TheBeeHive3: Weaning Effexor since August 2023 and now experiencing paranoia or maybe they are delusions.

[TheBeeHive3]

I’ve been weaning Venlafaxine XR since August 2023. I’m currently down to 37.5 plus 31 beads. The biggest symptom I’m experiencing lately is paranoia. Or maybe they are delusions. Insomnia is slowly improving, dizziness has improved. I’m not eating much, have diarrhea a lot and these intrusive thoughts are overwhelming my brain! I’m wondering how long this will last. I previously weaned off Klonopin and experienced paranoia while weaning as well. 
Is paranoia a common withdrawal symptom when weaning from antidepressants, as it’s not listed on the checklist. My husband calls what I’m experiencing delusions, so maybe that’s what they are more than paranoia. It seems like it’s much worse in the evenings. Maybe when the Venlafaxine has worn off? I take my daily dose nightly at 10pm. 

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  Congratulations for getting off Klonopin!  That's fantastic!  

 

Can you please give us some specific information in your signature about your drug history about your Effexor XR taper?  It would help a lot to see what your original starting dose was, and the dates and dosages, as best you can remember, for each reduction in the past.  This will help us give you the best advice.  

 

How to List Your Drug History in Your Signature

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we generally taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the reduction becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering Effexor

 

16 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

Insomnia is slowly improving, dizziness has improved.

This is an excellent sign!  

 

16 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

Is paranoia a common withdrawal symptom when weaning from antidepressants, as it’s not listed on the checklist.

Yes, it is.  I myself have had this symptom, and I've read of others here having this symptom.  

 

When you take the drug at 10 PM, does this take away the paranoia?  

[getofflex]

Are you drinking any alcohol, perhaps at night?  We strongly urge people to completely avoid alcohol - this can cause big problems.  Are you using any other mind altering things, like CBD, THC, etc?  We suggest you avoid these too.  Are you taking any supplements, and if so, which ones, and when? 

[TheBeeHive3]

Thank you so much for all of the links to information. In June 2023, I began to taper Effexor XR 150mg. I did a micro taper with Klonopin, so decided to do the same with Venlafaxine XR. I started by removing one bead daily and after a few weeks of everything going well, I went up to two beads daily. When I’d start to get insomnia and brain fog I’d hold dose. I updosed once by two beads. I did at some point go back to removing only one bead daily. 

March 2024-Currently 37.5mg plus 31 beads and holding. My taper schedule caught up to me, as I began to feel sad, unmotivated, had insomnia, eye pain, diarrhea, blurred vision, brain fog, nausea, and then started the intrusive thoughts/ delisions/paranoia-i’ve  lost 15 pounds. I experienced delusions after my last dose of Klonopin in 2022 (I tapered down to nothing) which lasted only a couple of weeks, but these delusions have been slowly building up over the last month and now seem to not be quite as strong as they were until the evening hits. 
 

It’s much worse at night. I take the Effexor dose around 10 pm and then go to bed. I wake up feeling good and don’t have many delusions/ intrusive thoughts during the day at this point, but 8 pm hits and my brain goes haywire! It’s like I lose sense of all reality around 8pm! I am sleeping a little better and really don’t have many symptoms except diarrhea (not as bad), still not eating fully and these crazy untrue thoughts! I’m worried that I am forever going to be paranoid. I’m even thinking that I may never fully get off this medication without being a crazy person.
 

I’ve been holding dose, minus one bead, for about a month. I’m driving my husband bananas at this point. He is very supportive, but I am really not myself these days! 

 

supplements-Tumeric, Zinc carnosine, B vitamins, Niacin, vit c, magnesium, selenium, black seed oil, iodine ALL TAKEN BEFORE NOON

I do also take a dose of magnesium at night…when I don’t forget. 

 

I appreciate any advice as to how to handle the evenings. Every single night I experience paranoid thoughts and then question my husband to death about anything and everything like a crazy person! I get convinced that he’s lying to me somehow, then the next morning wake up feeling so guilty and realize that he’s not doing anything at but supporting me. 

 

[TheBeeHive3]

I am not much of a drinker, although I had 3 glasses of wine (which is rare for me) about two weeks ago. Otherwise, I rarely have wine. 
Not sure how to respond directly to those that have commented? 

[getofflex]

What you might try doing, is splitting your dose, and taking your Effexor XR 12 hours apart, at 10 AM and 10 PM.  If you are in fact having interdose withdrawal, this would help.  So, for one dose, you would take 18.75 mg plus 15 beads, and the next dose would be 18.75 mg plus 16 beads.  Be sure you take your dose(s) at the same time each day, and be diligent not to miss or skip or vary your dose.  

 

19 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

I’ve been holding dose, minus one bead, for about a month. I’m driving my husband bananas at this point. He is very supportive, but I am really not myself these days! 

