I never forgot to take it as soon as i wake up it’s my first thought but today i have no recollection of taking it. Do I skip the dose or take another.
I’ve been on venlafaxine 225mg (3 x 75mg capsules) for 2 years. It was amazing until I had to start upping and dropping the dose between 2 and 3 capsules every so often because of random brain buzzing, which would temporarily fix it.
I decided with my doctor that it was time to come off them. I did 1 month taking 2 capsules (150mg), and then another month taking 1 capsule (75mg). Surprisingly, I was mostly fine with very few withdrawal symptoms during that time.
Now, I’ve reached the end of the month on 1 capsule and I’m 2 days into taking nothing at all. I feel absolutely awful.
My brain is zapping and buzzing—what seems like audibly—every single time I move my eyes from left to right or move my head. It’s making me feel so nauseous and just generally rubbish. My balance is completely off and I feel like I could fall over at any second.
Did I do this too quickly? Jumping from 75mg to zero feels brutal. I recently got a puppy, and dealing with that alongside being my partner’s carer is making me worry that right now isn't the right time to get off this if I can't cope with daily life while withdrawing.
Has anyone else experienced this jumping off at 75mg? Any advice or insight would be really appreciated. Thank you in advance.
After a horrific experience with a psychiatrist who told me she “doesn’t care” and hung up on me and refused to refill my medication because I wrote a bad review
Obviously I found a new psych and discussed slowly tapering off Effexor and doing the Prozac bridge so I don’t feel like I’m dying all the time. Also noted I have MCAS and POTS so other physical things to take into consideration. Anyways, after expressing my absolute trembling fear with these withdrawals, he said “let’s cut it in half and then I’ll introduce Prozac later”
I stg these doctors want me dead 😭 this dude didn’t even know the dosages Effexor came in. He didn’t even know was mcas or POTS was and didn’t care to ask more questions or research. genuinely what the fuck is wrong with people.
I decided I’m gonna do the bead method on my own and just get refills, I feel like there’s no point in working with a psych other than refilling my prescriptions.
Whenever i miss a dose (often ) i don't get the brain zaps that people describe - no electric shocks in the brain. Instead, it feels like my vision takes a split second to catch up and has a low frame rate when i turn my head. I would compare it to being slightly drunk but only the head feeling.
It feels oddly relaxing and pleasant instead of uncomfortable. Of course, it slightly worsens my functioning, but when I don't have anything urgent to do, I actually try to experience it as much as I can while waiting for the missed dose to hit.
Does anybody else also like this feeling?
Just started venlafaxine, 1 week of 37.5mg, now a few days into 75mg seeing my psychiatrist in 2 weeks. He reckons I'll see results around 2 weeks into 75mg.
I've historically been totally resistant to SSRIs and SNRIs so I'm not holding much hope, but I read so many success stories about Effexor.
Just wondering if there's anyone who it wasn't helpful for? If so, what was?
Taking for depression and anxiety.
Had hella side effects week 1, now the only lingering side effect is I'm practically numb downstairs and cant orgasm at all.
Hey there, peeps!
I'm working with my psych to finally get off of Effexor, woo hoo! It's honestly been pretty effective, but I'm at a point in my life where I think I'd be better off without it. (In a pretty good spot!)
About a week and a half ago, she started me on the bead method. I am down 5 beads from 37.5mg, but man, am I frickin DIZZY!!!! Along with that, I feel like I don't really exist, and I feel like no matter how much coffee I drink, I'm still beyond exhausted every day. I just noticed these symptoms starting the past few days, and they are seemingly getting worse? Anyone have any guidance/experience with this? Thanks in advance 😊🌸
Oop, edit to add that she wants me to taper 5 additional beads down every 2 weeks. Will this be reasonable?
I have failed every ssri I’ve tried and my psychiatrist is now prescribing effexor. I’m currently taking wellbutrin 300 and lamictal 250, starting to taper off lamictal. I just stopped paxil after a month as I had side effects.
I am very hesitant about taking any medication as I never really feel like they sit well with me, I am pretty prone to side effects possibly due to my autoimmune disease. This sub has scared me, honestly. I am extremely depressed and anxious and I know I should be throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks but it seems like most of the posts here are about coming off effexor and dealing with massive withdrawals. Is it even worth it? I don’t want to try anti-psychotics which is supposedly next if I fail effexor so I don’t really know where to go with all this. Feeling backed into a corner here.
Hi
I've been on venlafaxine (150mg right now) for three years. I've taken it before two diffrent periods of my life.
Sometimes, often when i'm tired, I feel the classic withdrawal symptoms: brain zaps, nausea, dizzyness, want to cry, hotflashes. I take it the same time everyday.
I read that you can be more sensitive to "energy dips" when you take venlafaxine. Anyone else who has had the same experience?
I've started going to the gym, and the excessive sweating makes me dizzy...if I take my venlafaxine before bed instead of taking it during the morning, will I be able to hypothetically sweat less when I go to the gym? (I workout in the afternoon)
ps. I take XR Effexor
Hi all,
I took my first dose of 2.5 mg on Monday morning and on Monday night I had issues getting tired and falling asleep. I did feel a bit more tense as well. Tuesday night is more of the same and my anxiety level is getting much higher.
