BlueMojav: My Experience with Quitting Effexor XR

[bluemojav]

Hi! 

 

As a little personal introduction, I’m a 22 year old living on the east coast of the United States. I’m currently in the process of withdrawals after tapering off of Effexor, which I was originally prescribed in October of 2022.
 

I have a vague explanation of my taper off of Effexor XR in my signature, but I thought I’d elaborate more here. I tapered very slowly from 225mg starting in June of last year, reaching 37.5 in May of this year and taking beads out from there until I got to only five beads left. I experienced little to no withdrawal symptoms from any of these drops in dosage. On the 17th of this month, I dropped from 5 beads to none, and haven’t taken any since.

 

Obviously, this still has not been smooth sailing as I’m posting here. Dizziness and nausea/very occasional vomiting have been the biggest offenders in terms of withdrawal symptoms. By very occasional, I’ve only actually thrown up once (yesterday). I’ve taken Dramamine and Zofran as well as the occasional Benadryl to help, and am currently at day 12 of withdrawals.

 

I was recommended to come here, and am partially looking for advice along with reassurance on dealing with the rest of the symptoms until they finally pass. 
 

Thanks!

[bluemojav]

Emetophobia TW for my current daily updates:

 

Days 0, 1, 2: No side effects, nothing. Felt great!

 

Day 3: I sat for 4 hours for a tattoo, and started feeling dizzy/nauseous during it so I had to leave early and am getting it finished in a second session next month. I’m not sure if this is related to withdrawals, but I’ve never felt like that during a tattoo session before. Had trouble falling asleep.

 

Day 4: Oh yeah, we’re in it now. I felt off, but ok for most of the day. After starting my shift in the afternoon (I work as a barista), I started to feel sick 2 hours in (dizzy and nauseous before puking at work), and ended up closing early and going home. Was exhausted but it was hard falling asleep.

 

Day 5: I called out of work because I’d thrown up the day before. Nausea and dizziness were present but not too bad as long as I just stayed in bed and stayed still.

 

Day 6: Felt just as bad as the day before. Bought Dramamine at work and felt moderately better but I still got really nauseous and dizzy at work and closed early again.

 

One Week: Day off of work. I took a Benadryl and felt better really fast. Mostly stayed in bed all day to rest.

 

Day 8: I was actually able to get through my whole shift!! I worked eight hours and the Benadryl and Dramamine got me through it. Was groggy and out of it, but I attributed that to the Benadryl.

 

Day 9: Off work today. Felt alright because I took my Benadryl on schedule.

 

Day 10: Had a pretty vivid nightmare the night before that left my mood low all day. Benadryl for some reason is not working for me as well. I didn’t think I’d build such a fast tolerance. Got really nauseous and cold sweats at work, ended up closing early and going home. Very depressive for the rest of the night.

 

Day 11: The worst day by far. I woke up really early with cold sweats, nausea, dizziness, and this weird feeling in my head. I don’t know how to explain it— it’s not a headache really, it just feels like something is missing (the Effexor, obviously lol). Benadryl didn’t do anything for me, really.

 

I threw up a good amount in the morning until my throat was so irritated there was red blood in it. I felt so **** I had actually opened a capsule and taken one with 10 beads in it, but puked it up almost immediately after. Called out of work for the whole weekend and planning on re-evaluating on Monday to see if I need to take a leave of absence because obviously working until I puke and have to close early isn’t sustainable and I’m probably making withdrawals worse by trying to work through it. Went to urgent care because of the blood, and he gave me Zofran for it and reassured me it was just because of throat/stomach lining irritation. (Because it was red and not that much, if it was a lot more or darker he said to go to the ER).

 

Day 12: Better than yesterday because I haven’t thrown up! I was up a lot of the night with nausea (from about 3am-5am), but no actual puking so I’m considering it a win. I had a brief period of feeling pretty normal, but have mostly just had that weird feeling in my head/dizziness/nausea no matter what. I get more nauseous with my glasses on, so I’m mostly just laying around listening to YouTube videos. 

