DePrssd5 tapered pristiq by cutting up

[DePrssd5]

Hi everyone,

 

I don't really know when I specifically started my ads in 2003, but I used cipramil 25mg for 5 years. Then tapered for only 2 weeks, but felt ok.

 

I was smoking back then, and after 4 months of ADs free I decided to quit smoking. After that I started feeling depressed again and insomnia kicked in too. Well, I went to my doctor and he said that I might be having a relapse so he put me back to cipramil but it didn't work.

 

If I only knew that it was just the effect of me withdrawing from smoking I shouldn't have taken another ad's. Because cipramil didn't work he prescribed Effexor 75mg instead, the effect of this ads is unbearable and asked my doctor why I'm experiencing massive headache, nausea, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks and anxiety which I never felt when I was not on the drug. He said it will go away after a few weeks (but it didn't) therefore he put my dose up to 150 mg. I was so aggressive and impatient.

 

After all these side effects, I went to a psychiatrist thinking that she might give a better advice and she prescribed pristiq 50mg on January 2012. The effect was not as bad as I expected. 

 

I've used this ads until June 2014 then started tapering according to my doctors advice by cutting it: June 3/4 of the tablet, July 1/2 and August 1/4. Then September came, I felt weepy all the time but that went away after a couple of weeks (3 wks) and still feel it once in a while.

 

Now I'm experiencing anxiety, panic attack and depression especially when I wake up in the morning. This goes on until 1 or 2 in the afternoon but that all depends if I've got enough sleep then goes away at night when I get home from work. I always wake up 3 or 4 in the morning and never go back to sleep.

 

The thing that's bothering me all the time is my blurry vision which changes from bright to normal but brighter most of the time. Lately, I felt that I've got no energy to do things again which I think is not new for me so I keep pushing myself to move and even work out in the gym. After my workout I feel normal again, normal in the sense that I'm happy and no depression, no anxiety,  no panic attack, no headache, no blurry vision, not nauseous, all the negative thoughts and feelings I feel all day are gone after I workout at night.

 

I just don't get it, every morning when I wake up, my vision gets blurry, followed by headache, dizziness, nauseous then negative thoughts comes in and I start feeling anxious, depressed and think that its just hopeless. 

 

I just got separated from my wife and she wouldn't even let me see my kids because of what I've done. I regret everything I've done to my family and I do miss my kids so much. I live with my sisters family right now and my mom, they are really supportive of me especially now that I've stopped taking my ads and being separated from my family.

 

I was hesitant in quitting my ads especially of what I'm going through right now but when is the right time to quit my ads. So, I've decided to do it now because I know my family will be there for me. They keep telling me to be patient because they also think that what I'm experiencing right now is the effect of withdrawing from ads.

 

But I went to my doctor this week and I told him of what's happening to me. This is what he said " I think you are having a relapse " and I said " I think its just the withdrawal symptoms of the pristiq. Then he said that my withdrawal symptoms should have been gone when I started tapering from june. Question is, do these doctors know when withdrawal starts and how long it takes to withdraw?

 

Then he said that if  can't bear the symptoms anymore I have to take another ads, so he prescribed VALDOXAN 25 mg. He said that it has less side effects and after one month of taking it I can just stop it abruptly but its costly compared to other ads. I'm really tempted to take it, but I want to live a normal life with no more of this meds messing around with my head.

 

Please do shed a light on this, thank you. One more question, Did I really taper that quickly? Because when I was reading mogfish's story it took her 14 months to taper but I only took 3 months.

 

I almost forgot, I'm actually on my final year of finishing my accounting degree and I'm actually planning to move my exam on February instead of taking it this November. I'm just hoping that I'll be better in February before I take my exams.

