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alouette: struggling profoundly with venlafaxine withdrawal


alouette

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In August of 2022, I realized that I had been on various antidepressants since I was 20 years old or so (I had just turned 28). I was obviously a much different person back then; I decided it would be beneficial to come off the medication to see what my new baseline would be like. I was also having increased side effects like little to no appetite and fast heart rate and knew that I couldn't keep taking Effexor forever, so it seemed as good a time as any to stop. Tapering down from 300mg to 75mg had almost no effect on me except for some mild physical symptoms, so in October, I stopped taking it completely.

 

I had all the typical withdrawal symptoms--flu-like symptoms, brain zaps, anxiety, shakiness and instability, and mood swings--but those I was prepared for, and most of them cleared up after a week or two. Since then, however, I've been in a new hell every day. I have racing, repetitive thoughts and am unable to focus at all, feel numb and disconnected from everything and everyone around me, get very little enjoyment out of anything, get random, uncontrollable bursts of anger, and am generally unable to see a way forward in life for myself. I've even had serious suicidal thoughts, which I've never had before in my adult life. I'm under a lot of stress right now at work and undergoing a lot of life changes and I'm barely holding it together. It feels like every day I lose a little bit more functionality; it's getting worse, not better, and I don't know what to do.

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi @alouette

 

Welcome to SA. I’m so sorry that you’re going through such severe withdrawals. Coming on and off so many meds, like you have, can certainly destabilise your brain. I have been on a myriad of meds too, I can’t even remember all the names and now I am super sensitive to every little change. I’m grateful I found this site. 
 

If you’ve had a chance to read any of this site, you’ll know that cold turkeying is not a good idea and we should never taper by more than 10% a month. I’m only able to taper by about 1.5% every month and a half or so at the moment. I’m glad that the first big drop from 300mg to 75mg didn’t affect you too much at the time, but big drops can actually catch up with you down the road. Plus cold turkeying a month later would have put you in this wave that you’re in now. 
 

It’s been a number of months now since you cold turkeyed. One thing that might help a little is to do a small reinstatement of the Effexor, you’d have to make that decision yourself though. No one knows if it will work or not, occasionally it can make the symptoms worse, but a lot of people have found it’s helped them. You wouldn’t go back up to your last dose though as it would be way too high now. There is a whole thread entitled:  “ About reinstating and stabilising to reduce withdrawal symptoms.” It’s in the Symptoms and Self Care section if you want to check it out. 
 

I’ll ask the others what dose would be best if you do decide to reinstate, it would be much smaller. The further away from the time you cold turkey something, the less likely reinstatement will work, so it’s better to do it sooner rather than later if that’s your choice. 
 

Wishing you all the best💛

 

Seroquel. 2019:➡️ From 7.25mg to 5.80mg. 2020➡️5.60 to 4.80. 2021➡️4.60 to 4.0.  2022➡️3.95 to 3.55. 2023➡️ From 3.50 to 3.25.  2024➡️Jan15=3.20✔️ Feb19=3.15✔️ March26=3.10✔️May1=3.0✔️ June7=3mg✔️ July 15= 2.95✔️ This is NOT medical advice.Consult your doctor.

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Thank you for your insight. I read through the thread you mentioned. I know that you're probably right, but I still feel so resistant to going back on Effexor. My (clearly flawed) thinking while I was tapering quickly was that I didn't want to prolong the experience any more than I had to, and in some capacity, I still feel that way. "The only way out is through" and all of that. 

 

It would be helpful to know what dose others have reinstated on. As far as I know, the lowest dose Effexor comes in is 37.5, half of my last dose.

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Administrator

Welcome, @alouette

 

It sounds like you have protracted withdrawal from Effexor. Were you taking brand-name Effexor XR, in capsules containing tiny beads?

 

Why are you taking trazodone? What effect does it have on you?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • Mentor

Welcome, glad you're here and figuring out some ways to help yourself heal!

 

14 hours ago, alouette said:

I've even had serious suicidal thoughts, which I've never had before in my adult life.

 

The one time I really felt I was a danger to myself was after cold turkeying Effexor. I was also on 75mg, and doctors love to say, "You can just stop taking that," so I tried that. It was really, really bad. If you start to get super serious suicidal thinking (having a plan of how you'd do it, taking steps on that plan, etc), please seek help before taking actions and keep yourself safe. ❤️

Pronouns: they/them/theirs 

Started on Prozac in early 2000s to treat cPTSD, been on various cocktails ever since.

