Anxiatea: Long term anti-depressant user coming off Effexor

[Anxiatea]

Hi, I'm a long term anti-depressant user, I've been on them since I was 13 and am now 31. Here's a breakdown of my drug history.

 

Fluoxitine 2006 (13 yrs old) - 2011
Citalopram 2011 - 2016
Fluoxitine 2016 - 2017
Venlafaxine/Effexor 125mg 2017 - 2023
Venlafaxine/Effexor 75mg 2023 - 2024
Withdrawal from 75mg Effexor Feb 2024

 

I've had varying degress of success with them throughout the years but because of anxiety and ADHD I've had periods where I have just lived with the depression and anxiety symptoms they were supposed to be helping with. However, recently I've taken steps to actually pay attention and attempt to 'fix' my brain and get better. I didn't feel able to do this until I was in a stable job, relationship and living situation which I felt I was finally in June last year. At that time I'd not had a depressive episode for a full year and my anxiety was at an all time low. I decided to speak to my GP about this and we both decided that dropping down to 75mg Effexor would be beneficial.

 

We decided this because while the depression and anxiety was low I felt that my cognitive abilities were being hampered by the Effexor. I would often experience brain fog, memory issues, very low motivation, almost zombie-like states where I'd just go through the motions of each day not really taking anything in and I wanted that to stop.

 

After the drop down to 75mg between June 2023 and Jan/Feb 2024 I've felt a slight return in my emotions (Both positive and negative ones), less brain fog and more general alertness and actually 'experiencing' life again. I'd continued to not have any adverse side effects and very few episodes of depression/anxiety, especially nothing like I'd experienced in the past.

 

After speaking to my GP again they suggested I come off Effexor completely and I agreed, as many do, without doing any research. In Jan they told me to start tapering off by alternating the days I take my medication until stopping after a month. I've done that now and stopped taking my last pill of 75mg prolonged-release capsules of venlafaxine hydrochloride on 2nd Feb 2024.

 

It's now a month later and after feeling very little adverse side effects, no brain zaps, anxiety or depression, slight headaches, slight dizziness and slight tinitus I've suddenly as of last week started feeling intense anxiety and some depression continuously since then. I've tried to manage this with Propranolol which has slightly helped by not entirely removed the anxiety. I have been through therapy multiple times and have some coping techniques but this mostly seems like GAD rather than me worrying or being down about anything in particular.

 

I first put a thread up on Reddit to see what I'd done wrong and was pointed to this community and introduced to the concept of microdose reinstating and that how my GP recommended I come off Effexor was bad. Hopefully I can get some more advice on what to do as I appear to be on the cusp of it being too late to reinstate and that possibly just riding out the withdrawal symptoms would be best. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

[LotusRising]

Hi @Anxiatea

 

Welcome to SA, glad you found us.

 

We are a peer-run volunteer site dedicated to a harm reduction tapering approach and we suggest tapering by no more than 10% of your most recent dose each month. See  Why taper by 10%. So, yes, skipping pills and quick reductions do not work for everyone, as you now know from your experience. The 'GAD' you describe is likely WD (withdrawal) symptoms and is somewhat magnified from moving too quickly off your medication.

 

Thank you for creating your signature.

 

Here are a couple of interesting links:

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

When we take medication, the CNS responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS must then undo all the changes that were made. As the changes are undone, symptoms may occur.

 

Reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug can sometimes help to alleviate withdrawal syndrome. The only other alternative is to wait out the symptoms and manage the best you can while your CNS returns to homeostasis. Unfortunately, no one can give you an exact timeline as to when you'll start to feel better, or if you even will. While some will notice immediate improvement, for others it can take many months or longer.

 

Reinstatement isn't a guarantee for everyone, but it's the best tactic available, aside from waiting it out. Since you are within the 3 month timeframe where reinstatement reliably works, it might work and it might not. If you decide that reinstatement is an option for you, we would recommend a much smaller reinstatement dose than your last dose. These drugs are strong and your system has become sensitized and if you take too high a dosage, it may be too much for your brain.

 

Please review this information and consider if it might be something you'd like to do. We can help you find a reinstatement dose. 

 

This is a link to tapering your drug:

 

 

Please post any updates or questions related to your specific situation right here in your thread. It's helpful to keep everything related to your tapering journey in one spot. 

 

Once again, welcome  

 

LotusRising