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Today is Day 5 of withdrawals. I couldn’t do much over the weekend when I finally figured out what was going on with me. I was watching myself observe the thoughts, telling myself they’re just thoughts and they will eventually pass, then they turn into sensations… too hot, too cold, sweating, dizzy, sharp pain… escape into sleep, short nightmare, escape into waking up, more thoughts, more dizziness, tears, arguing with reality, knowing it will pass… not sure how long it will take, sobs, repeat! my mother died suddenly in July last year, at the age of 64. Between grief and stress, I started experiencing about 10 migraines a month which eventually took me to a neurologist. The neurologist put me on Venlafaxine in Dec (4 months ago), starting with 37.5mg XR and then tripling that amount. When I saw him a month ago and told him nothing had changed, he told me to taper off within the next month… so I did. Wednesday last week was my last 37.5mg dose. By Thursday, I was feeling all of the symptoms, unsure of what was going on. By Friday, I started to look up venlafaxine withdrawal. By Saturday, I called my doc’s office to speak to the on-call doc, and was told that the they would be notified and would call me back. 1.5 hours later, a doc calls me back and says she’ll check in with someone else and will call me back. 2 hours later I called her back and I’m told they’re the in-patient on-call docs and not out-patient so they can’t help me. I start the process all over again and finally got hold of the on-call neurologist who told me that he doesn’t have much experience with venlafaxine and doesn’t think there’s anything he can do to help me 🤦🏻‍♀️ His only suggestions were start taking it again until I can get hold of my neurologist on Monday, even at the risk of having to go through this withdrawal all over again… or just ride it out. He says: I can write you a prescription for 25 mg… I say: Ok, do you know of any pharmacies open now? (It was 7pm) He says: They’re all open. I say: I just googled pharmacies near me and they’re all closed. He says: I don’t know what to tell you. Me: So where are you going to send the script to? Him: I don’t know. Me: Can you just send it to me and I will figure it out? … Me: Are you writing it for extended release or immediate release? Him: Immediate release. Me: But I was on XR? What happens if I take it and 8 hours later, I’m in the same boat when it wears off? Him: Take it again. Me: That means I would possibly be on 50mg when I had already tapered down to 37.5 mg. Is there someone you can call and ask? him: No. by Sunday (yesterday), I start to look for support groups on fb. I have had great experiences with iron deficiency fb groups so I thought I’d give it a go. I joined the tapering off Venlafaxine group. I posted a message with a double negative (English grammar that the moderator wasn’t familiar with stating that “I’m not NOT open to reinstating”). despite me repeating over and over again that I AM open to reinstating and that I can rewrite the message (in fact, from everything I have read over the past few days, I think this might be the only way out of this hell, but I need help and support). I tell the moderator that I am afraid, and that she’s misunderstanding me. She tells me she has never heard of a double negative. I told her, I’m not trying to argue about grammar, that I am seeking support and can rewrite my post so that it clarifies. I tell her that I understand that she runs this group and shares her knowledge freely which I appreciate. I tell her that I respect that she’s doing her due diligence to keep the group functional, but that she didn’t understand me. I think maybe my messages are not landing so I send her a voice note so she can hear me. This seems to only irritate her further, and she blocks me. once again back to square one. So here I am looking for some support, some shared experience to know that I’m not alone, and some help to know how to reinstate, I.e. at what dose. I realize there are no hard and fast rules, but it would be super helpful to talk to someone else who has been here, who can tell me what they tried, and that it’s going to be ok. Some general peer to peer compassion.