 

I've read some of the stories here and some took months to get better, some years, and some don't. Well, I just pray that I have the patience to wait, which I don't think I have. Please do enlighten me about what is happening to me. I know you cant give out medical advice but an opinion would be much appreciated. thank you. Sorry my story is just everywhere.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Altostrata
added paragraph breaks for readability

[Fuzzylogic]

Hi DePrssd5

 

Welcome, sorry you you going through such a tough time, I am still tapering by cutting. My dr will not renew my script, says what I experienced when I was skipping a day (under her advice and the pharmacist) was not withdrawal but symptoms for menopause (the reason I was prescribed them). Going on what I have read and heard it appears that a lot of doctors don't believe in withdrawal and advise a quick taper. I too have been given another AD which I'm told is easier than Pristiq to taper but I really don't want to go down that route, rather the devil I know.

So far I am coping with the taper (next hurdle is to get another script) so can't really help you, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to give you advise.

 

Take care

Fuzzy

[Altostrata]

Welcome, DePrssd5.

 

But I went to my doctor this week and I told him of what's happening to me. This is what he said " I think you are having a relapse " and I said " I think its just the withdrawal symptoms of the pristiq. Then he said that my withdrawal symptoms should have been gone when I started tapering from june. Question is, do these doctors know when withdrawal starts and how long it takes to withdraw?

Then he said that if can't bear the symptoms anymore I have to take another ads, so he prescribed VALDOXAN 25 mg. He said that it has less side effects and after one month of taking it I can just stop it abruptly but its costly compared to other ads. I'm really tempted to take it, but I want to live a normal life with no more of this meds messing around with my head.

Please do shed a light on this, thank you. One more question, Did I really taper that quickly? Because when I was reading mogfish's story it took her 14 months to taper but I only took 3 months.

 

 

Few doctors know anything about tapering or withdrawal syndrome.

 

I have never heard of Valdoxan as a remedy for Pristiq withdrawal.

 

It sounds like you tapered Pristiq too fast for your nervous system. Please read this topic Tips for tapering off Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)

 

Pristiq and Effexor are close relatives. You may be able to reduce Pristiq withdrawal symptoms by taking a few beads of Effexor XR or 1mg or so of regular Effexor made into a liquid, then taper off that later. Also see Tips for tapering off Effexor and Effexor XR (venlafaxine)

[DePrssd5]

Hi DePrssd5

 

Welcome, sorry you you going through such a tough time, I am still tapering by cutting. My dr will not renew my script, says what I experienced when I was skipping a day (under her advice and the pharmacist) was not withdrawal but symptoms for menopause (the reason I was prescribed them). Going on what I have read and heard it appears that a lot of doctors don't believe in withdrawal and advise a quick taper. I too have been given another AD which I'm told is easier than Pristiq to taper but I really don't want to go down that route, rather the devil I know.

So far I am coping with the taper (next hurdle is to get another script) so can't really help you, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to give you advise.

 

Take care

Fuzzy

Hi Fuzzy,

 

Thanks for the advice and I hope I can find the best way of healing myself. Please do share more ideas and stories about my situation

 

Thank you,

DePrrsd5

[DePrssd5]

Welcome, DePrssd5.

 

But I went to my doctor this week and I told him of what's happening to me. This is what he said " I think you are having a relapse " and I said " I think its just the withdrawal symptoms of the pristiq. Then he said that my withdrawal symptoms should have been gone when I started tapering from june. Question is, do these doctors know when withdrawal starts and how long it takes to withdraw?

 

Then he said that if can't bear the symptoms anymore I have to take another ads, so he prescribed VALDOXAN 25 mg. He said that it has less side effects and after one month of taking it I can just stop it abruptly but its costly compared to other ads. I'm really tempted to take it, but I want to live a normal life with no more of this meds messing around with my head.

 

Please do shed a light on this, thank you. One more question, Did I really taper that quickly? Because when I was reading mogfish's story it took her 14 months to taper but I only took 3 months.

 

 

Few doctors know anything about tapering or withdrawal syndrome.

 

I have never heard of Valdoxan as a remedy for Pristiq withdrawal.

