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Moderator note: Link to benzo forum thread: summitbound: Poly-drugged: Thinking about tapering an AD w/ benzo Hello, I'm brand new to this site. I've been so busy learning about benzo tapering (and suffering!) on benzobuddies.org that I have yet to tackle getting off any of my antidepressants. I've already been tapering the benzo for over a year. I know that the general rule is to taper off your benzos first, and then work on your antidepressants. That said, I probably have a year or more left on my benzo taper and I hate being poly drugged with three antidepressants. I'd like to safely chip away at at least one of them. I think the mirtazipine is really helping with my sleep during bezno withdrawal, so I don't think I want to touch it. It seems like the low hanging fruit would be the lithium, since it seems I'm on a less than theraputic dose at 675 mg. Thoughts? So far, I have been "blessed" during my benzo taper in that I have not suffered from depression, severe anxiety, or panic. So I do want to tread carefully. Thanks so much!

Hi All, I've been reading up on the forum for the last few months and decided i might put a post in as would be keen to hear your thoughts and also share my experience. I've been on Effexor XR for around 10 years in total. Original condition was OCD - obsessive thoughts about food poisoning and my food being drugged - didn't help that i would feel strange after eating food & then become anxious / paranoid about it. This resulted in depression along with inability to function in social settings and a downward spiral. Originally was on Paxil in the beginning which didn't really work and then was transferred to Effexor XR 150mg. Have been on 75mg for the last few years though. In all honesty the effexor worked great and it helped me pull myself together and make a good life for myself. Education, job, family etc. Then about 2 years ago i thought that my life was going really well, so i didn't need the effexor any more. Attempted to stop it without tapering which didn't last long due to the brain zaps. Then tried a second time by a slow tapering process over 6 months from 75mg to nothing. Got off it without too many side effects (brain zaps and irritability, brain fog mainly). The brain fog was a bit of an issue and i just didn't cope well with stress any more. An incident last year at work got me back on to the effexor and i started to feel better. Until.... About 3 months into starting the effexor again i started getting strange physical symptoms including numbness and tingling, nausea and the OCD returned - would only get the symptoms around 2-3 hours a night after eating and taking my effexor. Now i did change brands of effexor (generic) during that period and to be honest i cant remember if i took generic effexor or the branded one for the previous 9 years. I honestly don't know if these symptoms were caused by the effexor though or by something else. With the strange physical symptoms and resurgence of OCD i decided i would quickly taper off the effexor. I went down 60mg to nothing (erratically cutting dose amounts as quick as i could) in about 4 weeks. Its now been 2 months and i have had plenty of strange symptoms including hives, numbness / tingling in limbs, memory loss / confusion, headaches & constant pressure in forehead, some nausea, tightness in chest, strange physical sensations and stabbing pains, feeling like ive had allergic reactions. The WORST symptom i have experienced is derealization - I've been in a state where everything i see seems surreal and often wondered if i was actually in a coma. This seems to have gotten a little better over the last week so i hope to god that its not a permanent thing. The brain fog is quite annoying and affecting my ability to do my job - i work in IT so not being able to concentrate is a real problem. From what i have read on the forum i wouldn't class my experience anywhere near as bad as what some other people have been through. I would say the symptoms have ranged from mild to moderate, but i guess without knowing how long this is going to go on for its a bit depressing. I've been using fish oil and magnesium / b vitamins which seems to have helped - fish oil got rid of most of the brain zaps. I do have some questions for other people who might have gone through similar experiences. Has anyone tried using st johns wort during the withdrawal phase to counter effect the effexor withdrawal? Is a small re-instatement of effexor likely to result in a bad medication reaction after 2 months of not having it? Has anyone had the derealization symptom during withdrawal? Is this likely to improve? I had a cholesterol level test whilst i was on effexor which returned a high result. After coming off the effexor i had a second test done and my cholesterol was back to normal - no diet change or new medications etc. I read somewhere that effexor can increase cholesterol levels? I guess im at an impasse at the moment. Ive got a bit to loose if i cant 'pull' myself together. Getting off medications all together would be great, but if it means i need to battle this for a long time and possibly loose my job and have it affect my home life i may need to consider re-instatement of at-least a small dose or some other alternative. Im reluctant to try other drugs as effexor is the devil i know. I also know that if i restart the effexor and the symptoms go away and everything returns to normal im likely to stay on it for the rest of my life as i wont want to gamble with coming off it again. Anyways thanks for reading & if you have any thoughts or similar experiences feel free to share =)

I want to taper Effexor

Hi all, I have a 16 year history on SSRI/SNRI (see signature) as well as a few years on Mirtazapine and one year on Bupropion. The two latter I quit fairly easy without any tapering worth mentioning. I'm also a medical doctor. I've read this forum now and it's been very helpful. The main reason I'm now registering is I'd like to contribute to the Escitalopram tapering thread, where there seems to be a quite well established misconception about the water solubility of the drug (I don't seem to be able to repy there yet though). Escitalopram is, as the post states, "sparingly soluble" in water (and "soluble" in saline water). Sparingly soluble by definition means that it takes 30-100 ml of water to fully dissolve 1 g of a chemical (such as a drug). (I'll still to 100 ml instead of 30 - 100 ml for simplicity, and 100 ml is at the less solvable end of the spectrum) 1 g is 1000 mg. So, with 100 ml of water you can dissolve ONE HUNDRED 10 mg pills of Escitalopram (as the salt Escitalopram oxalate). To dissolve one 10 mg pill, you need only 1 ml of water. I suspect most people will use much more water than this, as 1. there is no reason to work with such a small amount of water and 2. people seem to think you need lots of water. So, let's say that you use 10 ml or more instead of the necessary 1 ml. Now, there is NO reason whatsoever to increase solubility by adding sodium chloride (i e, making a saline solution), worrying about decreased solubility in refrigerator temperatures, etc. Note, there is stuff in the pills that does not dissolve, but the active drug does, easily. On the term "sparingly soluble": from a required 30-100 ml of water to dissolve 1 g of Escitalopram follows that in 100 ml water the amount of solvable Escitalopram is 1 - 3.3333333... g. Compare this to table salt (sodium chloride) which I believe you can dissolve 36 g of in 100 ml of water. Hence, it is easy to understand why "sparingly" is appropriate.

