Venlafaxine

[RichTea90]

Does anyone else here take this? I’ve been prescribed it for anxiety and depression. I’m on the highest dose, been taking it for about a year… however recently I’ve been experiencing emotional numbness and a lack of motivation.

I am wondering if I ought to taper down… any one else experienced this before?

Yes I was on it for around a year. I felt numb to everything, never felt happiness or real sadness. Lots of brain fog. I started to taper off but then went cold turkey and the side effects were awful, lasted a couple of weeks. It's banned in some countries I believe as the withdrawals can be likened to street drugs. I wish I'd never been prescribed it.

Yes, felt complete emotional numbness. I felt like I was faking my life because I mentally had to tell myself to behave in a certain way to 'show' I cared about people, when I honestly felt like I wouldn't be bothered if my whole family died on the same day.

I tried to taper off by taking it every other day, but I just felt awful on the days I didn't take it and ok the days I did. In the end I took a week off work and went cold turkey. Was a rubbish week but enough to get me over the worst of it. Then had a massive emotional dip, but that was short lived thankfully.

Gosh, this really sounds like my experience too.
I am surprised that the withdrawal effects are THAT bad. Likened to street drugs?! That’s awful