Lexy: tapering off Effexor

[Lexy]

Flong

I've been decreasing .25mg every 5-6 days instead of 9 days. That's all I've been doing differently.

[mammaP]

Hi Lexy, I find that fish oil helps with dizziness.  If you've started speeding up by decreasing every 5-6 days

instead of 9 days that could be making you feel worse. If I were you would hold for a bit and see how you feel. 

I also agree that making a liquid would be better and more precise. I haven't tried it myself but wish I'd known 

about it when I started my taper. Counting those beads is a pain in the butt, and now I'm down to the last few

beads the reductions are comparitavely large, The last drop of 1 bead was 25% reduction and  can feel it.

 

I was reading a topic on homeopathy here yesterday and someone mentioned something that helps with the

dizziness and brain zaps. It's in symptoms and self care if you want to have a look. 

[Lexy]

Thanks I will look for it.

Can you change to liquid? 25% is a lot to decrease by. Hope you soon write your success story.

[Lexy]

I have tried searching for brand name venlafaxine immediate release tablets and can not find any. I called my pharmacist and he says they stopped making it here in the US.

 

I am contemplating taking the brand effexor XR. I am so afraid of making a switch but I need to do something about the headaches and vertigo. I've read so many other peoples posts that the generic has so many side effects especially the ones I have.

However since I am planning on doing the liquid when I get to lower dose I want to keep taking the immediate release tablets.

 

I am thinking I should try taking 25mg brand xr and the rest on the tablets generic immediate.

Please any thoughts?

[Altostrata]

What brand of Effexor are you taking now?

[Lexy]

Venlafaxine generic immediate release by Teva

[Altostrata]

How long have you been taking that brand? Why are you looking for a different brand? You can make a liquid from what you've got.

[Lexy]

I've read that the generic brand is notorious for side effects, especially headaches and vertigo which I experience 24/7. If it's not one it's the other. I am so tired, physically and mentally.

[Altostrata]

How long have you been taking that brand? Why are you looking for a different brand? You can make a liquid from what you've got.

[Altostrata]

Lexy, please answer my question -- How long have you been taking that brand of Effexor?

[Lexy]

Sorry my wifi was down.

I've been taking generic since I started in Aug 2012. Also i've had symptoms or side effects(dizziness, fatigue) since day 1.

[Altostrata]

When did you start getting the headaches?

[Lexy]

Headaches started in August of last year.

When I started I was given immediate generic. As i was up dosing I started feeling dizzy, faint, weak, and tired all the time.

I would like to use the liquid as I go lower, but

I'm hesitant to start the liquid because I've become very sensitized that the liquid might get in and out my system quicker resulting in more symptoms.

[flong]

All I can add is this: The XR "beading" method has been by far the least painful way to do this so far. FOR ME. Everyone is different. I just hope if you try it, it works as well for you as it is for me. And I can tell you exactly what I've done that works, and what doesn't.

[Altostrata]

When your headaches started, was there a change in the brand or type of Effexor you were taking?

 

Had you skipped any doses or reduced any?

[Lexy]

No I have been on the generic immediate ever since I cut my dose in oct 2012.

I started experiencing headaches in august of last year. I hadnt missed a dose...but come to think of it, could it be that if i took it late It would spark such headaches for months?

Up until last month headaches dissipated, they are not coming everyday (thank God).

 

Currently it's the vertigo that I'm feeling 24/7. I have to climb 4 floors at school up and down for each class. Sometimes I feel like I can't make it.

Mood swings come and go.

I'm at 44.75 micro tapering but holding for now.

[Altostrata]

Yes, if you take it inconsistently, it could cause symptoms such as headaches. Take your dose at the same time each day.

 

If you hadn't changed brands or types of Effexor when your headaches began, it's not likely brand-name Effexor will fix the problem. Most often, people who are sensitive to differences in brands feel it when there's a change.