Hello! I am in a hell of withdrawal. I have been on many different SSRI’s in the past and they all worked but had intolerable side effects. About a year ago I started sertraline, and when it didn’t work my psych put me on Abilify and lamotrigine. The Abilify seemed to help a bit but gave me crazy anxiety and tardive skenesis. The lamotrigine has never seemed to do anything. Since last March I have been trying to taper. I’ve had two terrible experiences when my doc told me to stop the S and A cold turkey. I’m back on low doses of both. Currently I take 12.5mg sertraline, 2mg Abilify, 200 mg lamotrigine and would like to get off all of them, if possible. I have terrible anxiety and crying spells that I’ve had since starting the sertraline and Abilify. Im wondering which drug I should try to taper first?? Thanks for your help!

Glad to know about this site, been looking for this kind of information for ages! Im 30, I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety since 2019. I've been medicated ever since. Right now I'm just trying to try other type of treatments for my illness, so I'm leaving one of my actual meds, which is Effexor. I began last november. I was taking 150 mg of Effexor XR. On December I began taking 75 mg of Effexor XR, and on January I ended up in 37.5 mgs. This is where I am. Now, thanks to your site i`ve learned that a actually went really fast, and thats why I have been feeling not so well for the past few months. I did it like that because I've consulted 3 different psychiatrst and they told me they coldn't change any of my medication, and that maybe, I needed to increase the dose of even take another pill and, quite frankly, I am so tired of my contries mental health care system. Right know, I would love some advicies on everything. Thank you for your time, can't describe how helpful this site has been.

Knowing When to Finalize Tapering Off Venlafaxine 37.5 mg ER I was on Venlafaxine 37.5 mg ER for six months for anxiety/depression due to some very stressful life events. I began, with the help of my nurse practitioner, to taper from this medicine in late September. Initially, the taper regimen recommended was to take one capsule every other day for a week and then take one capsule every third day for a week and then stop. This was way too fast and I had to write to tell my therapist and my NP that I was struggling with withdrawal symptoms. So - I was told to go back to every other day for three weeks before moving to every third day. That was better. However, I have been on the every third day regimen for three weeks now. By the third day, I am having symptoms and am grateful to take my pill. Since there is no dose lower than 37.5 mg, should I just stop now and tough it out? I don't know what to expect. I am having a really tough time with this. Any advice? Thank you in advance.

Before I get onto the horrible topic at hand, hello! *waves* I am a working professional in my twenties with my own business and home and a lovely partner and little doggie to boot. I enjoy funny stuff and writing and singing and parks and board games. Very lucky and in lots of respects, happy. But the title isn't clickbit - I am getting desperate with my withdrawal. My current issue is discontinuing effexor XR. I started on the drug in mid-2013 at 300mg following 10 years of treatment on various other drugs, some of which helped for a month or so but most of which did little but side effects. Primary diagnosis is anxiety and major depression, officially in 2004 but in reality my whole life. Late 2014 I read Anatomy of an Epidemic and learned more about the scientific development of antidepressants (and the problems with chronic use) and I tapered down from 300mg to 122.5mg over a few months while improving my non-medical supports like mindfulness, exercise, nutrition. That first tapering was not especially difficult. From November 2015 to April 2016 I tapered off the rest, reducing the dosage a few beads at a time. I grew more tearful and anxious but it was basically manageable. I saw a psychiatrist in March who told me that the dose I was on (by then 37.5mg) was basically nothing and he did not see any issue or foresee any discontinuation effects from stopping over a week or so. In mid-April I was off the drug. Since then I have had a horrific time of it with suicidal-levels of anxiety and panic coming in waves for a few days at a time. The physical synptoms of shaking and diarrhoea and headaches and dissociation have passed and I have had a few good days where I felt like myself. Also since coming off my brain has felt clearer and my creativity has gone up a lot, which is great. However. The level and frequency of panic/anxiety/tearful episodes is unbearable, as is my newfound irritability and rage, two feelings I rarely experienced before. I am really scared that the anxiety and rage are here to stay. While the extreme emotion is similar to when I was first diagnosed, I am still active and maintaining my house and life, which I could not manage any time I was depressed. I am therefore (sometimes) optimistic that this is just a thing that will pass and not the depression or my base emotional state (i am aware discontinuation often looks like the return of the condition). There is not much on the internet to tell me how long this stuff should last at this unliveable level so I am hoping upon hope that some people here will be able to give me a sense of things. It is now four weeks and I don't know how much more I can take. I have the support of a psychologist, whom I see weekly, and my mum, who is extraordinary. My partner is mostly good but is struggling himself at the moment so often we do not have the resources to be there for each other. Can anyone assist with some indication of what to expect for a timeline of withdrawl given my dosage and period taking the drug? Is there anything I can do to make things easier while I get through the worst of it? I am so grateful that this place exists. I thank you sincerely in advance for any thoughts or insight you can offer. LWN

