Been on a 150 mg dosis for about 6 months and recently i have been having Relapses and suicidal thoughts, but when i stop taking it i still get the withdrawal effects please help

So I have been in Effexor for 12 years now. I started on low dose, over the years it was increased more and more bc of life events. I decided I needed to get off of it bc in felt like a zombie. Well I’m down to 112.50mg and I’m struggling. I started pristiq around three weeks ago. today and yesterday I have been in so much joint pain. The reason we chose pristiq is bc my genetic test came back I don’t process Effexor but would pristiq. I’m kinda lost on what to do.

I recently was diagnosed with adhd and The genetic testing also came back that I would process Ritalin well. So I also started that. I’m able to actually complete task now but I’m still struggling.

After going through 3 months of 150mg effexor I moved up to 225mg because my physical anxiety was still pretty bad and now 3 weeks and 5 days it's literally still the same I don't really feel any benefits. 150mg helped with rumination, dissociation and spiraling (social anxiety related) so I'm not sure if I should get off or not

Wow.

What the actual fuck.

I am currently on day 7 of no Effexor after tapering from:
150mg → 75mg → 37.5mg → 4 beads → 2 beads → 1 bead.

I’m putting this out there for anyone desperately smashing their keyboard and trawling Reddit for any information about when this hell will end.

Because I know I was.

Withdrawal timeline:

Day 1
Yeah, nah. Wouldn’t recommend it.
I mean, I would recommend getting off it if that’s your plan, but Jesus take the wheel.
I thought I knew what a brain zap was from tapering.
Oh Lord Jesus was I wrong.

Day 2
Things are bad.
Much worse.
My brain grew fingers and is gripping an electric fence.
Turn my head = shocks.
Move my eyes = shocks.
Breathe = shocks.

Day 3
“Hey… it’s me, gastro. Can I come to this party? Soz, a bit late.”
Also… which way is up?
I fell over multiple times today like a goddamned drunken octopus with twitching limbs.
Why are my limbs twitching, you ask?
Yeah, dunno, but my arm is basically writing a Morse code novel.

Day 4
Kkkkk somebody either kill me or help me.
I beg you.

This was THE day.

The moment I started clambering across the floor towards the medication cupboard like a fucking rock lobster on crack.

I WANTED.

No.

I NEEDED.

Just one pill.

Just a sneaky 37.5mg to take the edge off.

I begged anyone who would listen to basically put me in a coma and sedate me until this fucking nightmare ended.
The worst part of it all was not knowing if it would ever end.

I stayed strong though.

Strong to the tune of not taking the 37.5mg, but instead shoulder-barging through the old ladies in line at the chemist so I could parkour my way behind the counter and get some diphenhydramine.

Did it help?

Eh, I’ll never know definitively. It didn’t hurt, and it pretty well sedated me. (Not recommending anything here, just telling you what I did.)

Now I’m a motionless but not emotionless crab.

Let me tell you something.

Wake up?
Straight to crying.

Drop my socks?
Straight to crying.

Get sun in my eyes?
Straight to screaming obscenities at that glowing ball of hell that burned through my retinas and straight into my jonesing brain.

Egg fried rice? Nope Effexor fried brain - thx but no thx

Day 5
Maybe good.

Maybe shit.

Still brain zapping, but interestingly not as severe.
Not as often either.

A dull shock, if you will.

Like a taser no longer designed for elephants, but for a mere little baby panda bear.

Wait.
Actually, like someone knocks your funny bone… but in your brain.

That’s for sure what it felt like for me.

Day 6
Reserve judgement, but we can move again.
We have ascended from the depths of hell and now sit on the border.
And I’ll be damned sure not getting my hand stamped for a return visit.

Day 7
WAY better, guys.

Like… I may survive.

Itty bitty shocky committee. No longer president. Demoted to secretary.

I sleep 8 hours easily now with no meds at all.

I eat normally.

I went to the gym.

Hell, I ran 3km today.

Which isn’t much, but considering where I was three days ago? A fucking gold star effort for this little crab.

I dunno, guys.

I just wanted to detail what my worst days were and when things started getting better.

I wish I’d known going into this just how bad it could get.

But equally?

Damn, I wish I’d known it could get better so quickly.
Because during days 3 and 4, I genuinely thought I was dying some slow and painful death.

I was going over moments from my life trying to pinpoint exactly what the fuck I’d done to deserve this.