 

[bluemojav]

Day 13: Woke up a little nauseous and dizzy again. Ate a little, took a dose of Dramamine and zofran, then took a nap and when I woke up I felt leagues better for the rest of the day. Was able to eat normally, move around, even drive. It was like a switch flipped in my sleep. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @bluemojav

 

Though you did taper slowly, it appears you still have withdrawal symptoms from that last segment. If you reinstate 5 beads, the withdrawal symptoms are likely to stop. Then you can stay at that dose for a while, let your system settle down, and go off bead by bead.

 

Please let us know how you're doing. 

[bluemojav]

46 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Welcome, @bluemojav

 

Though you did taper slowly, it appears you still have withdrawal symptoms from that last segment. If you reinstate 5 beads, the withdrawal symptoms are likely to stop. Then you can stay at that dose for a while, let your system settle down, and go off bead by bead.

 

Please let us know how you're doing. 

 
Thank you for responding!

 

I had been wondering if it was “too late” to reinstate since it’s been two weeks, although I’m hesitant to since it hasn’t been that bad for the past two days. If work goes ok this week (aka I don’t have to leave early or call out), I’d ideally want to stick with it, but of course that’s also my impatience talking (and the sink cost fallacy doing it’s magic). It’s hard to remind yourself that reinstating isn’t a failure.

[Altostrata]

Up to you if you want to wait and see. If the symptoms get worse over some days, you might consider low-dose reinstatement.

[bluemojav]

Day 14-16: I missed a few days on accident, so here’s a brief summary. On Monday, I felt pretty good. I had to take Dramamine still, of course, but I started taking magnesium and it was helping with the little flares of anxiety that would hit randomly throughout the day. I talked to my HR and decided I’d come in on Tuesday for my scheduled shift. Tuesday came, and just a half an hour into my shift I started to feel sick. By the 3 and a half hour mark, I get sick and leave, and agree with HR to take leave for the rest of the week. This makes Wednesday more of a recovery day from…that. By the end of Wednesday, I didn’t feel as dizzy anymore, but my acid reflux started coming in full force. I had really bad acid reflux prior to being on Effexor, and it just kind of puttered out while I was on Effexor— very unexpected but makes a lot of sense.

 

That brings me to today, Day 17: I started taking an omega 3 vitamin, and it made me feel way better in terms of dizziness— almost to the point of being barely-there at times. I only had to take Dramamine once, and half of one dose of zofran. I also am dealing with the worsened acid reflux again (being able to taste the acid in my mouth, having that burning/nausea and dry cough), so I got back on omeprazole, which I’d been on prior to Effexor. Otherwise, I’ve felt pretty good. I was able to drive to a job interview in the city and go grocery shopping without feeling like I was going to faint or run to the bathroom and get sick. Would rate this as the best I’ve felt since I got off aside from the acid reflux, and I’m hoping that this trend continues, as I’m supposed to talk to HR tomorrow to see if I need another week of medical leave.

 

As an aside, if you have advice on whether or not you think trying to go back this upcoming Sunday would be “too soon” based on the trend of my withdrawal and recovery, let me know!

[bluemojav]

As an aside, I forgot to add more details about the past medications I was on, so here’s a little addendum in a comment because I couldn’t figure out how to edit my post:

 

Prozac: January 2020-August 2020

This was prescribed by my college’s nurse practitioner in charge of psychiatric medication. I had remembered being on it vaguely in my childhood (I hadn’t really taken it then, of course, because I was scared of taking pills lol), so it was the first we tried. 

- side effects: made me dissociative/tired/more depressed. put on 15 pounds very quickly after never weighing more than 115 pounds my entire life.

- withdrawals? no.

Zoloft: August 2020-October 2020

This was what I swapped to once I was tired of feeling so “out of it” on Prozac. I blame it for the following downward spiral and suicide attempts. 

- side effects: aggravated my OCD and my intrusive thoughts— they were constant and far more violent/triggering than they’ve ever been before. it also triggered SH/suicide attempts and 2 psych ward trips. awful, awful pill. 

