Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Nicki1722: Effexor withdrawal


Nicki1722

Recommended Posts

  • Moderator Emeritus

You might want to try a very gentle method of decreasing developed by a moderator here, brassmonkey.  He calls it (and we copy him :D) "The Brassmonkey Slide."  

 

Here's what he wrote (today) in another member's intro topic:

52 minutes ago, brassmonkey said:

The Brassmonkey Slide Method is a way of spreading a taper out over a series of smaller drops to minimize the symptoms caused by the larger drop, but still maintain the speed of a larger taper.  The original method was to do four 2.5% drops, one a week for four weeks and then hold an additional 2 weeks.  So say you were dropping from 20mgs. The first weeks drop would be to 19.5mg, the second week would be to 19mg the third week to 18.5mg and weeks 4-6 would be at 18mg.  That gives you a total drop of 10% every 6 weeks.  Some people have modified it to do 5% in 6 weeks and some even less.  It's not a good idea to do more that 10%. There are several more detailed explanations on the site, a quick search should get you more information.

Here's a post in brass's intro topic with another example:

If you were doing this for a 10% over the 6 weeks (15 mg total decrease, 15/4 = 3.75 mg/week) your plan for each week would be:

  1. 150 - 3.75 = 146.25 mg
  2. 146.25 - 3.75 = 142.5 mg
  3. 142.5 - 3.75 = 138.75 mg
  4. 138.75 - 3.75 = 135 mg
  5. 135 mg
  6. 135 mg

To do this with Effexor, you need to open the capsule and either weigh the beads or count them:

Using a digital scale to measure doses.

Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

Link to comment
  • ChessieCat changed the title to Nicki1722: Effexor withdrawal
  • Replies 188
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Nicki1722

    98

  • scallywag

    18

  • Shep

    12

  • SquirrellyGirl

    12

Top Posters In This Topic

After much debate, I don't think I'm ready to decrease yet. Going to wait it out awhile longer and see how I feel. 

Quick rundown of med changes. Originally put on Effexor in High School. Probably 2002? Got up to 300mg. In 2009 was able to successfully taper off Effexor with no real problems. Went back on 4 months later after a very bad depressive episode. 2010 Started back on 37.5mg Effexor and did wonderfully. Until 2016.

2/9/16 Effexor 75mg 2/12/16 Effexor 112.5mg 3/3Effexor 75mg 3/12 effexor 37.5mg3/22/16 Lexapro 5mg 3/29/16 10mg lexapro4/10/16 started 50mg Zoloft 4/17/16 stopped Zoloft 4/30/16-5/5/16 Prozac 5/7/16 restarted 18.75mg (20 beads) Effexor. 6/6 to 6/13 attempted Prozac bridge again. 6/16 Effexor 12 beads 7/10 13 beads 7/19 20 beads 7/30 14 beads 10/17 started 1mg celexa in addition to 14 beads Effexor 10/18 2mg celexa 14 beads 10/20 5mg celexa, 14 beads

11/4 stopped Effexor, stopped celexa, started 50mg zoloft

2/2 dropped Zoloft 10% to 45mg 2/20 back to 50mg 3/3 75 mg Zoloft 3/23 reinstated effexor 37.5mg Zoloft to 50mg and tapering zoloft

4/5 75mg Effexor, no Zoloft 

4/10 150mg Effexor

 

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

So, I attempted to reduce by 5 beads (out of approx. 150) and lasted 4 days. I began having vision difficulties and flashes of light, the well known dizziness and flu like symptoms. I knew immediately what is was. So I'm assuming that's my body telling me it's not time yet. Bah-humbug 

Quick rundown of med changes. Originally put on Effexor in High School. Probably 2002? Got up to 300mg. In 2009 was able to successfully taper off Effexor with no real problems. Went back on 4 months later after a very bad depressive episode. 2010 Started back on 37.5mg Effexor and did wonderfully. Until 2016.

2/9/16 Effexor 75mg 2/12/16 Effexor 112.5mg 3/3Effexor 75mg 3/12 effexor 37.5mg3/22/16 Lexapro 5mg 3/29/16 10mg lexapro4/10/16 started 50mg Zoloft 4/17/16 stopped Zoloft 4/30/16-5/5/16 Prozac 5/7/16 restarted 18.75mg (20 beads) Effexor. 6/6 to 6/13 attempted Prozac bridge again. 6/16 Effexor 12 beads 7/10 13 beads 7/19 20 beads 7/30 14 beads 10/17 started 1mg celexa in addition to 14 beads Effexor 10/18 2mg celexa 14 beads 10/20 5mg celexa, 14 beads

11/4 stopped Effexor, stopped celexa, started 50mg zoloft

2/2 dropped Zoloft 10% to 45mg 2/20 back to 50mg 3/3 75 mg Zoloft 3/23 reinstated effexor 37.5mg Zoloft to 50mg and tapering zoloft

4/5 75mg Effexor, no Zoloft 

4/10 150mg Effexor

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

We all have some symptoms when we cut. We just ride them out. With slow taper they abate quickly. I maybe have 5 days of unpleasant symptoms before they resolve.