I’m on 187.5 mg of generic Effexor and I started Effexor almost exactly 10 years ago at 75 mg. Every time I’ve needed to up my dose it started with issues of not getting tired, having issues sleeping and in turn more anxious thoughts at night.
I have both low dose klonopin and gabapentin to use as needed as well.
My question is if others on Zep have had similar experiences, is this just a matter of the of the meds needing to establish a baseline therapeutic value or is this going to be a consistent issue and I do need to increase my dose.
FWIW I told my psych dr that I was considering taking this med and he had no issues with it. I plan on calling the office or sending him a note through the portal.
Posting this in r/Effexor as well.
So I (18f) am beginning college soon. For context, I drank only a little bit in high school. I did a tiny bit of weed, but this was all before getting on substantial amounts of the medication I'm on, and abilify at all.
I'm hoping to seek out the party scene a bit in college. Thus, I'm hoping to know, does anybody have experience with/know anything about mixing my meds and alcohol/weed? I am on (daily):
-300mg Effexor
-5mg Abilify
-20mg Focalin
-Hydroxyzine, propranolol in moderate doses
I'm also scared to ask a doctor.
Any advice?
to preface this post, effexor saved my life and i will never regret going on it because i needed it when i started it. however, it’s been about 10 years taking it and i’ve been trying to wean off for the last 3-4 years. every time i try, i end up going back to taking it because the withdrawal symptoms are just too much for me to handle. i am trying again with my psychiatrist’s guidance and a therapist during the transition now, but i just don’t feel like i can do it. i can’t work or function, basically. all i can do is cry multiple times a day, i’m so nauseous and i have constant diarrhea whether i eat or not. constant hot flashes and night sweats, horrible headaches. i’m so tired and all i want to do is sleep because that’s the only time i feel peace, but then i wake up in a pool of sweat and often lie there until i fall back asleep again. i cry from the withdrawls and from how horrible i feel, then i cry because i suddenly can’t handle any bad thoughts i have anymore.
i’m so scared i’ll have to just take this for the rest of my life. i am like… afraid of what will happen trying to wean off. like i will jeopardize my job and relationships. how does anyone do it? i’m crying just typing this and thinking about how long i’ll have to endure withdrawals… it’s absolutely nuts :(
I’ve been on 75 mg of effexor for 2 months now for anxiety and adhd and I’ve recently decided to stop after noticing the side effects out weighing the benefits. However, I’ve heard so many horror stories about getting off of this drug I was wondering if there are any tips and tricks that may help out. I am moving away to a different country for college at my dream school in 2 weeks and I really dont want something like this to affect the start of my college experience.
So I’m at an all-inclusive resort and after 4 years of sobriety gave into temptation and got drunk (and vomited into our hotel room toilet :-/) I’m afraid to take my venlafaxine tonight (usual dose 50mg) because of the alcohol still in my system. What should I expect from skipping one night? Thanks.
So I super slow tapered off Venlafaxine over 1.6 years after being on it for 15 years. I've been fully off it for about 2 weeks now.
The brain zaps are very minor and mostly just in the morning, my bigger frustrations are irritability, low energy, low mood, minor crying spells, some constipation, and just tired. Nothing is really enjoyable, music is just noise, and I don't feel like doing anything, work is a heavy chore.
I understand that after using it for 15 years it's probably going to take time for my brain/body to adjust, I'm just wondering how long though.
I had horrible horrible nausea after taking the first dose in years, and can't help but wonder why I'm supposed to take 75 IR once a day...
Hi I’m a 41yo male . I’ve never taken any anti depressants or anxiety meds before but my doctor prescribed me this to help with my once a week migraines .
After reading about it I’m really afraid to start on this medication due to the side effects and “ zip brain “ effect that comes with it when trying to get off
I’m not depressed or anxious just normal life stuff that I don’t feel overwhelmed by it . Any recommendations are very appreciated it !🫶
I finally decided to visit a new psychiatrist after so much trauma and 10 years of venlafaxine. We agreed on a quicker way to get it off my system, so i went from my usual dosage of 150mg less 37,5mg every four days. Now I just took the last 37,5 and started on fluvoxamine 25mg, but oh god, while it was pretty normal during the past weeks, in one day i felt all the brain zaps, some diarrhea and feel dizzy all the time. I take clonazepam when I feel panicky but its still awful because of my huge fear of nausea. any tips or any way to feel better during those days? Im taking some anti sickness meds when its too much but nothing else
Went up 100 mg a day and my bladder feels like it's going to explode. Can't seem to empty my bladder all the way and its worse at night.
I'm waiting on pelvic ultrasound results but everything else came back fine.
Did this go away for anyone? Effexor is the only medication that has helped me, I've tried plenty. About to book a urologist 😭
I had to quit effexor xr 75mgs because i just found out i’m pregnant. My dr said to take 3 days 37.5mgs and then nothing. After 24h from the last dose dizziness and vertigo started. It’s so bad when i move my head or eyes that i feel like I’m going to faint. It’s my 4th day.
Yesterday i turned on my kids white noise machine and everytime i moved my eyes/head along with dizziness i heard a sound (like when cars are passing by with speed”vmm vmm”). It feels so bad to stand up. I even feel extremely dizzy while lying down or standing. Anyone experienced that and could calm myself down? How long does it take until it goes away? Today it feels somewhat better than yesterday but still intense. I noticed that when I wake up from sleep I don’t feel any dizziness for 1/2 minutes then it starts again.