- withdrawals? no.

Mirtazapine: October 2020-November 2020

I recommended this pill to a friend who has an eating disorder and needed something to get her to eat more and put on weight, if this tells you anything. It made me feel really bad about myself and my body, and I still haven’t lost the weight I gained on it.

- side effects: prescribed in psych ward. made me manic + put on 30 pounds in a month.

- withdrawals? no.

Risperidone: October 2020-May 2021

I was a little more temperamental around this point and was still dealing with a good amount of intrusive thoughts, so I was put on this to remedy that. It did a pretty good job of leveling my mood out and lowering the frequency of intrusive thoughts.

- side effects: made me hungry + tired. helped when my OCD was at its worst and made me aggravated.

- withdrawals? no.

Effexor XR: November 2020-July 2023

I was put on this in tandem with Mirtazapine for the “California Rocket Fuel” combination. However, as you can see from my section for that pill, I wasn’t willing to stay on it and continue to gain the weight, so I decided to just stick with the Effexor because it was considered “weight neutral” (total B.S. by the way, gained a solid amount of weight that I couldn’t get off). Did it help? Sure. On it I wasn’t suicidal anymore, but arguable that’s because on the higher doses I was so “out of it” and EXHAUSTED sleeping at least 16 hours a day, which was awful as a college student. At lower doses, it was definitely the most effective pill I’ve been on, but missing one dose made me feel like I was losing my mind and the world was going to end. Eventually, I felt stable enough with therapy and the place my life was in that I wanted to quit.

- side effects: made me very tired on the higher doses + put on a lot of weight that couldn’t be dropped despite improved diet and exercise. mild sexual dysfunction and difficulty concentrating.

- withdrawals? well, just look at my post history to see the extent of these, lol.

[Altostrata]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:23 PM, bluemojav said:

I missed a few days on accident

 

To what does this refer? Did you skip doses of something? What was it, and when?

 

What are you taking now, at what times o'clock and dosages?

[bluemojav]

On 8/6/2023 at 3:58 PM, Altostrata said:

 

To what does this refer? Did you skip doses of something? What was it, and when?

 

What are you taking now, at what times o'clock and dosages?

Hi! I should clarify— I meant that I had missed a few days of updating my experience here, not a few days of taking the medication. As of now I haven’t reinstated.

[bluemojav]

Also, little update for day 21: I have noticed a moderate return of some anxiety— it’s all the classic symptoms that I used to have for it prior to being on medication (nausea, tingling in hands, sweating, etc.). Taking the magnesium supplement this morning after breakfast seemed to help with it a lot, as I haven’t felt it since I did. I’m hoping that this isn’t a psychosomatic benefit and that the magnesium will continue to help. If not, I’m going to try CBD oil, which I remembered helping prior to getting on the Effexor.

[bluemojav]

Day 25: The rest of the week was going pretty well, but I got the aforementioned tattoo finished yesterday and woke up today feeling pretty bad. I think it’s the “tattoo flu” I usually get mixed with my anxiety about the past physical withdrawal symptoms I was having. Doesn’t feel great either way. I told work I was going to be in late so I’m going to try and eat something and see if it helps. Crossing my fingers.

[2cats2272]

Hi @bluemojav how are you doing today? I’m about 6 and a half months off Effexor. I have my ups and downs still 

[bluemojav]

2 minutes ago, 2cats2272 said:

Hi @bluemojav how are you doing today? I’m about 6 and a half months off Effexor. I have my ups and downs still 

Hello ! I’ve been feeling better today. Yesterday was still a little rough, especially in the morning, but by around 3pm I wasn’t nauseous anymore and able to eat, and today (my day off of work, of course) I’ve felt mostly alright. Friday and Saturday after I got the tattoo weren’t great, but were manageable. I had a few moments where I felt how I had early-on in terms of weakness, dizziness, and nausea, but I’m incredibly grateful that those didn’t last all day.

 

Right now, it seems like mornings are consistently not great for me, and that things get better as the day goes on. How has it been for you six months out?

