I have a question about the dizziness. I stopped taking Effexor XR 9 days ago, but I am still getting dizzy spells. I know everyone is different, but about how long does this usually last? I just can't wait to feel normal again. I was on Effexor 75mg for about 10 years, than about 1 month ago went down to 37.5mg. I have been taking Antihistamines for the dizziness and found it really does help a lot. Also been noticing mood swings lately, I hope that doesn't last too much longer.

My God, where were you when I weaned off of Effexor? My doctor didn't wean me that way--I was off of it after two weeks! I can't remember the dosage I was on (it's been about a year and a half now) but it was HORRIBLE! I threw up, I cried, I would feel like I was freezing (it was May and not cold). The best time for me was when I was in a hot shower, I would stay there for about an hour. I would tell my friend that I needed to go back on, but she helped me through it. Stupidly, I never called my doctor for him to adjust things for me. I have always been sensitive to medication, I should have asserted myself. It did help me to realize I would NEVER do recreational drugs! Who could deal with the withdrawal? It also makes me afraid to go back on meds, though.

Hi, I'm new to the forums.

I have just been to my GP last week and told him that after increasing my dose of effexor to 150mg for 2 weeks, I was actually starting to feel worse! He said that as I'd been having other side effects too, like vertigo and parasthaesia (tingling and loss of power in my legs) it was time to change the AD. I'd been on effexor for 6 months at 75mg and had started to feel more down again. I've heard that after a while, effexor can lose it's efficacy.

I've read that the best way to combat withdrawal effects (which can be scary) of effexor is to cross taper. He has just switched me on to Citalopram 20mg and not bothered with the tapering. Does anyone else find this strange, given the fact that effexor has one of the most horrendous withdrawal syndromes of all AD's?

Should I go back to him and ask about tapering. I've already started getting headaches and today have been feeling voliatile and quite violent (not at all like me). I have two 1 year old girls and I'm terrified that something happens while I'm with them. I feel like I hate my husband and want to leave and for the first time since all of this started (it started with post partum depression), I have actually considered suicide.

Please can someone tell me that I'm not going mad and they too have experienced similar withdrawal effects of effexor?

Divastrop
I'm really not sure if you will notice any side effects but this is the usual practice with cross tapering - cutting down the Efexor to as low as you can go and then swapping straight onto Prozac.

If you do get side effects they should be minimal (I hope).

Let us know how you get on please.

Eileen

hi all
new to posting but have been around this site for a few years too scared to post but i have found this site a great help. i have been taking effexor for 8 years and i feel i should be off them. i have tried and failed on numourous occasions and now that my blood pressure is up i feel it is the right time now and i will not fail ( i hope) i am down to 37.5 right now and i am dreading the next drop. i have been putting it off for over a month now. i think i have leveled off on this dose as side effects are not bad now. my moods have been crazy and the dizziness and brain zaps fairly bad. well actually bad enough to make me realise that the next drop is going to be alot worse. if i dont take the tablet on time the zaps start up within the hour. i think i will take a half tommorrow and see what happens. if i could sleep for a few weeks and wake up free it would be great
oh well happy christmas to all

Martha
tell your dr that you are having problems coming off Efexor and ask about cross tapering onto Prozac and then coming off that. It is supposed to be easier.

Cross tapering is: stopping the med you are on and taking an equivalent dose of another med and then stopping that one.

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.

i saw my doctor tday and told her that for the past 3 weeks(after dropping from 75mg/day to 75mg every 3 days as advised)i have been getting the weird feelings in the back of my head,and for 2 weeks i was vomiting every day yet i have put on 7lb,and i told her about the mood swings and heart palpitations and she jst told me to stop the effexor altogether now.

well,she can off if she thinks im doing that.i didnt tell her i still have quite a few 37.5mg tablets left and for the last week have been taking half a tablet a day instead of the 75mg tablet every 3 days.i am going to carry on for a couple more days then reduce to 1/4 tablet for a week etc etc untill i am just taking a tiny crumb a day as i dont fancy the withdrawal symptoms coming back!

my dr advised me to come taper off in steps of 37.5mg , so what you intend doing is, I think, the way to go.

Stick at 37.5mg for a week or two if you can and then cut down to 37.5mg every second day for another week or two and then try stopping. Or if you can reduce to less than 37.5mg then try that. You need to give your body time to get used to the reduce doseage of Efexor.

I'm really sorry you are having a bad time. Its just unlucky of you, that you are one of those people who suffer this way. Many people don't suffer like this, you must be a particularly sensitive person.

