Tapering off Venlafaxine

[DaytimeIsCrazy]

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I wanted to update on this as I’m so close now to getting off it!

I discovered I can take the capsules apart and that 150mg = 12 tiny white pills. I gradually reduced them a pill at a time and have had no side effects. I did take each dose for 6-8 weeks minimum, and during my divorce stuff left things the same for months and months.

I am now taking 25mg (2 tiny pills in a capsule) and feel I am on the home stretch.

I forgot to take 37.5mg a few months ago and felt very ill still, so plan to drop right down to 12.5mg (one tiny pill) before stopping.

I wanted to share in case anyone else was still struggling with withdrawal.

Hi I was wondering how your tapering was going? After 2 years on 75mg I reduced my dose to 37.5 in December and, like you, down to 2 pills (25mg) last week. So far no withdrawal which has been amazing after reading such awful stories.
Have you made the final jump now and how was it?

I took 2 years to come off 375mg of venlafaxine and it was hell.

I ended up having liquid prescribed for the last part of the tapering. I think 12.5 could be too big a drop so if it gets too hard do it even slower.

I couldn’t find anything lower than 37.5mg, which was the 3 little pills. I couldn’t get liquid from GP or as a result of the psych evaluation I went through to supposedly get help.

But I have made it! I was surprised that the last 12.5mg gave me symptoms. I had the spinny head but thankfully no nausea. It is now 2.5 weeks and pretty much gone. It’s been barely noticeable for a week now.

I’d suggest the very last drop will be the worst, go as slow as you can and be prepared to feel a little yucky.

Good luck.

I had Venlafaxine in solid tablets, ended up with them in 1/4 and even 1/8ths!! A very sharp knife and desperation can do many things!

I came off them about 10-12 years ago, but can remember the withdrawal so clearly. horrible!

(though tbf the drugs did work when i needed them most!)

Tks for reply & so glad you are out the other side. I am painstakingly opening my capsules everyday to lower dose to 25mg.
plan to drop to one tablet in a
couple of weeks and then stop April time.
Light at the end of a very long tunnel 😀

I couldn’t have the tablets as needed slow release. My body seemed to work through it too fast otherwise and I was feeling rough every day.
It’s so long ago I don’t even remember if it helped. My MH is still dodgy, but I don’t feel worse having stopped.

Bev I hope it works out. Keep me posted :)

Took me around 9 months to taper down. 5 years on I still remember it as one of the worst experiences ever- the night sweats and brain zaps!! I brought a pill cutter and was cutting 37.5 tabs into 8ths! Just wanted to say well done and keep going. The feeling of satisfaction when you're done will make it worth it. Good luck! Xx

I've gone down from 150 to 75 - it was due to be down by 37.5 but there were no 37.5s at the chemist. I'd plan to take two 75s until they were, but because things are going so well at the moment, just went straight to 75. Its been absolutely fine so far, so I'm planning on staying on this for maybe two months (been on them at various doses for 21 years) and hopefully right off in a few months

So I will was feeling very smug that my Venlafaxine withdrawal was going so well! I reduced from 37.5 to 25 around 3 weeks ago (taking one tablet out of the extended release capsules) and all was going great until today. I have the the most awful headache on left size of head together with visual disturbances earlier. Also have nausea and starting to get anxious. I went to the gym this morning and probably had a little too much too much to drink last night so maybe that hasn’t helped?
Anyone got any advice/experience of this? Should I push on through, will this improve fairly rapidly? So want to get off these tablets.

Could you just have a bug? I’d say withdrawal would usually be sooner, although on one occasion I did feel a mental health dip about that length of time after reducing - that was when I was reducing fast. How long since you went on to 37.5mg?

Hi. been on and off Venlafaxine for over 15 years, going from 300mg down, off off and then retaking. A slow journey but can be managed well.

What I would say is don’t mess about with your capsules i.e splitting them up, it so doesn’t work that way as are extended release, and all it will do it make the withdrawal worse.

I take the tablet form not extended release because I have much more dosage control. Eg even a 37.5mg tablet can be physically split. Much more options on lowering dosage gently from even 300mgs.

The downside is you have to remember to take pills twice a day without exception. Speak to you GP or Psychiatrist but please don’t mess with the extended release capsule. Bests of luck.

I was on 375 for years (abusive ex) and have been tapering off for a year now. Dr said it was OK to split the capsules. I have been on a single tiny dose now since beginning of December. If I forget to take it, I still get the weird spinny head thing and visual disturbances. I am going to wait until I am on hols in May to step down again to one every 36 hours and go from there.

It's a very effective medication and I wouldn't like to think where i would have ended up without it, but it's a bugger to come off it. Almost there though now.

Hi unsync.
Your doctor told you to open the capsules and split them out. Do you just estimate?

Also how does it work, as you have two halves of a capsule left both open when you swallow rather than a sealed capsule dissolving in your gut over time.

Am not criticising, just genuinely curious.

I have been on this for years and am currently looking to increase my dose. These stories are scaring me . Why are you all trying to wean off these.? Is this a worse problem than any other meds ? I have occasionally missed a dose and once in hospital did not have any for 3 days with no side effects .

Jammy dodger - it’s really fine. I open the 37.5mg capsule and inside there are 3 small pills. I take one / two out and put the two halves back together.

No one could tell me I should, but neither GP or psychiatrist raised concerns when I said I was.

Without the capsule it wouldn’t work for me. Even splitting the dose into two with the standard release pills I noticed more withdrawal.

I am pretty cross I had to do that just because the drug companies don’t bother to make small enough increments for the many people who can’t do what the book says when they come off!

However, I am now about a month without. The spinny head was only slight after a week and disappeared entirely between 2 and 3 weeks after.

Soon enough - I only wanted to stop because they didn’t seem to be doing anything for me. It was also inconvenient if I missed one only to feel so bad I couldn’t drive- on one occasion GP had to fax a prescription to the pharmacy where I was working so I could take some before I had to drive home.

if you have missed a dose and not felt ill there’s a good chance you’d be able to stop easily if you wanted / needed to.

I am not anti-anti-depressants. They just don’t seem to work for my symptoms. If they helped me I would happily take them forever.

Some interesting replies here and thanks for the responses. Headache gone today but feeling fluey so could well have a bug🤞wishing you all well in your AD/Mental health journey wherever you happen to be with it.
One more question- when I started reducing dose from 37.5 to 25 I was taking one tablet out of capsule & putting it back together- leaving lots of spare tablets. I am now just taking 2 tablets daily so as not to waste them. Should I only take them in the capsule?
DaytimelsCrazy I started 37.5 reduction early December reducing to 25 around a month ago.
Soonenough I wouldn’t worry about coming off them until when/if you have to.
Everyones experience is different and if they work for you why rock the boat.

I spent many years trying to find an anti depressant that worked for me . Finally my GP told me that he had limited knowledge and advised me to go to physiatrist. There a multi team recommended Venaflexine. Has worked well for me but needs upgrading as unfortunately long term use of anything reduces effectiveness. Still not too high a dosage.

Soon enough - I pushed for a psych evaluation on advice of the therapist I saw. After the upsetting delving into everything in my life I had an abrupt letter saying there was no other drugs they were willing to try and couldn’t suggest any way to tapper off venlafaxine other than ‘by the book’.
Thats when I realised I’d have to make my own tapering regimen and take them apart. I was relieved to find the tiny pills inside. Some brands used to have lots of tiny balls and I imagined having to get jewellers scales and weigh them.

Well that was very unhelpful after you took the initiative to pursue further. You would expect a physiatrist to be a bit more invested . So all this Look After Your Mental Health programmes have no real answers.