Stressed: New member

[Stressed]

I am currently withdrawing from 225 mg Venlafaxine. I somehow didn't pay my dr bill and now I can't make an appointment to see my psychiatrist. I am a busy working mother of young kids and took my last pill 5 days ago. I would have never started this medicine if I had the first clue it would be so hard to stop. I was thinking that I would just ride out the wd symptoms but from what I have read I could be damaging my cns. Thoughts on getting a refill and tapering?

[ChessieCat]

Hi Stressed and welcome to SA,

 

You do not need to see a psychiatrist to get a prescription for Venlafaxine.  Any general medical practitioner can write a script for it.  If you cannot get to a doctor within the next day, you might want to consider going to an Emergency Room and explaining the situation and see if they will give you a script or tablets.  I'm in Australia and don't know how things work over there.  Sorry.  If you do that it may be a good idea to take the package from your drug so that they can see that you have been prescribed it in the past.

 

Providing you can get your venlafaxine within the next couple of days you should be okay to go back on the same dose.  You would then hold on that dose for a couple of months before tapering, if that is what you want to do.  We can provide the support and information that you need to do that using a harm reduction method.

 

I'll provide additional information in another post.  I just wanted to make sure that you know how to get your drug.

[ChessieCat]

Okay, now for some more information.

 

If you can't get your drug straight away and it ends up being about 2 weeks, you might be able to start taking 200mg venlafaxine, instead of 225mg.  This is because your brain will make some adaptations during the time you are off the drug.  Please see the Tips link below which explains how to get a lower dose.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine)

 

It will be helpful if you would Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature.  Please include details for the last 12-18 months of  all drugs, dates, doses and discontinuations & reinstatements.  If you can't remember dates, please write it as "early March" or "mid-August".  Please provide a summary of any drugs prior to that which can just be listed with start and stop years. Please include all prescription, non-prescription drugs and supplements you are currently taking.

 

SA recommends a harm reduction method, tapering no more than 10% of the previous dose followed by a holding period of 3-4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommendations:

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

This is your Intro/Update topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.  Click "Follow" top right and you will be notified when someone responds.

[peng]

I was on that dose earlier.  I would be in a worried state if I had run out of the medication 5 days ago, knowing what I know now.

 

Take ChessieCat's, and any other mods' advice, and get back on a steady platform with this ghastly drug, before tapering sensibly.

 

Very best wishes.

[Daisy]

Hi Stressed

 

I am sorry you are going through this. Something similar happened to me a number of years ago. Would you care to share your withdrawal symptoms? Sometimes it helps to put them on paper.

You are not alone. We are here to help.

 

Daisy