Hi all, I've been taking medications for most of my life as I have conditions like autism, adhd, depression and anxiety. I'm obese and also have issues with emotional eating, binge eating, sleep apnea (though I use cpap for that), possible ptsd. My journey starts with me in my teen years quickly developing anger issues (likely because that was when I started to get obsessed/addicted with politics and negative news online) and got put on different antidepressants and antipsychotics. I don't remember all the details, but the first antipsychotic I took made me extremely tired and I gained lots of weight, ending in me getting expelled because I couldn't keep up and eventually had a huge panic attack. Eventually over the years I'm on abilify 5mg and effexor XR 350mg, but I couldn't function back then either due to what feels like chronic fatigue syndrome. Out of desperation in 2020 I asked my psychiatrist about coming off effexor and seeing if it helped the fatigue, so he took me off it by decreasing 75mg every two weeks. In hindsight this was a terrible idea as it gave me bad withdrawal and also functional reflux/ibs (heart burn, bitter taste, insomnia because of the pain, lots of uncontrollable burping). I still have that to this day years later though it's not as bad as I'm not as obese. But it did start about a week after I came off effexor. I went on 80mg Omeprazole and 40mg Famotadine daily. They didn't help but I've been stuck on them for years, though thankfully have made SOME progress as I've managed to get to 50mg omeprazole last year. Later in 2021 I tapered myself off abilify 5mg since my psychiatrist and my parents were convinced I needed it for the anger issues. I did it over half a year slowly decreasing it from a liquid form. Thankfully it went ok though I was very scared doing so!! It turned out my "anger issues caused by the autism" was not in fact correct, despite what everyone around me then was telling me. Unfortunately getting off both drugs did not in fact get rid of my fatigue. The functional reflux makes my sleep worse now. In 2022 I went back on 37.5mg effexor and later increased to 75mg. I can't tell if it helped, but I did start pushing myself harder in life and making a lot of progress for myself generally. Despite getting new side effects like sexual dsyfunction and worse vision. Currently I'm thinking of switching to prozac as I've heard about it's long half life, and I think that would be better for me long term. Sadly I've repeatedly tried and failed to taper down. Recently switched from 75mg extended release to the immediate release and gotten bad headaches, worse vision and sexual dsyfunction, more anxiety. I'd previously read about using half XR and half normal for tapering help, but my doctor wouldn't allow me to continue this as she believes it's making my withdrawal worse, so I'm now on just 75mg immediate. I was previously on half normal and half XR and after a few weeks most of the side effects had either gone or significantly improved. They're worse again now though... 😕 Regardless, I feel I want to push on and get through this. After I stabilize I want to slowly decrease my effexor (because my doctor wants me to go from 75mg to 0mg effexor and swap it immediately with prozac, but I don't want to do this as I don't want worse withdrawal). Anyways, hope I can get along with everyone here

Hello I am 53 monthe out from a xanax CT withdrawal. It has taken me this long to begin finally feeling myself again. Complete hellish experience. Finally getting moving past brain fog. I am still on 150mg venlafaxine XR 150 daily and three weeks ago, started tapering by 10% every 4 weeks. So far so good. I wanted to make my first site post and make some friends here during my taper. I will add my info to my signature shortly. Wishing all peace in their journey. Hingie

I hope you are well. I am on Escitalopram 10mg reduced overnight from 20mg. After being on this specific medication for 7 months and having been on Citalopram from the age of 22. Meaning I have been on an SSRI for 22 years. Last year after my breakdown in April (I’m actually thinking it might have been my medication stopping working that caused all this) I was put on Venlafaxine immediately without any tapering off citalopram for 2 weeks (Actually wanted to commit suicide due to that drugs side effects) I was then put on Sertraline without any tapering off Venlafaxine. That caused incredibly unpleasant side effects. In August without tapering again I was put on Escitalopram 10mg then two months later upped to 20mg to “give it a go” by psychiatrists. Not one of these medications have worked and have made me worse. Come more recently I suggested I wanted to wean off Escitalopram because I felt constantly in fight or flight. That was about a month ago. I was then prescribed buspirone 5mg x 3 a day and had my Escitalopram reduced to 10mg overnight, no tapering. A week into that regime I stopped Buspirone of my own accord and am currently on just the 10mg of Escitalopram that hadn’t been working in the first place. I actually think I’ve been withdrawing from all the antidepressants since April in some peculiar way. Since I first started antidepressants in 2002 I haven’t once had a doctor review my medication, not once have they asked me about coming off, the only time things changed is to up my medication or “give another” on a go. Today I have chronic muscle twitches, that don’t stop. My mind is clearer bizarrely and less brain fog but my physical symptoms are another matter, I’m aching considerably, I wake up shaking in the morning, and the cold makes my body shiver uncontrollably. The muscle twitches in my legs are 24 hours a day every minute. I try to go to the gym but it’s hard as my calves cramp. I have contacted a nutritionist as I’ve had dozens of blood tests thinking something must be out of sync, deficient. I’m on a good diet plan of protein and high fibre. And supplements. I currently don't know where to turn or what to do, as I am now on 10mg Escitalopram only, I don't know whether to go up gradually to try and resolve these physical constant muscle spasms/twitches even though the medication itself offered me no relief from anxiety/depression etc and actually made me 100 times worse, or to taper down. Either way I'm stuck. My body is a mess, that was once absolutely fine, it's now all over the place. Something that’s keeping me going is knowing someone is highlighting the daily struggle of these drugs and the complete disregard for the patients that are prescribed them. I hope this email reaches you all in good health.

