bananaman Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I have been on venlafaxine / effexor for two periods in the last 3 years. From February 2011 till May 2012 and from March 2103 till now. Also had alprazolam (Xanax) but could quit that quite easily. The first epidode was because of a burnout caused by me working fulltime and studying for a ICT bachelor in the evenings and weekends. I was too much and while I was doing my final internship I collapsed and had to stop. I got really depressed so I went to my doctor and got venlafaxine 150mg. Stayed on it for about a year. After a year I was feeling good again so I decided to quit and tapered really slow to 0. I lost my job, found a new job that I hated from day one and that was really stressful and not rewarding. During that period I did Jungian analytical psychotherapy (load of BS if you ask me) and my therapist was telling me to keep working (don't run!) and finally I was in a second burnout, in february 2013. Tried to cope without pills but couldn't handle it and went back on them around March 2013. My doctor (GP) tells me that I have a serotonin shortage that is causing all the trouble, not wanting to look at circumstances, my character, my history, everything that is important. I simply do not believe that story: I have always been quite OK and now I need pills because my brain is missing something? And when I was on 150 mg I would have weeks and weeks of feeling terrible, went on holiday and had almost no symptoms (had a great time in Thailand where my wife is from) and as soon as I got back and was confronted with the hopelessness of not having a job, not knowing what to do, feeling useless etc. etc. I was feeling very low again! Went to the doctor, maybe we should raise your dosage to 225 mg !!! I did not do that and it got a lot better, I started running, walking in the forest and meditating. Also I had some great days when a friend I hadn't seen for years dropped by and we went for some long forest walks. No symptoms at all! The pills help me but they don't cure anything. And I certainly don't believe I have to stay on them for life as my doctor told me. Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted October 22, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 22, 2013 Hi Bananaman, welcome to SA. It looks like you have tapered far too quickly over the last few months. It is recommended no more than 10% drop then wait for things to settle at the new dose for a time until another 10% drop. This gives your brain time to adjust between drops and makes getting off these drugs much much easier. It would probably be best for you to wait a couple of months or even longer to stabilise before dropping again, then take it slowly. I am also tapering venlafaxine by counting beads and learned the hard way about tapering too quickly! A lot of doctors still believe the chemical imbalance thing but it has now been shown to be wrong. Browse the forums and you will find loads of info that will help with your taper. It's good to have you join us **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
bananaman Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 Thanks. I am sticking to 75mg for the next couple of months or more. No need to go quicker. NeXT week I am beginning à mindfulness training, looking forward to that. Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
bananaman Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 What is your opinion about my taper (see signature) ? I think I went too fast and have to stay on the 75mg for a while, before starting another -slow- taper. All ideas, tips, opinions are welcomed, very glad I finally signed up for the survivingantidepressants website. More knowledge here than my doctor has... Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
bananaman Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Can an admin please change my topic title to: Bananaman tapering Venlafaxine Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted October 23, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 23, 2013 Can an admin please change my topic title to: Bananaman tapering Venlafaxine Done. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted October 23, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 23, 2013 Thanks.I am sticking to 75mg for the next couple of months or more. No need to go quicker. NeXT week I am beginning à mindfulness training, looking forward to that. Good choice banana man. The mantra around here is to go slowly and hold. You have made a good choice to reinstate a low dose and hold. And it goes without saying that your propensity to look toward self care is bonus. Are you feeling a bit better on 75 mg.? RU...... I am tapering myself & no expert but until someone more knowledgeable shows up I wanted to tell you that the reinstatement and hold is a good move. Please dont' change that until someone else pipes up. You've been through enough changes as of late and your body needs a rest. Wishing you well & all the best and welcome. This is a good place... Fall 1995 xanax, zoloft. switched to Serzone 1996- spring 2003serzone/ xanax/ lightbox. b]Fall 2003- Fall 2004? Lexapro 10 mg. Light box /4 mg. xanax.[/b] 2004 - Fall of 2009 10 mg Lex, 150 mg Wellbutrin XL % 4 mg xanax November 2009- Sept. 2011 10 mg lex., 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax [/b Sept.2012- July 2012 20 mg Lex 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax My mantra " go slow & with the flow " 3/2/13.. Began equal dosing 5 Xs /day xanax, while simultaneously incorporating a 2.5 % drop ( from 3.5 mg/day to 3.4 mg/day) 4/6/13 dropped from 300 mg. Wellbutrin XL to 150 mg. Difficult but DONE! Down to 3.3 mg xanax/ day / 6/10/13 3 mg xanax/day; 7/15/2013 2.88mg xanax/day. 10/ 1/2013...... 2.5 mg xanax… ( switched to tablets again) WOO HOO!!!!!! Holding here… cont. with Lexapro. 1/ 2/2014.. tapered to 18mg ( by weight) of a 26 mg ( by weight) pill of 20 mg tab. lexapro. goal is 13mg (by weight OR 10 mg by ingredient content) and STOPPED. Feeling very down with unbalanced, unpredictable WD symptoms. 1/2/2014- ??? Taking a brain-healing break from tapering anything after actively tapering something for 1.5 years. So… daily doses as of 2/2/2014: 18 mg by weight Lex, 150 mg Well. XL, 2.5 mg xanax, down from 26 mg by weight Lex., 300 mg well. XL, 4 mg xanax in August, 2012. I'll take it. 5/8/14 started equivalent dose liquid./ tabs. 5/13/14 1.5 % cut. Link to comment
