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Dear all, first of - please excuse my English, I'm not a native speaker and writing from Germany. I only found this site yesterday, while desperately trying to find any helpful advice online. I wish I had found it earlier, preventing me from tapering off Effexor/Venalfaxine too quickly. I have been on Effexor since 2005 for panic attacks, and remember having massive aversive effects when first taking it. My doc reassured me to keep taking it, and indeed after some time, the early unbearable restlessness and anxiety disappeard, and so did the panic attacks. Fast forward 14 years without greater crisis, I noticed increased irritability and sensitivity to all sorts of stimuli (especially sounds!). I felt stable enough mentally, and slowly started tapering down from 75mg Effexor around May (I don't remember exactly) and experienced no problems whatsoever until down to around 33mg. Then I accidentally forget a dose - and felt fine! So I made the probably big mistake of just stopping it then and there. This was on 26th September, so almost 13 weeks ago. Shortly after, hell broke loose, with the terrible physical symptoms Effexor withdrawal is known for: brain zaps, insane irritability, aggressive feelings towards myself etc. I was desperate to 'pull through' and did so with all my willpower. I spent my days running outside with my dog to distract myself and get rid of that terrible energy. It was really tough, but very 'physical', and I was sure it would subside after a while. Indeed, after 2 weeks, the very worst physical symptoms had faded, and disappeard almost completely after 4 weeks. What remained was a feeling of being 'raw' and hypersensitive to all sorts of stimuli/sounds, being totally overwhelmed by everything. Someone recommended CBD oil and this seemed to help indeed. So - after about 6 weeks, I was pretty much 'done' with the physical/tangible side of withdrawal. And that's when it started to get REALLY bad! I started having TERRIBLE long-term states of sheer TERROR in the early morning-hours, that lasted until mid day. Honestly, those states are so much worse that 'simple' panic attacks, and entail my inner-deepest, worst imaginable FEARS, and last for HOURS! And this is still pretty much the status quo - I wake up in the early morning hours in a state of sheer hell which won't fade until late in the day. I literally shake through it, and nothing helps to improve it. Since a few days, I hear a light piercing sound in my left ear, and also feel really nauseous in the mornings. I'm clueless at what to do - my doc prescribed pregabalin/lyrica, but I am unsure of whether to take it. In this forum I read about reinstating the original med in case of having tapered off to quickly - but honestly I am dead scared of touching the Effexor ever again! I remember how restless, anxious and irritable I felt when I first took it, and I think after my unlucky taper I'd probably be hypersensitive to this. I think it would really kick me over the edge. On the other hand, I am scared of whats happening in my brain these days - is it improving? Can I rely on that and should keep 'waiting it out'?? Are there any experiences of a too-quick Effexor taper with a happy end? Should I introduce the Lyrica to give my system a rest/take the edge off? I am so scared and clueless - please I'd be so grateful for any advice!!!! Thank you so much in advance, and Merry Christmas!!

I think this is where I introduce myself. I am planning to get off effexor-xr/ Venlafaxine. I've been on 37.5mg for maybe 10 years (could be 15). I've tried before, with super-slow tapering (counting out beads) over months, but couldn't tolerate taking none at all. I had given up and decided I'd be on this med for the rest of my life, but I have given up alcohol 5 months ago (yippeee!!) and now want to tackle effexor. I did some reading and have decided, with my doctor, to go onto Lovan/Fluoxetine in the hope that it will be easier to taper off effexor with Lovan in my system. I started Lovan/ Fluoxetine/Prozac 4 days ago- it's been ok except for feeling a little bit fuzzy. I'm very pleased to find this site and hoping for some support and information from others who know what it's like. OzAnnie

I’ve been on Effexor since 1996 ish. How on earth would I ever get off it? Currently on 150 mg brand name. No other psych meds just thyroid and folate. Thanks desperate

I am in my 60s and recently retired. I am determined to free myself of my dependence on 150mg/day. I've been taking it almost ten years. My doctor is of no help with this. Two years ago, we cut the dose by half and I was crying and moody. He told me to go back on the old dose. This not not an acceptable approach to me. I want to taper on my own, and deal with what may come. I joined this group to find info and encouragement! PS - I am aware that this drug is difficult to detox from, but I am prepared

Hi people! I'm a pssd sufferer. I invite you to think about what is the main problem of PSSD: that doctors, researchers, pharmacologists, journalist media and people don't know the existence of PSSD. No one (maybe also a lot of people who suffer of it) knows that SSRI cause a so severe damage. No one exept us. In my opinion stay sitted down on a sofa posting messages on a forum and hoping that someone will find a solution for us will not lead us to anywhere. In my opinion we ahve to do something of actually concrete to change our situation. For this reason, for example, I contacted every single TV broadcast and inquiry tv programs, journal and tv journal in my country telling him about the problem and asking him to talk about it. I contacted magazines and experts and opinionist on antidepressant and psychiatric. At least I found a scientist that is very interested to study our condition (I don't write his name because his study is not officially approved yet) for first on human looking for any hormone imbalance in the brain and then doing a study on mice looking for any alteration in the brain, but he needs money (50000 euros) than we are looking for to do a foundraising campaigne to raise money, maybe by crowdfunding: this is in my opinion doing something actually usefull for us. Then I'm doing a website on pssd with reliable and clear information about our syndrome. You can find it at [website link deleted] ("foundation", until now, is only an evocative name that mean there's a pool of people that is collaborating togheter for a purpose but in the future we want to do a legally recognized foundation). In future, on this website I want to launch a foundraising campaign in order to found the research above (when it will be approved). I'm looking for people that want to help me to tranlsate my website in most language as possible in order to offer reliable information about PSSD to physician and people from all over the world. Is there anyone that want to help me doing translation from english to another language? If you are interested answer here! Thank to everyone who will want to help me!