pgartist: withdrawing from Klonopin and Effexor

[pgartist]

I am just starting my withdrawal from 150mg of Effexor. 10% per week....so far so good. I've been on it for 8 or so years...

 

Any side effects I should expect.....?? At what point in the withdrawal will it be most challenging?

[pgartist]

I currently take 2mgs of Klonopin in the morning and 2mgs at night.

 

I intend to withdraw gradually starting in the fall. Is this amount relatively huge...I'm not sure and the decline 10% per week applicable to this particular medicine?

 

Any suggestions or support would help me prepare well for this endeavor.

[basildev]

Hi Pgartist,

 

welcome to the forum.

 

I moved a previous post you made to this topic as this is your introduction topic. You should come back to this topic whenever you need to report on your progress or ask questions.

 

I'm not an expert on benzo tapering, however I believe a 10% per week reduction is way too fast. Same deal with Effexor.

 

Here is some information on tapering:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/300-important-topics-in-the-tapering-forum-and-faq/

 

And specifically, tapering off Effexor:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/272-tips-for-tapering-off-effexor-and-effexor-xr-venlafaxine/

 

When you get a chance please add your drug history to your signature:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

[pgartist]

Thank you for your response. I am first going off 150mg of Effexor....will spend the entire summer doing so.

 

I will take extra precautions due to your warning. possibly 10% every two weeks?

 

Thank you.

 

I am also an artist and find creativity helps.

 

attached is my most recent work:

[basildev]

That is beautiful pg!

 

10% reduction every 2 weeks is still WAY too fast.

 

For antidepressant tapering, we recommend no more than 10% reduction every 4-6 weeks. When you read the information I sent you, you will see why.

 

For a benzo like klonopin the cut will be even less than 10%. How long have you been in the Klonopin?

 

Also, it might be a good idea to taper the antidepressant first and then tackle the benzo. The reason I say this is that you do a multi-taper, it can be difficult to ascertain where the symptoms are coming from and which specific dose alteration caused them.

 

Please do read the information I have sent you and when you have time, add your drug history so we can see exactly where you are.

[Jemima]

 

I am also an artist and find creativity helps.

 

attached is my most recent work:

 

What medium did you use for that? It looks like canvas and - what? Very intriguing. I'm surprised that you're still able to be creative after so many years on Effexor. It only took fifteen months of antidepressants and a too-fast taper to really dull and diminish my own creative spark. Now that I've been off the drugs for nearly eighteen months, I have windows when I can feel creative, but it's not present always, either in the foreground or background, as it used to be.

 

BTW, basildev's advice is right on. Taper the Effexor first and do so much more slowly than you had planned, then tackle the Klonopin. The Klonopin will help to smooth the rough edges of tapering off Effexor.

[pgartist]

Thank you Jemina....the medium is canvas, pencil, white paint.

 

Both of you are great in your support of my going off meds, more carefully and slower than I had anticipated.

 

Stay creative.....it is great therapy! Another art work for your enjoyment!!

[pgartist]

That's a portrait of me my husband took. Generally, I'm a happy person...just hope it's not because of the meds alone.

[Karma]

Hi pgartist, welcome to the forum!

 

Are you on Effexor XR or regular? I am also weaning off of Effexor, but I use regular Effexor. Now that I am down below 20 mg I am using a compounded liquid because it is easier to measure and manage than cutting up tablets. If you are using XR there are a number of members who have had success counting beads from the capsules.

 

Please read through the links that Basildev provided. I believe you will find this one in there: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1779-rate-symptoms-daily-to-catch-withdrawal-early/. With Effexor I've found that withdrawal symptoms can creep up on me so by logging my symptoms I can see them better and make adjustments before I become too uncomfortable.

 

You asked what point will be most challenging ... in my experience I had pretty good success with my reductions at higher dosages, but when I got down to lower dosages I had to go more slowly.

 

Feel free to ask questions and keep us posted on your progress.

 

Karma

[pgartist]

I actually take the generic Venlafaxine HCL. I started at 150mg and am down to 135mg with no noticeable side effects......every two weeks I will go down 10% so it should take about 4 months and then another 6-8 weeks to see how I am with it completely out of my system. I am doing this with the help of my psychiatrist who prescribed them. Thank you for warning me about the difficulties at lower doses when withdrawing. I love to paint, make bouquets and swim....I'm pretty optimistic about life and have good sustaining relationships.

[Rhiannon]

I would just like to add my concern about the rate of taper that you're planning. 10% every two weeks after 8 years sounds way too fast to me.

 

At the very least I would consider a longer hold of 4-6 weeks after every two or three cuts. And definitely don't start tapering the Klonopin until you've recovered from the Effexor taper--I think this autumn is probably not realistic, but time will tell. There's so much individual variation in how it goes.

 

If you want to taper more than one med at the same time you have to go MUCH MUCH more slowly than you are going.

 

It's better to start out going too slow, get used to your body's responses and get an idea of what symptoms kick in when and how long they take to resolve, et cetera, keeping careful track of cuts. Then once you actually KNOW what to expect (instead of guessing) you can then speed up your taper to the speed that works for your body, your symptoms, and your life.

 

Otherwise what generally happens is people go too fast, don't allow enough time for recovery and the "lag time" effect, and then hit the wall and get pretty sick and have to hold their taper for a long time (many months) or even increase their dose and hold, until they stabilize, before being able to start again. It seems to work better to start slow, be conservative, listen to your body, and stay stable throughout--less suffering and a smoother taper.

 

I think it's great that you're here at the beginning of your taper, rather than finding your way here once things have gone awry! Best of luck to you.

[Jemima]

Please do post your drug history. I'm concerned about the amount of Klonopin you've been taking in particular, although we really need to have the whole picture to offer the best advice. Why did you start taking the drugs and why do you want off now?