KarinRJ: Tapering off Effexor

[KarinRJ]

Hi All

 

I am busy tapering off 75mg Effexor after having a mental break down in 2022 being taken off cold turkey to switch to Trintellix. Almost two years later and a ton of different medications to try and pull me put of the raging anxiety that ensued 4 month after the CT, I finally ended up on 150mg of Effexor again. Have been stable since August 2022 at this dose. Since January 2023 I dropped down to 75mg and started 10% reduction beginning May. Currently on 67.5mg using a digital scale and weighing the beads. Will hold here for 6 weeks as I am feeling low motivation, some morning anxiety and lots of headaches since this first drop. (Drops from 150 to 75mg were easy). Is it normal to feel more withdrawal the lower you go in dose? Have been on this drop for about 4 weeks and my mood and motivation are all over the place, some days are good but most I struggle to get out of bed and do my work. It is kind of a flat feeling, almost depressed but not quite yet. Also getting some odd dizzy spell that are not brain zaps (am very familiar with these). Headaches are almost daily with some breaks. Nice to meet you all!

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @KarinRJ

 

Sorry to hear of these difficulties. Since you're feeling withdrawal symptoms now, you are wise to take a vacation from tapering and let your nervous system settle down, resuming dosage reductions only after withdrawal symptoms have completely gone away.

 

Yes, it is absolutely normal for tapering to become more difficult as you go lower in dosage. This topic explains why Why taper? SERT transporter occupancy studies show importance of gradual change in plasma concentration

 

FYI Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

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

[KarinRJ]

Thank you for the reply

 

I will hold as long as I have to, will never risk going back to where I was early 2022. What I also wanted to to know, do people regain their motivation and energy again when they finally get off? It feels like I will have this forever...

[Altostrata]

You were on antidepressants for many years? Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature 

[KarinRJ]

I was on Effexor for 9 years. I have added my signature, hope it is not too long. It got complicated over the last two years.

[Altostrata]

We have seen people gradually recover. A long history of going on and off psychiatric drugs may causes people to be more vulnerable to withdrawal symptoms while tapering, which means they might find they need to taper more slowly. 

 

When people have long histories of psychiatric drugs, they often experience a post-discontinuation emotional anesthesia that slowly goes away over many months.

[Catina7]

Hello @KarinRJ!  I am trying break free from Effexor too.  I've been holding at my current dose for a long time and plan to resume my taper in Jan 2024.  I've experienced the anxiety and headaches too during my withdrawal.  It's best to go very slow in your titration and let your body adjust to each dose change.  Some things that help me with any headaches are a heating pad and also Aculief headache clips, which you wear on your hand.  I have two of them, one for each hand.  It really does help.  

 

I wish you much success on your tapering journey!

 

Catina 😻

[KarinRJ]

Thanks for the feedback @Catina7. When I was taken off Effexor cold turkey to be switched onto Trintellix, I ended up in two different facilities the first half of 2022 with the worst insomnia (zero sleep for 2 months) and extreme physical anxiety. I coud not function. Shrinks were at a loss as what to treat me with. Reinstatement took 6 months to work. I am SO scared to go back there ever again that I am willing to do the slowest taper ever. My mood is not great at the moment, plus those headaches 😕 but it is manageable. Will keep a close eye on myself...just hope I will stabilise and find motivation and interest in life again...going down in doses seems to cause a wierd flatness/disinterest every single time.

[Catina7]

3 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I am willing to do the slowest taper ever

 

You and me both!  I don't care if it takes me the rest of my life to do a very slow taper LOL!  

[KarinRJ]

@Altostrata good to know that people do find normalcy again. It is my deepest wish to find out who I am without the drugs. I hope I can find the way there with a super slow taper. A part of me is scared because of the times I was hospitalized, doctors never put two and two together but I makes so much sense to me after doing research on it and reading the stories o  this web page! I was damaged by a cold turkey off Effexor and am scared my brain is forever damaged 💔 😢 

[KarinRJ]

@Catina7 it is scary to think going down to 12mg still was able to cause such issues for you, I will take that very much on board and remind myself to GO SLOW. Wish is had never tried Effexor 😕 

[Catina7]

6 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

@Catina7 it is scary to think going down to 12mg still was able to cause such issues for you, I will take that very much on board and remind myself to GO SLOW. Wish is had never tried Effexor 😕 

 

I was only going down 10% a month.  The cumulative effects from that hit me like a ton of bricks.  It was terrifying.  I was going much too fast but didn't realize it until it was too late...ugh.   I've learned SO much of what NOT to do.  I think my next titration will go much better (hopefully lol).  Asking my doctor to go on Effexor has been the #1 biggest mistake of my entire life!  If I only knew then what I know now (sigh)!

[KarinRJ]

@Catina7 I am doing the 10% per current dose. What are you doing instead? I am keen to learn from others!

