Want to discontinue venlafaxine, from Selysse

[selysse]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum but not to venlafxine.  Quick history: was prescribed Effexor XR in 2003-ish for depression, which my doctors called Dysthmic disorder.  I was initially prescribed 75 mg, and stayed on that dose for 2-3 years.  Once depression was under control, doc switched me down to 37.5 mg, which I have been on ever since with no end in sight.  There was never any discussion of ending my course of effexor. 

 

A couple years ago, I asked my shrink about discontinuing the drug and he told me that the 37.5mg dose is so low it doesn't treat depression at all, and if i wanted to get off the drug it would be best to switch to Prozac and work my way down. 

 

I have only ever been "off" my med for a day when I forget to take it, and have only experienced "brain shivers" thus far.  Once, in 2006, I discontinued use of the drug for a few days and found myself angering very quickly and yelling easily.  

 

The thing that concerns me most about trying to discontinue is ******* up my life as it is now, which is pretty good.  Why quit?  Because the thought of being on a drug, one that may not be needed (see above) for the rest of my life is terrifying.  

[selysse]

Thought I would ask another question regarding going off my antidepressant:

The highest dose I have ever taken was 75 mg of effexor.  For the past 8 years or so, I have only been taking the 37.5mg.  A shrink told me that the lowest dose (37.5) wasn't enough to actually treat the depression, and that I should come off it.  Does anyone know if this is true--that 37.5mg is too low to actually treat depression? 

 

Also, I couldn't figure out how to put my prescription information in the "signature" part of my post, or even where the "signature" was.  Sorry.  

This is what I would include:

2003, prescribed effexor xr 75mg.

Took 75mg dose for a couple years.

Downgraded to 37.5mg in 2006-7?

Have been on 37.5 mg ever since.

Never treated for depression before 2003.

[mammaP]

Hi Selysse, I've been on low dose venlafaxine for years too, but have been on lots of others before that. 

I started removing beads from the capsule. It's been 18 months and I am down to the last 4 beads. 

Take it very slowly, even just 1 bead at a time and you will get there in the end. If you've been on them

for so long and feel well then it won't matter how long it takes  . Staff here recommend a 10% reduction,

every few weeks. Listen to your body, it will tell you if you have dropped too much and you can adjust accordingly. 

 

My psychiatrist also told me that 37.5 was of no benefit, but also told me I would be on them for life! 

Here's the thread on discontinuing venlafaxine.  Glad you found SA,you will get lots of help and support here. 

 

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

[Jemima]

Hello, Selysse -

 

Here's our topic on tapering off of Effexor:  Tips for Tapering Off Effexor .  There is also a topic in our Tapering section on switching to Prozac, which you might want to read.  Tapering directly off Effexor by counting beads seems to work best for most people. Switching to Prozac doesn't necessarily help and and may cause problems as Effexor and Prozac are two different kinds of antidepressants.

 

Welcome to the forum.  You'll find lots of good information and friendly support here.

[Rhiannon]

Thought I would ask another question regarding going off my antidepressant:

The highest dose I have ever taken was 75 mg of effexor.  For the past 8 years or so, I have only been taking the 37.5mg.  A shrink told me that the lowest dose (37.5) wasn't enough to actually treat the depression, and that I should come off it.  Does anyone know if this is true--that 37.5mg is too low to actually treat depression? 

 

Also, I couldn't figure out how to put my prescription information in the "signature" part of my post, or even where the "signature" was.  Sorry.  

This is what I would include:

2003, prescribed effexor xr 75mg.

Took 75mg dose for a couple years.

Downgraded to 37.5mg in 2006-7?

Have been on 37.5 mg ever since.

Never treated for depression before 2003.

 

Actually some doctors believe that people can respond to very small doses of antidepressants. 

 

It's kind of hard to sort out, because there's a difference between "therapeutic effect" when people first take these drugs (studies seem to be mixed on whether or not antidepressants work all that much better than placebo at ANY dose, except for severe depression)

 

and the effect of "preventing withdrawal symptoms," which most psychiatrists and doctors don't really admit exist, so most of the time when they say "it's preventing a relapse" what they're really observing is that it's preventing withdrawal symptoms.

 

And there's a difference between a brain that's never been exposed to these drugs, and one that's had its chemistry altered and messed up by them. It appears that with repeated exposures and changes in meds people overall do seem to become more sensitive to them.

 

And it turns out that people often need to taper down to very small doses to prevent withdrawal, so that even very tiny doses can make a difference to withdrawal symptoms.

[Altostrata]

That doctor is wrong. People respond differently to psychiatric drugs. For some, very small amounts have a very large impact.