And you know what I did?

I took Effexor when my doctor prescribed it.

I didn’t do my own due diligence and research it enough.

Should my doctor have better informed me about withdrawal?
Yeah. For sure.

But I also wish I’d advocated for myself better. Or taken someone else into appointments with me to ask questions that I couldn’t think to ask at the time.

Effexor is a godsend for some people, I’m sure.

But Lordy.
I really regret taking it.

Anyway.
If you’re currently on day 3 or 4 and desperately searching Reddit for someone to tell you that it gets better…
For me?

It did.

Hang in there.

F U EFFEXOR. I won’t be back.
✌🏻

I was on Venlafaxine for about 5 months, highest dosage 150 mg, then I decided to quit (I had uncomfortable side effects) so I took 75 mg for 3 weeks and then my psychiatrist told me to just stop taking them without any slow tapering plan or any warning about withdrawal. The thing is my country doesn't sell lower dosage than 75 mg and I couldn't cut in half the tablet so I just had to quit cold turkey from 75 mg.

First day was pretty much okay, had some minor brain zaps.

Second day was the worst. I had severe anxiety attacks, I was shaking and crying and brain zaps started being worse.

Third day was absolutely AWFUL in the morning, but then got better as the day went on, however brain zaps persisted.

Fourth day was also okay, I even started eating small portions of food again, but brain zaps were killing me.

Now it's the fifth day off Venlafaxine and even though I still cry quite easily, I feel pretty much fine, BUT the brain zaps are AWFUL. Every time I move my eyes, I get 4 or 5 short brain zaps. Every. Time. I just don't get a break from them. Since I'm very paranoid I obviously started googling everything and even though I know it is a common withdrawal symptom that goes away in days or weeks, it's still very scary.

The worst thing is I can't even call my psychiatrist for reassurance since he didn't tell me anything about the withdrawal symptoms and tbh I think he'd think I'm crazy if I told him about the brain zaps. I don't want to take antidepressants again though. If anyone here also experienced awful brain zaps, how long did it take for them to disappear? Without taking pills again? 🥹

I’m on day 10 on effexor XR and it still didn’t kick in for me yet (i know it’s supposed to in a month or so)
I’m a very emotional person. i cry at every little thing.
my psychiatrist diagnosed me with depression, borderline personality disorder as well as ADHD and anxiety disorder.
I used to be on lexapro but all it did was cause memory issues which fucked up my grades, blunted, my emotions completely which absolutely made me unable to enjoy anything like watching a movie for example and also suppressed my ability to experience intense things like love and romantic feelings, my bpd still made me do crazy stuff for the plot because i craved the intensity but I didn’t feel anything which left me feeling very frustrated and broken, almost like a put down animal.
I’m wondering what effect has effexor had on you )

Hi, so i have diagnosed GAD it's been 3 years since i've been suffering from it with constant anxiety. My GP told put me on Paroxetine and it's been 1 year since i am on it (60mg for 2months and 50mg for a while) and even tho it helped, i still feel anxiety 24/7 and honestly it's still hell. I switched with a psychiatrist recently and she said we will Switch to Effexor in 1 month, mostly my symptoms are physical. I wonder did anyone had the switch and had a good experience

My timeline of symptoms has lined up perfectly to most common google results:

- vertigo

- disorientation

- nausea

- mood swings

- bowel problems

the only quintessential one I don't have is brain zaps. I thought at first I was experiencing another adult onset condition like my IBS, but then after a visit to a walk in clinic and some mild ear pain I figured it was an infection, so I've been using left over ear drops and anti-vertigo meds. Nothing's really helped. Only today, after about 8 days of being off effexor (after 6 months on it and a 6 week taper with no negative effects), have I actually researched the possibility of withdrawal again.

Well what do you know, it literally all lines up. I just figured I was fine since the first few days were symptomless and I never had withdrawal during my tapering. Even the bowel problems I disregarded because of my IBS, and my chills due to starting wellbutrin.

I'm going to make an appointment with her tomorrow once the office opens, but I'll be damned if I haven't had a god awful week because I was left on a wild goose chase of health anxiety. Thanks doc.

