Article about someone withdrawing from venlafaxine

[Zinco]

You can find some people that will say venlafaxine saved their life, but you can also find quite a few people complaining about it...

metro.co.uk/2018/01/24/woman-shares-coming-off-antidepressant-ruined-life-7255570/

I found it hell to come off and I was only on it a very short while.

It's well known that it's highly addictive and hard to come off, it's shocking that the woman in the article wasn't informed.

I take venlafaxine, it really has saved my life, but coming off it needs to be slow and steady. Cold turkey is awful.

I had horrendous 'zaps' felt like electric shocks from my head to my arm so so weird I also felt horrificly suicidal whilst on them and my behaviour got so much worse

Discontinuation Syndrome.

I've been taking it for 10 years, 6 months. I spent a whole year tapering down off of it, once. Got as far as taking the lowest dose every other day and I got so unwell it was unreal.

I wasn't warned it was addictive and could cause such severe withdrawal.

It did save my life. But I'm stuck with it for life.

I've just been prescribed this for health anxiety and OCD, and it has helped take the edge off. I got really weird cramping in my legs and forearms and it's made me sleep more at night, but that isn't a bad thing. I guess I'll see how it pans out with taking the medication but I desperately need it to get through life right now!

My own experience was 20 yrs ago.

I had no physical side effects, but I would say to monitor your mood and flag up immediately if you feel yourself slipping.

In the end I stopped taking them suddenly but certainly had no withdrawal symptoms, quite the opposite

The main thing that’s important is how you feel on them, no AD works for everyone and there are so many available you just have to keep going till you find something that helps

It’s a lot like HRT in that respect!

Good luck @Zinco! Hope you’re keeping well!

I remember seeing that article when it first came out. I am on ven, and I have had the experience of withdrawing from it which is nice. The experience of the woman in the article is very extreme but I do believe her and have sympathy for her. Venlafaxine has helped me survive life including an abusive relationship, work stress and neglect by my parents and family.

Not nice I should say...