I am tapering venlaflaxine at 5% monthly and I am at 17.50mg now. Been on antidepressant for 30 years

Hi, I'm a long term anti-depressant user, I've been on them since I was 13 and am now 31. Here's a breakdown of my drug history. Fluoxitine 2006 (13 yrs old) - 2011 Citalopram 2011 - 2016 Fluoxitine 2016 - 2017 Venlafaxine/Effexor 125mg 2017 - 2023 Venlafaxine/Effexor 75mg 2023 - 2024 Withdrawal from 75mg Effexor Feb 2024 I've had varying degress of success with them throughout the years but because of anxiety and ADHD I've had periods where I have just lived with the depression and anxiety symptoms they were supposed to be helping with. However, recently I've taken steps to actually pay attention and attempt to 'fix' my brain and get better. I didn't feel able to do this until I was in a stable job, relationship and living situation which I felt I was finally in June last year. At that time I'd not had a depressive episode for a full year and my anxiety was at an all time low. I decided to speak to my GP about this and we both decided that dropping down to 75mg Effexor would be beneficial. We decided this because while the depression and anxiety was low I felt that my cognitive abilities were being hampered by the Effexor. I would often experience brain fog, memory issues, very low motivation, almost zombie-like states where I'd just go through the motions of each day not really taking anything in and I wanted that to stop. After the drop down to 75mg between June 2023 and Jan/Feb 2024 I've felt a slight return in my emotions (Both positive and negative ones), less brain fog and more general alertness and actually 'experiencing' life again. I'd continued to not have any adverse side effects and very few episodes of depression/anxiety, especially nothing like I'd experienced in the past. After speaking to my GP again they suggested I come off Effexor completely and I agreed, as many do, without doing any research. In Jan they told me to start tapering off by alternating the days I take my medication until stopping after a month. I've done that now and stopped taking my last pill of 75mg prolonged-release capsules of venlafaxine hydrochloride on 2nd Feb 2024. It's now a month later and after feeling very little adverse side effects, no brain zaps, anxiety or depression, slight headaches, slight dizziness and slight tinitus I've suddenly as of last week started feeling intense anxiety and some depression continuously since then. I've tried to manage this with Propranolol which has slightly helped by not entirely removed the anxiety. I have been through therapy multiple times and have some coping techniques but this mostly seems like GAD rather than me worrying or being down about anything in particular. I first put a thread up on Reddit to see what I'd done wrong and was pointed to this community and introduced to the concept of microdose reinstating and that how my GP recommended I come off Effexor was bad. Hopefully I can get some more advice on what to do as I appear to be on the cusp of it being too late to reinstate and that possibly just riding out the withdrawal symptoms would be best. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

I’ve been weaning Venlafaxine XR since August 2023. I’m currently down to 37.5 plus 31 beads. The biggest symptom I’m experiencing lately is paranoia. Or maybe they are delusions. Insomnia is slowly improving, dizziness has improved. I’m not eating much, have diarrhea a lot and these intrusive thoughts are overwhelming my brain! I’m wondering how long this will last. I previously weaned off Klonopin and experienced paranoia while weaning as well. Is paranoia a common withdrawal symptom when weaning from antidepressants, as it’s not listed on the checklist. My husband calls what I’m experiencing delusions, so maybe that’s what they are more than paranoia. It seems like it’s much worse in the evenings. Maybe when the Venlafaxine has worn off? I take my daily dose nightly at 10pm.

Short introduction, I'm pyr23 currently living in the netherlands. I've been taking medications since I was 19 and have quite a host of diagnoses. Most accurate is schizo-affective, I've been struggling this like most others here for quite a while, unfortunately after 25 years I now know it's a lifelong thing. My last try for getting in a better place involved a rediagnosis for Autism, in which it it might be possible to live with another medication structure. This didn't really work out since I'm actually way to old for that. I see that now as a midlife crisis from an old psychiatric patient. We can't all have a fast car and a young girlfriend, but we can go though another diagnosis, just for old times sake. If you're young please try and keep up and keep your meds as low as possible. For some people full recovery will be possible, and the younger you start the better your chances are. Try to make space for yourself financially with family and all other support you can find, if you're in a good place try to see what is possible.