Eileen

Does your dr know about the amphetamines and diet pills? Could they be causing some of the side effects?

you should go back to the dr and see if there is anything s/he can give you, like Diazepam - just for a short while or when you feel really 'uptight' and on edge.

I am sorry you are having a bad time.

I just found out yesterday that my insurance is changing in two weeks and I will have to switch from Effexor to something Walmart carries for four bucks! I have been scared to death for two days! I am so glad I found this website, I have been on Effexor for 10 years. I have done well with it and have not had any reason to switch til now. I can see that the tapering off is definately the way to go. I started looking on the internet hoping to find some good info, my doctor's appt. is not til next Tuesday. I know there are side effects to Effexor because when I have forgotten a pill I get dizzy so I can only imagine what you have been through. Doctors are definately not always worried about side effects because they aren't the one having them. Been there done that too.

I'm sorry you weren't given the right kind of advice. Some drs just don't realise how bad it can be, when the drug companies say take a few weeks to come off it they just take them at their word and say "Take two weeks". Any antidepressant should be tapered off slowly at 2 or 4 week intervals to let your body get used to the lower dose.

Don't let your bad experience put you off of meds that might help you. You know better now and can give the dr some knowledge. We people who have taken the meds can help each other, most drs have never taken the meds so they are learning from the med companies information. They should also learn from their patients experiences.

Eileen

I was on Effexor (150 mg) for about 3/4 months. It became too expensive, even with health insurance, so my doctor wanted me to switch meds. When I stopped taking Effexor, my body reacted as if I had quit smoking (though I don't smoke, my brother is a doctor and said this). I got sick, I had dizzy spells, I just couldn't function correctly. So, please, please, please wean yourself off very slowely, because though some people don't have effects...some have horrible effects like I did.

getting on effexor was a bad idea . now getting off is a nightmare. doing the tapering last night was horrible like my brain was going to jump out of my head.. didnt sleep at al tried laying down this afternoon but my brain has taken on a life of its own. any advice? dont want to go back up in dosage, it gave me crazy feelings and suicidal thoughts all i want to do is sleep !!!!

I wanted to post here that in my experience it is NOT a good idea, when tapering, to take a dose every other day. Considering the short half-life of Effexor, I think it's better to always take a dose of some level each day. Don't skip a day, or the withdrawl/discontinuation effects will start up.

I've tried tapering in the past, and I recall that my doctor (general practitioner) suggested that I start to do so by skipping a dose every other day. This was not good for me! I started feeling nauseous, shaky, anxious, sweaty, brain zaps, etc. after the first non-dose day. I still need to discuss this with a psychiatrist who is knowledgeable about Effexor and has experience treating patients with it (unlike my general doctor!).

If any of you are trying to taper by skipping doses every other day and are feeling the withdrawl symptoms, I would suggest that instead you open up the capsule (if taking Effexor XR) and remove some of the granules. Or, if you are taking standard release Effexor, as I am, buy a pill-cutter at your local pharmacy and trim your pills. Be sure to take a dose every day, but taper by reducing the size of the dose.

Remember to read firelizardee's post #1 in this section!

I'm currently coming off 225Mg. I know its a bit naughty but I've sort of done this off my own back...

My GP has said its a good idea to cut down but I'm still waiting for an appt with my pdoc (its been 3-4 weeks now). So I decided to go for it on my own...

Took 225Mg one day, 150 the next and did this for about 6 days. Then I got bored and for the last week have been taking 150Mg.

Have had no side effects/withdrawal symptons either physically or mentally. In fact, I'd say I feel a bit better if anything....

Not sure if this is for everyone though so please dont take my word for doing it this way- its probably not very clever at all !!!!

please forgive me for not reading the whole thread, this is my first post

been on Venlafaxine (timed release) for about 4 years, 225mg

made decision yesterday with doctor to try coming off them. She suggested getting down to 150mg in 1 month starting off taking 225mg and 150mg on alternate days, gradually getting lower. The doctor did say that she was happy for me to do it however I felt especially as I knew more about the drug than she did! (previous GP at same practice told me I could stop taking Venlafaxine one day and start taking another a/d the next which frightened the life out of me..)

Does this sound like a fair way of doing it or do I really need to start opening the capsules and counting beads?

thanks for any help...

g

how?

Your plan here sounds very good to me. You don't want to come off of this as slowly as possible. So I personally recommend sticking with this program.