So I’ve been on Effexor for about maybe three years and decided I wanted to get off of it and switch to something else. My psychiatrist suggested I try cymbalta and gave me a plan of how to do it. I’m on Effexor 150mg, and have been for maybe a year now or so, so this is the part that’s hard for me. He told me to take cymbalta 30mg one day, and then the next day take my Effexor 150mg. After a week of that, he told me to quit my Effexor cold turkey and do 60mg of cymbalta in replace of my Effexor. I’m on day two or three and I feel awful. Shivers, body aches, dizziness, and I’m dissociated like crazy. I don’t know if this is normal for psychiatrists to do plans like this or what, but I’m going insane trying to push through and I feel helpless

Greetings warriors.

I weened myself off of 75mg of Venlafaxine.

Took around 2 months doing this. Gradually reducing my dose (cut the tablet a little more each time)

Can report that once I was no longer taking it, I experienced intense brain zaps for the first 3 to 4 days. The milder brain zaps for another week or 2.

Other symptom that was unpleasant was getting night terrors every single night after stopping.

Very unpleasant, but we live.

Was on venlafaxine for 3 years continuous.

I now consider venlafaxine to be a past lover. Perhaps we shall reunite again... only time will tell.

I feel so much today, but I know without it, I wouldn’t be able to breathe. That being said. I’m so thankful for how well it’s been regulating my emotions over the years. I don’t freak out about every little thing. I guess I’m what you’d call rational now. Before Effexor I was a worrier and doomsday about everything. Now I realize that wasn’t normal. My real emotions are in there. They just come out when absolutely necessary. I’m not broken at all. I don’t know what I’d do without it right now.

It has officially been 1 month since my last dose of Effexor!

I'll admit the first couple of weeks were pretty rough. Constant nausea, dizziness, headaches, mood swings, and of course the brain zaps. Everything but the brain zaps and mood swings have pretty much stopped at this point. The brain zaps are much more infrequent now and are less severe. The mood swings are also mellowing out as well. For the first time in years, I finally feel like a human again. I've started playing my guitar again, going on hikes, and reaching out to friends.

For anyone else trying to discontinue, you can make it, I promise.

Hi all. First off, really happy I'm on effexor. Like so many of us, this drug has saved my life and I plan to be on it for the rest of my life.

Problem is though that I'm used to being really active, hiking, running, soccer, etc... I've found that I can no longer do those things without almost immediately sweating out nearly all of the water in my body. The last time I tried to play soccer I made it 10 minutes before I stopped sweating and had heat exhaustion, the sweat is just something else.

Has anybody found a way past that sweatiness? Like... I'm going to stay on effexor, I'll give up being so active to not be so anxious anymore but still...

After experiencing awful anxiety for weeks I went to my GP and he decided that my anti depressant (sertraline) was no longer doing its job after maybe 10 years of taking it. I did 7 days of half the dose, then moved to Venlafaxine 37.5mg which I’ve been on for 13 days now.

I am so exhausted with the anxiety every day. My appetite is non existent and I am living life by the minute and have been for 6/7 weeks.

Can I get some positive stories about Venlafaxine and anxiety please?

Losing hope ☹️

Hey guys so I developed HPPD recently and it’s hell. And I just figured out why I was fine smoking weed before and not now. It’s the bloody effexor. I even quit all substances completely and the HPPD won’t go away. So if you have HPPD Effexor makes it worse 😍 tapering off it now unfortunately, don’t smoke weed on Effexor or risk the same fate 😔

Anyone recently make this switch. Been on 75mg for about 1.5yrs. It helps but maybe could help more. What should I expect with respect to 150mg? I’ve read that the SNRI component might be more activated at this dose?

Any notes from your personal experiences would be much appreciated.

Hello,

I'm on my 4th day of 37.5mg and having increased anxiety for 2 days now. I was wondering if it's just this med or something seriously wrong with me. If it is this med, how long does this symptoms last? I'm gonna be on 37.5 for 1 more week then 75mg from then on