Hello, I've been reading this forum since October, and waited patiently to sign up on January 1. I am currently going through the worst time of my life EVER and need advice. My doctor has been no help. I weaned off Effexor, slowly I thought, and might have been able to deal with it, slowly healing my brain. But I lost my job two months after reaching 0mg, and it was a blow I couldn't deal with. I suffer from extreme anxiety, and after agonizing about it, and getting some advice on Reddit from people familiar with this forum, I decided to reinstate Effexor. Started with 2mg (counting beads from one type of Effexor) and now I take 25mg (2 tabs from another brand of Effexor). It hasn't worked. I finally filled a prescription for liquid Prozac which my doctor agreed to give me (she doesn't know how to help me and just asks what I want) and took 5mg last night. But I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I'm so scared. The thought of having to wean off Effexor slowly while on Prozac is freaking me out. Or maybe Prozac won't work. What should I do??

Hi, first of all thank you for this platform. I really need help and do not know where to find it anymore… I used to be on a high dose of Effexor (300mg) in my 20s for about 5 years. I decided to taper down to came off the drug in 2017. The advice of my doctor was to reduce by 37.5mg every two weeks (if I remember correctly). The physical withdrawals were not too bad but I developed panic attacks after about 6 months and went back on the smallest dose of Effexor (37.5mg). I was on that dose for 5 years and I had less and less panic attacks over the years, I was really happy. Last year in September 2022 I was ready to stop the drug again to have a baby. I wanted to reduce by removing some beads from the capsules but when I opened it I found only one large bead. The drug I was on is a replica of Effexor called Enlafax-XR which is the funded drug here in New Zealand. I decided to stop completely from 37.5mg to 0mg which is what my doctor recommended. The physical withdrawals were fine and went away pretty quickly. I had more anxiety then usual, but thought it would go away with time. Fast forward to July, I took a multivitamin which included multiple B vitamins for a few of days and that combined with a fight with my partner sent me into a spiral of terror. I was shaking when going to bed and would wake up with a racing heart. This lasted for 10 days. I was good again for a few more months. Then came September - I would get quite anxious after my period and decided to take a supplement of St Johns Wort to see if it would help. I started vomiting and shaking in bed again and spiralling into thoughts of terror. Since I had no idea what was going on I contacted my doctor which prescribed me again Enlafax-XR at 37.5mg. I took one pill and was completely out of it the next day. My vision was slow and my legs and arm were rigid. Time was going really really slow. I told my doctor which told me I probably had had an anxiety attack and that I should try again on a full stomach. I tried again a couple of weeks later after spending those two weeks in complete terror, shaking and vomiting. At my second attempt I was able to reintroduce the drug. I became better after 1 week and that lasted for another 3 more weeks. I still had quite a lot of anxiety but the terror was gone and I felt more grounded. After 1 month of taking Enlafax-XR 37.5mg I had a big fight with my partner (our biggest fight yet in 9 years together). Things went downhill from there. I stopped eating, was vomiting all the time, my vision became slow like I was drunk, my legs and arms were completely stiff and tingly and my chest was burning from the inside. This was really intense for 2 weeks and some of the symptoms slowly went away. It’s been three months now that I am on the drug and still vomit a lot and have really little appetite. My vision is still slow and I have an inner jitteriness in my whole body. I am also continuously horny when I come of my period and can masturbate multiple times a day (it is really annoying). I do not know what to do anymore, I feel like I am at the end of the rope. I always feel on edge/agitated and nothing feels good anymore. I have three options: - Continue taking Enlafax-XR and hope it will get better. - Stop taking Enlafax-XR cold turkey as it cannot be tapered and see what happens. - Switch to the real Effexor-XR, see if I can tolerate it and start decreasing the dosage. I am scared and have really little hope. I do not want to make things worst for myself by choosing the wrong next step…Any advices would be more than welcome. *I have been on multiple drugs over the years starting at 18 years old. Citalopram, Seroquel, Wellbutrin. I have not been on any of these for 10 years. Thank you so much.

Hi all, new here. Looking forward to learning. Thank you !

I have severe GAD diagnosed in early 2018. After trying to manage it on my own for a couple of months I finally asked my dr for an anti anxiety medication. she put me on 75 mg of Effexor, and I started taking it on May 2019. It worked incredibly. in February 2023, my main stressor for anxiety got resolved and wanting to get pregnant soon I decided to taper. I tapered from March 2023 - June 2023 using the bead counting method with my drs instructions. At first I thought I got away with it but I was wrong. Just like many others of us I developed severe insomnia and haven’t been able to shake it off to this date. I reached back out to my dr and worked with a psychiatrist both of whom agreed I benefit from sleeping meds. I tried taking 25 mg of Vistaril and while that worked okay, it made me very groggy the next day. Then my psych decided to switch me to Trazadone 25 mg and that worked ok. Today, I have not been able to sleep at all and it’s too late to take anything. I’ve taken the day off from work and made an appointment with my dr to talk about potentially reinstating — Effexor is not safe during pregnancy so maybe something else. I just don’t feel good in general and am feeling like I’m suffering more than I need to and need something to give. thanks in advance for welcoming me to the community, we’ll get through this!

