asthedeer: Effexor withdrawal - my story

[asthedeer]

I am 74 years old with a history of anxiety and a struggle with social issues.  I started on Zoloft 50 mg in 1998 - so it began.  I started Effexor around 2010.  It is 2024.  I met with so much reluctance by my doctor(s) to advise me to go through withdrawal from this med…but.  I started reducing my dose from 150 mg ER 09/2024 - taking 150 and 75 every other day.  In 2 weeks, I went to 75 mg, then 75 and 37.5 every other day, then 37.5, then 37.5 alternating with granules.  After a week, I just took granules for several days. I was so hopeful with this slow reduction.  I had brain zaps, body aches, fatigue, etc during that time. But, one day after stopping completely - BAM.  it has been 3 weeks since stopping completely. The brain zaps are only periodic now but it has been very hard.  I have had to spend much of my time in bed.  I tried soaks with bath salts for magnesium, ice chips, soft music, Ibuprofen for body pain.  The brain zaps and disorientation were bad.  The flu-like symptoms were bad.  The worst for me were the shivers, cold sweats, and nausea.  I am still going through this.  Interestingly, I have never perspired very much. These cold sweats have really been hard - the sweat itself smells very strong. Hot and cold at the same time with body sweats and shivers.  Feel feverish but temp not elevated.  Appetite is nonexistent - trying to maintain. Anyone can do it, but make no mistake - IT IS HARD. 

[Catwoman73]

Hi @asthedeer, and welcome to SA!  We are a community of volunteers providing peer support in the tapering of psychiatric medications and their associated withdrawal syndromes.  

 

If you could kindly summarize your drug history in a signature, we would greatly appreciate it.  This helps us know at a glance where you've been, so we can advise you best on next steps. To do this, click the following link, fill in the box with your information, and click save.  That's it!  You can have a peek at my signature to see the general format. 

 

Your Drug Signature

 

I'm so very sorry for your suffering.  Unfortunately, it looks like you tapered far too quickly, and you are therefore experiencing some nasty withdrawal symptoms.  Here at SA, we recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose no more often than every four weeks (so, an example- 10mg, 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg and so on).  This is known as hyperbolic tapering, and is designed to allow the body to undo all the biochemical and genetic changes it has undergone as a result of the presence of the drug.  This is especially important after long term use.  Read more here about how these drugs affect the brain, and about hyperbolic tapering:

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

I want to assure you that everything you are experiencing is quite typical of psychiatric drug withdrawal.  Here's a list of typical withdrawal symptoms for your reference:

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

Having been only three weeks since you stopped taking your Effexor, you may wish to consider reinstating a low dose to try to mitigate some of your symptoms.  The idea with reinstatement is to take the lowest effective dose for symptom management, hold that dose until stable, and then proceed with a slow, hyperbolic taper.  Read more here about reinstatement (do note that more is not better in the third link- you can react very badly if you reinstate at too high a dose!):

 

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

 How long does it take to stabilize after reinstating or updosing?

 Hypersensitivity and kindling

 

Regardless of whether or not you choose to reinstate, you likely have a long road ahead of you.  Rapid tapering is quite likely to lead to protracted withdrawal.  Meaning that you will deal with symptoms for many months, sometimes years.  You will notice though, as you proceed through this period of stabilization, you will have periods where you feel better and periods where you feel worse.  Don't be alarmed by this- it is an absolutely normal part of the healing process that we refer to as the windows and waves pattern of stabilization.  This is a great sign that you are healing.  Read more about protracted withdrawal and windows and waves below:

 

Protracted Withdrawal or PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome)

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?"

 

There are a few things you can do to assist with healing.  Most are fairly intuitive, but bear repeating anyway.  Eat a balanced, whole foods diet, stay well hydrated, get adequate rest/sleep, and engage in gentle exercise.  Avoid all neurologically active substances, including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and recreational drugs.  These things are like pouring gasoline on a fire for your symptoms. In addition, do not take other psych meds to deal with the withdrawal effects from psych meds.  When the nervous system has destabilized, like yours has, the effects of these drugs are not predictable, and they may make you much worse rather than better. 

 

We only recommend two supplements here at SA- magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.  Do be mindful though- it is very common for those in withdrawal to become hypersensitive to all sorts of things, including medications, supplements, and even foods.  So if you start any supplement, even those we recommend, start at a very low dose, and see how you fare.  You can increase slowly over time if you tolerate them ok.  I am a prime example of this- I can't take magnesium at all- it is supposed to calm the nervous system but it gives me insomnia and brain zaps!

 

Dealing with the emotional and cognitive symptoms of withdrawal can be incredibly difficult.  It's really important to develop some non drug coping mechanisms early in the game if you hope to stay off of these meds for good.  We have many threads on this here at SA, I'll link some below.  For me, I have found mindfulness to be critical to my survival.  Mediation and yoga Nidra are fabulous for sleep and calming the nervous system.  CBT is great for learning to recognize those negative thought patterns that lead to emotional spirals.  Deep breathing really does help, too!  Most of all, distraction and keeping busy with things you love makes a big difference.  

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system

Music for self-care: calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

Ways to cope with daily anxiety

"Change the channel" - dealing with cognitive symptoms

Dealing With Emotional Spirals

The importance of recognizing you're feeling good

 

In the end, you will heal from this.  We all do, if we give our body the chance to do what it is designed to do!  As I said above, you could consider a low dose reinstatement to make the journey a bit easier if you like.  Whether you do or don't though, you will heal.  I can't give you a timeline, but it will happen!  Keep the faith!

 

This is your introduction topic- each member gets one intro topic. So please post any updates or questions you might have here, on this thread.  But do explore the links provided, and the rest of the forum- there's lots of good info here!  And I always advise new members to read and comment on other active members' intro threads.  Withdrawal can be a lonely journey, and this forum will give you a sense of community while you are going through it. 

 

I look forward to following your journey, and helping out in any way I can! ❤️‍🩹

[Jane318]

Greetings @asthedeer, and welcome to SA from me too! 

 

As @Catwoman73 wrote, reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug is the only known way to help alleviate withdrawal syndrome.  It isn’t a guarantee of diminished symptoms but it’s the best tactic available. The only alternative is to try and wait out the symptoms and manage as best you can until your central nervous system returns to homeostasis.  Unfortunately no one can give you an exact timeline as to when you will start feeling better and while some do recover relatively easily, for others it can take many months or longer.  

 

If you would like to try reinstatement and would like input on what dose to try, let us know.  Typically, reinstatement is at no more than 10% of the lowest dose you were on.  So please do complete your drug signature with as much detail as you can provide for date, drug (Effexor), and dose.  

 

In the meantime, you might also like to check out Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ.

Edited November 21, 2024 by Jane318