 

And your switching to Effexor XR adds another element of risk.

 

Did your generic brand change at the time the headaches started? There can be differences among the generic brands, too.

[Lexy]

No I haven't changed brands. (Teva)

 

I also was thinking maybe I should only change my dosing instead of brands. I am taking 5 frequent doses though out the day.

I take

8:00am - 11. 75

11:30am - 5

3:00pm 11.5

7:30pm,- 5

9:30 - 11.5

 

I did it this way to keep the time release going as I was on Xr before I had cut my dose in half in 2012.

 

 

The only time I feel a little better is usually in the mornings before I take the drug,

 

I haven't picked up the brand name Effexor XR yet due to the doctor's mistake in writing up th Rx. He wrote

Effexorv25mg

Pharmacist said they don't make the brand name in immediate release anymore only in XR. But the lowest mg is 37.5mg in XR,

I was planning on taking half of the 37.5 =18.75mg and the rest of my dose (44.75) on the the generic immediate.

 

Either it's taking 4 instead of 5 doses on the generic or incorporating the brand name in XR.

I need to choose a different method because obviously what I'm doing now is not working.

[Altostrata]

I don't believe it's the generic that's causing your headaches. It's probably because at some point you reduced too fast.

 

I have no idea if switching to Effexor XR will help. Maybe yes, maybe no.

[Lexy]

Finally got the effexor Xr. I counted 2 capsules and one had total of 120 beads while the other one had 146. They are all the same color BUT not uniform in size.

 

I had planned on incorporating the brand name XR along with the generic tablet.

Now I don't know how to proceed with the different amount of beads in ea capsule. I have weighed the capsules and also vary from .164 to .170

 

I've been holding for over 3 weeks at 44.75 and vertigo is NOT letting up.

Please anyone help

[Altostrata]

I'm sorry, Lexy. There's no way to do the switch but approximate measurements.

 

What you need to do is figure what percentage of your Effexor XR capsules equal whatever dosage you want to take in the XR. Then you need to weigh the beads or count them out to that amount.

 

Example: If 50% of your Effexor XR capsule equals whatever dosage you want, take half the beads or use a digital scale to find what amount of beads equals half.

 

Weighing will be more exact. Or, a compounding pharmacy could make up capsules to the exact dosage you want. They'll need a prescription.

[flong]

Using a compounding pharmacy is something that was suggested to me. I'm doing OK with the "beading" method I've been using. And I can count the beads just as accurately as a compounding pharmacy. Though it might be different if I was weighing my doses out instead of counting them. Might be something to look into. Maybe make a call to one in your area and just ask. Effexor is one of those drugs I bet they even have experience working with.

[Lexy]

Thanks.

I did not know the beads could be compounded into liquid.

I thought the reason to stay on the tablet was to be able to convert to liquid.

 

 

I was stressing myself out counting the beads. They are so tiny...some look like salt granules.

I need to be exact because I can't afford to make mistakes on my doses.

 

I still currently have high vertigo and now my chest feels compressed or tightened. I can only describe it as the physical symptoms of anxiety but not the psychological ones. It comes and goes.

[Meimeiquest]

Lexy, is the normal dose for beads once a day? I think the beads are coated with an extended release coating, so when crushed or compounded it would become immediate release. Which is no problem if you divide into small doses.

[ladybug]

Finally got the effexor Xr. I counted 2 capsules and one had total of 120 beads while the other one had 146. They are all the same color BUT not uniform in size.

 

I had planned on incorporating the brand name XR along with the generic tablet.

Now I don't know how to proceed with the different amount of beads in ea capsule. I have weighed the capsules and also vary from .164 to .170

 

I've been holding for over 3 weeks at 44.75 and vertigo is NOT letting up.