 

I think it would be a big benefit to you to do a hold, and I would strongly suggest this.  This means don't do any reductions for a while, and give your nervous system a chance to rest from the tapering. Give yourself several months.   It is very important to allow our nervous systems to stabilize between each and every reduction!  Don't reduce until you have had a couple of weeks of stability.  f you keep pushing the tapering on a rigid schedule, the withdrawal can be cumulative and catch up with you, and cause significant problems.  Also, do whatever you can to calm and soothe your nervous system, and learn some non drug coping techniques.  I'll share some with you.  Here are a couple for intrusive thoughts, and then some for anxiety, which is part of paranoia.  I had a lot of trouble, and still do somewhat with intrusive thoughts.  I had to learn to separate myself from my thoughts, and when I have dark thoughts I don't take them seriously, and tell myself that is my withdrawal monkey brain talking.  I dismiss them, and shift my thoughts to something more benign.  

 

APPLE Technique

 

I just came across a very nice technique that really helps me.  It's called APPLE. I have printed it and have it where I can see it every day and be reminded of it so I internalize this technique. 

 

A - Acknowledge Notice and acknowledge the thought or uncertainty as it comes to mind. 

 

P - Pause Don't react as you normally do.  Don't react at all.  Just pause and breathe.   

 

P - Pull Back Tell yourself this is just the thought or worry talking, and this apparent need for worry or analysis or certainty is not helpful and not necessary.  It is only a thought or feeling.  Don't believe everything you think.  Thoughts are not statements or facts.   

 

L - Let Go Let go of the thought or feeling.  It will pass.  You don't have to respond to it.  You might imagine the thought floating away in a bubble or cloud.   

 

E - Explore Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, you are OK.  Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing.  Notice the ground beneath you.  Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell.  Right now.  Then shift your focus of attention to something else - on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the thought or worry, or do something else - mindfully - with your full attention.  

 

 

Acknowledge Accept Float

 

Emotional Spirals

 

 

video: Claire Weekes: Managing Anxiety

 

video: Claire Weekes on Anxiety and Panic

 

Claire Weekes - Hope and Help for you Nerves Audiobook  

 

Music to Calm Anxiety

 

Breathing Technique for Anxiety

 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Female voice - getselfhelp.co.uk

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Male voice - getselfhelp.co.uk

 

Meditation

 

 

19 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

supplements-Tumeric, Zinc carnosine, B vitamins, Niacin, vit c, magnesium, selenium, black seed oil, iodine ALL TAKEN BEFORE NOON

I do also take a dose of magnesium at night…when I don’t forget. 

Please put the above in your signature - thank you.  B vitamins can be activating, causing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, insomnia, restlessness, etc, so you may want to be cautious with those, and reduce or eliminate them, at least for now.  I'm careful to take no more than 100% of my RDA of B vitamins.  Many supplements have high amounts of them.  

 

16 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

am not much of a drinker, although I had 3 glasses of wine (which is rare for me) about two weeks ago. Otherwise, I rarely have wine. 

If it were me, I would eliminate alcohol completely. It can be very destabilizing to a nervous system that is tapering psych meds, and in withdrawal, which you are.  I've seen people in here be badly affected by it, and it can take weeks, or even months, for their symptoms to resolve.  

 

19 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

Every single night I experience paranoid thoughts and then question my husband to death about anything and everything like a crazy person! I get convinced that he’s lying to me somehow, then the next morning wake up feeling so guilty and realize that he’s not doing anything at but supporting me. 

I would suggest trying to use other techniques to cope with your paranoid thoughts.  I've given you some ideas for dealing with these types of thoughts above.  

 

These links will go into more about symptoms, and ways of managing them.  

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

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

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

Please keep in touch, and let us know how you are doing. 

 

Edited March 3 by getofflex

[TheBeeHive3]

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I am truly appreciative of all of the information/advice that you have given me and for the time it took for you to type it out. Wow! This site is amazing! I’m in the process of reading through everything you sent. I realize that I’ve pushed it and tapered way too quickly.
 

How do I determine how long I should hold? Do I wait until “all” of the symptoms of withdrawal go away? Or just until they aren’t terrible? If I could get down the 31 beads to the 37.5mg which is one pill, I would not mind holding for a 6-12 months or so before going again. The bead counting is a bit tedious, so a break from that would be nice. 
 

Thank you again for the support. 
 

[getofflex]

I'm glad to hear you are reading through the links I've given you.  I know it's quite a lot, so mainly read the first post of each thread, and in some cases the first few posts.  

 

15 hours ago, TheBeeHive3 said:

How do I determine how long I should hold? Do I wait until “all” of the symptoms of withdrawal go away? Or just until they aren’t terrible?

We strongly suggest you wait until you are stable.  This doesn't mean all the symptoms are gone, and you feel just great.  It means you don't feel terrible, and you aren't having major ups and downs.  This link will explain more about stability.  We suggest you have 2 weeks of stability before doing another reduction.  

 

Stability

[getofflex]

I see you have been reducing by removing 2 beads each day.  What is the total number of beads, on average, in one capsule?  I assume one capsule is 37.5 mg. 

 

It is important to do a 10% monthly exponential taper.  As you get lower in your dose, one bead will be a bigger percentage of your dose, and you will probably need to go slower than 2 beads per day.  If it were me, I would figure out how much of the active ingredient (drug) is in one bead.  If a complete capsule is 37.5 mg, then the formula is: 37.5 divided by # of beads = amount of drug in each bead.  

 

Then, you can calculate your dosage by multiplying number of beads by how much drug is in each bead.  

Edited March 4 by getofflex