2002-2004, 2017-2022: Buspar, tapered down to 0

2016-present: 100mg Seroquel for sleep -> May 2023: 90mg -> June 2023: 81mg -> September 2023: 72mg -> switched to brand name, much too strong, down to 60mg -> October 2023: 54mg -> November 2023: 50mg -> January 2024: 45mg -> April 2024: 40.5mg -> May 2024: 41mg -> June 2024: 35mg -> July 2024: 31mg -> August 2024: 28mg -> September 2024: 25mg

2016-Present: 100mg Wellbutrin SR -> January 2023: 75mg IR (37.5mg 2x a day, a mistake, don't replicate) -> February 2023 (33.75mg 2x a day) -> July 2023 (30.37mg 2x a day) -> August 2023: 25mg 2x a day -> October 2024: 22mg 2x a day

2018-present: 25mg Pristiq

2015-present: 600mg Gabapentin (200mg 3x a day) -> December 2022: 300mg Gabapentin (100mg 3x a day) per GP's recommendation after side effects -> March 2023: 90mg 3x a day (switched to liquid suspension) -> April 2023: 81mg 3x a day -> September 2023: bad generic, switched back to homemade liquid; too strong after bad generic, down to 70mg 3x a day, still bad. Adjusted slowly till at 60mg 3x a day, much better. Long hold till -> December 2023: 54mg, still feels too high after November Seroquel switch from brand name to generic, doc recommended 50mg which feels better -> January 2024: When Wellbutrin went down, Gabapentin started putting me to sleep, went down to 45mg, then 41mg to stay awake, so far so good -> February 2024: 36mg, still too high, 34mg -> March 2024: 31mg, STILL too high, 30mg down to 25mg

Supplements: Multivitamin w/magnesium, probiotics, digestive enzymes, anti-viral nitric oxide nose spray as needed

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Good morning from Australia  @alouette

 

How are you doing today? Just wanted to say this site can be a great way to find encouragement from others that are going through the same thing as you are. Feel free to go on other people’s threads and ask them questions about their journey with meds. You can search for others that have been on Effexor too, like littlebird, who just commented on your thread. Yes, please stay safe as she said. 
 

Not wanting to prolong the experience of these meds anymore than need be can certainly get us into trouble. The thing is, as you now know, it’s not a quick solution to cold turkey as we may end up with protracted withdrawal. Alto had protracted withdrawal and that’s why she started this site, to help others to learn how to taper properly. I see she’s asked you a few questions. 
 

Again, I’m so sorry you’re in this predicament. I’m tapering slowly now, but in the past I was put on and off so much stuff. I had such severe Akathisia, it was the most horrific experience of my life, and I can still get it if I taper too quick. It all started because of chronic pain. 
 

Please keep us updated as to how you’re going💛

Seroquel. 2019:➡️ From 7.25mg to 5.80mg. 2020➡️5.60 to 4.80. 2021➡️4.60 to 4.0.  2022➡️3.95 to 3.55. 2023➡️ From 3.50 to 3.25.  2024➡️Jan15=3.20✔️ Feb19=3.15✔️ March26=3.10✔️May1=3.0✔️ June7=3mg✔️ July 15= 2.95✔️ This is NOT medical advice.Consult your doctor.

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5 hours ago, alouette said:

but I still feel so resistant to going back on Effexor. My (clearly flawed) thinking while I was tapering quickly was that I didn't want to prolong the experience any more than I had to, and in some capacity, I still feel that way. "The only way out is through" and all of that. 

Oh yeah, I hear you.  Everytime I went too far in tapering Effexor or accidently CT by running out of pills, I thought I could probably just ride it out and endure the side effects till they got better.  Lost every time.  There are more difficult ADs to get off of, but I don't know what they are.   I've found WD to affect my thinking as well, I'm often just not very reasonable.   

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

FINISHED 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//can't remember the rest but jumped to zero Sept 5, 2023

CURRENT TAPER:  Finasteride

 

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4 hours ago, Altostrata said:

It sounds like you have protracted withdrawal from Effexor. Were you taking brand-name Effexor XR, in capsules containing tiny beads?

