Effexor "has anyone actually got off it"? How did u handle the withdrawel effects? How long for symptoms to go

Answer 1

I have been on and off Effexor 3 times. It is the ONLY med that works for me. I am on it again. The withdrawal is hard. Plan on not having anything going on for about a week once you are weaned off. Take it easy & relax. Take some valarian, kava etc for anxiety. Benedryl is good for sleep. My symptoms lasted 1-2 months after going off. I had tingles in my extremities & "brain shivers". Not fun. But you CAN get through it. The ticket is to go off very very slowly. When you get down to 37.5 mg. get tablets so you can break them into halves & quarters. That is what worked for me. Some people say to switch to Prozac and wean off that instead. If your doc is comfortable prescribing a tranquillizer like klonipin for short term use that will help also. Good luck.

Answer 2

don't despair yes, depending on how severe your symptoms were in the first place for your doctor to prescribe them and how high your dosage is. You will have to get together with you doctor and tell him/her that you want to try a smaller and smaller dosage then when you are at the lowest dosage start to change the frequency it is taken. this is what worked for me I was on it for three years and it took me a little over a year to taper off it. it may take you more or less time depending how long you have been taking it and how much

Remember to always consult your doctor before you change the way you take your medications. as i am sure you know if you have ever missed a dose or two it is not the best feeling in the world.

hope all goes well for you.

Answer 3

I took effexor for a good while and actually abused the dosings... when I finally got back on track with it, I felt like It kind of controlled my moods and that I was kind of apathetic to things. So I quit it, and I got pretty bad nausea and headaches for about three days, the first day being the worst. the effects were pretty much gone in less than a full week, but it sucked! you just have to deal with it until its over.

unfortunantly, i am back on it. but good luck.

Answer 4

i found this withdrawl to be quite easy. I was of 450mg and cut down by 150mg each day and was off it by the end of the third day. I was waiting for the withdrawl effects to come but they never did. ?? wierd hey. But i did end up going manic the next week so maybe that had something to do with it. good luck.

Answer 5

I had a terrible time with that stuff. I knew if I missed taking one by noon, I switched to Zoloft, I don't recall the withdrawal being that bad.