Hi all. I’m writing on behalf of my husband. Bit of background: 2003 was put on Prozac for 3 months- no adverse reaction and subsequently various doses of venlafaxine which he successfully came off of with no issues. 2013 was switched from Venlafaxine to sertraline. Had ‘activation syndrome’ (extreme anxiety) for 8 weeks (always thought it was him) but went away once body used to drug. August 2021 had been on 25mg for years and thought he would taper over 2 months, successfully came off no issues or problems. january 2022- I was having a C section and he was a bit worried, nothing extreme though, just normal worry and decided to reinstate the Sertraline. Within days, ‘activation syndrome’ was back. He stayed on for 5 weeks and then doctor said ‘come off as you weren’t anxious or depressed to start with’ symptoms of withdrawal started but manageable. He thought after 6 weeks that it wasn’t withdrawal as nhs website said it should have gone after 2 weeks! March 2022- started mirtazapine at 15mg going up to 30mg. Fine for 3 weeks, but then developed activation syndrome and quickly came off. GP advised to go back on to sertraline at a bigger dose- ended up in a and e, so agitated! 3 weeks later, he thought that the mirtazapine might be less activating at a smaller dose, so went back on at 15mg… alas, 3 weeks later, activation syndrome is back! june 5th came off and has been battling severe anxiety, but generally, every other day! I am aware of windows and waves but don’t understand this. One day he’s perfect and the next can’t leave the house! He also started propanalol in June which we feel makes it worse as apparently it blocks seritonin to a degree, but makes anxiety a lot worse if he reduces (or maybe he did too big a jump). NHS have left us to it, no help! Have a private appointment on Monday. Questions are: If he is getting windows this early on, is it a good sign?! The only symptom he has is extreme anxiety/agitation which seems more a reaction to lack of seritonin, thus firing out tons of cortisol? Could he go on a low dose of Prozac to see if that helps? Prozac is the only antidepressant he doesn’t think caused activation syndrome?! is there any experiences with propanalol making matters worse? I think there is a slight improvement in the anxiety but considering it’s only been out of his system for 6 weeks I expect takes a lot longer to build new pathways etc/level out. Thanks for reading. Just want my husband back, it’s destroying me and him!

Original topic title: 17 years of antidepressants, 2 failed quitting attempts, on number 3 Hey everyone! I'm Lyudik; I'm so glad to have found a community of others in my shoes, because I don't know anyone personally in a similar position, and I'm feeling pretty isolated in this experience. I started Effexor XR in sophomore year of high school (2004) for intense anxiety (and subsequent depression). It worked well, without side effects. Near the end of senior year (2007), I wanted to start the next chapter of my life off meds, so I tapered with the help of my psychiatrist. Things were pretty stable that summer, but all hell broke loose when fall semester of college started. The stress of the transition brought the anxiety roaring back (but I didn't really notice other withdrawal-like symptoms). So I started back on Effexor (early 2008). Again, it helped me. By fall 2013, I had had years of therapy under my belt, and I wanted to try going off again. Same story. This time, my psychiatrist put me on Lexapro, 15 mg (early 2014). I've been on Lexapro since then (doing well), and decided I wanted to try going off again in 2021. Only this time I would go reaaally slow. I decreased to 10 mg in June 2021 and then to 5 mg in March 2022. This was before I found this forum, so I didn't realize that making big dose jumps (cutting it by half in March) was not advisable, even if the time between adjustments was long. With the first decrease in June 2021, I noticed an uptick in anxiety after about a month, but nothing unmanageable. But with the March adjustment, things have definitely gotten harder emotionally. Anxiety, feeling like every day at work is a battle for survival, just feeling overwhelmed by life. But it didn't happen immediately. This took weeks/months to develop. I've always assumed that my spirals after tapering were relapse (because I don't have other obvious symptoms, and anxiety was the primary issue). But now I realize that my first two tapers were way too fast. With this last one, I'm not sure... I think the dose jumps have been too fast, but the anxiety didn't come on immediately afterwards. I would be grateful for any input on that question. The other question is what to do about the awful feelings I'm experiencing now. I think I want to try reinstating, but to what dose? Should I go back to 10 mg (the dose prior to the last reduction?) And then how long should I stay there before trying to go back down again? Also, on a practical note, how do people usually cut their pills? Kitchen knife? Is there a technique to keep them from crumbling? Thanks for your feedback ❤️