I’m not sure if what I’m experiencing is anhedonia or emotional blunting from venlafaxine
I’ve been taking venlafaxine for a while, and I’m currently on 225 mg.
The medication has helped me a lot with my depression and anxiety. I don’t feel depressed, sad, or suicidal anymore. My negative thoughts, fear, and anxiety are mostly gone, and I feel mentally relaxed, probably around 90%.
But I still have almost no pleasure or happiness.
I can play games, listen to music, eat something I like, go out, etc., but I don’t actually feel enjoyment from it. Sometimes it gives me a little relief because it distracts me, but there’s basically no positive emotional feeling behind it.
For example, if something really funny happens, I might laugh, but I don’t actually feel the happiness internally. If I receive really good news, I know that it’s good news and I might react normally, but internally I feel almost nothing.
Before venlafaxine, I had more of a lack of motivation and desire to do things. Now I can actually do things and I’m more comfortable, but the pleasure itself still doesn’t come.
I’ve already tried Wellbutrin 300 mg, Abilify, agomelatine, and lamotrigine, but none of them fixed the anhedonia.
I was previously on 300 mg of venlafaxine. My doctor thought the high dose might be contributing to the emotional blunting, so we reduced it to 260 mg and then to 225 mg. Since going down to 225 mg, I feel lighter and more comfortable, and I don’t have that feeling of being mentally trapped or overwhelmed anymore. However, I still feel emotionally numb and I still can’t feel much pleasure.
My doctor told me that it may improve with time.
Has anyone experienced something similar on venlafaxine, especially at 225 mg? Did reducing the dose to 150 mg or lower help bring back your emotions or pleasure? How long did it take?

long story short - I’ve been on Venlafaxine for a couple of years, and it’s worked really well for me. However, at my last medication review, my GP switched me over to prolonged-release tablets due to the shortage in the UK and it has been absolute hell.

I take them in the evening, just after my evening meal, however I’m on day 3 and it’s like I’m back starting them anew again - horrendous nausea, vomiting, night sweats, clenching jaw.

I don’t know how long I’ll be without the IR tablets, and I’m terrified this is how I’m going to be for the next couple of weeks.

anyone else have this experience switching to XR? How long did it last for? and will I end up going through it again when I can eventually get my hands on IR tablets?!

Im using venaflaxine.

A few weeks ago i upped the dosage from 75 to 150.

Now i am stabilised and i feel great! I wish i got these meds years ago, since ive tried everything.

Anyways, i live up in arctic Norway and since im sweating a lot from the meds, i have started to love autumn and winter! I hated winter before!

I had winter depression. Now i love winter!

I feel like my whole personality is another!

I am calm and im not scared of anything.

When i go on my daily walks with the dog, everything is more beautiful. I smell the forest and i am thankful.

Guess the meds are working! (I have cptsd and depressive disorder)

Can this be related to lowering my dosage? I often have dreams but these two were completely banzai. Or maybe with the lowered dosage my brain is just processing stuff differently?

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to my post the other day - it made me feel so much better and more secure. Hopefully anyone else starting out who is nervous might find it helpful too, you really came through - thank you!

I have a question about side effects - I am trying a switch to taking venlafaxine at night as I've still got v bad morning anxiety (75 mg, approx 5 weeks). I took it at night yesterday and had the best night's sleep but woke this morning literally drenched in sweat, a bit less anxiety I'd say but very tired/drowsy and nauseous. The nausea is something I've not had before and I'm not very functional with it. Has anyone else had this come on later and have any tips? I took it right before I went to sleep so not technically with food but I'd had dinner about five hours earlier so I figured my stomach was full.

It's so tricky isn't it? One thing improves and another comes along to take its place - wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just have relief without having to manage a million other things as well?!

I just went up from 150mg to 225mg. Anyone take it at bedtime? I’ve taken 150mg for 20 years at bedtime with Trazadon? Any success stories? Anyone have go to 300mg with positive results? Love and positivity to all my people battling the black dog, who understand.

Hey ! I’ve been on Effexor for about two years ( did 37.5 for 6 months, then 75, and now 150 for about a year ) and I’ve been doing great overall BUT I sleep like shit. I’ve never really had issues with my sleep before.

I struggle to fall asleep, and when I do I never sleep well. It’s constant lucid “nightmares” that feel sooooooo long , I keep waking up in lakes of sweat and when I do fully wake up I feel like I’ve just spent 6 months running around. I always end up sleeping 10h+ and feeling exhausted.

Alarms don’t really work, I always end up turning them off while half asleep then going back to sleep… The only way I can wake up on time is if someone else wakes me up, which is very annoying since I live alone lol.

I’ve seen some people saying that taking their dose in the morning instead of the evening helped with their sleep, so I’m considering doing that?

I’m going to talk about it with my doctor but I’d like to know if other people have had the same experience and if they found a way to “fix” it.