chachkimooch: How can I wean myself off of Venlafaxine without getting dizzy/vertigo spells and horrible nightmares?

[chachkimooch]

My question is this: How can I wean myself off of Venlafaxine without getting dizzy/vertigo spells and horrible nightmares?

 

Hello, this is my first time on this site, and I've come for advice, if possible. My doctor recently suggested I change from 150 mg of Venlafaxine(generic Effexor) to Bupropion(HCL SR 150) I decided to wean myself off quickly from the Venlafaxine, (it's been two days) so basically just stopped taking it, and started the other one. I started experiencing intense dizziness and vertigo. I also started having horrible nightmares. I thought it was the Bupropion that was causing it, but now I suspect it was quitting the Venlafaxine cold turkey that caused it, 'cause I took a Venlafaxine today to just see if the vertigo would go away, and within an hour of taking it, the vertigo was gone! My question is this: How can I wean myself off of Venlafaxine without getting dizzy/vertigo spells and horrible nightmares?

[mammaP]

Hi chachkimooch, the only way to avoid the withdrawal symptoms is to taper slowly. 

 

Why did your doctor want to switch you to bupoprion?  Some people have switched from 

venlafaxine to prozac by a cross taper, reducing the venlafaxine while increasing the prozac.

Did your doctor tell you to stop cold turkey?  It is a terrible drug for withdrawal symptoms and 

can be very difficult to get off, which is why some are switched to prozac, it has a longer half

life and is easier to taper. 

 

We suggest tapering no more than 10% of the current dose with no less than 4 weeks between 

cuts to keep withdrawal symptoms at a minimum .  

. Bupoprion  (wellbutrin) is a different type of anti depressant and so substituting it for venlafaxine

will not stop the withdrawal symptoms unfortunately. 

 

Can you tell us a bit more about why the doctor wants to switch, how long you have been on effexor?

(venlafaxine) .

 

  To help us out, please put your withdrawal history in your signature. See these instructions 

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

 

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

[nz11]

CK are you able to do an update.

 

Sure hope those nightmares have stopped.