Hello and nice to meet everyone. I have been reading as much as I can the past two days and feel like it is time to introduce myself. THANK YOU for everything you all have contributed, this site is a game changer. So many questions answered and a new journey begins. You can see my drug history and four month taper in my signature over the spring/summer (my psychiatrist at the time recommended two weeks, go figure). I had planned on a few crappy months going into this. Oh if I had only found this site first... Withdrawal didn’t kick in for at least two weeks, and slowly at first. I spent all of September and October dodging and weaving through good days and bad days, which I observed simply as “anxiety” (my original diagnosis) but with unusual physical symptoms. I journaled and kept calendar entries, mostly to record when I had to resort to Ativan (usually 0.5mg, occasionally 1mg). Other than for flight anxiety (two trips), I can count 17 times I took it over those two months, and only as a last resort. I had two sudden midnight “surges” (after feeling great) with shivers, out of control heart rate, even some diarrhea, which would last hours. I was convinced it was Serotonin Syndrome. The second one took me to urgent care the next morning for a heart checkup. A few days later a new psychiatrist then put me on Propranolol (beta blocker) as my primary concern was my heart. Propranolol immediately helped me observe and evaluate the “anxiety” I was experiencing which helped a lot. The new psychiatrist also had me stop 5-HTP after only a few weeks which was probably smart. I speak to him again this Friday, not sure what to share/ask given what I am learning here. I am now clear on the fact that I am riding waves of withdrawal symptoms, anxiety responds to the unusual feelings and emotions created by the withdrawal and adds its own icing to the cake, but I am focused on observing and not reacting, and doing my best to “ride it out”. The most unusual part of this “pattern” has been the timing of it all - usually kicking into high gear in the evenings after dark (earlier and earlier in my part of the world). I am nervous about traveling this weekend (short flight) but also realize I need to try and have as “normal” a life as I can stand under these conditions. My wife is awesome, understanding and super supportive. At 12 weeks in, I am not sure reinstatement is an option for me, even though I still have 5mg Trintellix in my drawer, and could try taking microdoses. Leaning toward a no, but I realize I may have run out of time to make that decision? I have read almost all the “required reading” but would still appreciate an opinion on that one. Also considering stopping my multivitamin, turmeric and mulberry leaf extract and taking only my “Super Omega-3 Plus” (Fish Oil) and picking up magnesium pills. I just started the Probiotic so I could drop it too, but not feeling like it would impact all of this either way? I am intrigued by the Reishi 415 blend to get some non-psychedelic mushroom love. Lastly my wife and I are thinking about therapeutic float tanks (she would love to do it again) and I have begun using our hot tub as part of my daily routine, along with many failed attempts at meditating. Anxiety was never something I handled well to begin with, and I realize now I must absolutely be on my game to dance this intricate dance. I will post any new thoughts, findings and curiosities on this thread as appropriate. I appreciate everyone’s support! PS- I opted to not use the appropriate abbreviations as I wanted to easily share this summary with family

I'm so glad I found this site. I am an 18yr old who was diagnosed with generalized anxiety, andPTSD on June of 2012. My GP referred me to psychiatrist who started me on meds. I was a little wearyAbout going on medication but he gave me xanax as needed and they workedImmediately, I figured if this helps maybe other medication would too.I tried Buspar, Prozac, Zoloft all which gave me immediate side effects.Lastly and I say lastly because after Effexor I will not go on any other psychiatric drugsAfter going through all this hell.Aug 2012 I started Effexor went up to 150 mg, started to feel social anxiety and depersonalization. I talked to the doc about wanting to get off of it. My Mom mentioned to him that her half sister had been on Lexapro and had helped her. He wanted me to wean off Effexor with Lexapro. I left his office and decided on my own to not take Lexapro and cut Effexor dose in half (75mg). Next day I felt more myself. BUT the following day all w/ds set in. Literally was bedridden for 3 months.I had severe vertigo, vomiting, etc.Went to see Doc and he said he hadn't seen any of his patients go through so much w/ds for this length of time. I replied that I was much worse now than before walking into his office.My Mom and I started researching all info on Effexor. She bought me fish oil, Benadryl, Ginger tea, B complex, Magnesium.In Jan 2013 started to feel somewhat better. I decided it was time to start tapering.I am on generic immediate release tablets. I weigh the pills with a jewelry scale and shave off a smidgen. I break them in half and take them through out the day.I am at 48.75mg.As I go lower Should I change to Effexor brand XR.?What helps mood swings?I forgot to mention that Effexor at 150mg made my anxiety much worse.Now at lower dose anxiety has subsided and panic attacks have gotten much better. I don't know if it's due to all the reading I've done to learn how to lessen their effect. Or that I'm not so afraid of them anymore.I am afraid after hearing other people's experiences that I too will get to a point on a lower doseThat I will not be able to get through it.Will I have protracted w/ds since I've only been on Effexor a year now?Have you heard of rhodiola for mood improvement? Lately I've been getting crying spells.Will these get worse as I lower?Thanks for letting me know I am not alone.

Hi, ive recently been taken off Effexor which I was on for 2 months, I was then on pristiq for 25 days. 3 months in total. I have had a really tough year trialling meds that didn’t help but made everything worse. My psyc told me to stop pristiq cold turkey due to my rapid decline in mental state. the first 6 days where hell with zaps and vertigo and migraines. I still feel dizzy at times and my cognitive function feels like it’s lagging. Now day 10 I have woken with what I thought was a UTI. I went to the doctor and I don’t have a UTI. Upon research based on symptoms I’m concerned it’s Cystitis as my bladder feels like it’s on fire and or possible PGAD. are there any success stories where this naturally corrects itself and this is another withdrawal symptom. Naturally the body and nerves will take time to heal? advise and help needed- I mentally feel so good putting all meds in the bin but feeling very overwhelmed physically thank you in advance x

I’m attempting to taper off venlafaxine, I was successful once and unsuccessful twice since going back on. I would like the help of a doctor with experience and possibly adding in Prozac to help with withdrawal symptoms that seems to hit me hard. Any recommendations for doctors on Long Island would be greatly appreciated.

