of time I had been taking Effexor (10 years then) it was very apparent that my brain had become dependent on it.  Flu symptoms, brain zaps, and worst of all debilitating depression (to the point that I actually felt that I was in a dark hole of negativity).  Once I was back up to 150 mg all was fine.  A few years later I tried doing it myself.  I opened the capsule and noticed the little beads and thought "What if I just took one out every day until I'm down to zero".  That seemed reasonable, and at first it was fine.  Until I was down to about 75 mg (I say about because I was eyeing it and it looked about half.  Not a great way to do it).  Then I noticed the same withdrawal symptoms I had experienced a few years prior, albeit to a lesser degree.  Remembering how awful my last experience was, I immediately stopped the taper and went back up to 150 mg within a few days.

 

Now fast forward 10 more years and 3-4 more failed attempts.  I am currently in the midst of my 7th taper and by all accounts it's going great.  What's the difference?  I am giving myself much more time to complete the goal.  My past attempts all had the goal of cessation within six months.  This time I am giving myself as much time as it takes.  And more importantly I am using a more scientific and accurate method of taper, which I will now outline.

 

When I started the taper about three months ago I used much of the same technique I had used previously.  Take out one bead per day.  But this time I stopped after ten days and let my brain get used to that level for a while.  That is very important.  You don't want to wait until you start feeling withdrawal symptoms before making that decision, as it may be too late then.  I had to remind myself that, if this is going to work, it will take a long time.  A few years maybe.  If I had done it this way the first time I would have most likely been Effexor free for 12 years.  So I let my system get accustomed to this new level of reduced Effexor before reducing further.  

 

The next few weeks had me taking a bead out every other day until I was removing 20 beads per capsule, at which point I again stopped the reduction.  It was at this point that I started to notice very slight withdrawal symptoms.  A slight brain zap here and there.  Maybe a sniffle that seemed to come out of nowhere.  But I didn't panic.  Nor did I give up.  What I did was stop and pay very close attention to my body and brain, and what I noticed was that these symptoms went away after a while and never returned.  That was a great sign.  So I continued the taper but at an even less aggressive rate.

 

A few months later I found myself counting out 35 beads from each capsule and it was starting to get on my nerves having to count all of these.  Not to mention the fact that every once in a while a few would fall on the floor and I would have to guess how many were removed.  But what I noticed most of all was the fact that the beads where not uniform in size.  Some were quite large while others you could barely see.  So it became very apparent that "counting" was not guaranteed to be consistent.  Then I got the bright idea to get a digital scale--something I should have done from the beginning.  It has made the process much easier and more accurate.  But I still was not doing it correctly, as I found out just a few hours ago.  Judging from many posts on this and other websites, the total weight of the capsule contents can vary significantly.  So by using the "subtraction method", what is left will vary significantly from day to day.  I will now use the additive method which weighs the amount of Effexor that I will actually take, and THAT I have control over.

 

Let me now say that I am at a level of taking 351 mg of pellets/beads out of roughly 450 total weight (as the medication is posted as 150 mg I assume the other 300 mg is inactive "filler").  I feel great and my sexual performance has already greatly improved.  But I need to make one last comment/observation.  I am preparing myself for the possibility that I cannot taper off completely.  Not because of any withdrawal but it just may be that, to live a normal life, I need this medication (hopefully at a minimal dosage).  When I began taking 150 mg 22 years ago my life was a mess.  Now I'm in a much better place and my hope is that my Effexor free brain can handle life.  That is another reason I am giving myself a few years.  Most people can live their lives for a few months without experiencing any events that push them to the edge of severe depression.  But so far I have not gone two years in recent memory without such an event.  So I am using this period to see whether I can deal with these on a lower or even zero dosage.  But I have to be prepared for the possibility that my brain simply cannot.  And that is the one thing I want anyone that is reading this to take away.  Be honest with yourself.  If you have feelings like those you felt before Effexor, stop tapering immediately and tell your doctor.  The side effects of this medication may suck but NOTHING is worse than depression.

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by ChessieCat
topic moved from Success Story forum

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Christian999

 

Good to hear your Effexor taper is going well. You've probably already seen Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)
 

Please let us know how you're doing.

 

It's up to you whether you want to take any amount of Effexor or other antidepressant. Theoretically, the only people who should take an antidepressant for the rest of their lives are those with the very most severe disabling depression to begin with. The drugs do not fix anybody's brain. Life, of course, has its ups and downs -- as you know, an antidepressant does not protect you from that. But sometimes belief that it does is sufficient.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

[ChessieCat]

My aim when I first came to SA was to reduce my Pristiq so that I wasn't experiencing mild serotonin toxicity.

 

After learning many things from this site and my taper from the higher doses going really well I decided to reduce as far as I could go, thinking that I would stay on a low dose for the rest of my life.  But I kept going and I have now been off successfully for 7 months.