Anti-D withdrawal or Peri menopause

[toptail22]

Please could someone advise. I'm at a loss as to what's going on with me currently.

I've been on Venlafaxine for around 8 months -75mg daily slow release. I've been very slowly reducing for the past month. I'm taking a tiny bit of tablet per day then every other day.
I've experienced the usual brain zaps etc but I've also been suffering from the most awful night sweats. Often up 2/3 times overnight soaked with sweat. Venlafaxine withdrawals can include sweating/insomnia/anxiousness the list is endless. I'm unsure if the Venlafaxine sweats would happen at night.

I don't know if this is a symptom of withdrawal (I'm aware that Venlafaxine is a particularly awful antidepressant to stop due to it's short life) OR is it peri menopause symptoms? I'm 47 and my period is slightly erratic but I have no other symptoms of perimenopause.

I can't get any answers from anywhere and just wondered if anyone has experienced similar? I can't live with these sweats overnight as I'm up changing twice and now sleeping with a towel.

The sweats did coincide with the Venlafaxine reduction but my period is becoming more problematic each month so you can see why I'm confused as to the cause of the sweats!

Thanks in advance and I hope someone can help me.

Hi OP, I've never had more than one night sweat per night, but appreciate that's anecdotal.

I usually wake up between 1 and 3 absolutely frozen with the duvet off me and when I touch my top its soaked through over my cleavage and sometimes around my kicker line too.

But I'm never aware of them happening.

Is this how it feels for you?

I have a few episodes of sweating, never just one. Wake up soaked. Entire body including legs, torso and my hair is also wet 🤢 I've tried everything to reduce the sweating, cold room, lightest duvet & pure cotton pyjamas etc but nothing helps.
I just don't know if it's peri or the anti d withdrawals and no one can seem to give me an answer.

This sounds really hard to live with. Is there anything medically to stop you trying HRT now to see if it helps OP?

It's early days, I'd give it a bit longer and see if it settles down. A month is very quick to stop, when I took Seroxat I reduced over a period of months,6 iirc, and even then the last 5mg was hellish.

It could be both or either. Worth asking for hrt though given you have other peri signs.

Yes it is early days re the Venlafaxine withdrawal. They have been horrific and had I been told how bad it would be I would never have started them!

My GP has suggested I wait another few months to allow things to 'settle' as she agreed that it could be the anti d withdrawal or/and perimenopause.

I have heard some people reduce over a year so it is early days for me.

If it IS perimenopausal I'll most definitely take HRT as I can't live this way.

@toptail22 This is totally anecdotal on my part, but it could be a combo. I’m menopausal and am a bit hot on and off, but I get the drenching sweats later in the night if I drink alcohol, and I had the absolute worst sweats as I came out of hospital after surgery. I’ve wondered if “flushing a drug out of your system” is a trigger/worsens them. But like I say that’s just anecdotal, I’ve not seen that anywhere. But if true the worst sweats might settle when the drug is gone?