A few minutes later I’m fine. I have taken time off work now, realizing my body needs rest and I could not function in the state I am in. Have a look at the Effexor withdrawal comments where it states "How Long Does Effexor Withdrawal Last" - over 830 replies - and this gives you an idea how the withdrawal time varies from person to person. I have missed so much work trying to get over these symptoms. I don’t remember much trouble with cold during the first week, though I was kind of distracted by vomiting and diarrhea that week, so maybe I didn’t notice. I’ll try again later. My MD thought it would be a good choice b/c I was also experiencing hot flashes. Again, I’m not a doctor and you should have one involved in your plan. It differed from the SSRIs in that in addition to solely … I am on my second or third week now and the withdrawal symptoms are a lot more tolerable but still the insomnia and itching and hair loss are the worst! Don't want to scare anyone, many people withdraw successfully and feel better as a result but don't mess around with this stuff it can can absolutely cause long term injury or disability, even death in some cases. The first 5 days were absolute hell. I started at 150mg for about a year. I know I’ll have bad days in between and that’s OK. The Effexor withdrawal timeline can be quite variable. I want my life back. I thought I was going nuts until I found this place. I’ll stick it through these withdrawal symptoms. But you will be so happy you did it! It’s only been 2 & 1/2 weeks since my last pill 37.5 so I know I have along road ahead yet. All I can tell you is one day you will just notice it is gone. And also I take ZEN. All the best. Buy one of those pill counters that pharmacists use – I would empty a capsule and then count grains. I’ve been on 37.5mg for a little over a year now and just started the tapering off process two weeks ago. I’ve been crying for no reason. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. The reason being is the "half-life" of the Effexor is very short (missing a dose by the few hours=withdrawals), whereas the Zoloft "half-life" is ~a week. No sugar! We deceided to do weaning in halving intervals weekly. I was supposed to start Zoloft but really do not want too. I had to keep getting out of bed and going into the living room until the waking up terrified part faded off, but upon returning to bed and sleep, it all began again, and again each time I repeated this… obviously not much sleep was had and I did think of staying awake, I had to face my Demons I guess. dosage reduction). I am very close to starting on a small dose to see if it helps. Late reinstatement apparently doesn't work for everyone, the sooner you can do it the better chance you have of a good outcome so I was pretty lucky in that respect, I'm just left with visual snow, vertigo, sexual dysfunction and involuntary movements/ seizures. Stay strong. And I hope you keep trying everything possible! I know deep down in my heart I'm going to have to make a major life change to get out from under these pharmaceuticals... eat better, get more exercise, find a social circle, find a hobby, etc. I’m also so incredibly ANGRY at my doctor for prescribing me this for my anxiety and depression without giving me any information on how difficult it would be to withdraw. So the choice to go cold turkey basically was the only option I had at this point (couldn’t afford the refill). Watched The Voice and a chair turned and I cried. He researched and read forums to understand what I was truly going through. Next post: Gamma Brain Waves: 40 Hz to 100 Hz, Previous post: Using Aromatherapy To Overcome Anxiety And Stress. I went from 75mg to 37.5mg, then to 18.75mg and then down from 20 grains, 19 grains, 18 grains, you get the picture. Talk to your doctor, don’t worry about being judged, it’s their job to evaluate your case objectively and make the best call for your health. I was on 37.5 mg for 2 years. It may take weeks, it may take months, and it may take a year f… I agree with making bigger life choices to help with mental illness, but if you’re like me it’s hard to force yourself out of the house. The surviving antidepressants website has a huge collection of case histories if you're interested or there is a facebook support group and pretty good ebook by Dr Stuart Shipko (among others) that outlines a lot of the relevant information. Subscribe to Drugs.com newsletters for the latest medication news, new drug approvals, alerts and updates. I am very afraid. I get that, but do not see the point of prolonging the thing. Then last week found out I was pregnant. Cheers. Jan, Omega 3 fish oil (Orthomega), ENCAPSULATED B Complex, vitamin D3 and calcium CITRATE help a lot with those symptoms. How long is this going to last? It just seems like it will never end, can anyone help? The generally prescribed starting dose is 75 milligrams, although the medication may be raised as high up as 375 milligrams to be fully effective. Thanks to all that have shared here. Been. Antidepressants like Prozac are among the most commonly prescribed medications in America. I thought I’d give everyone a little bit of hope… I’ve been on anti-depressants/anxiety for 13 years and 225mg Venlafaxine XL a day for 7. Every day you get through is a day Effexor free. :(. It is the dizziness that is just killing me. My doctor tapered me off from 75 mg to lower dosages for a couple of months and then I stopped. The nightmares are horrific, for me they lasted over a year. They sound awful. I will keep my eye out for others mentioning pain as I continue to read/research Effexor withdrawal and how to minimize symptoms of same. My doc is worthless. From 225mg I went down to 150 mg daily x 3 months. Wow! Does anyone have a good time frame I can