 

5 beads out of 150 sounds reasonable but if you find the wd symptoms too uncomfortable, you can try an even smaller decrease.

Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2

2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013)

Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 
1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg.
2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg
went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days after
reinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours
28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr  2015 1 mg,  25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64  Xanax     9 month hold

24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26

Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic 

I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. 

Link to comment

What happened to the Zoloft? It sounds like you dropped it very quickly. Your history is very stop / start so it's not really a surprise that you are not feeling good at this point in time.

 

If you can keep it slow and stable from hereon in then it may start to go very well in the future.

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Nicki1722 said:

So, I attempted to reduce by 5 beads (out of approx. 150) and lasted 4 days. I began having vision difficulties and flashes of light, the well known dizziness and flu like symptoms. I knew immediately what is was. So I'm assuming that's my body telling me it's not time yet. Bah-humbug 

hi Nikki I'm tapering venlafaxine[Effexor ]  and when I first started I had mucus and strong flu for about 2 weeks and if I look back when doctor said going from 75mg to 37.5 two years ago would be no problem I had mucus and flu  like feeling for months . ,I find this symptom very bearable compared to other symptoms .

I'm never going back on my taper I'm truly sick to my soul of this process .so as bubble says there is going to be some symptoms after a cut .maybe try judge your taper again when you don't have to do much and see how many days the dizziness lasts past the 4 day mark.

Maybe try 2 or 3 beads ,when your further down your taper get someone to help you count the beads out .

Best of luck to you in this process .

PB

Alcohol free since February 2015 

1MG diazepam

4.5MG PROZAC.

 

 

 

Link to comment

Well the thing is I still question if I'm stable. I am stuck between are these side effects or is my brain still trying to get stable? I'm also 7 months pregnant which definitely complicates things. My horomones can be crazy at times. My goal, which has been the same one for nearly a year now, has simply been to get normality back. I feel like I'm getting there but now my brain feels overly stimulated at times and exhausted at others. I definitely one day plan to get completely

off meds, just not anytime soon. They have, to put it shortly, given me my life back in high school and also took it back away. 

Quick rundown of med changes. Originally put on Effexor in High School. Probably 2002? Got up to 300mg. In 2009 was able to successfully taper off Effexor with no real problems. Went back on 4 months later after a very bad depressive episode. 2010 Started back on 37.5mg Effexor and did wonderfully. Until 2016.

2/9/16 Effexor 75mg 2/12/16 Effexor 112.5mg 3/3Effexor 75mg 3/12 effexor 37.5mg3/22/16 Lexapro 5mg 3/29/16 10mg lexapro4/10/16 started 50mg Zoloft 4/17/16 stopped Zoloft 4/30/16-5/5/16 Prozac 5/7/16 restarted 18.75mg (20 beads) Effexor. 6/6 to 6/13 attempted Prozac bridge again. 6/16 Effexor 12 beads 7/10 13 beads 7/19 20 beads 7/30 14 beads 10/17 started 1mg celexa in addition to 14 beads Effexor 10/18 2mg celexa 14 beads 10/20 5mg celexa, 14 beads

11/4 stopped Effexor, stopped celexa, started 50mg zoloft

2/2 dropped Zoloft 10% to 45mg 2/20 back to 50mg 3/3 75 mg Zoloft 3/23 reinstated effexor 37.5mg Zoloft to 50mg and tapering zoloft

4/5 75mg Effexor, no Zoloft 

4/10 150mg Effexor

 

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Nicki1722 said:

Well the thing is I still question if I'm stable. I am stuck between are these side effects or is my brain still trying to get stable? I'm also 7 months pregnant which definitely complicates things. My horomones can be crazy at times. My goal, which has been the same one for nearly a year now, has simply been to get normality back. I feel like I'm getting there but now my brain feels overly stimulated at times and exhausted at others. I definitely one day plan to get completely

off meds, just not anytime soon. They have, to put it shortly, given me my life back in high school and also took it back away. 

the fact your pregnant means definitely get to the best stability possible ,tapering can wait ,I'm going into my third year dealing with the fall out from crap advice from doctor .the mods will say there's no rush and that's true ,super self care the next few months ,be aware of any stress that will set you off .

the fact your questioning if your stable to me means this could be a lot worse so have plenty of patience ,I'm a shell of what I was last year so thread very carefully .

PB

Alcohol free since February 2015 

1MG diazepam

4.5MG PROZAC.

 

 

 

Link to comment
  • 2 years later...
  • Administrator

@Nicki1722, how are you doing?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy