Venlafaxine withdrawal (this is me very well stated)

[steve2470]

This is the Mental Health Support Group. Unkind and abrasive comments are not welcome here.


https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/effexor

Venlafaxine Withdrawal

If you stop taking venlafaxine suddenly, or reduce your dosage, withdrawal symptoms can occur, often within a matter of hours.

Venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms include:

Anxiety, confusion, or agitation
Lack of coordination or vertigo
Nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting
Sleep disorders or nightmares
Headache
Dry mouth
Fatigue
Brain zaps (electric-like shocks)
Many of these symptoms can cause severe disorientation, and are especially dangerous to people driving, operating machinery, or engaging in other risky tasks.

Talk to your doctor about any unusual side effects, and follow your doctor's instructions for tapering off or stopping your use of venlafaxine.


This new med better be f**********g worth this.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Effexor has always been a great medication for mood disorders.

But withdrawal issues scare people off. But if you do a very gradual withdrawal there is usually not a problem.

Effexor targets three major neurotransmitters associated with mood disorders.
This is an advantage over the other antidepressants which only target one or two.

[steve2470]

3. sorry, not true

My doc did a phased washout with me. I still feel like shit.

[Irish_Dem]

4. How long was the taper? It cannot be done quickly.

At least a couple of months is best.

Could your sxs be a result of returning mood disorder?

[steve2470]

7. he's a psychiatrist, M.D. , board-certified in Florida

He's been practicing for years. He is extremely well liked in my area and is regarded as highly competent.

I think I made my point abundantly clear.

Good day.

[Irish_Dem]

9. I am sorry for upsetting you, was only trying to help.

I hope you feel better.

[unblock]

2. i can confirm the brain zaps one

mrs. unblock uses it on occasion and couldn't reduce the dosage without getting very annoying brain zaps. slowing the weaning-off helped a bit, but she still had them.

in she thought it was "worth it" for her, but she definitely did not at all like that particular withdrawal side effect.


as usual, ymmv.

[get the red out]

5. Really tough withdrawals

I was so glad to get off it in September. It had stopped working for me, and the withdrawals were hell. I am glad for the help it gave me for 7 years, but I do wish my Dr had really understood what it would be like when I eventually needed to switch to a different medication. I only saw my GP back then and I don't think he knew enough about how bad the withdrawals were.

Good luck, you will get through it.

[hunter]

6. I quit it cold turkey once, against EVERYONE'S ADVICE.

I'd been on max dose for a few years.

It was bad.

It helps to know what to expect, I guess.

I hit the social safety nets I've built for myself hard.

My own problem is that the first thing that flies out the window is my ability to judge my own mental state.

Please be gentle with yourself.

When my last meds faded (it happens) I landed in the locked psych ward, danger to self, thankfully not others.

The meds I've been prescribed since are working well. They still have a couple of side effects that suck, but it's better than the alternative.

[steve2470]

8. ........

[hunter]

13. I hope your new meds are excellent and worth this temporary discomfort.

Okay, judging fom my own Venlafaxine misadventure, discomfort is too nice a word.

Again, be kind to yourself, and please let your doctor know if it gets too rough.

[steve2470]

14. thank you hunter, you're a good guy nt

[steve2470]

10. Venlafaxine and Serious Withdrawal Symptoms: Warning to Drivers

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/506427

Abstract
Venlafaxine is a widely used serotonin- and norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitor-type antidepressant that causes serious adverse effects in at least 5% of cases. Serious withdrawal symptoms may occur within hours of cessation or reduction of the usual dosage and may affect motor and coordination skills to such a degree that patients should be explicitly urged either to adhere to a strict medication routine or not to drive a car. Recent clinical evidence about withdrawal symptoms is presented that may indicate incidents in noradrenergic activity irrespective of dosage.

Keywords: Venlafaxine, withdrawal, discontinuance syndrome, serotonin, adrenaline, seizures, drivers.

Objective: To present clinical information and a brief review of severe venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms that may occur within hours after cessation and affect the ability to drive a motor vehicle or use heavy or dangerous machinery.

snip

Serotonin, Noradrenaline Withdrawal
Venlafaxine hydrochloride (Effexor, Dobupal) is a phenylethylamine-derivative antidepressant and anxiolytic agent that acts as a serotonin- and noradrenaline-reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It is used primarily in major depressive disorder, with labeled uses including generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia. Nonlabeled uses include depressive symptom remission, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and chronic pain syndromes.

[steve2470]

11. same source, continued

Most selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and SSNRIs are reported to cause serious adverse effects in approximately 5% of patients, according to its manufacturer.[1] Venlafaxine is no exception. Among the adverse effects are a number of withdrawal symptoms that form "discontinuance syndromes," sometimes mistakenly identified with what Sternbach in 1991 proposed as the "serotonin syndrome".[2] Venlafaxine's half-life is only 4 hours. Its primary metabolite, O-desmethylvenlafaxine, has a half-life of 10 hours. In the past 10 years, a number of clinical reports of severe venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms have been published, and for the most part these effects are duly reflected in generally available information. Widely consulted drug information services, such as Medscape DrugInfo, American Hospital Formulary Service Drug Information, and First DataBank, list the following withdrawal symptoms as "serious": agitation, anorexia, anxiety, confusion, impaired coordination, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, dysphoric mood, fasciculation, fatigue, headaches, hypomania, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, nightmares, sensory disturbances (including shock-like electrical sensations), somnolence, sweating, tremor, vertigo, and vomiting.

Don't take this med unless you feel it's worth it. It worked well for me for months, but now I'm paying for it.

[steve2470]

12. more

Venlafaxine is a widely used antidepressant. The World Health Organization asserts that SSRI and SSRNI antidepressants cause dependence and that discontinuation symptoms can be troublesome and persist notwithstanding taper therapy.[17] The specific symptoms that can result from venlafaxine reduction or discontinuation as reviewed here seriously impair driving ability and should be prevented by strict dosage discipline and adequate warnings.

bolding mine