 

It sounds like you tapered Pristiq too fast for your nervous system. Please read this topic Tips for tapering off Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)

 

Pristiq and Effexor are close relatives. You may be able to reduce Pristiq withdrawal symptoms by taking a few beads of Effexor XR or 1mg or so of regular Effexor made into a liquid, then taper off that later. Also see Tips for tapering off Effexor and Effexor XR (venlafaxine)

Hi Alto,

 

Thank you for the response, Yes I have read all the ways of tapering from these meds and when I found this website it was too late for me to follow the tapering method. I had a bad experience with Effexor and I m a bit hesitant to use it again. But if you think that it can help lessen my withdrawal symptoms then I'll probably look into it. But the thing is I don't know how much of it I have to start. If I reinstate this meds again, will I experience the symptoms that I had when I was taking Effexor. Honestly, I was scared to death when took Effexor. But then again, I'm in a stage where I cant bear the pain anymore. But I still manage to go to work fulltime, because there are some days that I feel better but most days are bad. Few weeks ago I was only sleeping 3 hours a night. Last two weeks, I've been sleeping 5-6 hrs which I think is getting better. The only thing that's bothering me is the blurry vision, followed by headache, and dizziness. Then anxiety sets in and depression and sometimes fatigue. I feel better at the end of the day because I push myself to go to the gym. Today, its a weekend so I run or go for a walk. I've been taking fish oil for awhile even before I stopped my ads. I've been taking 3600mg a day of fish oil and blending green vegetable into my diet. After that, no matter how tired I'm because of fatigue, anxiety, blurry vision, headache and depressed mood, I push myself to go to the gym. Hopefully, I'm not pushing myself too hard. I've read that exercise can cure all these symptoms that I'm experiencing, Alto do you think that Valdoxan can help? Or I need to reinstate Effexor in order for me to lessen my withdrawal symptom. Thank you and please don't hesitate to ask more questions.

 

Thank you,

DePrrsd5

[DePrssd5]

hi everyone,

 

It's me again, I went for a run this morning and took a quick shower. I had breakfast and blended some green leaves(spinach) with carrots and 2tps of chia seeds with 1800 mgs of fish oil. I feel ok, the dizziness is manageable and so with the headache. This is supposed to be my plan after my last 1/4 of pristiq.

 

- exercise in the morning

- take 3600mg of fish oil everyday

- eat healthy such as incorporating green leaves into my diet

- exercise at night again by going to the gym

 

this is my plan, well hopefully I can heal quickly. Its been six weeks since my last 1/4 of pristiq. Hopefully I can heal after a few weeks or months because I don't think I can take anymore of these evil ads.

 

Cheers,

Lee

[Petunia]

Hi Lee,

Welcome from me too.  Thank you for sharing your story and I'm sorry for everything which you have been through.  It sounds like you have got a very healthy lifestyle plan and good support in place, it should help with your recovery process, although there is nothing which actually 'cures' withdrawal apart from time.  I hope your symptoms settle down soon.  Gentle, pleasant exercise can be good for you, but if it makes your symptoms worse, do something less strenuous.  Pay attention to how things are making you feel, if you feel better after doing something that's good, keep doing it. Often in withdrawal, people generally feel better later in the day, you may find that you can tolerate a heavier workout later in the day.  Perhaps a morning walk would be better, if you feel fine, or better after running, then keep doing it, but if not, walking would be just as beneficial.

 

Reinstatement of a small amount of the drug can often work well to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.  According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.  Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of withdrawal symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work.  Here is some information about reinstatement to help you decide if its something you would like to try:

 

http://survivinganti...rawal-symptoms/

 

As Alto noted in a previous post, if you decide to try reinstating, your best bet would probably be with Effexor, a small amount may be enough to stop the withdrawal, but not cause side effects.  Then you could taper more slowly off that.

 

I hadn't heard of Valdoxan, but after doing a little research it sounds to me like a bad idea.  Here is a page of reviews from drugs.com, most of them sound negative:

 

Experience with taking Valdoxan

 

Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

 

Petu.