[bluemojav]

An Update, Five Weeks Off:

 

This week went alright all in all. I’ve started having some really weird dreams.  I always had vivid ones prior to and on Effexor, and this hasn’t stopped. However, I want to say for the past few days they’ve been nightmare-adjacent. Not bad enough to have me wake up, heart pounding or upset or anything, just generally “bad.” This could also be related to stress but was something I wanted to mention.

 

Mornings are still rough for me— it takes a meal and a good few hours of being awake before I’m not “out of it” and nauseous/generally feeling sick. Overall, though, it’s gotten a lot better. What I’m really focused on right now is the weight I put on. Over the course of being on Effexor, I gained about 50 pounds despite an improved diet and exercise routine. All my bloodwork came back normal as well, so I’m almost positive it’s related to it. I haven’t gained any weight since getting off of it, while before I was consistently gaining at least 5 pounds every two or three weeks, but I haven’t lost any either. I know antidepressants can do a number on your digestive system, so I’m hoping as it repairs itself and recalibrates, I’ll actually see physical proof in my body of the exercise and better diet I’ve been working on.

[bluemojav]

I’m just about six weeks off now, and starting on Friday I started to get hit with some emotional withdrawal side effects. I think it was triggered by being tired from work combined with being really stressed from work as well. I’m having trouble sleeping despite being exhausted, and I’m SO doom-and-gloom. I dread having to do anything this week, it feels impossible in my mind. I’m off again tomorrow and going to talk to HR about shortening my shifts, and am going to say “I think I’m overdoing it because I’ve felt nauseous and dizzy all weekend and haven’t been able to sleep.” Prior to deciding to do that, I had been telling myself I would just go to the hospital because then at least I’d “have an excuse” not to work, so obviously I’m desperate and being dramatic about not wanting to just say “I can’t do what we have scheduled right now.” I had cut my hours and availability in anticipation for this, but of course that change only occurs two weeks out so it won’t help me yet. 
 

Tips for the emotional impact would be great.

[bluemojav]

Seven weeks off now. Things definitely got better during the week, but not perfect. I’ve been dealing with a renewed acid reflux that seemed to be tapered down significantly when I was on the Effexor, which is weird. It’s worst in the mornings when I haven’t eaten/likely because I sleep on my stomach and usually gets better through the day. I’m also stuck in bed struggling with what is definitely emotional withdrawal right now. I think this was likely triggered by stress at work, but it has me very regretful and sad about the past, especially my college years. Depression had me hospitalized twice, then, and Effexor basically had me sleeping 16 out of the 24 hours through the last year and begging to graduate early, which I did. That medication is evil, and again I’m feeling awful for ever starting it.

 

 

[bluemojav]

It’s been a few months now. For the past month and a half, I’ve had stomach issues that have made me vomit at least once every few days, and consistently taking zofran. My endoscopy I got as a result of it and the biopsies they took, as well as my bloodwork, were normal. This makes me think it could be related to some kind of protracted withdrawal symptoms, but I’m not completely sure. 
 

Anyone experience anything similar with eggs it

[bluemojav]

It’s been a few months now. For the past month and a half, I’ve had stomach issues that have made me vomit at least once every few days, and consistently taking zofran. My endoscopy I got as a result of it and the biopsies they took, as well as my bloodwork, were normal. This makes me think it could be related to some kind of protracted withdrawal symptoms, but I’m not completely sure. 
 

Anyone experience anything similar with Effexor?

[2cats2272]

I’m 10 months off and my stomach has been yucky the last couple of days. 

[2cats2272]

How are you doing otherwise @bluemojav

[bluemojav]

2 hours ago, 2cats2272 said:

How are you doing otherwise @bluemojav

That’s tough, I’m sorry you’ve been feeling sick! It’s so hard to tell whether or not I’m falsely attributing feeling bad to the medication withdrawals. 
 

Otherwise I’ve been doing pretty good. I haven’t REALLY lost much of the weight I put on while on it until recently, but don’t really experience any physical withdrawal symptoms anymore besides the stomach issues (if they’re related). The waves and windows have gotten longer, and I haven’t been in a bad spot emotionally in a few weeks which is nice when it used to feel like I’d cycle between good and bad every few days.