I was prescribed effexor when I was 17 with no warning of what sort of drug it was and how hellish it would be to quit. I have used it for 20 years (I'm 37 now) and after getting stable and quitting my other addictions, I finally wanted to quit them all and discover who I am without substances or pills. I have spent the majority of my life on Effexor or some drug or another, and I just want to be free of it. I have read online that dropping Effexor is on par with quitting heroin. I believe it. I tapered down for 2 years, and after 4 months on 37.5mg, I took my last dose on September 18 2022. I am now 15 days 'clean' and I'm having a really rough go. On saturday night I had a total meltdown/panic attack. The first I'd had in half a decade. It was shocking and distressing for everyone around me. Nevertheless, I've just completed the first 15 days of Effexor withdrawal and I feel trapped. If I go back on Effexor it will be a return to zombie land. No happiness, no sadness, not caring about anything, no ambition. I don't want to live that way. Plus, if I ever want to try to quit again in the future I'll have to endure the brain zaps, nausea, fatigue, vertigo, etc. etc. again and I don't want to ever do that. The drug companies lie and say after 14 days you'll be fine. Hah, what a laugh. I'm currently struggling really hard because I don't want to go back to a wet blanket muting every feeling I have, but the road ahead looks like Hell. I just want to know who I am without these chemicals. I looked online and it seems that it takes at least 6-8 weeks before the nervous system normalizes and even then there's a high chance of a rebound withdrawal in 3-4 months. I'm doing everything I can to make things right: I meditate daily, I exercise to dripping sweat daily, I have a therapist (for now), and a loving partner. I'm doing my best. But I'm just exhausted already. I want this to be over. I'm only 15 days in and from what I can see it won't get better until day 45-60. I just want to be able to smile at lovely things and frown at sad things. I want to know who I am without these pills and chemicals. I can't believe they gave this drug (and others) to a teen instead of asking me why I wanted to take my own life. No one ever gave a damn about me to ask. Now I give a damn about me and I want to see this through, but it's so, so, so hard. Waves of anxiety, shame, guilt, sadness... it's unreal. I could use any/all words of encouragement or advice. edit: i learned about opening the pills and taking out beads just now. Is it a good idea to do that after 15 days of cold turkey off 37.5mg? Please advise.

I was on venlafaxine for 5 years at 37.5mg. I decided it was time to go off of it as I was ready to start a family. I talked with my doctor in September and she tapered me off using the every other day method in a couple weeks just quitting. I experience a couple days of feeling brain zaps and brain fog but was then doing OK. Fast forward two months and I started experience shortness of breath non stop. I never had any panic attack issues before going on the drug but the shortness of breath quickly turned into nightly panic attacks while trying to go to sleep. I go to bed at 10 and experience a surge of adrenaline that lasts until about 4 am. I am then sleeping 4-6am and waking up and doing it all over again. I am now getting panic attacks around the thought of going to bed knowing I will get the surge of adrenaline and not sleep. Trying to stay positive and hope things start going back to normal soon but not sure what my next steps in healing will look like.

Hi all, I’m 38 and have been on antidepressants since I was 22. I have a history of OCD and anxiety, which is why I was prescribed meds in the first place. I never thought the pills were working since I didn’t feel a noticeable difference, but in hindsight, maybe they were. anyways, I’ve been on Zoloft 50 to 100 back to 50 from 2013-2021, and was mostly stable - though I did have severe bouts of anxiety still, at least I could function and exercise. Late last year I cut my dose to 25. I started getting chills all the time when I was exposed to cold weather and just generally felt unwell, but chalked that up to everything BUT my medication (I’ve long feared I have a severe undiagnosed health condition, though hundreds of tests and doctor visits haven’t revealed a thing). Along with the chills, I noticed my right leg felt a bit heavier, but I could still function as normal when it came to exercise. Then, back in July, I cut my dose to 12.5, daily for a couple of weeks and then every other day. Throw in some gabapentin, too, (doses between 100-500, taken as needed). that’s when all the fun started. I was still getting violent bouts of chills daily, but my leg was feeling weaker , and then my right arm and hand started to feel weak and uncoordinated. I could still walk without many issues, but running was becoming difficult. August was worse for the arm and leg, though the chills started to subside. September has been a nightmare - my arm fatigues instantly upon use (forearm muscle just feels shot), and it’s difficult to walk because my right leg just feels so weird. I also started having muscle twitches, primarily in my right leg and arm, but some on the left side too. I’ve seen 3 neurologists and had and EMG, and they assure me I don’t have ALS but I continue to worry it’s something along those lines. I just can’t fathom how this could be medication related since the muscular issues are all on one side of my body. my psych put me on Effexor and I’m on 37.5 for the past week, but no signs of improvement. can anyone relate?

I had been on Effexor 37.5 was varying doses for approximately 7 years. As of the beginning of 2022 I started having really strange symptoms such as hot flashes sweating insomnia racing heart and general feeling of being unwell. June fourth I had only slept about 4 hours for a few days each and decided to go to the ER to rule out anything physical. When I told them if I don't sleep I want to drive my car off a cliff they kept me. So I stayed 3 days with no medication. Initially I started to feel well. Clear minded and actually could feel Joy. No it's July 4th and it's getting worse if that's even possible. My symptoms are becoming intolerable so I decided to take 5 mg of Fluoxetine. This was about an hour ago. I feel like I'm in a dream I have no energy it's hard to even walk and my heart is racing I can literally hear it pounding in my ears and all I want to do is cry and go to the hospital. But I don't know if they treat this there discontinuation syndrome. I don't know what to do please help

I dont have anything to say about myself because I have nothing to reflect on unfortunately. So I am sorry but this is a pretty heavy post. I have severely kindled myself beyond repair. Is this possible? I dont have anything left. I forgot to mention in my history that after going off my antidepressant rapidly a second time that I took benzos twice weekly along with other gaba supplements and took other supplements that raised serotonin and dopamine. Kindling everytime withdrawing from gaba meds/supplements .And not consistently taking them. I believe messing with my gaba system is what did me in. I also came off progesterone very quickly late February and that's what ended my life. After that I used benzo again once to sleep because I had complete insomnia for 4 days. I probably withdrew just from one dose. Was getting horrible sensations in my gut like terror/tickling/stabbing. Took more supplements to try to help...made it worse. The last supplement I knew it was the end. Took NAC which I have before in the past. For 5 days and I became so agitated I was beyond suicidal. The problem is I was already mildly anhedonic on meds then coming off I had more anhedonia and dp/dr. So it was hard to know what I was feeling when doing all this damage. The more changes I made the worse it got. Now I hit the end. I'm completely lobotomized but can feel this severest internal anxiety. Complete apathy.I feel Like in dying 24/7 but it's not a panic attack. Everything looks and feels exactly the same and I mean that at the severest level. And everything I do keeps making it worse. Everyday I eat, sleep, do anything...the internal Agitation and anxiety and anhedonia/brain dead feeling gets worse. I never feel comfort and dont feel anything except pain. I dont have normal anxiety anymore with physical symptoms. I do not connect at all to anything at any level. I dont know what it means to do anything. I think I've lost many connections in my brain. I have nothing to do. I look at the tv and see nothing and I mean with my mind. I cant talk about anything. I have no soul left. No recognition of who I was. I no longer get comfort out of anything at all. I don't know what i look like. I dont recognize myself..cannot see myself in the mirror like a person with dementia. I am so bored because there is nothing I can do. I cannot engage in anything. But the severe internal restlessness is the worst. If I never went off my med the second time last summer I would be so okay. Everything I do makes it worse. Even positive thoughts. Any stimulation. MRI made me 10x worse. I'm stuck in some void with severe panic and no person inside to help save me or reflect on past memories or emotions. Cant feel time at all, dont register days/nights/months. Brain doesn't register going from one place to another. It's all the same. I never relax ever. Extreme restlessness beyond anything. This last time I messed up my brain knew it was the end and i completely lost all connections. Cant use any higher thinking to help. I didnt want my life to end at 33 with a 2 year old daughter. I wish I was never put on meds in the first place. I was a highly emotional person who was sensitive. Musically inclined. I loved nature and connected to nature and animals. All that completely taken away since ive done all this. But even on antidepressants I still had me, although I was becoming less emotional over time. But emotions were still there. There is no feeling more dead than this. Theres nothing left for me to do and my brain has seen everything that has happened and cant unsee. At least in February before the coming off progesterone and then messing with those last few supplements I had something still. I could still eat with only minor problems and was working a couple days a week and slightly enjoyed going to friends house and I connected at some level with my daughter and could feel empathy. Is there anyone who can tell me what may be going on with my CNS?

Hello, my name is Sturm! I am from Austria and am looking for someone to read over my story about getting off of Effexor, since, quite frankly, I am terrified that it will last a few weeks more, or that I could get addicted to benzos (see more about that later) in the process (as the worst side effect I have atm is very bad insomnia). I hope I am posting this in the correct place. So, this is a bit of a long story. I have been taken Venlafaxine / Effexor for around 7 months (since January 2022). Around two months ago I decided to taper it (I was at 150mg). We tapered to 75mg. I don’t recall any psychological side effects from this, but I did notice muscle pain (especially from my left leg). I stayed on this for around two weeks, when I tapered again to 37,5mg. I stayed at this dosage for two weeks, and didn’t notice any psychological change besides muscle pain. I was then told I could get off Effexor, or I could take it every other day. I took it every day for a week. By this time, I noticed brain fog, but nothing extremely strong. At this point, after a week of this, I asked the psychiatrist about a prozac bridge, knowing the withdrawal effects would undoubtedly be terrible. The next day (Friday 21.07.2022) I was off Effexor and took 10mg prozac. At this point, I had a decent amount of nausea and akathisia, a reduced appetite, as well as chills, but never experienced brain zaps. The 5th day had the worst nausea. By day 7, the nausea was seemingly gone, and I thought the withdrawal was over, so I stopped taking prozac a few days later (31.07). The next few days were pretty recent, little to no nausea. By August 5th, (roughly two weeks since being off of the Effexor), I had some mild nausea, chills were back, and worst of all, I started having really bad insomnia. Despite bot having taken any prozac in 8 days, I took it again on August 7th, thinking the insomnia happened due to stopping prozac and being off of it long enough for its half life to expire, therefore allowing more of Effexor’s withdrawal effects to occur (since prozac normally suppresses most of the nasty ones). This, however, doesn’t seem to be the case, as of today, August 10th (day 19), I still am having sleep problems. I am also concerned that I could have become dependent on prozac for taking it for around 14 days. Could dependence on prozac be attained that early, or does it normally take around a month to occur? It has been nearly three weeks since I am off of Effexor. When should I expect the rest of the withdrawal to end? When should my insomnia end (before yesterday and the day before (I was proscribed lorazepam, I hadn’t gotten any sleep in three days due to the insomnia). I was proscribed lorazepam 2,5mg to help me sleep at night. Is this safe to take, or will I get addicted? The psychiatrist and nurses at the hospital where I was given this prescription said it shouldn’t be an issue unless I take this dosage for months. Do I believe them?

