GanderGirl: Venlafaxine XR for Menopause - Ridiculous

[GanderGirl]

I went to my GP in June of 2015 reporting standard symptoms of perimenopause - night sweats, mood swings, minor bouts of crying, irregular periods, etc (I am 45 years old). As I was just starting a new job, she argued very strongly that it could NOT be menopause that it was most likely anxiety. I have never suffered from anxiety or depression. I wanted so badly to do something about the night sweats and the subsequent issues of fatigue at work, so I agreed to try the drug "just for the summer". What a major mistake that was.

 

I informed her in September that I no longer wished to take the drug. Periods has stopped for a couple of months at that point, so I was no longer open to any sort of debate. She set me up to taper by 37.5 mg a month for three months. I tapered by 37.5 every two weeks without any side effects whatsoever. In fact, I felt great during that tapering period. I stopped the drug four days ago after two weeks on 37.5 mg a day. I had NO IDEA what a horrible drug this is until I started to experience symptoms of withdrawal three days ago.

 

I do have heaviness/pressure in my eyes and ears, I have to come home for a nap in the middle of the afternoon due to fatigue, and I am experiencing some minor electrical zaps in my legs. These symptoms have been somewhat manageable. I should mention that the symptoms always seem worst at midday.

 

The thing that is making me most miserable is the constant "quacking" sound that now follows me everywhere I go. It's like I'm about 100 yards away from a duck pond. When I plug my ears, there is no difference in the intensity or volume of the sound.

 

I am extremely upset about this situation as I am a professional musician. The sounds are driving me absolutely crazy. I know this is only day four of withdrawal, but I am curious if anyone else has experienced any auditory withdrawal symptoms. 

 

Thanks in advance for any advice/insight/kind words you may have for me.

[Fresh]

Hi GanderGirl ,  welcome to the site.  I'm so sorry you're in this situation , but you've come to the most

infrmative site on the web for advice and support in how to manage it.

 

You are having withdrawal symptoms from stopping the SSRI too quickly.   Dropping 37.5mg every two weeks is pretty much equivalent to going off cold turkey.  This site suggests decreases of no more than 10% per month to allow your brain and body to recover as you go down.

 

One of the most unique things about these drugs is that they often (usually?) give a delayed withdrawal response.

So that , you would likely have developed w/d symptoms even if you had sat tight after the first 37.5mg cut.

As you read more on the site you'll develop a good understanding of how it goes.

 

To be honest , your w/d is most likely (imo) to get worse before it starts to get better.

You may find taking a very small amount of venlafaxine relieves /takes the edge off your symptoms.

See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

 

The other option is riding it out.  In this way , recovery will take at least a few months and possibly years.  There's no real predictor , and unfortunately the fact that you only took the ven. for a short time is not really a factor.

 

If you click FOLLOW at the top right , you'll receive an email each time someone posts here.

 

Best wishes ,  Fresh

[GanderGirl]

Thanks so much for the insights, Fresh. I will have a good look around the site and check out the link you provided. Grateful to have a response so quickly.

[dalsaan]

I agree with the advice Fresh has given you.

 

Here is a link to a topic with lots of the key threads to read.  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/300-important-topics-in-the-tapering-forum-and-faq/

 

You might actually want to start at the bottom.

 

Can I also ask you to complete your signature   Instructions are here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

When you have read and had a think about the idea of restating and tapering slowly you can come back here to ask questions

 

Dalsaan

[Petunia]

Welcome GanderGirl,

I'm sorry this has happened to you and you have every right to be upset at your doctor for not listening, misdiagnosing you and putting you on a drug which is notoriously difficult to withdraw from.

 

On the positive side, you did only take it for 4 months, so there's a possibility you will recover from withdrawal symptoms sooner, rather than it take months or years as it can do when people have been on these drugs for years and try to stop.

 

As Fresh pointed out, you tapered too fast and now you have the options of either dealing with the withdrawal symptoms with the help of the many topics in our symptoms and self care section, as you recover.  Especially read the topics pinned at the top.

 

Or you could reinstate 37.5mg and hold there for a while to see if symptoms go away, then begin a slower taper, the link Fresh gave you provides more details.

 

Tinnitus is a common withdrawal symptom, my ears started ringing 2 weeks after I tapered too fast off Lexapro.

 

Here are some related links:

 

Tinnitus -- What does all that noise mean? - Symptoms and ...

 

Head noise and other symptoms in the head - Surviving ...

 

Petunia.