AndrewDN: venlafaxine withdrawal

[AndrewDN]

Hello there,My name’s Andrew and I started with depression and anxiety in 1985 when I was 13yo and for some time under the care of paediatric psychiatry.After years of trying various meds the SSRI’s appeared and to cut a long story short I ended up on Sertraline,which I stayed on for about 24years(yes, I know it was a long time,but it worked quite well and it saw me through some very bad times).All of a sudden it stopped working,so my GP gave me Escitalopram,which stopped working after 5months,so Venlafaxine was tried upping it to 150mg S/R-This stopped working after 6months.After discussion with my Dr it was proposed that I might have antidepressant tachyphylaxis(?) and maybe I’ve stopped naturally producing enough Serotonin after years of SSRI use and coming off them completely might be a good idea,at least for a while.I started to lower Effexor in May and actually improved,this continued as I lowered the dose,I got down from immediate release 37.5mg one and half tab twice a day to a quarter tab twice a day by end of July.I seemed to be doing ok,but after several really stressful incidents a fortnight ago I sort of tipped over the edge and feel pretty bad at the moment.My Dr has upped Venlafaxine back to half a tab twice day and Trazodone nightly. I wake up early and can’t settle,I feel exhausted and generally ill,low mood,trembly(even though I’m not),lightheaded and diarrhoea.From reading some of the advice on here maybe I’ve done it too quickly,but I did feel fine doing it,until now.Sorry for long post,but needed to say it.I’m trying to ride it out,but for how long?

[Frogie]

@AndrewDN

 

Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping people taper off psychiatric medications or have tapered off and are now healing.

 

This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that you only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place.

 

First can you please create a signature.

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

 

At this point, because you have made so many changes in a short period of time, I would hold on the dose you are taking now until you reach stability. Then you could do a gentle 10% month taper or smaller. We don't suggest more than that a month as your central nervous system (CNS) can become unstable, which sounds like what is happening to you.

 

 

I'm going to provide you with some links to read that you will find useful in this journey:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

What to Do for Nausea, Queasiness

 

Digestive Problems

Withdrawal Normal Description

 

 Waves and Windows in SSRI Withdrawal

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

 

 

 

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications:

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

 

 

We don't suggest supplements on here except 2 because they can be very stimulating. If you would like to try one that we suggest try a small amount and wait a few days before introducing the other.

 

 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

 

When you have read the links provided please reach out with any questions you may have.

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Frogie