[DePrssd5]

Hi Petu,

 

It's really good to see a good support system from this website and I'm glad that you still find time to advice people suffering from anti-d withdrawals. I know Effexor is quite similar to pristiq but I've got a bad experience from this anti-d. But if it will lessen my withdrawal symptoms I might consider reinstating it. Honestly Petu, I'm thinking not only twice but a thousand times if I should reinstate because I think I'm nearly 2 months free from anti-d. But do you think I can still reinstate? Or probably just keep going till I get better but who knows when will that be, weeks, months or probably years. Its bizarre though that I always feel better in the afternoon but as soon as I wake up in the morning I feel all this symptoms which makes me lose hope. Then afternoon comes and everything feels normal again. I'm confused, is everyone like this as well? I'm hoping and praying that my recovery will be as fast as some of us who shared their stories here. But then again, different people, different coping mechanisms. I hope I can share my success recovery in this website and I promise to help and share my experiences to anyone who needs my help. Thank you once again and please any advice and opinion would be of great help for my recovery.

 

Thank you,

DePrssd5

[Petunia]

I'm thinking not only twice but a thousand times if I should reinstate because I think I'm nearly 2 months free from anti-d. But do you think I can still reinstate? Or probably just keep going till I get better but who knows when will that be, weeks, months or probably years. Its bizarre though that I always feel better in the afternoon but as soon as I wake up in the morning I feel all this symptoms which makes me lose hope.

 

At two months out, its still possible that reinstatement might work, carefully read through the topic I linked to above on reinstatement and it will help you decide if you want to try it.  My opinion is that if there is something which may help you avoid long term suffering, then its worth trying, if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work, but at least you tried.

 

Feeling worse in the mornings is very common, it seems to be linked the bodies natural cortisol cycle.  There is a topic about it here:

 

I hate cortisol mornings

[Altostrata]

DePrssed, some people manage to get past the rough spots by taking tiny crumbs of Pristiq. Do you have any left?

[DePrssd5]

 

I'm thinking not only twice but a thousand times if I should reinstate because I think I'm nearly 2 months free from anti-d. But do you think I can still reinstate? Or probably just keep going till I get better but who knows when will that be, weeks, months or probably years. Its bizarre though that I always feel better in the afternoon but as soon as I wake up in the morning I feel all this symptoms which makes me lose hope.

 

At two months out, its still possible that reinstatement might work, carefully read through the topic I linked to above on reinstatement and it will help you decide if you want to try it.  My opinion is that if there is something which may help you avoid long term suffering, then its worth trying, if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work, but at least you tried.

 

Feeling worse in the mornings is very common, it seems to be linked the bodies natural cortisol cycle.  There is a topic about it here:

 

I hate cortisol mornings

 

Hi Petu,

 

Thanks for the advice Petu and for the topic about cortisol. I don't really know if its cortisol because when I wake up in the morning, my vision is bright and I feel sad but when my vision becomes normal everything just goes away. When I'm reading peoples experiences here, I can't believe what they've been and have been going through. With my case, there are hours or days that I feel good. So I really don't know if I should reinstate because I feel better around 4-5 in the afternoon or sometimes around 1-2 and that feeling goes better at night. I'm just fighting all these symptoms that I'm feeling right now. Sometimes I just hope that we don't have to get through these suffering.

 

Thank you,

DePrssd5

[DePrssd5]

DePrssed, some people manage to get past the rough spots by taking tiny crumbs of Pristiq. Do you have any left?

