Venlafaxine- coming off (UK)

[jerry3571]

Hi, been on Venlafaxine 75mg timed release tablets for about two years. I have waited til the spring to try to come off as it's sunnier and better time of year to do it. Had mild depression for two years and then had some nasty panic attacks when I moved house two years ago. In the UK we have the normal tablet and then the timed release tablet. I am trying to come off by using the 37.5mg timed release in the morning then the 37.5mg normal tablet with 10%  (7.5 mg) chopped in the evening, for a starter. I previously tried going one day on the 37.5 and then the 75mg and try to alternate but this seemed too big a drop for me. Funny now as I feel a bit more snappy and vulnerable with this tiny 10% reduction. I was hoping that this small reduction wouldn't be noticed and I could slowly withdraw from this drug. Any help would be welcome. :)

[jerry3571]

Good luck to you too. I'm in Wiltshire and they seem to send people to a private provider for cbt jedi mind training, evening classes. I got to look through the cbt paperwork again. Funny to know what's a chemical withdrawal effect and what's psychological.
Good luck with yours Mrs Nurse and you've been great. I've not heard of your drug. I think people do come off these drugs too quick but most but most cannot have time off to go cold Turkey so it's gently gently as we got to work to pay the bills. Think this is the root of my issues when I got a mortgage and I'm self employed. Things are fine with money so not much to stress about now.
Thanks for your help. A thing I did notice in my cbt classes that most people seem really nice who get these issues. Possibly the effects of nice people in a harsh world.

[Nurse1996]

I figured you were from the UK. I grew up in Ontario Canada. My Gram was from Shotts Scotland. I live in the United States now. The drug you are taking is called Effexor here and in Canada. They are essentially three different classes of antidepressants. MAOI, which are the older drugs before the newer ones came to the market. SSRI and NDRI. The SSRI and MAOI are the hardest to taper off of. Your drug is a SSRI. Therefore one of the harder ones to wean self off. No drug should be stopped cold turkey, never. Now what Paxiled has commented is true. I was on Paxil back in the 90s, horrific drug to get off. ( stress in college) I had started taking Lexapro about nine yrs ago when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. She was so young. Never smoked, no one smoked in the house, she didn't work where second hand smoke was an issue. She was diagnosed with lung cancer of all things. I took a leave from work to go back to Canada to care for her. Thus my anxieties came back. So I was prescribed Lexapro. Called Siperalex or something to that effect in the UK and Canada. Two days now without the med. I have withdrawal symptoms, I get dizzy if I move my head to fast. Nausea. Startled easier, feel shaky. But the fact is I KNOW it will pass. Seeing as this is probably your first medication for depression/anxiety you are going to have withdrawal. Sometimes you may feel more anxious then before you started the med. I would take it slower. Gradual , at a slower pace. 10 percent at a time may be right for you. Or you made need a slower percent. If you truly feel you are not in need of the med any longer, then just remember this too shall pass. Just keep in mind that the ones closest to you should be aware of your situation, and to be patient. It will get better.

[jerry3571]

Thanks for that. I dropped it for two weeks now and will need longer even though i've only dropped by 10%. Long road back. :)

[jerry3571]

In the uk we have both the timed release and the twice a day (normal) tablet. You can get some scales from a shop which does grams and try to reduce 5% a week. It's an individual thing though but this worked for me.
I have tried chopping up the timed release pill and using these pills twice a day seems ok. Some websites, you get Posters who go mad at the idea of chopping timed release tablets up but it's fine for me. 12 hours apart, obviously.
The normal tablets you can chop up and weigh. Just got to take these tablets every 12 hours.
This is only my experience only so everyone is different.

[jerry3571]

Think that was an issue. Mixing timed release and normal tablets was a bad plan. I'm on twice a day normal tablet now. Dropped the dose by ten percent again after two weeks and now feeling sketchy. Just waiting for things to adjust again before dropping in the the next weeks. A five month plan.Can see how some take a year to come off.

[jerry3571]

5% per week drop is the new thing. 10% drop is quite noticeable. I must be sensitive to the drops. :-)

[jerry3571]

Think that was an issue. Mixing timed release and normal tablets was a bad plan. I'm on twice a day normal tablet now. Dropped the dose by ten percent again after two weeks and now feeling sketchy. Just waiting for things to adjust again before dropping in the the next weeks. A five month plan.Can see how some take a year to come off.

[jerry3571]

Thanks for all that. Not sure whether part of my symptoms might be that I have a timed release 37.5 I have the morning and a normal tablet (-10%) last thing at night. Not sure if I get a drop on dosage due to the normal release tablet.

[Paxiled]

Just know that this is one of the most difficult of all antidepressants to stop taking, the other being Paxil.  That doesn't mean you'll have big problems, it means being forewarned is important so you won't try to rush this.  You are going to have some side effects, as your brain has been working artificially for a while now and receptors for neurotransmitters that have turned off while you were on the drug, as the brain believed them to be no longer necessary, are trying to turn back on.  This can take time and also produce the symptoms of withdrawal.  Just take it slowly, don't rush it, and I believe, because you know ahead of time there is a problem doing this, you'll be fine.  Just put your feet up and take your time.

[Nurse1996]

Yes I am a nurse, graduated in 1996. I use this as a "nickname" because everything else I tried was already in use. Did your doctor prescribe anything for the panic/anxiety attacks? Like ativan? This can be used as a supplement while dosing down. An as needed med for those periods of irritation. What you can do, is recognize anxiety for what it is for. Just tell yourself "not today" and try to concentrate on something else. Go for a walk. Sit outside and let a cool breeze hit you and breathe deep. These symptoms will go away after time. If you feel you no longer need the med and want to discontinue it, do it. Some people who experience some symptoms end up staying on the med, even though they want off , just so side effects go away. Currently I myself am trying to wean of Lexapro, I know I am going to have withdrawal and I can handle it, took last dose today. But I am getting " hot flashes" among other symptoms.....just wanted to know if anyone else experienced the same thing. And no, not old enough for menopause...lol...it just isn't a symptom I know of that is common. Nevertheless, remember you are not alone. Stick with it and just ask family members to have patience. Good luck!

[Nurse1996]

With withdrawing from any antidepressant you are going to feel sometimes the symptoms you had that put you on the med in the first place. The best thing to remember is that these symptoms or feelings will pass. Let the people closer to you know , to have patience.

[jerry3571]

Thanks. Thought taking it real slow would make it a walk in the park, I guess not alas. Long road ahead I guess. Should I wait until I feel ok again before reducing another 10%? Thanks. (you're a nurse) ;)