[Catina7]

2 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

@Catina7 I am doing the 10% per current dose. What are you doing instead? I am keen to learn from others!

 

I'm not currently tapering, but there's lot of info on here about how to do it:  https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forum/14-tapering/

 

Everyone is different in the amount they can reduce.  The key is listening to your body and to not keep tapering until you've reached some stability.

 

When I begin my tapering again next year I'll probably do 5% a month or so...I'm really not sure at this point.  

 

 

[KarinRJ]

So after 4 weeks on 67.5mg I seem to slowly be feeling better. My mood can still drop suddenly but the morning anxiety is lifting ans so are the headaches! I am seeing an upward trend!

[Catina7]

57 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

So after 4 weeks on 67.5mg I seem to slowly be feeling better. My mood can still drop suddenly but the morning anxiety is lifting ans so are the headaches! I am seeing an upward trend!

 

That's great news! 😁

[KarinRJ]

Update: I am now about 2 weeks into 60.5 mg. Mood is a bit low and I had morning anxiety the first ten days but that has lifted a bit now. I find it hard to get up in the morning because I feel low but once I get going I am ok. In about three weeks I will go down another 10 %. I will see how that goes, might have to reduce percentage of drop as I can feel my mood getting worse as I drop. Like anhedonia is raising its ugly head. Is that common the lower one gets? Though I was going to get more emotional not more flat.

[j1290]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:33 PM, KarinRJ said:

Is it normal to feel more withdrawal the lower you go in dose?

Hey Karin!  Just saw your thread and as a former fellow beadcounter I always like to say hello to other people getting off of venlafaxine.  I got off this stuff, and so can you!   I'm not sure of the mg but when I got to below 50 beads or so, I started to have to reduce by just one or two beads per drop, one foot in front of the other and eventually I finished.   Sounds like you're doing great so far!

[KarinRJ]

Ah thanks:) How long did the taper take you? And did the anhedonia go away eventually?

[KarinRJ]

I am also noticing that the more down I go in dosage the more headaches. Normal?

[KarinRJ]

Hi All 

I am now down to 54.5mg and I had a significant uptick in irritability the first 3 days, today was better. Still no improvement with feeling a bit flat and unmotivated but holding steady. I am functioning and able to do my work. Headaches have gotten a little less, not every week anymore but evey two weeks now. I will be holding on each lower dose longer and longer as I fill the leftover effexor into empty capsules and that extends my time on any dose by the amount of days I get extra doses for, so each drop give me more and more extra days. So that will be my strategy forward. Holding longer with each drop. Hopefully my feelings of motivation and energy will return one day. That I have not blunted my emotions permanently:(

[j1290]

30 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I am functioning and able to do my work.

This is what winning looks like in my book.  

 

35 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I had a significant uptick in irritability the first 3 days

Oh yeah, I hear that!   I was in a  real state after each reduction.   

 

36 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

Hopefully my feelings of motivation and energy will return one day. That I have not blunted my emotions permanently:(

Tapering is a real kick in the shins and not the funnest thing to do, so I try and give myself a break for not feeling particularly motivated while doing it.  I'd take months off at a time while tapering Effexor to catch my breath and live life. 

 

I think you might have replied to me but I didn't get a notification.  You have to do an "@" symbol and the username to notify someone.  Like this @KarinRJ.   It took me around 50 cuts to get off effexor, somewhere around 4 years or so.  That last 40 or so beads I could only take out one or two per cut, I just couldn't tolerate any faster.  I was also on 450 mg of Wellbutrin at the time, which I think didn't do me any favors with the taper.  

 

Things seem to be going much more smoothly for you and I'm super happy for that.  Things look like they're coming along!

[KarinRJ]

@j1290 ah thanks foe the kind response. I worry sometimes if I can be without an antidepressant:( Currently feeling very unmotivated and flat. I might function but starting to feel like I am scraping by. Like zero interest beyond what I have to do. I want to live again:( How you doing now you are free of venlafaxine? Has it made a difference in life enjoyment?

[j1290]

2 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I worry sometimes if I can be without an antidepressant:( Currently feeling very unmotivated and flat.

Oh yeah, the eternal question!  After discussing this with my doctor and therapist many times, it all boils down to I want to get the answer to this.  Tapering is super isolating and frankly kinda depressing 🤣  It's not like I'm going to disneyland every day, so why would I be upbeat while I'm doing this?  I try to remember that when I want to judge myself for not feeling my best.  

11 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I might function but starting to feel like I am scraping by.

That's usually me more often than not.  As long as I'm getting by, I'm getting one day closer to freedom.  

 

12 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I want to live again:(

I keep a daily WD checklist, and I can't tell you how many times I've written those words on it.  That desire keeps me going. 

 

13 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

How you doing now you are free of venlafaxine? Has it made a difference in life enjoyment?