Please anyone help

My brand name Paxil tablets have a similar weight variation. Most pills do actually. What I did is I weighed every tablet in a 30 day supply and came up with an average weight for a 20mg dose. My average weight came out to .350g and I've been using this average weight to calculate doses all the way from 20 to where I am currently, 6.3mg. I am like you and sensitive to even small drops and this has worked for me. Remember, even if you were taking whole pills, the weight would have variations and I assume, so would the dose. As long as the variations are small it shouldn't make a huge difference. I hope!

[flong]

Crushing time release beads of any drug is seriously risky. Besides, have you tried crushing the Effexor XR beads? They're as hard as rocks. And who knows how they're actually designed? I don't think it's like a "Shell" on the outside with the drug on the inside. It just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

If you're going to make a liquid form, just be safe and use the powder from the non-XR.

The only way I could see using the XR maybe working is if you made the liquid days in advance...and that's assuming the beads dissolve properly and uniformly, etc. But why risk it? If you're making a liquid, use the regular Effexor.

The only advantage I can think of to switching to counting the beads like I've been doing is because I find it very accurate, and much easier than messing with compounding or making liquid or measuring out 5 or more doses every day.

[Lexy]

Thank you all,

 

No...I wasn't thinking of crushing the beads.

 

I misunderstood Alto's advice on having the XR compounded to exact bead count. I thought she had meant the beads could be converted to liquid.

I will try to look up a compounding pharmacy.

 

I really need to do something about the dizziness/vertigo. I take Dramamine but it doesn't do a thing for me.

There was someone on the board who was doing frequent dosing as I am with the tablets. Yesterday I tried take 4 doses instead of breaking up tablets to 5 doses.

My vertigo usually hits higher starting about 3 pm. Yesterday instead of taking my 2nd dose I waited until 1:00pm - 45 minutes later vertigo shot up. I wonder if it's side effects after taking the generic immediate

[mammaP]

Lexy I have been tapering generic effexor (rodomel) and the beads are quite uniform.

I do have an old pack of  effexor and cracked open a capsule to experiment with counting those beads.

It was almost impossible to get a consistent amount because they are like tiny chips rather than beads.

I would strongly advise weighing the chips if you have or can get hold of a good set of scales. Weigh

the chips not the capsule. Effexor is a nasty little drug to get off and at lower doses you need to be very

precise with doses. In my opinion it should be banned, along with the rest of them! 

[Altostrata]

Lexy, as I've posted before, I do not see any advantage in your switching to Effexor XR.

 

Crushing the beads destroys their time-release quality. You might as well be using regular Effexor.

 

You cannot make a liquid from Effexor XR or any other time-release drug. You can make a liquid from regular Effexor. This is more precise than counting beads.

 

You are planning to convert part of your dose to Effexor XR and take the rest as regular Effexor. This means you have to make fairly precise measurements of both the Effexor XR (either figure out how many beads to take, weighing the beads, or having custom capsules made up by a compounding pharmacy) AND the regular Effexor (weighing the powder, making a liquid, or having the dose compounded).

 

In other words, you are making your situation much more complicated. If you're going to get doses of Effexor XR compounded, I would get your entire dose compounded -- 44.75mg.

 

(Tapering via counting beads may work until you are down to 10 beads, then you may wish to switch back to regular Effexor so you can make a liquid.)

 

BUT -- I am dubious the generic Effexor is responsible for your headaches. I think it is either a withdrawal symptom or related to your dosing schedule. Switching to Effexor XR might help this or it might make it worse -- a lot of unpredictable things happen switching drugs, which is why we don't recommend it if you can help it.

 

(And, in this situation, if you're going to incur the risk of switching, why not Prozac?)

 

I am afraid this is going to get more and more confusing for you, and you may make a mistake that will make you feel worse. Please see a knowledgeable doctor. I've sent you a suggestion in a PM.

 

(My guess is you got vertigo yesterday because you changed your dosage schedule.)