May 2024 be a year of healing! At the end of April 2023 I had a total knee replacement. 10 weeks later out of the blue came adrenaline surges. I did not understand what was happening to me. My stomach shut down and I couldn't sleep from all the surges. When I reflect I think I was in a very sensitive state from being on an antibiotic and aspirin and nsaids for 10 weeks. I have always had a difficult time with meds. I went to my doctor and she put me on Zoloft to increase my serotonin. I was reluctant but trusted the doctor. After 13 days I was lying on my couch a human zombie. I didn't want to die but if I did I was ok with it. I had so many side effects. My doctor wanted me to push through but I said no. I did not know anything about tapering so in 5 more days I was in WD. Though I didn't know it. I had some ok days then the adrenaline surges and insomnia and intrusive thoughts hit me. I ended up in a facility because I was scared and thought I needed a new med. They put me on effexor. Then I descended into the darkest pit. After 19 days I got out and my new doctor had me do a quick 8 day taper. During the taper/ CT I found myself in the worst mental state of my life. I was scared of everything but knew I would not go on another med. I found SA and the success stories have been a life line. I knew nothing about this only that a friend had been through something similar and made it through. I cannot believe what my body and mind have endured the last 4 months. I came here because I need some peer support. My husband has been a rock telling me I will heal everytime the depression crashes over me and I have a hard time believing this is my life. Which is almost every day. I have had a few days where who I am is stronger than the symptoms and I can feel a little hope. Usually in the evenings there is a break. Only had a few minutes/ hours where I felt almost myself. I'm looking for positive support where we can commiserate but ultimately there is a building up of each other. I am trying to accept this healing and would like to make a friend or two that gets it. I still have some very debilitating days. My belief in God and my husband have held me when I wanted to let go. I will add a signature but I need to go through my journals which triggers. Wishing and wanting for everyone peace and love and healing!

I think I'm one of the very few people to have ever had an experience with mirtazapine where it could be considered as an addiction. I started on 15mg 7-8 years ago, and was at one point using up to 135mg. I couldn't tell if it helps or if taking it just cancels out the withdrawals. When I wake up, I'm high-strung and feel a lot of mental tension. I take my first 1/4th dosage and it mellows me out. I used to really enjoy having my worries fade, my anxiety fade, and to just be a content vegetable for the day. The downsides are crazy, I went from being an athlete to obese, with T2 diabetes. When it works, I'm lazy and unmotivated, I just eat and play video games. I cut down to 90mg, and haven't been able to go lower for long. The effects no longer work as well, I've been using daily Ativan at 2mg to pick up the slack. I've also been on Effexor 225mg for a few years, I tapered down to 75mg without any significant issues. My doc suggested a bridge, an SSRI, to help lower the need for mirtazapine. Has anyone here had a similar experience? They say this drug is harmless and side-effect free, but the withdrawals are absolutely no joke.

About three years ago, I went to a new psychiatrist, highly recommended by my therapist, to ask him about getting off the venlafaxine and clonazepam I was put on 20 and 15 years ago. When I left I had two new prescriptions: bupropion and lamictal. He thought I was severely depressed. The lamictal was supposed to counteract the effects on adrenaline production of long-term use of venlafaxine. It worked overnight. I enjoyed a few years of relatively good mood. I was also 3 years sober then, and now 6.5 years. Quitting all psychotropics has been on my mind for years. An early experience with Paxil in the 1990s--I took it for maybe a month, tops, but it made me groggy. I became sicker than I'd ever been--flat on my back with vertigo, horrible nightmares, and continuous nausea, as well as the brain stuff. Lucky for me, all this cleared up after about a week. Of course any doctor I spoke to about this had no idea. I am here to learn about weaning, and to find support for making a decision and beginning the baby steps.