 

How does 10 months off feel?

[2cats2272]

I’m managing. I was on it for a long time and tapered too quick. I’m much better than I was a few months ago even. My main issues are anxiety (mostly mornings) and the current stomach stuff. I think it’s related to the anxiousness though 

[bluemojav]

On 11/30/2023 at 9:49 PM, 2cats2272 said:

I’m managing. I was on it for a long time and tapered too quick. I’m much better than I was a few months ago even. My main issues are anxiety (mostly mornings) and the current stomach stuff. I think it’s related to the anxiousness though 

I also have morning anxiety. It was at its worst for me for the past week while on vacation— I would get so anxious I’d get sick, and then it would get better over the course of the day, then it would get bad again the next morning. It reminds me of when I was a kid and it used to happen, but even before Effexor/meds I never got like this after maybe 13/14. 

[bluemojav]

Going through another rough patch with my stomach. The feeling is always the same so I have to assume it’s related to protracted withdrawals. I wish I never got on this pill.

 

I take Zofran semi-regularly and nausea meds from Dramamine every day. Just got prescribed a nausea med patch to try as well.

[APhoenixRising]

Hello Bluemojav! I was reading through your posts because I’m also tapering off EffexorXR. I was on 300mg for roughly 7 years. I also hate that I ever started such an evil drug! I wish I had known then what I do now, but I can only change my future. It pains me to see that you’re having protracted withdrawals, as you said. Take care!

-Phoenix

[bluemojav]

On 1/10/2024 at 7:10 AM, APhoenixRising said:

Hello Bluemojav! I was reading through your posts because I’m also tapering off EffexorXR. I was on 300mg for roughly 7 years. I also hate that I ever started such an evil drug! I wish I had known then what I do now, but I can only change my future. It pains me to see that you’re having protracted withdrawals, as you said. Take care!

-Phoenix

Hi! I hope the taper is going well  

 

I hit 6 months off about a week after my last update. My health has fluctuated between better and worse for the past few weeks, but the past few days have certainly been on the “worse” side of things. I got tested for gastroparesis after an endoscopy for my constant nausea/relatively consistent vomiting was normal, but that test was ALSO normal. My doctor thinks that it could be POTS, which I saw can be exacerbated by Effexor, so now I’m wondering if getting off of it really jumpstarted a chronic illness or if it’s still just protracted withdrawals. 

[bluemojav]

I don’t regret quitting, but I do think that I still went a little too fast at the end. I was so eager to get off of it, I jumped down from the last 20 beads pretty fast. 
 

As for the weight gain, I’ve officially lost about 10 pounds. While on the Effexor, I was steadily gaining five pounds about every two month. Currently, I’m way less active than I was on it because of my health issues/withdrawal symptoms, so I have to attribute that weight gain to the medication. 
 

If anyone has any advice on dealing with stomach related withdrawal symptoms so late after quitting, I’d love to hear it. I do take Omega-3 gummies and a multivitamin daily which helps a lot, as well as Mag Glycinate at night.

[LostInCanada]

@bluemojav just reading over your thread. Good for you.

Be careful with the Zofran as that messes with serotonin. I found chewable organic ginger tablets and ginger tea works really well for stomach upset. DGL licorice 75mg twice daily has been really good for my reflux. Both issues are withdrawal related for me. Also taking a daily probiotic helps for me too. Hopefully that might help, just don't start them all at one and make sure the licorice is DGL. 👍

[bluemojav]

55 minutes ago, LostInCanada said:

@bluemojav just reading over your thread. Good for you.