expect to continue dealing with these symptoms? In other words, you may not be able to cope with what you are experiencing because the withdrawal is that powerful. You must first know about a drug’s half-life, which is the time taken for the plasma concentration to reduce to half its original value. Gradually life will get easier. To determine how long Effexor stays in your system, it is necessary to understand the metabolite of its active ingredient: venlafaxine. Glad I’m not the only one. I am a week Effexor free. I’m lay in bed trying to get to sleep but can’t. Thanks, Kate. My Dr gave me a short course of Gerax 125 max 3 per day… I have been on these for 3 days and can function… drive, eat, talk… I feel more optimistic, energetic, and happier now than I have in at least 5 years. I take a pill every other day and then I’m going to taper to every three days. Data sources include IBM Watson Micromedex (updated 2 Feb 2021), Cerner Multum™ (updated 3 Feb 2021), ASHP (updated 29 Jan 2021) and others. I feel for anyone that doesn’t have support or has a full time job. We can't post outside links but I'd suggest you Google "Effexor withdrawal mental health daily" for a comprehensive article that may help you. This is the most widely discussed topic on this site I think. I will continue to rely on it and the support of those around me to get over this. Everyone has really noticed the improvement in me. I’ve tried weaning and then finally just went Cold Turkey. I really feel for everyone who has been on it for a while. I personally am not experiencing pain, nor chronic pain. There is no set time... it depends on your dosage, the length of time you were taking it and your personal metabolism. The sooner the better it seems! All that being said, I have been completely Effexor free for five days and have felt like I was going to completely lose it. Hope you all get through this. If it weren’t for finding this forum, I would have started taking it again already. Thank you to everyone who’s left comments here. effexor. I am experiencing sensations of pressure in my head that come in waves and have a sound associated with them and a feeling of not being oriented in space. What I’ve noticed that I can’t handle is the sporadic surges of intense leg spasms where my muscles feel tight, and quite frankly, I want to break my legs. As far as Benadryl, I’m tired enough from the withdrawal. The reason for this is Prozac’s long half-life. Lexapro (Escitalopram) vs Zoloft (Sertraline): Extensive Comparison, Cannabidiol (CBD) Side Effects & Adverse Reactions, L-Tyrosine Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List), Armour Thyroid Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List), Remeron (Mirtazapine) Withdrawal Symptoms + How Long They Last. I don't know what the answer is... my next trial might be CBD oil. I thought I was doing great during that time but as soon as I got to 0 I hit the wall. Be sure to always communicate with friends and family during your withdrawal period. Where do these dreams come from? Would really appreciate some information, having a pretty hard time of it and nobody to turn to. But I believe you folks, who are actually doing this, that I am still dealing with my biochemistry trying to find balance. Most important start getting your brain healthy before you start the process. …drink lots of fluids. I have slowly weaned from 150mg down to 37.5mg over the last three weeks. Thanks for letting me vent! It’s uncontrollable crying and I have to just allow myself to let it all out and it’s all for no particular reason. I was weaned off effexor slowly, completely topped 11 months ago and still have terrible body aches all over my body. Each day is a day closer to this evil medication being out of my body forever. (heavy cardio, not a “sniff walk” with the dog), I’m on 2000 IU of Vitamin D as well. I was on Effexor for 18 years, but only weaned off this Spring (last minimal dose was 4/14/18). However, it may be a couple years before you are completely recovered and feel completely “natural” again. Once I was off the Effexor & Pristiq unfortunately I didn’t physically feel well for another 2 -3 months. I’m interested to hear that Omega 3 helps many of you, and I intend to add that. But I haven’t had chills yesterday or today, so maybe there’s hope for both of us. I keep as busy as I can, which is great. One or two retrospective studies found a very slightly higher percentage of heart defects among babies carried by mothers on venlafaxine, but it’s unclear whether that was partly due to those women having more residual depression or other health problems that might have been associated with the choice to take those drugs. More distressing symptoms include nightmares or disturbing dreams, and a pins and needles sensation that comes and goes throug… Would like to find out how long the withdrawal symptoms will last (approx.) Suicidal feelings 3. Best of luck to all who suffer out there. Abused it for 66 years. I’m going to put in a major complaint to my own surgery on Monday, and will be switching Doctors. Read More. Half-lives are determined based on the length of time it takes for the body to metabolize one half of the medication. I have been slowly weaning off, now down to where I started 37.5 mg, I had gone up, but not too much. Other than the withdrawal I am going through right now I feel great! I’ve been on Effexor XR for about 6 years now. 8 months later things continued to worsen & I had to restart the effexor at the original dose which came with additional start up symptoms and now new side effects etc. I went from 150mg to 10mg over those 10 months so I would not get any withdrawal symptoms. Not recommended. The second week, there were multiple times each day when I’d start shivering all