Hi Alto,

 

Yes I do still have my pristiq but I'm hesitant to touch it because I've been off it for two months now and I'm scared if I ever get it into my system again it might give an adverse effect. The only thing that's bothering me right now is my vision, and a depressed mood. Anxiety sets in if I think about my kids but I can control that(sometimes). Just like what everyone is saying sometimes there are good days and there are bad days. I didn't run today but instead went for a walk. I feel better though compared to yesterday when I went for a run. I'm on holidays for two weeks which is supposedly for the preparation of my exams but my family(mom,sis and bro-in-law) thinks its not advisable to take it especially in my condition right now. Well, I hope I feel better on February to take my exams. Alto thank you so much for giving me an advice. I'm still holding on not taking anymore of this ads but hopefully I'll feel better in the next few weeks. I'll let everyone know how I'm doing and hopefully I will be. Thank you once again.

 

Thank you,

DePrssd5

[Petunia]

 One more question, Did I really taper that quickly? Because when I was reading mogfish's story it took her 14 months to taper but I only took 3 months.

 

 

Even after mogfish took 14 months to slowly taper, she still needed to reinstate after stopping completely.  She wrote that she "experienced mild but concerning withdrawal symptoms"  She reinstated a tiny crumb  which "seemed to do the trick for me and when I attempted to jump off again I was able to do so without any head shocks"

 

So if you continue to have symptoms, you may find that reinstating a tiny crumb would work, like it did for mogfish.  I know you are concerned about adverse effects, but many people have been able to reinstate after 2 months and with it being such a small amount its unlikely to cause any significant damage, that's why we recommend reinstating a fraction of your dose.  If you found that you immediately felt much worse, you could stop right away.  Of course its your decision though.  I hope you start to feel better soon.

[DePrssd5]

Hi Alto,

 

I was tapered really quick from my pristiq 50 mg due to my doctors advice. I've put up with the withdrawals for three months but didn't last so went back to my Doc and was prescribed valdoxan 25mg. It made me sick but hope for any improvement for 4 weeks but I got worse so I stopped taking it. Now he put me back on pristiq and his advice was to take half for three days and take the full dose after that. I'm only on my 3rd day but still nauseous and have a headache.I was thinking if I can switch to Prozac since it is easier for me to taper. Or do I need to wait till I get stable with pristiq again? Just confuse coz I haven't taken pristiq for awhile and I'm just thinking if I can take Prozac now since ive just started pristiq? Any comments would be much appreciated. Sorry guys, I have no choice but to get back on my meds coz ive been off work for awhile and cant take anymore days off from work(bills are piling up). Just wondering how everyone here suffering from withdrawal symptoms manage to go to work and even go out. My last three months was a struggle and hoping that it will end soon but it didn't. I just hope that when I start to taper I wont experience a bad withdrawal but this time I will take a really slow taper. So Im just wondering if I can take Prozac instead of the pristiq and at what dose shall I start with. I wont see my DOc on the 5 of January next year. I know its stupid but I got my pristiq compounded coz I don't really want to take the full dose. Got it compounded at 12.5 mg so Im thinking if I can take 12.5 now but have taken half by cutting it for three days now. im picking it up today so do u think I can take 12.5mg instead of the 25 mg(if that was actually 25mg coz I was cutting it). thank you and sorry guys I failed to fight my battle with these meds.

 

Cheers,

DePPrsd5

[Frustrated]

Hi and welcome. Don't ever consider yourself a failure. The withdrawals that come with discontinuing these meds are without a doubt one of the most horrendous experiences imaginable. Trying to ease your suffering so you can work and live your life doesn't mean you are a failure. I am not one to give advice but The moderators will be along at some point to give you pointers. I would think that stabilizing on a low dose and tapering slowly would be smart but like I said the moderators are in a better position to advise. They are smart and they will help. You can do this you just have to take it slowly.

[DePrssd5]

Hi Frustrated,

 

Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm just confuse right now because after suffering from those intense withdrawal, I didn't fight long enough to get through it. But the thing is, I need to go to work and pay my bills or else I will lose my job and I've got a son so Im thinking about him as well. Hopefully, once I get stable again I can start a very slow taper but I really don't know if I can start Prozac instead of pristiq which I've already started 4 days ago at half a dose. thank you frustrated and enjoy your Christmas.

