HELP NEEDED *** COMING OFF VENLAFAXINE ***

[hippipotami]

Please help me. I have decided to come off the venlafaxine. The GP told me 'just to stop' last year. That did not work, so I have gradually cut back.

I used to take 150mg/day, and am now on approx 75mg every two days.

I have 5 75mg pills left, and 28 37.5mg pills left.

I have not taken anything for 3 days now. I feel lightheaded and my brain buzzes a bit now and then. I have also had a mild headache and some diaorreah. All of these are listed under 'withdrawel symptoms'.

Now, do I take a tablet tomorrow (after 3 days without) and then again after 3 or 4 days and gradually increase the distance between tablets, or do I go cold turkey from today. I mean, the withdrawel symptoms are mild now (apart from the lightheadedness)

Will I have a higher chance of the depression re-occurring if I give the tablets up full stop now. Is it better to carry on gradually weaning myself off them. Or will I then suffer the withdrawel symptoms a few months down the line anyway.

Does this message make sense? If it does, please let me have your experience.
Thanks!

Hi. I have been on 75mg of Venlafaxine a day for 4 and a half years and talk endlessly with my GP (usually around this time of year as I am much more cheery in the spring!) about coming off them. She always recommnends slow withdrawal - not cold turkey. So, we have talked about starting with 75mg one day and then 37.5mg the next for 2 weeks. Then 37.5mg a day for 2 weeks. I've never had the courage to do it (maybe this spring!) but that is how I woudl start. All the best!

Thanks snuffy - I thought that would be the best option, take it slow.

Sooo, seeing as my GP is less than useless, I will carry on taking them in three day intervals for a week or two, and then lowering the dose / increase the distance.

Hopefully that will be it!

I wouldnt take a tablet now if it has been 3 days as the dizziness etc last at most 5 days..or it has everytime I have come off them. You have weaned down quite a bit so you should be ok.If you had been taking something every day then I would have said continue.

Aaargh, thanks Nemo See, between the two of you, you are exactly re-creating my arguments....

I think I am happy to leave it - although the brain shaking/lightheadedness is very very odd.

Over the past few weeks I have been a bit slapdash with taking them, so have been taking a 75mg probably every three days or so.
Would love to just leave it at that.

Do the side effects really only last for about 5 days? In that case I will not take any more.
(I think mentally I will feel much better knowing I have a packet of the 37.5mg tablets stashed away in case I get desperate, I still have 2 diazapams left over from when I was first diagnosed and in a bad way, I don't think I will ever take them but it makes me feel good to have them there as a sort of security blanket if that makes sense...

the lightheadedness and shakes etc did only last around 5 days -week tops for me and have come off them 3 times in the past when have found out have been pregnant/ttc

If you don't mind me asking Nemo - how long were you able to be off the Venlafaxine before your feelings of depression returned? I think that is my biggest worry - to go all the way downhill again (despite having felt reasonably well these last 18 months)

Do you believe the depression can ever be cured, or are most people in for repeat bouts?

to be honest my feelings never went all the venlaflaxine did was cap them if that makes sense but I was always aware of them. I only came off it each time due to pregnancy not due to being better.

I think some peoples depression can be cured but it does make you more vunerable to recuring episodes. I also think when you have suffered depression[mine is quite severe] it does make you overly paranoid about some feeling that are 'normal' or appropriate.

I used venlafaxine for along time and I found it really difficult to come off it too. So what I did was with the GP knowing only taking the tablet when the side effects got bad, I noticed over a few weeks that I was going more and more days between side effects until one day I realised I had gone a whole wk and still had no effects. Good luck hope you get some relief soon!

Thanks for that guys!

Nemo, what you are saying makes complete sense, whilst I would not class my depression as severe, I do know it will be my weakness forevermore. I think the good thing is that now I know what feeling depressed feels like, and I should be able to recognize the first symptoms and know to seek help before things get out of hand again.

Well, here we are, day 4 and my brain is spinning. I feel like I have had too much to drink...
It is a strange strange strange sensation, every now and then it feels like my brain is turning around in my head. Similar to a baby moving around in your tum, but weirder....