 

Why are you taking trazodone? What effect does it have on you?

I was, yes. I've heard about people breaking the capsules and taking the beads individually, but I didn't think that was necessary at the time...I guess that's likely where I'm headed if I decide to reinstate. 

 

Originally, I was taking trazodone for sleep. I don't remember when I was prescribed it now, but I suspect that it was sometime in my early 20s after I had undergone a lot of traumatic events one after the other and was really struggling in college. It still works as advertised and I don't have any negative side effects, but now I'm dependent on it (which I'm almost certain they told me I wouldn't be, but here we are). I ran out briefly a while back due to some insurance bullsh*t and had some bad anxiety as well as not being able to sleep.

 

Thank you, littlebird and Carmie. It's been helpful just to read yours and other people's accounts of having new or increased suicidal thoughts and realize that it isn't something that's necessarily coming from me.

 

41 minutes ago, j1290 said:

I've found WD to affect my thinking as well, I'm often just not very reasonable.   

 

I've found this as well. I feel like I've lost some of my ability to think things through rationally, partially because I'm not able to follow a thought through to its natural conclusion because I get distracted so easily.

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Administrator

When was it that you ran out of trazodone?

 

Reinstating a low dose is the only way we know of to reverse withdrawal symptoms. If you don't want to try that, you'll have to cope with withdrawal symptoms until they very gradually go away.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I ran out earlier in February and was probably completely out for about 4-5 days before I could get it refilled on the 17th. I'm taking it again now. 

 

What dosage/how many little beads have others gone back on after withdrawal, if that's information you all can comfortably share? I'm thinking about it but am not entirely sure what I'm going to do just yet.

 

 

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Administrator

How did your symptoms change when you were unable to take trazodone in early February? Have these new symptoms completely reversed? 

 

What are your most prominent current symptoms?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I would say that they got worse...I had a lot of anxiety, especially at night, and could only sleep for about 30 minutes at a time. I would say everything else increased in intensity as well, but I couldn't say if that was from not taking trazodone or just from being so sleep-deprived. I would say that it was the worse period of my withdrawal so far, but again, that might just be because I had at least been sleeping before.

 

I wouldn't say that it's completely reversed, but it's closer now to what it was before I ran out of trazodone. My most prominent symptoms right now are that feeling of being disconnected/separated from everything, inability to focus, and racing, ruminating thoughts. 

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Administrator

Skipping doses of a psychiatric drug can indeed add more withdrawal symptoms to existing withdrawal symptoms. That gap in trazodone might have set you back a lot.

 

Prior to the gap in trazodone, what were your most prominent symptoms?

 

6 hours ago, alouette said:

My most prominent symptoms right now are that feeling of being disconnected/separated from everything, inability to focus, and racing, ruminating thoughts. 

 

What is your sleep pattern? Do you feel better or worse at any particular times of day? Do the racing thoughts occur at any particular times of day?

 

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I would say that my symptoms have been pretty consistently the same since I stopped Effexor, though the mood swings/random bursts of rage were worse when I first stopped and have since gotten less frequent. I usually get at least seven hours of sleep, more like eight or nine...the hours I keep vary a bit because my work schedule isn't always consistent. I would say that it's pretty much evenly spread throughout the day, maybe a little worse in the evening...

2015 - Zoloft
2016 - Prozac
2016 - Effexor and Abilify, stopped taking Abilify at some point (I don't remember when)
August 2022 - tapered from Effexor 225 to Effexor 150, also taking trazodone 100mg
September 2022  - tapered from Effexor 150 to 75
October 22, 2022 - stopped taking Effexor completely, only taking trazodone 100mg

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  • Administrator

At least you're getting some sleep. What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages?

 

What we've seen here is that when people take antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs for years, as you have, they often experience an emotional anesthesia after they go off. This is an unmasked effect of long-term psychiatric psychotropics. This very gradually fades, along with protracted withdrawal syndrome.

 

However, you're still taking a healthy dose of trazodone, and that may also have a dulling effect.

 

You went off Effexor only 5 months ago. Except for the bout of additional withdrawal symptoms when you skipped trazodone, it sounds like your withdrawal symptoms are very gradually going away. This can take many months. See 

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Are We There Yet? How Long is Withdrawal Going to Take?

 

"Is it always going to be like this?"

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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