Hello everyone, I am an Italian 25 year-old girl, who is experiencing WD syndrome from Effexor, sorry if my English is not so great. First of all, I have to say I am still taking medication. At the moment my doctor is Prof. Giovanni Andrea Fava (you may know him, I saw that you posted some of his research in the forum). He was the only one the understand the hell I was going through and when I first came to him saying that since taking ADs I wasn't feeling myself anymore and that especially Effexor gave me anxiety, racing thoughts, carelessness and hypomania, he immediately put me off of it and labeled it as "poison". After a 2 months tapering under his advice, I stopped in March of this year after over 1 year of Effexor (in the end I had switched from 75 mg to 150 mg after a romantic problem, back then I didn't know that my reaction could have been a drug tolerance episode) and 1 year of Zoloft before. My original issue was ROCD, Relationship-centered OCD. This exploded like a psychosis while I was taking an antibiotic for acne in November 2015, I don't know if there was any correlation between the two facts, of course I had problems with my boyfriend with whom I eventually broke up. I remember urging to the doctor and being put on Trilafon, Zoloft and Rivotril in a glimpse. While the obsession calmed down a little bit, the quality of my life worsened, so that I wasn't feeling myself anymore. I became really demotivated, I lost interest in university and I lost 1 year without taking exams. Now I am about to graduate after many efforts struggling with all of these bad feelings, but I am scared to death as with the new year I will have to seek a job as an engineer but I can't handle any stress right now. My "relapse" happened while I was in Germany working at my Master's thesis. Maybe it wasn't the best idea going for and exchange program after withdrawal (Fava knew, but didn't tell me to encourage me), I was doing quite but at some point I became suicidal without even being able to eat or get out of my room. I had to go back to Italy at the end of June in bad conditions and went to see Fava, who explained to me about the withdrawal syndrome and gave me 10 mg of Prozac and 0.5 mg of clonazepam to be taken daily to calm down the symptoms which are: -mood swings -terrible depression/hypomania -suicidal thoughts -exagerrated feelings of guilt, fear and low self-esteem -brain zaps occasionally -racing thoughts (got better though) -unexplainable anxiety -tingling -feeling like the brain is burning after some thoughts or events -low stress tolerance -nightmares and waking up in the morning in fear and confusion -demotivation -sensitivity to noise Oh, btw, I still have ROCD even if the partners changed. I've done CBT and it is way milder, it took me a lot, but the price to pay is this freakin syndrome and I think that life is such unfair, after all the sufferings I've been through since I was a child and this one is the worst for sure, because I don't know if it will end. I won't talk about the other ones, it is not an issue at the moment. I have to say that I am already better, I can have a living, but sometimes, as many people of you do I guess, I feel I will not get back to what I was. I want to experience sadness, like before, not despair. I don't want to live with that strange constant anxiety or uncomfortable feeling (it's hard to explain, I didn't have it before taking drugs) which I had had also while on Zoloft. It has not gone away, never, for almost 3 years. And I am not sure if its origin is psychological, because I have this also while doing crosswords or laughing with my sister or writing this post, even if I am focused and calm. The things that worry me the most are the aforementioned "feeling", the inability to hold a good position in the job world because I have to avoid any type of stress otherwise I feel like I am burning or I become very fearful and my blood freezes and... the sexual thing. One of the reasons why I developed this ROCD is that because I had sexual problems with my boyfriend. I couldn't get aroused with him, but with other stimuli I was functioning. Eventually we split up (best decision of my life, even if the depression had a role in this). Now I have a new boyfriend, who I love so much. The difference is that I want to have sex with him most of the times, but I can't get aroused, you know... wet, and feel no pleasure. And since this was my main concern even before taking the drugs, I am terrified that one wrong choice would have caused a permanent damage to my sexuality, the thing I was always craving for because I wasn't feeling satisfied. Dr. Fava says that WD Syndrome lasts 6 months on average. So the 6 months have passed but the improvement are really small, sexuality has not returned and here I see people struggling for YEARS. Should I trust him? Come on, he is one of the leading experts worldwide and one of the first to recognize the problem, but I still don't know. I just want to go back to the mess I was, stop obsessing about symptoms and tolerate adversities as I always did before. I can say that racing thoughts have got milder... but it's not enough for me. I've been feeling bad for three years and suffered all my life before, I am sick of this situation.

Moderator note: link to uncomfortablynumb's Benzo Forum thread Hi Everyone, About 9 years ago I jumped on the psych med-i-go-round. It was my last year in university studying human kinetics - I was really stressed, not getting much sleep, not eating very well and consuming way too much caffeine. I pretty much crashed and burned with anxiety and depression over probably a 4 month period. It was possibly due to years of stress and not knowing exactly what I wanted to do after graduation (to continue studies or find work). I was rock bottom, not being able to focus on anything and the anxiety was so bad that I isolated myself. That is when I first saw my psych. I was prescribed Celexa and that did nothing. It was my first drug and I was desperate and only gave it probably 3-4 weeks. Then I was put on Effexor. It worked wonders in about 3 or 4 weeks at 75mg or 112mg. I was back to my old energetic self and focused. I came out of my shell and was socializing again. I finished my degree and decided to forgo post-grad and start up my own business as a fitness trainer. The next 3 years were going well as I was building up clientele. Outside of work I was involved in long term relationships. Effexor was working pretty consistently. When it lost effectiveness, I would up my dose and be fine pretty soon after. I forgot to mention I was taking a pre-workout supplement (NO-Xplode or another) while on Effexor (which is probably a no, no) to give me an extra energy boost. Perhaps the meds were losing their potency and I needed another boost because coffee was not helping. Effexor then started to poop out on me. I would relapse into depression/anxiety for longer periods and upping doses was useless (I believe I went up to 187.5mg). We then tried augmenting Abilify without success. Then I switched to Pristiq which also didn't work. Then it was onto Wellbutrin to no avail. I ended up reintroducing Effexor and it worked again with the break. Not as well, but I was functioning. I began abusing pre-workout supplements just to keep me my normal energetic, positive self. Again, Effexor pooped out after a couple years. Over the next few months, I tried Zoloft and nortriptyline and another med. At this point, I was sent to a specialist. He changed my diagnosis to bipolar II even though I exhibited signs of bipolarity until I was on medication. He suggested different cocktails with lithium or Latuda. I refused. I made the stupid decision with my original psych to try Effexor one more time. Surprisingly, another break from it and it worked again. Not as well, but still got me up and going. I stayed on it for a year and weaned off this April this year. I was fine med-free for a couple months, then anxiety/depression reared it ugly head in July. Another foolish mistake I made was to go back on the Effexor from mid-July until September. I had to keep increasing the dose until it was clear my "go-to" drug was no longer an option. I began weaning off rather quickly by decreasing 37.5mg each week. I went to half of 37.5mg, then nothing. I have been completely off Effexor for the last 10 days. This is one of the longest bouts of depression/anxiety for me. It has been 4months. I have had to stop working (as I usually do when I am in this state). My job requires energy, positivity, focus. It is also a social job and depression/anxiety kinda make that impossible. It really is depressing that I have had so many relapses that it screws up my career. I wonder if I didn't go on meds in the first place if I would have relapsed. I had to wean off the drug while severely depressed/anxious. I think this has made the experience worse. I am experiencing bad insomnia, and what I think might be depersonalization (my senses seem altered, hard to describe - dream-like). I am also feeling like my mind is blank. Usually I have a nice flow of thoughts and can start conversation but it seems impossible now. It is very uncomfortable and I have isolated myself from friends. I also cannot find pleasure in ANYTHING. My concentration and memory are not very sharp. When I have weaned off in the past I do not remember it being this extremely awful. I have a few questions: Can the brain recover and balance itself? Is there anything I can do to move things along faster? Or is it probably best to explore other medical options? Should I get extensive bloodwork or an MRI done? Sorry this was such a long intro. I applaud you for reading this because it is not the most exciting story.