 

Cheers,

DePrssd5

[Altostrata]

DeP, please see Tips for tapering off Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)

 

It give suggestions for dividing a dose of Pristiq.

 

Note that Effexor is a close relative of Pristiq. You may do better on a very low dose of Effexor. If you get the extended-release capsules with beads in them, you can remove beads to taper -- later, after you get stable.

[Altostrata]

Lovegoddess, I'm going to make your post its own topic in the Introductions section. Please look for responses there.

[DePrssd5]

Alto,

 

I really don't know how to thank you with all the advices you've been giving me, today I start taking my dose of the Effexor xr because I'm a bit worried bout bridging from other ADs. I've recently started my pristiq 14 days ago and felt ok but decided to go with Effexor XR because I know I'll be having a hard time getting off pristiq especially with its time release coating design and the well engineered shaped precisely for cutting . Wish me luck I hope I'll be ok with the Effexor. Im actually starting with 75mg with the Effexor XR as I was already taking 50mg of pristiq for the past 7 days or so.Prior to that I was taking half of the pristiq by cutting it then went up to 50mg. Hope I'll be fine with Effexor. Ill let you know in a couple of days. thank you once again for all of your support.

 

Cheers,

DePrssd5

[mammaP]

Hope your taper from effexor goes well for you DePrssd. keep us updated wont you?

[DePrssd5]

Hi Everyone,

 

Its only my second day from Effexor XR and I'm feeling better compared to taking 50mg of pristiq. Hopefully I'll be stable at this dose. Just a thought because I live in Melbourne, Australia and we don't actually have the standard Effexor to be converted to liquid. How can I microtaper at the end without the liquid? are all the bead size in 150mg, 75mg and 37.5mg the same? Or the as the mg decreases the beads get bigger? I'm thinking that when I'm at the end of my taper i can use the beads from the 150mg because they are smaller. I haven't actually open the capsules yet and I'm just guessing about the size of the beads. Because I'm goin to start tapering at 75mg, do I still need to get 37.5mg once I reached half of the 75mg? this is where I get confused. But this is what i understood bout tapering with Effexor, lets say 75mg capsule weighs 0.600g

1st 0.600(1-0.10) = 0.54g stay on this dose for 4 to 6 weeks depending on your condition

2nd 0.54(1-0.10) = 0.486 ............

.

.

.

then stopped till I reach 0g on 75mg capsule or do I need to get 37.5mg capsule once im done with the 75mg. Im confused.

Can someone please share their ideas on this, thank you. Ill be buying a scale so I can actually weigh the beads.

Thanks mammaP, Ive been reading your thread and im absolutely proud of you. I hope you can give me an advice from Effexor tapering.

thank you,

DePrrsd5

[mammaP]

Hi DP,  I don't know if the beads are different between sizes, I've only had 75mg casules. When you get to 37.5,

 switch to the 37.5 capsules just because it will be easier to count the beads. Don't assume that the beads will be

the same, you will need to count  them to find out how many there are in the capsule of each size so you can work

out how many to remove.

If you have a good set of scales that would be brilliant. Sadly I just couldn't find a decent set I could afford

and stuck with counting beads. Sadly I didn't count them accurately, in fact I didn't really count them at all

and 'eyeballed'  them, until I got to about 50 or so. That is NOT a good idea and where I went badly wrong.

Had I counted them properly I would have been off now and avoided a year of withdrawal! 

 

I wonder if 75mg might be too much for you after being off for so long, and having adverse effects from 50mg

of pristiq suggests that might have been too high a dose too.  We usually recommend reinstating just a few mgs

and then see how it goes for a couple of weeks. If it helps then it is a much smaller dose to taper from, if it doesn't

help then the dose can be increased.  I just read back through your thread and saw that you had adverse side

effects from 75mg of effexor in the past and will most likely have the same side effects now.  You may be better with 

37.5 for now. I would hate to see you feeling really bad because of a too high dose. 