[Lexy]

Yesterday I took the 20.5mg brand Effexor XR and 24.75mg on the generic venlafaxine immediate release. I've been so reluctant to switch but due to the nonstop vertigo and/or headaches with fatigue every single for over a year now, I had to try something. However, I decided to make the switch slowly.

 

Effexor XR

I took out beads and weighed all of them, .125 = 37.5mg

I took out beads to come Down to .068= 20.4mg

 

Generic immediate release

24.75mg which I broke the tablet into fourths to take through out the day.

 

Since yesterday the vertigo has lessened from an average of 7-8 (1- 10 rating, 10 being severe vertigo) to about a 6.75.

I had developed joint pain two weeks and it is still present.

 

Something totally new that started yesterday was vision problems: fuzzy lines and seeing quadruple of everything.

Yesterday it started at 7:30pm as well as today.

Yesterday it lasted 90minutes. I am presently experiencing this will I am trying to write.

 

Has anyone felt like this?

 

 

To

[Lexy]

Stupid ME!!! I forgot to take my last immediate release last night. I awoke today to fill my pill box and to my dismay there it was a little itty bitty fourth of a tablet inside. Wonder what the consequences of that mishap will I have to endure?

Live and learn...

 

I especially didn't need that now when I'm trying to switch to the Brand name Effexor XR.

Vertigo and body aches are less this morning. The vision problems I had last night lasted longer than the previous night. Probably due to the missed dose? Duh!

 

Anyway I just noticed that that brain zaps are less since starting the brand XR.

Also my family has mentioned that I seem to be in a better mood, i just feel a little hopeful with a better outlook on getting off this crap. It could just be the placebo effect of trying the brand name. Who knows?? I'll take anything.

[Lexy]

For Anyone using the Effexor brand XR I just wanted to let you know that I went online to Phizer to request a discount for the brand name Effexor XR.

I printed out a copy and the pharmacy did apply a discount. Not sure if discount will work with insurance.

 

I am thinking of of what Alto said about having the XR compounded to 20mgs for next month. It is so difficult trying to count or weigh tiny little beads when I having vertigo. The vertigo seems to have morfed into dizziness. With the vertigo I was feeling as I would tip over and with the dizziness I feel like swaying side to side.

[Altostrata]

Lexy, you know I don't like this experiment in switching from IR to XR.

 

Since you've embarked on it, if I were you, I'd take the entire daily dosage in just the XR, in divided doses for now.

 

Forget the IR component.

[flong]

Yeah, I second that. Keep it as simple as possible. Just switch to XR completely asap.

You could divide your dose in half if you like. Again, it's something that was suggested by my doctor when I started having problems with only one dose. Immediately I was having far less problems first thing in the morning when I divided the XR dose in half. Just something to think about...most people here will likely tell you it makes no difference.

[Altostrata]

I think what flong means is take the entire dose for the day, but in two halves -- one in the morning and one in the evening.

[Lexy]

Currently I'm taking

 

8:30am - 20.5mg brand XR

9:30am - 6.0 generic immediate release

12:30pm - 6.0 gen IR

5:30am - 6.0 gen IR

9:00am - 6.0 gen IR

 

Towards 9:30am I feel I am needing the immediate to dissipate the symptoms then again towards 12:30.

 

At 7:30pm I am having the vision problems I reported earlier, however yesterday it only lasted about 20 minutes as opposed to couple hours the night before and queasiness. I do feel the queasiness was due to the missed dose from the prior night.

 

Splitting the brand xr twice daily would not give me enough of an edge during the day. Unless I take s full 37.5mg in the morning and then 7mg in generic or XR in the evening.

 

I used my four day weekend to try this switch to give me couple of days for unforeseen side effects from this switch. I will wait for my spring break to do the full XR.

 

This morning

vertigo is a 5...yay

Body and joint aches today 7.5 Yesterday 8

Dizziness 7. Yesterday 8

Zaps are lower since starting the Brand XR.

 

Flong I hope you had a fantastic vacation, you deserved it!