Vitality: Effexor

[Vitality]

Can I please ask if I was taking even just 10 beads out of 225mg xr Effexor would it be a genuine withdrawal issue if I was feeling out of sorts just after a day or two? Or is this in my head?! I've been on 225mg for 2 years since resolving a major depressive episode with ECT.

Edited August 26, 2016 by ChessieCat
Added drug tags

[ChessieCat]

Hi Vitality and welcome to SA,

 

I've moved your post and created your own Intro/Update topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.  Click "Follow" top right and you will received notification whenever someone responds.

 

So that we are better able to offer suggestions Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature.  Please include ALL DRUGS and include dates and doses and how you decreased/increased.  Details for the last 12-18 months and a summary of anything before that is helpful.  Please remember to update your signature whenever you make a change so it remains current.  Thank you.

 

I'll list some links which you can check out:

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Symptoms Checklist

 

Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine)

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommend taper followed by a hold of 4-6 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug:

 

Brain Remodelling (Rhi's Description of Brain Healing)

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Once we have more details we will be able to offer suggestions.

[FeralUrban]

Can I please ask if I was taking even just 10 beads out of 225mg xr Effexor would it be a genuine withdrawal issue if I was feeling out of sorts just after a day or two? Or is this in my head?! I've been on 225mg for 2 years since resolving a major depressive episode with ECT.

 

 

Vitality,

It looks like you are just showing up here. The best thing to do is to enter a history in Introductions to give a broader picture of where you are coming from. List what you've been on and how long, and any changes made.

 

Be specific with symptoms, "out of sorts" is vague. Where you dizzy.? Nauseous? Brain zaps? Anxious? Irritable? Etc. Somewhere around here there is a list of withdrawal symptoms. I"m not real good with navigating the forum, as I'm not a moderator. 

 

This forum's recommended drop is 10% from previous dosage, which would be dropping to about 200 mg in your case, so you could, with your doctor's help take too 100 mg capsules, and see how that goes. 

 

As for removing beads, my opinion is that you have to COUNT UP the number of beads or WEIGH the beads, or use the Folded Paper method to get anywhere near an accurate, reliable daily dose. Since the contents of the capsules have a great variation in the number of beads and even the weight of the beads, I've found that I have to work to get accurate consistency, 

 

That said I found it fairly easy to get from 225 to 37.5 mg -- it took me 3 months, with moderate withdrawal effects.

I tried 10 days off Venlfaxine and had severe withdrawal effects -- ultimately unable to walk or stand without assistance.

But then the reduction from 37.5 mg down has been very problematic.

[Vitality]

Thank you for replies. I've been on 225mg xr Effexor as a maintainence dose for over 2 years though ECT was the only effective treatment to turning a major depressive episode around. My Dr has agreed to consider lowering my Effexor dose from around the beginning of next year but occasionally I get fed up with hearing how ill I was and my terrible relapse rate stats given I've unofficially (ie not been hospitalised) had episodes of depression on other occasions. So I decided to have a go at reducing the dose now but I am very sensitive to any signs that I could return to being so ill as I was in 2014. I felt nauseous and just unsteady psychologically so I quickly put back in the beads I had taken out today and then felt okish. Well as OK as I feel after the recent reminders from my dr of just how grim things were and the impact of my biology.

[scallywag]

Vitality -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA) from me too!

 

Your mention that your doc has talked about relapse rates.  What s/he may not know is that those people were probably experiencing withdrawal or "discontinuation" syndrome because the drugs were tapered too quickly. 

 

Making small cuts, less than 10%, no more often than 1 time per month while paying close attention to your symptoms minimizes the risk of withdrawal symptoms and is slow enough that you can respond to intense symptoms if they do arise.

 

If you follow a conservative approach -- even though it takes a while -- you may be educating your doctor!

[ChessieCat]

And here are some links which might give you some tips about dealing with medical professionals:

 

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

[Vitality]

Thank you. I think what my Dr means is that I have a high relapse rate given my experience of several episodes of depression and that maintaining the current dosage of Effexor probably gives me the best shot at staying well long term

[ChessieCat]

Hi Vitality,

 

I think it is very important to be able to make informed decisions regarding ADs.

 

Do antidepressants work? (2 minutes)    

 

A couple of good books to read are Your Drug May Be Your Problem (Breggin) and Anatomy of an Epidemic (Whitaker).

 

So that we are better able to cope once our AD is reduced or discontinued it's important to learn non-drug coping techniques:

1. Acceptance
2. Acceptance and Mindfulness
3. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System
4. "Change the channel" -- dealing with cognitive symptoms
5. Change cognitive framing - Redirect - Another Way
6. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression
7. Cognitive Behavior Therapy lessons