 

Thank you for reading my thread, that must have taken ages, well done for ploughing though it! 

[DePrssd5]

Hi mammaP,

 

Thank you for the quick response. How was your day ? Ive been reading your thread and i just cant believe what youve been going through. You know what? Im scared to take this tapering journey because ive felt how it was on how to get off this ADs. It was three months of hell and everday gets worse. But then again, my tapering schedule was just too fast(thanks to my doctor). Well, i should have listened to you guys when you told me to reinstate,Im really sorry. MammaP, what do you think about the the gemini scale? Coz i really want to get one, im sorry you couldnt get one when you started tapering. But I admire your courage doing this journey all along, i hope you can give me some tips when I start my tapering. Such as preparation before i start. One more thing, do you think i should go to 37.5mg? This is what happened, in November 14 2014, i started taking valdoxan coz my doc thinks its goin to make me sleep and help with my depression and anxiety but that time i already know that it was from the withdrawal. December 18, my brother-in-law had to drive me to my doc coz my depression and anxiety was getting worse so i stop taking valdoxan. The next day(December 19) i started taking pristiq which my doc advice me to take half for 5 days(obviously by cutting it) and the whole 50mg after. But I'm having a massive headache so i decided to take Effexor-XR 75mg (January 6 2015) and i've been taking them for three days now. Do you think i should take 37.5 mg for now?I actually have an apppointment with my doc tomorrow. I can probably tell him if i can get the 37.5 mg. Any advice would be of much help, thank you mammaP. Hope you have a nice day.

 

Cheers,

DePrssd5

[DePrssd5]

Hi,

 

Im just wondering if I can take 37.5 mg of Effexor Xr instead of 75mg. This is what happened,i was off pristiq for 3 months from sept to nov, did taper from june till august by cutting. In November 14 2014, i started taking valdoxan coz my doc thinks its goin to make me sleep and help with my depression and anxiety but that time i already know that it was from the withdrawal. December 18, my brother-in-law had to drive me to my doc coz my depression and anxiety was getting worse so i stop taking valdoxan. The next day(December 19) i started taking pristiq which my doc advice me to take half for 5 days(obviously by cutting it) and the whole 50mg after. But I'm having a massive headache so i decided to take Effexor-XR 75mg (January 6 2015) and i've been taking them for three days now. Do you think i should take 37.5 mg ? Thank you any advice would be appreciated

 

Cheers,

DePrssd5

[DePrssd5]

Hi,

 

I've been taking 75mg Effexor xr for 5 days now and I've been having  a headache, my eyes are really sore and the back of my neck is aching too. I don't really know if I should stick to 75mg or go down to 37.5 mg. Please a good advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[DePrssd5]

Hi,

 

Im just wondering if I can  go down to 37.5mg instead of taking the 75mg. will it have a bad impact on my CNS if I go to 37.5 after taking the 75mg for a week now. Please a good advice would be appreciated. thank you

[DePrssd5]

Hi,

 

Can anyone please give me advice as I'm experiencing an anxiety attack today. I really don't know if it's from the withdrawal from pristiq or from the effexor. Do u think I'm taking a large dose of the effexor but I was actually feeling better for the past few days. It's only now that I've felt this anxiety. Do I need to stay on the effexor for a couple of weeks till I get stable?

[DePrssd5]

Hi,

 

Just checking in to say the 75mg effexor is ok....so far so good...theres abit of anxiety and fatigue especially at the end of the day. Sorry about my english its not actually my first language. How long can I stay on this dose till i start tapering? Also I'm thinking of buying a scale and I've actually check Amazon. The prices of the scales are all different but the gemini scale all look the same so I dont really know which one to pick. Please a good advice would be appreciated, thank you.

 

Cheers,

DePrssd5

Edited January 14, 2015 by DePrssd5

[Altostrata]

DePrssd, please let us know how you are doing. You will want to be good and stable before changing the dosage.