bananaman Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 I have been on 75mg for 5 weeks or so and I feel quite stable. As I don't want to go to quick I need some advice: What would be a good time to start tapering again? I was thinking january 2014 and try to do it real slowly now! I have changed GP's because my original GP was a fanatical chemical inbalance believer who told me I had to take AD for the rest of my life because. like having diabetes, I was missing a chemical in my brain and blah blah blah... Everybody who has access to internet, TV and books can find out that that assumption is WRONG, it has never been proven there is something wrong in the brain for about 99% of mental disorders... Why don't doctors know that? A mystery to me! I wish everybody good luck coming off these pills, go excercise, meditate, talk, change jobs, do whatever needed before ever considering these "medicines". Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted November 22, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hi Bananaman, glad you are feeling more stable now. I think that is a great plan to wait till January before tapering, or even a bit longer if you are feeling ok. There were a few changes in a short time so it will be better for you. Then taper no more than 10% and hold a few weeks. Listen to your body, it will tell you when it isn't happy. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted November 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted November 23, 2013 Hey Bananaman, Are you taking regular venlafaxine or XR? Continuing your taper in January sounds like a sound plan, but I would base it on how you feel in January and your situation at the time. Here is our topic on weaning off of Effexor: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/272-tapering-off-effexor-venlafaxine/ If you are taking regular venlafaxine you can look into getting a jeweler's scale and carving up the tablets to measure out 10% or less decrements from your previous dose. I actually have my venlafaxine compounded into a liquid so that I can do very controlled, small decrements. If you are taking XR you can open the capsules and take out a few beads at a time to do a control taper. I also recommend keeping a log of your symptoms as you taper. As symptoms start to ramp up you can adjust your taper so that you remain stable. For example, for me increased anxiety, sleep disruptions and increased ringing in my ears are good early warning symptoms for me. When I start to notice these things aren't stable I know have to hold a little longer. You really sound like you have your act together! The mindfulness training will be a great tool for managing through the rest of your taper. Welcome to the forum. I look forward to following your progress. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF EffexorI am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
bananaman Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 I am taking 75mg XR capsules, they have 6 small pills inside. They used to have many more really small beads inside but these have only 6 small pills! Brand is "Bluefish". A small dose reduction is made impossible, it is 12,5mg or a multitude of that! Maybe I can ask my GP to switch brands? Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted November 23, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 23, 2013 From my own experience of bead counting, I would say that the 6 small pills are a bonus! Are your caps 75mg? Or are you taking out pills to get 75? I'm thinking maybe crush 1 pill to get the dose, Counting beads for me was a nightmare until I got to lower doses when it was easy to count 50 beads than 200! My caps have 400 beads, I got myself in a pickle heaps of times! Plus some brands have very uneven size beads. I am doing a little experiment and opened an old effexor pack. ( my current is rodomel) I was shocked by the size differences, some almost 1mm and others like a grain of sugar! Someone else will be along with their take on the pills, there are other things to consider too. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
bananaman Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 My caps are 75 mg so each "minipill" is 12,5 mg, they are all the same size. I don't know if crushing the minipills is OK since they are XR. Maybe it is fine as long as I put eveything back into the capsule. But then I would need a jewellers scale off course to weigh the crushed minipill. If I take steps of appr. 10% the first step would be: 6 minipills * 0,9 = 5,4 minipill, so I would have to weigh one minipill and calculate 0,4 of it's weight. That is easy. When I'm at 37,5 I make the steps smaller, like 5% of the original dose = 3,75 mg. I have made a spreadsheet of it, it will take about 1 year to get to zero: Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted November 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted November 23, 2013 Hello, bananaman, you might be interested in this topic http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5195-tapering-packets-to-be-produced-for-paroxetine-and-venlafaxine/#entry66738 You might be able to consult with one of the doctors mentioned. I would think that if you divide up one of those pellets, it probably will lose the extended-release characteristic, making it regular Effexor. This is not dangerous, but to avoid activation that might affect sleep, I would take that broken pellet in the morning. At 75mg, a decrease of half a pellet (6.25mg) is within the 10% guideline. That would be for the first month and bring your dosage down to 68.75mg. Then you can make another 6.25mg decrease, bringing it to 62.50. For the 3rd month, can make another 6.25mg decrease. Now you're taking 56.25mg. If you had no withdrawal symptoms after the other decreases, you might want to try another 6.25mg decrease in the 4th month. If it seems that might be too much, you could switch to dividing one of the pellets in 3 for dosage reductions of about 4.17mg, and use that until your total daily dosage is below 40mg. This might save you the trouble of crushing and weighing for a good long while. