Venlafaxine withdrawl
 

Hiya,

Has anyone here come off venlafaxine (effexor)? Ive been on it for a number of years and have been reducing the dose for a long time now (probably about a year) - under doctor direction. I took my last dose last friday and I am feeling a bit perculiar and have been for a few days. I am ok and functioning, but my stomach is never settled if you know what i mean - i dont mean im sick or anything, just that i have little or no appetite, feel fairly weak and the cold weather isnt helping me at all at the moment. I'm pretty close to tears a lot of the time as well...not because i feel depressed as such, but it takes hardly anything to set me off at the moment and its not like me...I mean I do cry but not usually at stupid things like something i hear on the radio or something! I feel like im not wording this very well...basically I want to get off these tablets, but i just want to know what other people's experiences are of venlafaxine and coming off it to put my mind at rest a bit.
Hope thats clear enough!!

John

Yes. :) I made it through. It took me several months. Of hell. All my PTSD symptoms x 1000. Or something.
I also suffered the unsettled stomach. And weepiness.

IT DOES PASS!!!

My GP told me that there will come a time when there is no efexor left in my bloodstream. I found that so reassuring. And she was right.

Thats encouraging to hear that there is a light at the end of the tunnel...although the several months bit is a bit of a daunting thought! I really need a bit more 'get up and go' about me...every day is so full at the moment being back at uni and getting ready for school placement in 4 weeks time. I hope I'm at least feeling more human by then!

Thanks for your reply :)

yes it can be done, it was hell though, feeling sick, brain shivers.

Its hell but its worth it when its over, you just have to persist with it.

It only took me a few weeks to finally come off it, but everyones different

Just to add that the several months was from first dose reduction to final release from taking it. Not from last dose. :)

I used to be on Effexor.
Coming off it was terrible, the worst of it only lasted a couple of days, but I was screaming and crying and banging my head against the wall.
It did take a while to feel better, my head find kind-of dizzy etc, but it did go away.

Thanks for the messages, they have all been helpful and put my mind at rest a bit, that I'm not 'different' to others etc. I've felt a bit better today physically, but I've been so emotional its been off the scale, I cried at uni this morning over something so tiny that would barely bother me normally... and I never do things like that...I was mortified afterwards, but I couldnt have stopped at the time.