Alanmane: try hard

[Alanmane]

I don't know if anyone will reply to this message. A year ago I was at 50 Effexor pearls, a year later I am at the similar point and every month I have gotten worse, I have barely reduced my dose so I guess what is happening to me has to do with the original problem that caused that I will medicate. For a label, I would call it severe depression, or call it emotional exhaustion, nervous breakdown, mental breakdown ... it doesn't matter. I just know that I will not be able to endure this state much longer, I only feel pain, I cannot feel any pleasant emotions, my mind works slow, I cannot think, I do not feel myself, I see things but they seem unreal to me, I do not trust anyone and I think others see me as trash. I'm about to quit my job because I can barely relate to people properly, I don't want to take medication again, but I don't want to suffer so much for years, I think this has nothing to do with WD anymore and my head is not working well, now I understand people who end their life, but I don't want to do that.

[mva96]

Hi Alanmane, sorry to hear you're struggling so much at the moment.

 

Withdrawal is dark and often scary, and our minds become our own worst enemy during this process. Do not trust your thoughts. They are distorted by the withdrawal.

 

I'm not an expert but it looks like you've been tapering quite fast and then going back up a lot. Maybe try staying at your current dose and waiting for quite some time to stabilise before moving forwards? Venlafaxine is a nasty drug and notorious for being difficult to come off.

 

Can you exercise, listen to uplifting music? Do you eat a healthy diet? Do you speak with family and friends when you can? 

 

You will get through this, but you have to take care of yourself like you would take care of a sick friend or family member.

 

Stay safe 🙂