I was started on Effexor XR in December 2001. Dose has been 150 mg since that time. That was the first time I have ever been on medication for depression, even though I have suffered with it quite a bit in my adult life. I tried to cold turkey off it in 2005. That lasted 3 days, and I went back on the 150 mg. The withdrawals were just too much. In 2009 I started using the generic brand because the cost of the brand name was too expense. When I started taking it I paid $81 a month. When I switched to generic, it was over $250. It is bad enough that we are held captive by a drug that is supposed to help us, but they make us pay through the nose for the torture too. I have had a lot more side effects since I started the generic. My life has just gone downhill since I started this med. It long ago quit working regarding depression. In fact, I feel like it has just added to it because of the way my life has deteriorated and my inability to function effectively. It is the typical stuff that comes with taking this drug. I can't think straight. Memory is shot. Job is in jeopardy because I am having problems making deadlines. My diet stinks. Paralyzing apathy. I feel like crap physically. I can't remember what it was like to wake up refreshed from a good night's sleep. I have basically been pretty much reclusive since I began this poison. I don't want to go anywhere, and I don't want anyone to bother me. That just isn't the me I was before the drug. It is all I can do to handle the things I need to. Forget about anything over that. It is getting increasingly harder to function, and if I don't do something about it now, I am afraid there will be nothing left of me very soon. So, I finally started on the 24th. I took 2 balls out of my capsule. I did it again on the 25th. I will be getting a scale to measure so I can know exactly where I am at. I have been on this drug for 12 years. I am so hoping I can function through this without many problems with withdrawal. I am so afraid it will totally rob me of what last little bit I have left to try to function. I am afraid that because I have been on it for so long, the mental damage has been done, and I will never get me back. Like most of us, I wish I had never taken this drug. Never, never, never!!! I am hoping that it doesn't take too long before I start getting some of myself back so I can function better. The other day I couldn't comprehend what a sentence said. I had to read it over several times. I had to type each word out on my computer in order to finally get it in my head. I can't go on like this. It has stolen 12 years of my life and it is not getting a day past what it takes me to wean off it!

Hello all, - Many years ago I started on Venlafaxine XR 75mg and got bumped to 150mg. - Was on that dose for about 10 years then tapered down to 37.5mg over about 2 years. - Had a wobble some years later and was put on Sertraline 50mg - been about 5 years since then. My current dosages are 50mg Sertraline and 37.5mg Venlafaxine (XR capsules). I would like to ultimately come off both. Which do you advise I taper off first? Thank you!

I would really appreciate your comments concerning my situation. I have always stopped AD (Escitalopram) too quickly simply because of lacking knowledge in the previous years. Now I may be a bit smarter. Doctors always say it's the underlying disease coming back. It seems that I don't benefit from SSRI/SNRI anymore, at least I'm not willing to try anything anymore, I just want to get out of the current poison (Venlafaxine) in a reasonable time. Mainly SSRI was described to anxiety in a difficult life situation. Symptoms: Main concern is a pressure type of feeling in my head (starts in the morning) which started after stopping Escitalopram abruptly in 2021 after feeling really sick on the medication for 4 weeks. I have also some inner restlesness but not akathisia and occasional anxiety. The symptoms have got a bit better but some drugs (Seronil) seemed to make them worse and was discontinued. I may be on a protracted withdrawal from Escitalopram but I'm not sure. At the moment I don't actually know what Venlafaxine is doing, in a way it might have lowered the symptoms but days vary - not feeling stable. I think my central nervous system is a bit shaky at the moment and I really would like to have some suggestions/comments that am I going to the right direction if I try to stabilize on a small amount of Venlafaxine (12.5-37.5 mg) for some months before WD? I didn't want to start this drug but it just happened and that's done, can't go back. Sleeping aids: Melatonin, Magnesium and L-Teanin for the last 3 months (sleeping 3-6 h/night) Used to take sleeping pills (Triptyl, Surmontil, Mirtazapine and Benzos) occasionally but built tolerance and stopped them. I have never been addicted to above meds.