Mskb: Problems tapering Venlafaxine, severe anxiety, ruminating, years of antidepressants, please help

[Altostrata]

You might try relaxing and holding for several months at your current dosage. Sometimes people's nervous systems need time to regroup.

[Mskb]

@Altostrata

 

Thank you for your help. I am going to hold for a while and give my nervous system a chance to calm down. Hopefully I will feel better and tapering will be more tolerable once my system has time to regroup. I just can't stand feeling so awful most of the time. 

[Altostrata]

Good idea. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Mskb]

Wow, I didn’t realize over a year has gone by since I last posted. I read a lot here but don’t often log in. I am going to try and log in and post more often. I took Altostrata’s advice and ended up doing a  few 3 month holds which helped. I then dropped my taper to 2.5 % and slowly have made my way up to almost 4% every 4-5 weeks, which so far has been tolerable. I have made it to 99 mg after starting to taper from 300 mg almost 3 years ago after being poly drugged and I believe kindled. It may not seem like a lot over 3 years but to me it is huge, I am starting my 26th year straight of being on antidepressants. I still have a long way to go (years) and tapers are still difficult, but so far since adding in some longer holds and dropping the taper rate, they have been tolerable. I am grateful. I have felt the needle start to move, meaning I can do a little more, leave the house a little easier and with less dread, less anxiety and rumination and sometimes I might get a flicker of interest in something. I even sleep a bit better. I keep wondering when the emotional blunting will start to lift and the morning anxiety too. 66% of the way down and still so many side effects. Psychiatry has a lot to answer for. Brassmonkey’s post about how it took him 2.5 years to start to feel a difference has helped me keep going many times. As has the withdrawal normal post, I reread these often. They help give me strength. Thank you Brassmonkey. To a new year of healing as we continue our journey on this long and liberating road.