Be careful with the Zofran as that messes with serotonin. I found chewable organic ginger tablets and ginger tea works really well for stomach upset. DGL licorice 75mg twice daily has been really good for my reflux. Both issues are withdrawal related for me. Also taking a daily probiotic helps for me too. Hopefully that might help, just don't start them all at one and make sure the licorice is DGL. 👍

Oh man…I did not know that about zofran. I fluctuate between needing it multiple times a day versus just needing it in the morning or every once in a while. I’ve had the chewable ginger tablets before but basically go through them like candy or else they don’t work for me, and took to keeping a cough drop in my mouth to try and curb the nausea. Weirdly enough, I was told at my endoscopy that I don’t have reflux, despite having it around the time I got put on the Effexor in the first place. I guess I’ll try to cut that out completely or just limit it to when I have no other option and tried other stuff. I might still try the licorice anyhow even without the reflux just to see, I’ve never heard of that before.

 

Thank you so much!

[LostInCanada]

@bluemojav your welcome. If you are not struggling with reflux, mint tea and mint candies help nausea as well. I can't do mint because it affects reflux. The ADs mess with histamines as well. Love to know if you get some relief. 

[bluemojav]

I’ve avoided zofran since the Thursday after Valentine’s Day, but have been taking the Dramamine 24 hour nausea daily as well as ginger chews. I think it’s a little better than it was, for sure, I’m glad I was told about zofran or else I might’ve gotten myself stuck in a cycle with symptoms. 
 

I met with the gastro to talk about my gastric emptying results, which were normal, so now I’m about 75% sure the symptoms are related to withdrawals. I’m meeting with my PCP next week, and I’m going to ask about doing a bloodwork panel and checking my blood sugar and hormone levels just as a precaution, but it sucks to know Effexor is rearing it’s ugly head so far out. I’m about seven months off of it completely, now, and I think I’m in a window with how my mood and symptoms have been.

[bluemojav]

On 2/26/2024 at 12:01 PM, bluemojav said:

I’ve avoided zofran since the Thursday after Valentine’s Day, but have been taking the Dramamine 24 hour nausea daily as well as ginger chews. I think it’s a little better than it was, for sure, I’m glad I was told about zofran or else I might’ve gotten myself stuck in a cycle with symptoms. 
 

I met with the gastro to talk about my gastric emptying results, which were normal, so now I’m about 75% sure the symptoms are related to withdrawals. I’m meeting with my PCP next week, and I’m going to ask about doing a bloodwork panel and checking my blood sugar and hormone levels just as a precaution, but it sucks to know Effexor is rearing it’s ugly head so far out. I’m about seven months off of it completely, now, and I think I’m in a window with how my mood and symptoms have been.

I missed my actual provider because I showed up late and we had to reschedule, and this current one was unwilling to do bloodwork…ough. 
 

In more positive news, I’ve been doing ok. Still no zofran, and currently trying to wean off of taking the Dramamine nausea pill every day, but this is day 1 without taking it in the morning. Also trying more intently to lose weight and have been eating in a deficit for the past week and a half. Not sure if it’s related to my symptoms not getting towards the bad end of things or not.

[bluemojav]

Been feeling very emotional all day, sort of flitting between sad and depressed to angry and frustrated to neutral to good and back again. I always find myself assuming it’s a wave when I feel bad emotionally or physically without direct and visible cause. I haven’t really had one in a little bit so I guess it could be time.

[2cats2272]

Hi @bluemojav I hope you’re doing well. I’m about 14 months off and although I’m doing better, I still struggle. Mostly with morning anxiety, nausea, low mood and lack of motivation. It’s an uphill battle for sure!

[bluemojav]

On 4/14/2024 at 6:34 PM, 2cats2272 said:

Hi @bluemojav I hope you’re doing well. I’m about 14 months off and although I’m doing better, I still struggle. Mostly with morning anxiety, nausea, low mood and lack of motivation. It’s an uphill battle for sure!

Thank you for responding!! It’s sad to see that even after a year off that god awful drug it can still wreck havoc  I’m glad it’s gotten better for you, though! 
 

The nausea is definitely a big player for me right now— I’ve been popping ginger nausea drops like crazy since my last post, especially at work and when I go out where it feels like my nausea (maybe from anxiety? or just activity?) is always triggered. I think April marks nine months off for me.
 

Rooting for you!