weaning off venlafaxine

[CatRamsey]

I can't cope with these awful withdrawals - I've weaned off citalipram and sertraline before but never experienced anything like this! I feel like my head is spinning, if I close my eyes it's like I'm on a roller coaster, and I feel like I could throw up at any moment, but without actually needing to be sick, if that makes any sense at all! Everything is hazy and I feel a bit like I'm floating.

I'm starting fluoxetine shortly but my dr said to take venlafaxine every other day for a week, and today is my first day without any at all. I'm working from home and feel awful because I've literally done barely anything due to just feeling so icky.

Don't know why I'm posting, just for a moan and a handhold I guess!

It's horrible OP, you have my sympathy. I opened the capsules and took a tiny tiny bit out, gradually increasing the amount I removed each time. There was no way I could have coped on every other day.

I went from citalopram to venafalaxine and it was hellish.

Straight back onto citalopram as soon as I could.

Ride it out. Cosies on, bed, telly if you can watch it and try to avoid having to work if you can - sick line if you need it.

It's hard work @CatRamsey and it may feel like there's no light at the end of the tunnel, but believe me there is.

Take care.

What dose are you on? Every other day doesn't seem right to me, gradually reducing your dose would surely work better.

Thank you everyone.

@GlitchSnitch I was on 150mg extended release, then went down to 35.5mg twice a day for a week, and that was hard but I just about managed. Now I'm down to 35.5mg once every other day. He suggested I try and go a few days without anything before starting the new ones.

@GlitchStitch oops sorry got your username wrong!

I don't think your doctor has any idea what that is actually like in practice, or has got muddled and missed a step where you go once a day first.

youre doing it WAY too fast. Youre setting yourself up to fail.
I came off it about 6 years ago and i had to do it reallly gradually. Cutting tablets in halfs and quarters over the course of about 6 months and I still had withdrawals.
5htp helped with those once i was off completely

The last step should have been 35.5 once a day from twice a day.
Sounds like GP doesn't know how hard V. Withdrawal is.
My psych reccommended cutting 37.5 per week over 6 weeks. I thought I knew better and started nipping off 9mg per week only over a longer time. It just meant I had migraines for longer. They were no worse when I started dropping 37.5. As she had suggested.

Most GPs dont have a bloody clue how how addictive antidepressants are and about how to come off

I'm thinking about coming off mine soon and I'm predicting it will take be over a year.

Venlafaxine is known as one of the hardest to come off.

If you're switching I'm surprised you've been told to totally come off one before starting the other. Normally they like you to have something in your system for this very reason.

He actually told me this was the slower way of doing it! Maybe I'll go back to once a day, although I am really eager to start the new ones asap

I didnt realise it was to switch to another med. Is it another snri/ssri?
I think i would certainly be trying to take the lower dose daily, just to ward off the brain zaps and nausea

Hi, just out of interest why have people (who have commented) came off them? Why are you switching OP?
Iv been on venflaxine for about 10 months and have had my dose increased a few times I now take 75mg 3 times a day.
I have no desire to come off them but now feel abit scared incase i should ever want to!

I stopped over from escitalopram to venlafaxine, psych did it over 2 weeks.
I was in a bad way, but thinking back now from what I learnt off venlafaxine no wonder I went through hell.

I would say if anyone is going to come off, do it very very very slow.
The last 37.5mg is the worst to get down off.
I would never do every other day, your brain doesn’t know what it’s doing. One day you’ve got extra serotonin the next none! Your setting yourself up for a very rough withdrawal

@bigmamama sorry I don't want my OP to worry you!

For me its just the case of trying something new. I've been on multiple different ADs and it's just a case of finding one that works the best for me

@bigmamama I had certain side effects that I didnt like. They did bring me out of a very bad place, but after a while I think they werent great for me. Different meds suit different people and I am now on fluoxetine which seems to suit me a lot better

@bigmamama I've recently started taking venlafaxine and do feel a bit concerned when I think about what it will be like when I come off them. I didn't take them for a while as my prescription ran out, and the effects were SO weird. My vision felt odd, head felt buzzy, my intrusive thoughts came back in full force and I felt so sick.

But, when I decide to come off them then I'll go to the GP and see what they suggest and then try to put a really strong coping plan into place!!

Being on the tablets worked better for me, rather than extended release. Opening up ER capsules is totally and utterly pointless. Think about it! What each bead works differently - nope they are all slow release.
So, You reduce slowly over many months depending on on your original script. But I found the hardest was coming down from 75mg to 37mg and then halving again. I was on 325mg at the start. But a lot easier with tablets. But that’s just my experience.

This has been a very effective antidepressant for me, but I have been on it and off it many times over the years. After a few months of a new course of venlafaxine, I find that apathy sets in and its definitely the drug which is the culprit for this can't-be-mithered feeling. Getting off venlafaxine is a nightmare if you try and do it too quickly. You must go slowly. Ask your doctor for the immediate release version that you take morning and evening and invest in a pill cutter (I have the safe and sound one that I got from Boots). I found dose reductions of no more than 25% at a time were manageable, and didn't reduce again until 10 to 14 days after the previous reduction. Using the pill cutter I got down to taking a quarter of a 37.5mg IR tablet twice a day for 10 - 14 days, then a quarter once a day for 10 - 14 days. Then I stopped taking them. I got sporadic "brain zaps" for months after the final tiny dose.