Hello all, I'm currently stuck in Effexor side effect hell ever since I decided to take a higher dose of 75 mg a few months ago. Took the dose for almost a month and felt awful, so my psychiatrist decided to taper off entirely with Prozac, it failed badly and I ended up in the hospital with suicidal thoughts and extreme anxiety. I didn't even stop taking it, I was on 37.5 mg (immediate release). They decided to up my dose to 150 mg in the psych ward, couldn't do anything but comply. Got sent home, felt alright for a few days but the side effects have come back. Feel horribly restless, anxious, agoraphobic, and what have you. Have had some panic attacks as well. I've become non functional. Is it too late to revert to a lower dose? I've been on this dose for a bit more than 2 weeks at this point and have been in and out of my psychiatrist more than I can count lately, so she probably doesn't want to see me anytime soon. What should I do? I'm also taking Risperidone (they started giving it to me in the hospital) and got my psych to give me 0.25 mg of Xanax in case of any panic attacks if that means anything.

Hello, I am tapering Ambient currently 5mg. I am using the dry cut method with a scale. Is there a spreadsheet or calculator that will calculate the weight and how many mg that is at each reduction? I am terrible at math and this has been where I mess up, I get very anxious and am just not able to think clearly about the numbers. I want to be prepared if pharmacy changes lab which results in different pill weights (long story but I've already tried asking at several pharmacies and none will commit to keeping same lab) that I will be able to make the conversion. My focus is help with the math, if you have suggestions about working with pharmacy that's a secondary issue that's fine but please help with the math!

Hey there, I'll try to make my intro a bit shorter but its still kind of long. Was put on Effexor 150 XR at age 15 due to anxiety and depression (my mother is narcissistic and I developed a lot of self hatred from it. Older brother is also bipolar and made my life hell). Took that med until I was 28 (13 years). Worked with a nurse practitioner (for psych meds specifically) who tapered me off over the course of 2.5 months (waaaay too fast) by taking the little beads out of the capsules. My meds pooped out and I didnt feel I needed them anymore. Did great for 3 months, then my anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks, followed by depression. Insomnia due to anxiety, no appetite, emotional shutdown. Was put back on 75 mg and then raised to 150mg again, but since I had seen how vibrant I was without these drugs, I hated being on them. After moving across the country I asked my new doctor to move me down to 75 mg. I felt less flat but the anxiety was bad. Moved back up to 112.5 mg, but felt "meh" about everything. Tried Pristiq 25 mg for 2 weeks and was moved to 50 mg. 5 weeks in I had a horrible reaction-- anxiety, depersonalization, sweating, diarrhea. I didnt feel real. I told my doctor to lower me. Tried 25mg for 6 weeks. Still had diarrhea and apathy at 25mg. Was moved to Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks. I told my doctor I wanted to stay at 25 mg zoloft because I didnt want to become an over-medicated zombie. She said 25 mg wasnt a high enough dose to treat me, and I trusted her more than myself so I increased. After 3 weeks was moved to 50 mg. After 3 days on 50 mg I started being really spacey, dizzy, feeling like I was in a dream. Had insomnia. I would feel better every day as the med wore off closer to my dosing time. Felt like I wasnt real and didnt care about anything. My doctor said to wait until 5 weeks to see if my symptoms improved. I said no and told her to lower me to 25 mg. Stomach was still so bad after the debacle with the Pristiq that I had dropped 17 lbs at this point and needed an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, where they found nothing was wrong. 1 week after reducing to 25 mg Zoloft my stomach started improving. It wasnt a slow taper, she just had me half my tablet. I've been on Zoloft (Sertraline) 25 mg for 18 days as of writing this. Throughout my journey I've been moved up and down doses of Effexor every 2-3 months, I got to experience effexor withdrawal and new side effects from the pristiq at the same time, and I got to experience pristiq withdrawal and zoloft side effects at the same time. I'm currently having headaches, dizziness, apathy, and some sexual issues. Stomach is better but not 100% yet. Have pressure in my head a lot of the time. It feels like my head has cotton in it. I'm in therapy finally dealing with my abandonment issues from my mother's narcissism. This whole thing has been a huge lesson in trusting myself. A big part of me is scared that I've ***** up my brain, and that the apathy wont ever go away. I feel like I've made a big mistake. My partner has said that over the past few weeks I seem more myself, but I don't see it at all. I've begun doing some more things I enjoy, but a lot of the time I'm not enjoying them very deeply. A lot of the time I just want to be left alone. I guess I just want some support, since I'm so scared. How did I even get here? I just wanted to be happy. tldr: couldnt handle 50mg Zoloft, currently on 25mg for 18 days. Brain is effectively a scrambled egg. Timeline: Effexor 150mg XR 13 years, came off over 2 months, 3 months off. "Relapse" and put back on 75 mg, then 50. Lowered back down to 75 for 2 months, then raised to 112.5 for 2 months. Pristiq 25mg for 2 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks. Back to 25 mg for 6 weeks. Zoloft 25 mg for 3 weeks, then 50 mg for 5 weeks, now back to 25 mg for 18 days.

