Venlafaxine - i don’t know what to do

[Sugardonuts]

Nearly a year on medication with no real joy. Third medication I was given Venlafaxine to try, with dosed upped every so often. 37.5mg then 75mg to now 112.5mg. Only relief I was truely felt that they were working was a period on the 75mg for around 2 weeks then back to feeling quite flat. Doctor had then suggested upping dose and now they want to increase to 150mg.

i am just wondering is there any point? Is it just going to be awful side effects again due to increase and no great relief afterwards? Should I just instead wean off ever so slowly and maybe try something else?

currently on a ridiculously long waiting list for ADHD. Which i am quite certain I have thanks to mumsnet where I had researched medication before and had seen where some weren’t depressed/anxious, It was ADHD.

sorry I’m ranting. Just very unsure what to do.

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I'm not sure I really have anything useful to say but wanted to ask your age and maybe whether you're peri menopausal? I used to be on citalopram and for years it took the edge off my anxiety but had gradually stopped having any effect. My GP upped my dose over tube until, like you, I was in 3x the dose and feeling no better. Then we sapped me to venlaflaxine which was no better. I saw a different GP who agreed to trying HRT for me after I asked and that made me feel a million times better.

Like you I've recently realised in neurodiverse. Just seemed quite like my story so thought I'd check if you'd considered your mood being hormone related.

Don’t think I could be peri menopausal as I’m 39 @AlwaysHopeful and I’ve felt
like this for a long time. Glad HRT helped you. I’m very emotional today and low. It’s either up dose or start to wean down. My head is all over the place.

I'm sorry you're having a bad day 💐

It's difficult to know what to do when the medication doesn't do its job. I hope your GP is able to help with something more constructive than increasing your dosage.

@AlwaysHopeful unfortunately it’s all they have suggested regarding it. I didn’t take my medication today at all. That’s a first.

Any one else? Thinking of coming off cold Turkey

If you want to come off them don't just stop or you'll get these weird brain zaps. I'd recommend cutting down slowly.

Do NOT go cold Turkey. I was on Venlafaxine & stopped suddenly it was shocking. Just gradually reduce the dose every day for a week or so if you want to come off it.

Have you been referred for counselling? I found this helped whilst I was on medication.

I think if you show a response that then fades, then maybe up the dose?

Venlafaxine is awful cold turkey. I’ve been on it for 10 years now. I also think I’m adhd and on a waiting list for assessment. Until then I’m staying in the lowest dose I’ve managed which is 75mg.

Its a conversation you need to have with GP.

Thank you for all your helpful replies. I am going to begin the 150mg journey tomorrow on my medication. Tolerate the side effects one more and hopefully it is worth it. If it doesn’t help doctor said I can wean off them. I am not going up any further. My mood swings are so frequent and my suicidal thoughts are creeping in again.

Sometimes I wonder am I beyond help….

Don’t assume you’re beyond help. I had a period of severe depression which only subsided after a 225mg dose of venlafaxine - apparently it only works on norepinephrine at the higher doses. It saved my life and I’ve been off it for years now. Best of luck to you.

That is to say, I think I was several months on the 225mg then able to reduce for the next couple of years. (I made it sound like I took one dose and was cured 😆)

How are you doing with the Venlafaxine 150mg dose ? @Sugardonuts
It does take time. Give it at least a couple months before switching doses. I have been on it for YEARS and would not survive without it ( long family history of depression). I actually prefer to dose myself ( while still conferring with my psychiatrist) as I know best what feels right for me. 225mg is what works for me.

Do not go off it quickly! Ask your doctor how to do it. Take at least a month before reducing doses.

Side affects - unfortunately weight gain and alot of sweating, but that beats being morbidly depressed or dead! A sense of humour helps too.

Unfortunately medication only treats symptoms and does not heal the underlying cause. For that you need to think about where it stems from, childhood trauma - neglect? A relationship with a dysfunctional person?
Those should point you in the right direction. Maybe therapy, but it has never helped me. I find selfwork , reading, Journaling, meditation, and getting exercise outdoors , a meaning in life, a passion or hobby and a supportive environment work for me.
Goodluck.

@Whataretalkingabout tiredness is something else. I just can’t get my eyes open. I know this will subside. Just hope I’m making the right decision

@Whataretalkingabout

Each time you increased your dose how did u feel? I am in the absolute pits of depression today

Hi @Sugardonuts ,

I am so sorry you are feeling so low. I totally get it. It is really horrible .

Well, to answer your Q, I actually feel a difference in a couple days though I might not realize it at first. Do you take the regular kind or the slow reacting? I have tried both many times. The slow reacting gives me a more stable feeling as the active ingredient is released slowly over the day. I take the full dose in the morning.

Try not to be hard on yourself for feeling badly. It is really important to accept your feelings and not beat yourself up. Feeling bad for feeling bad never helps! ;)

Update - after 3 weeks of 150mg and overall on Venlafaxine from October, I can 100% say I can’t tolerate these tablets no more and I am (with doctors guidance) have to slowly wean off them. I feel absolutely horrendous and that my life is not worth living. I can’t sleep, my mood is up and down down down. I feel like screaming.

Has anyone been in same scenario? Advice greatly welcomed

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I had to come off of venlafaxine because it was giving me a dodgy ticker and liver. My GP reduced my dose whilst giving me another pill (citalopram) which didn’t work, but helped whilst withdrawing from venlafaxine. I’d go back to your GP and say how much the withdrawal process is messing you up and see if you can get another pill prescribed alongside it - I did have to stress how I couldn’t cope without the pills and how much it was messing me up so we tried a couple of ones before finding one that worked for me.

I'm now on fluxontene (can’t spell it, it’s Prozac!) which is working really rather well currently. I’m off the venlafaxine, and withdrawing from citalopram. I’ve been having reviews every 2 weeks with my GP to see how I’m getting on with the various med changes.

Good luck, I hope you find a brand/dose that works for you - it completely sucks ass when they stop working and you’re suffering side effects of the pills on top of the mh stresses!

@MuchTooTired Thank you for your reply. Couldn’t get through to my doctor this morning so I decided to start it and went down from 150mg to 112.5 myself.
i think I can say after 7 months, Venlafaxine is not for me. Previous to this I have tried citalopram and fluxotine - which nearly sent me completely haywire. My doctor said SSRI’s don’t agree with me?
I am happy u have finally got some relief. I am so worried what to do now. Another doctor told me only a couple of weeks ago that if Venlafaxine doesn’t work then there isn’t much else to try 😞

Bloody horrendous night

cried all night long with absolutely zero sleep

i don’t know what on earth to do

In my experience it is worth giving a higher dose a try. With antidepressants it is common to keep increasing dosage until you find a therapeutic level. If you get to the maximum dosage without achieving a good outcome it is then usual to try a different anti depressant. So I would persevere if only to rule out that medication. GL and be kind to yourself.

Thank u DRS. I just can’t increase anymore. The side effects are sending me over the edge. I think the doctor this morning was a bit lost on what to do.