Most of us will have to come off Effexor XR(Efexor XL in the UK) at some time or other. This thread will give some advice on tapering schedules or cross-tapering schemes.

Any suggestions for tapering off Effexor XR (Efexor XL) is not meant to be as a substitute for your Drs advice or recommendations.

Possible side effects from discontinuing Effexor XR
Most people on Effexor XR will be able to stop the drug with only minimal side effects some others may suffer from a range of symptoms such as electrical like shocks (brain zaps), dizzyness, sleeplessness, nausea, irritability, crying or nightmares.

Why do we get discontinuation side effects
Effexor XR has a much shorter half life (4 hours) compared to SSRI like Prozac which I think has a half life of around 3 days. So stopping Effexor or missing a dose may cause some discontinuation side effects ( a dr did warn me not to run out of Effexor). Effexor XR causes this type of side effects because our serotonin receptors have to adjust immediately to reduced levels of serotonin, whereas with an AD like Prozac our receptors have longer to adjust (this is my understanding and I am not knowledgeable in this type of process).

Tapering Off
My pdoc recommended to me that I came off Effexor XR in steps of 37.5 mg every 2 to 4 weeks, with the last 2 weeks of 37.5mg every second day. I choose to do it over 2 week periods. So from 225mg dose, it took me 12 weeks to come off Effexor XR. I had minimal or no side effects at all.

From dose of 225mg
Week 1 & 2 - 187.5mg
Week 3 & 4 - 150 mg
Week 5 & 6 - 112.5 mg
Week 7 & 8 - 75 mg
Week 9 & 10 - 37.5 mg
Week 11 & 12 - 37.5 mg on alternate days


Cross-tapering off Effexor XR (Efexor XL)
If you are experiencing severe side effects of discontinuing Effexor XR there is also another method for coming off Effexor and that is cross-tapering. What you do is reduce the effexor as much as you can without getting the disabling side effects and then switching onto another AD such as Prozac at the same time as the lowest dose of Effeoxr, then stop the Effexor, and then wean off the Prozac.

What I've found on other sites is that you need to come down to 37.5mg, then start 10mg Prozac and take both together for a week, then stop the Effexor, up the Prozac to 15mg or 20mg and then taper off the Prozac after a week or two. Again this is only a suggestion, please talk to your dr for professional advice.

From dose of 225mg
Week 1 & 2 - 187.5mg
Week 3 & 4 - 150 mg
Week 5 & 6 - 112.5 mg
Week 7 & 8 - 75 mg
Week 9 - 37.5 mg Effeoxr XR, 10 mg Prozac
Week 10 & 11 - stop Effexor XR, 15 or 20 mg Prozac
Week 12 - taper off or stop Prozac

Other meds that help combat the symptoms of discontinuing Effexor XR (Efexor XL)
Some people from the States have suggested that Benadryl may help with things like dizzyness or nausea.

If you are suffering from side effects, it would be better to talk to your Dr or pharmacist for advice on what you may be able to take.

Another person recommended Green Tea.

This post has been edited by firelizardee: Mar 9 2006, 05:44 AM