Hi all, I am seeking your advice on my persistent symptoms after coming off of Effexor 150 mg three years ago and would be immensely grateful to hear your opinions on the alternatives I have. Here is my story: I was on antidepressants over a period of 20 years, with some breaks in between, on different SSRIs/SNRIs and dosages. In the beginning, the tablets seemed to help, but this effect wore off over time and I was more and more reluctant to swallow tablets while still being chronically depressed. In 2019 I felt stable enough and discontinued the medication twice. Unfortunately, I had no clue about the risks and how to taper off safely. I had no adverse effects until 3-4 months after the discontinuation. I believed my doctor that this was a relapse, went back on and was quickly ok again. In 2020, after having learned about delayed withdrawal symptoms I started a new taper using tapering strips over a 6 months period. Unfortunately, still far too quick. Again, I had no problems during the taper, but hell started once I was on zero in August 2020. I have not recovered since then. The physical symptoms in the acute phase included insomnia, weight loss, diarrhea, vertigo, night sweats, tinnitus. The mental symptoms were far worse – I couldn’t be alone, suffered from immense anxiety, inner restlessness, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, felt very much impaired with regard to planning, deciding, executing. What has improved: I have regained 6 kg, gastrointestinal issue are rare, no vertigo or night sweats anymore. But these were minor things. What tortures me most today is the persistent insomnia (can go to sleep, but wake up 3-5 hours later), anxiety, severe cccdepression, anhedonia, unability to feel well and have positive emotions, suicidal ideation. Over the 3 years in protracted withdrawal I tried the usual things: naturopathic treatment, homeopathy, yoga, nutritional supplements, Gupta program, hormone replacement therapy, psychotherapy, spent 5 weeks in clinic. I use intermittently sleep teas, melatonine, valerian, lavender oil and occassionally sleeping pills and lorazepam as an emergency medication. I am 58 years old, female, and live with my husband and daughter in Germany. I am currently employed, working mostly from home and fear I can’t keep this up due to my deteriorating state. My symptoms are permanent, i.e. no windows and waves, but I get better in the evening. I feel I have reached a point where I can’t go on. I am too exhausted fighting this level of anxiety and depression in a sleep-deprived mode. I have not seen any real improvements to sleep or the mental stuff in these three years. I consider going back on medication. I know I need to consult a doctor, but as you know they have no knowledge about withdrawal. Can I have your opinon please? Going back on Effexor, if so what dosage? Taking a sedating AD like mirtazapine to help with sleep? Other sleep medication? Tricyclics? I wonder if it is the lack of sleep that prevents me from recovering. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I greatly appreciate the work you do here, I really do! All the best Marie

Hi all, would appreciate advice if anyone else has had a similar experience I've recently stopped venlafaxine. Now 6 weeks off after tapering down to 37.5mg over a few months then stopping completely. Prior to that I had been on venlafaxine for 8 years doses between 150mg and 75mg. I stopped as felt flat on it and that did not need it any more. first few weeks I had bad physical symptoms - flushes, sweats, nausea, vertigo, brain zaps, nightmares and shakes. In the last week I've had intense panic episodes/general feeling of dread. Incredibly tearful, ongoing insomnia and severe feeling of restlessness despite feeling exhausted. My doctor has put me on 50mg of sertraline in the hope it helps. Has anyone else had this experiencing with venlafaxine and came through the other side? I'm starting to lose hope of ever feeling normal again.

Hey Folks I stopped taking effexor three weeks ago after tapering it down 150 > 112,5 > 75 > 37,5 > 25 > 12,5mg over about three months. I came to the conclusion to stop it with my psychiatric because i didn't felt any improvement after taking it over a couple of months and had to deal with some nasty side effects. He told me to change to Prozac and i started taking it when i reached the 75mg mark of effexor. Currently i am on 20mg Prozac. The first ~4 days after stopping effexor were completely okay with no signs of discontinuation problems. But after that i started to feel nauseaus almost every day since. There are days where the nausea is tolerable and disappears over the course of the day and then there are other days where i feel nauseaus the whole day. That said, i also feel more anxious over the day...almost like drifting into a panic attack that then won't happen. I am now at a point where i am no longer sure if those are signs of discontinuatuion or my brain/thoughts are makin me sick. It feels kinda surreal to think that 12,5mg would have such an extensive effect on my body after two weeks, but on the other hand there seem to be a lot of people having problems getting rid of this medication and are on discontinuation syndrome way longer then two weeks, even after stopping on lower doses.