Its been such a long time and I'm still taking Bupropion, so I can't give you a concise answer about what has changed beyond the concrete stuff like not having brain zaps or the fear of them, or that super irritability that missing a dose or tapering would cause.  

I can tell you that now that I'm on a lower dose of Bupropion, lots of memories and feelings have opened up, for good and bad.  My imagination is better, I can find words more easily, my memory is better, I laugh more and enjoy other people more.  I feel more like myself.  I don't miss the bupropion at all, at least at this point.  All the sacrifices I've made to get off it are worth it.  

 

 

[KarinRJ]

@j1290 thank you, reading this gives me hope. I am just scared as I ended up away from my family in treatment 4 months of 2022...due to a cold turkey of this drug. I was a mess. Couldn't sleep, 24/7 anxiety and lost 20kg in months. Worst time of my life. I will keep you all updated as I go down in dose. At the moment I am worried about mild depression that is expressing as low motivation and anhedonia. But I have to trust that I can heal!

[j1290]

24 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

I am just scared as I ended up away from my family in treatment 4 months of 2022...due to a cold turkey of this drug.

Oh heck yeah, I'd be scared too!  I think anybody whose even missed a dose or two of Venlafaxine has learned to fear the results of that.  Don't blame yourself, we all do this wrong LMAO 🤣🤣🤣  I tried to CT Venlafaxine when I ran out while on vacation, back in the day.  Figured I might as well just stay off it, right?!? 😂😂 I wound up talking to a doctor who convinced me somehow that I needed to resume taking it because the symptoms wouldn't fix themselves.  I got soooooo lucky running across a kind soul that I somehow listened to.   

 

31 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

Couldn't sleep, 24/7 anxiety and lost 20kg in months.

As someone that's had issues with lack of sleep(didn't sleep last night, come think of it, but got a couple hour nap) and dealt with turbo anxiety....I have a lot of compassion for anybody in the same boat.  I wouldn't wish those things on anyone.  They're super isolating and unbearably hard to tolerate.  I'd frequently have to take uber because I didn't trust myself to drive.   

 

34 minutes ago, KarinRJ said:

Worst time of my life. I will keep you all updated as I go down in dose. At the moment I am worried about mild depression that is expressing as low motivation and anhedonia. But I have to trust that I can heal!

If I were doing something that had a connection to the worst time in my life, it would make a lot of sense that I'd have a helluva lot of strong feelings about it.   Venlafaxine is extremely tricky, and many times I'd taper too fast and have to reinstate.  I'd get really scared and have to hold until my nerves were ready to try again.   

 

It's super common around here to be afraid we won't heal, that this time the symptoms will stick.  It's a running dialogue I have with one of the amazing moderators here about how fearing we'll never improve should be listed as a WD symptom.  I had it the last few days.   Things always improve, but in my feelings I think they won't sometimes.  It's crazy how real it seems.   

 

All the evidence I've seen, even the toughest cases recover over time.   I'm really sorry you're in this situation, and to say it's unfair is the biggest understatement.  Now I'm wrapping up the second med I'm tapering, and getting better every day.  I've hit a lot of rocks and potholes finding my way down this mountain, but I'm getting there, a little rougher than I started but getting to the bottom.   You'll find your way too.  If you feel like you need some hope, come back here anytime  because we have plenty to spare.  I have complete faith in you that you'll find your path to recovery.   Hang tough!

[KarinRJ]

Decided to stay 54mg for another month or more. Have been at this dose for about 2 months now. I am not feeling like I can go down right now. It is frustrating. Why am I not stabilsing. I can't believe it will take this slowly to get off this drug. Feel like I will never make make it off:(

 

Main issues are:

 

Wanting to stay in bed all day

Tiredness during the day

Morning anxiety 

Foggy head feeling

Low motivation 

Not feeling like socializing 

Struggling to get my work done

[Mittenraised]

@KarinRJ, I just read your thread. I have been tapering an antipsychotic. It has been going slow and gets me feeling defeated at times. I can say this, every little drop is progress and a piece of victory. Hang in there, it's worth it. Remember,  with each wave or tough time, eventually it levels off. If I'm having a rough go, sometimes I stay at that dose for a while or even up my dose a bit. I'm certainly not giving advise on your taper, but it's what has worked for me. I wish you the best luck and good health.

[KarinRJ]

@Mittenraised thanks for your input! Sorry I am only replying now, been of the platform for a bit! I am down to 42mg now! Slow and steady. As you suggested I hold when I have to and it makes it more bareable. I still have symptoms of insomia and anxiety and depression but it is definitely better when I hold longer and wait for stability. I do yoga and gym and see my counselor on a regular basis. So I try and use copying techniques i get taught in therapy and it seems to be working. I know this will take years and I am still scared I won't cope without an antidepressant, but I won't know unless I try!