over and had trouble feeling warm even after wrapping up in quilts. I decided I wanted off. I took it for almost 10 years and gained a whopping 70 lbs in the first five years I took it. This means that within a few days you will have very little s… Maybe that’s why the symptoms have been so bad. I am also falling asleep while performing activities for a moment or two multiple times a day, in which, I instantly have very vivid dreams and when I come back a sense of believing the dream actually happened. I started by accident because I missed a dose and felt ok all day, but felt the zaps late in the day the next day. Effexor comes in both a standard version, Effexor, and a time release version, Effexor XR. Thank you for your reply! For the last week, I have been feeling so nauseous and dizzy, with my stomach constantly flip flopping. I had previously been taking 300mg daily. Hi I’ve been taking Effexor XR for 13 yrs. I started by taking 1 at a time, at first just slightly longer than 12 hours apart, then longer and longer until I got fairly close to taking it once/day. Then down to 1/2 tablet twice daily, then once, then off completely. Also, if withdrawal continues to be difficult, you should definitely get a second opinion on go cold turkey for pregnancy. During this time, you may notice some dizziness and flu-like symptoms. I’m not lowering my dose anymore and I’ve been off of it completely for 3 days. Regarding Venlafaxine/Effexor in particular, my thoughts go out to all of you who have had to deal with this. Everyone copes differently with their withdrawal period. Try to remain calm and healthy. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. If you look up 'How Long Does Effexor Withdrawal Last', you will find over 930 replies to that question. I had the nightmares for over a year, I thought they would never go. I took my last pill two weeks ago. I too am withdrawing from effexor. I can be irritable at times. Among other things the frontal part of my brain - ie. I’d rather deal with panic attacks and OCD than this. I hope every days these are withdrawal symptoms not my true emotional baseline and that they will start to improve soon. As real as being fully alert and awake – even though what I was experiencing was beyond normal explanations of any kind. Someone please help! I am now on the other side of total hell It took about 6 weeks to reduce to zero. You only prolong the pain by sneaking a 37.5 or few beads… Sorry this is so long. There was a lot more to the Dream also. As you probably already know, Effexor is one of the toughest medications to withdraw from if you have been on it for an extended period of time. And I’m 51. I am really struggling to do… well, anything. I feel shook up when I wake up. I had reduced my 75mg intake to a 1/4 of it's dose to 18.75mg per day over several months. TIME. There is no set time... it depends on your dosage, the length of time you were taking it and your personal metabolism. From there I started opening the capsules and taking a small amount (about 1/3 of one or ~50mg) whenever I started being bothered by the discontinuation symptoms. Now, at 8.5 months with no Effexor, I am still dealing with anxiety, depression, body aches, nausea, extreme fatigue & disrupted sleep. You have done the easy part. Snapping at everyone over silly things is something I’m really working at reining in. I ended up not being able to go two days without it without getting non stop zaps and having a mental breakdown. I use TDCS. I did not replace the Effexor with another antidepressant. Also unsteady and kinda foggy at times. I feel so much better, since I stopped taking venlafaxine, on the 9th August 2018. I hope your pregnancy goes well. I have been taking Omega 3 Fish oil, Calcium and B complex and I believe they helped a lot… no brain zaps. I can take it. I don’t know why my doctor didn’t tell me how tough this would be. A little goes a long way for me. There is not at all a clear cut consensus on what is healthiest, not just for you, but for your unborn child, since depression is unhealthy for the body, and withdrawal symptoms can be, too. Also when I do get to sleep I have night terrors and sweating. Have you taken it for over a decade? Effexor brothers and sisters I’m praying for you all out there! Obviously worse for us who were on higher dose for longer time. The Zoloft will prevent/minimize the Effexor withdrawals because it is substituting one drug for the other, with a longer "half-life, and not stopping medication all at once. I have been angry, sad, anxious and absolutely exhausted. Morphine Withdrawal: Symptoms + How Long Does It Last? It prevents the physical symptoms of anxiety, so it doesn’t escalate to panic. Until I was referred to a doctor a few of my very close friend swear by… I wished I’d known him years ago! My withdrawal is easing up now. I haven’t taken venlafaxine since the 9th August 2018. I am very fortunate to have love and support around me, we will get through this. As someone who has taken Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl), I know all too well what the withdrawal symptoms of this medication are like – they can be pure hell. Anyway, I still feel exhausted beyond belief and panicky but I'm doing what I need to do to overcome it. My shrink sez that after 2-3 months, my symptoms are not from quitting Effexor. I’ve been playing it by ear and taking a small amount when I experience discontinuation symptoms, and it makes all the difference. Once before I stopped cold turkey and the brain zaps and other withdrawals lasted 2 weeks. It is such a relief to know that this is common and it will go away, if not in a few months, then someday. Thanks, Fiona. Trying to look after my 8yr old son. 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