Hi! As a little personal introduction, I’m a 22 year old living on the east coast of the United States. I’m currently in the process of withdrawals after tapering off of Effexor, which I was originally prescribed in October of 2022. I have a vague explanation of my taper off of Effexor XR in my signature, but I thought I’d elaborate more here. I tapered very slowly from 225mg starting in June of last year, reaching 37.5 in May of this year and taking beads out from there until I got to only five beads left. I experienced little to no withdrawal symptoms from any of these drops in dosage. On the 17th of this month, I dropped from 5 beads to none, and haven’t taken any since. Obviously, this still has not been smooth sailing as I’m posting here. Dizziness and nausea/very occasional vomiting have been the biggest offenders in terms of withdrawal symptoms. By very occasional, I’ve only actually thrown up once (yesterday). I’ve taken Dramamine and Zofran as well as the occasional Benadryl to help, and am currently at day 12 of withdrawals. I was recommended to come here, and am partially looking for advice along with reassurance on dealing with the rest of the symptoms until they finally pass. Thanks!

I have being tapering off effexor 75 mg now for 2 months as my generic brand only contains six beads I have taken one out every 4 weeks , however I feel this has been to quick as my nervous system is all over the place can anyone give any advice please

I recently decided I can’t handle the constant exhaustion and severe constipation I was experiencing while on Effexor. My psychiatrist and I decided to try out Welllbutrin as I had many years on SSRIs and SNRIs and wanted to try out something new that could possibly help with my fatigue and apathy. My doctor originally wanted me to begin tapering by going from 150 to 75 for a week, then 37.5 for a week, then nothing for a week. And then stating the Wellbutrin the following week at a starting dose of 75mg. The first week on 75mg I had immediate relief from the constipation but also consistent bouts of crying and anxiety. Around the 3rd day of this, I reached out to my doctor and she said if I was feeling that awful to go ahead and stop the Effexor and move on to the Wellbutrin. Unfortunately I knew this was a bad idea so I continued with the taper and added on the Wellbutrin. As the tapering continued, I dealt with the bouts of anxiety that were something I could more or less handle. Until I moved to 0mg and all hell broke lose. I’m currently on the 2nd day of no Effexor and 75mg of Wellbutrin. I do not feel the Wellbutrin at all and I have severe anxiety that I’ve never felt before. It does feel like all my issues that were masked by the Effexor have come to light. I do now realize that a lot of my feelings of hopelessness were coming from this anxiety somehow linked with a lot of mom guilt, etc. At this point I’m considering going back on the Effexor altogether and starting over from there. But I’d like to start at 75mg. I have a doctor appointment in a week and a whole bottle of 150mg pills. I’m wondering how to possibly get 75mg from the 150… is that possible? As I’m typing this I’m feeling guilty? for going against my doctors suggestion and anxious about explaining it to her. Sheesh. Thank you for any insight.

I was on Effexor for about 7-10 years until this May when I chose to start tapering off in order to have the opportunity to do a guided mushroom experience. I was doing really well up until this point. I wanted to do the psychadelic experience to enhance my life and find more opportuniteis for joy and peace in my daily life. I tapered slowly and the first couple weeks went pretty good. So, I cut the dose again and immediately started having nausea, vomiting and vertigo. I didn't make the connection at first that it was related. Once I did I went back up to the original tapering. That is when I found out how hard it is to get off Effexor. And I was even more determined to get off of it, plus I was angry that I took this medication to HELP me and now it was making my life hell. So, I completed my tapering with the advice of my doctor, and I feel shittier than I have in years. My cognitive functioning is terrible, I feel like my brain is full of molasses and I am an emotional wreck. I've called my doctor twice to ask for his help and he is on vacation or something so he's not getting back to me. I don't want to go back on this medication but I am seriously miserable and so uncomfortable with my daily existence. No one around me understands what I'm trying to tell them about this syndrome. I feel so alone and confused about how best to support myself. I started taking a ton of supplements last week in an attempt to support my cognitive functioning and mood. The first day I felt so much better. Now a week later still taking the same supplements I'm back to where I was. I feel awful. I need to get on with my life but the more I read about this syndrome the more scared and upset I get.