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
bananaman Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 I always take the caps in the morning so that would be OK. Went to my new GP today and talked to him about my situation. He is an open minded guy who also has his doubts about the serotonin theory. He want to support me coming off the meds. He subscribed venlafaxine 37,5mg caps and wants me to follow a schedule that goed like 75 -75 -37,5 -75 -75 -37,5 etc. etc. for about 3 to 4 weeks. I was thinking that maybe taking 62,5 (5 pellets) every day would be a better option, because there will be no fluctuations then. He also suggested that I could start this tapering now instead of, what I planned, in a couple of months. I want to get off the meds that's for sure but I am not in a hurry. On the other side he also looked at the report the "psycholoog" made, I was tested for personality disorders and ADHD and stuff, nothing wrong with me fortunately! The psycholoog's opinion is that I had had two burnouts because of stress and that that had made me sad and disappointed with my life. So being down (I havre always been able to do my things except my job- so not a very deep depression) and crying and being sometimes desperate is in her opinion just a normal human reaction to the stuff that happened in my life. Having smoked a lot of pot until 6 years ago, always went for the easy jobs, never really did anything satisfying.... Then started an ICT study that really did not fit me and that burnt me out in combination with my fulltime job... Then I got to the point where I had no job and I had the feeling I failed at my study, anyone would feel sad and tired and uncertain about his life because of that!!! So I am really at the point now that I want to build up a good life, not aiming to high, not aiming to low. And if I have to cry or feel bad every now and then, so be it! I would very much like to hear your advice on this! Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted November 25, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 25, 2013 Hi Bananaman, I'm glad your doctor is supportive, that's great but I do agree with you that a steady dose will be best, and waiting a bit longer before starting to taper again. Especially with the holiday coming up. It can be a very stressful time, even if it's an enjoyable one and could worsen any withdrawal symptoms that might crop up. " So I am really at the point now that I want to build up a good life, not aiming to high, not aiming to low. And if I have to cry or feel bad every now and then, so be it!" Great attitude to have Bananaman! **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
bananaman Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 You are probably right mammaP, more so because in the Netherlands December, january and february are the cold and dark months, you stay inside a lot, I am a Xmas hater so i thinh I'll wait till january/february when the days start to get longer again! Good advice. I will share this with my doctor. I am indeed very happy that I have one now that is actually listening to what I am saying and is prepared to look at MORE factors (personality, past, stress, circumstances etc.) than ONLY the symptoms! There is a context to my symptoms, I am not a biochemical factory... Venlafaxine 150 mg February 2011 - May 2012 for burnout / depression Fast taper to 0 in June 2012 - very little withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine 150 mg March 2013 - 23 August 2013 for second burnout / depression 24 August - 31 Augustus: 137.5 mg 1 September - 8 September: 125.0 mg 9 September - 15 september: 112.5 mg 16 September - 22 september: 100.0 mg 23 September - 29 september: 87.5 mg 30 September - 6 October: 75.0 mg 7 October - 13 October: 62.5 mg 14 October - 16 October: 50.0 mg Depression (or withdrawal?) came back 17 October - now: 75.0 mg Link to comment
MrAnxious Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 You got this ! Tapering off slowly is so much better than enduring the hell i went through to get off. Things do and will get better, keep it up and keep it slow. You are healing as we speak 2007-2012started Effexor xr 225mg -150mg- Varied2months of Taper,(March 22/2012 Off Med/in W/D)Currently No medicationMarch 22/2012- August 16/2012 - Totally Off Effexor( Rough Rough time) Reinstatement for a week(didn't work)****** New Doctor******* Very nice/helpful and in touch.Tried Zoloft- No successAUGUST 17/2012- STARTED 37.5 EFFEXOR FOR ONE WEEK - NOT GOOD < STOPPED.Started Buspar Oct 11th 2012----10 mg for the first 7 days and then 15mg a day---- Taking a new route----Racing thoughts - Gone.Oct 9th ( Done Zoloft,wellbutrin week project trial to feel better) - OFFICIALLY OFF ANTI DEPRESSANT !Oct 26 - Raised Buspar to 20mg a day- Tolerating wellJan 2nd 2013- Reduce Buspar until full off march 20th 2015 Off all medication ! Tried natural supplements to no avail Gluten/sugar free since december 2013 Link to comment
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