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Withdrawal of Venlafaxine & Mirtazipine

I stopped taking Venlafaxine and Mirtazipine on Tuesday, almost a week ago. Because these drugs are not helping me and actually enhancing my ADD issues and i am trying to go through law school.  I have suffered from the withdrawal effects of rapid bodily temperature change, adrenaline rushes affecting mood, sobbing at the end of the day, nausea, shaking, body aches, rapid mood changes, random anger outbursts, and random itching everywhere as if my whole body was on fire. Some of it has subsided but i am still feeling nauseous and having mood issues, etc.. How long is this supposed to last????
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Avatar universal
The problem with these drugs isn't that they're fat soluble.  Quite the contrary, the problem particularly with Effexor is how quickly it leaves the body, leaving the brain no time to get used to being without the drug -- it leaves in a matter of hours.  While we're on these drugs receptor sites for targeted neurotransmitters turn off because the brain no longer deems them necessary, and when we go off these drugs these receptors try to reawaken.  This is believed to be the cause of much of the withdrawal symptoms, and the brain has a very hard time the longer one's on a drug like this adapting back to working naturally.  Sometimes it takes a really long time, sometimes a really short time, sometimes never, sometimes a medium time.  Because nobody can predict how hard this will be for them as an individual it's always best not to quit cold turkey, particularly two drugs at once.  So we can't tell you how long this will take, we can only tell you the recommended way to do this is to taper off first one drug slowly until completion, than the other, and even then we can't tell you how hard it will be.  So you have two choices -- go back on the medications and do this the safer way, under the care of a psychiatrist who will take the time to help you and understands this, or hope it will go away and go away quickly.
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Avatar universal
Is changing from Prozac to Effexor a bad idea. From most post I've read it sounds like effoxor works but it's scary to get off of???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Take vitamin D 10000 iu per day and MAGNESIUM pills morning and night! It will def help and these symtomps will disappear: ADD, depression, sleep issues, anxiety, stress, tiredness, vision problems, allergies, rashes, agression, itching, feeling sick, migraine, speechproblems, thinkproblems, memoryloss, inflamations, etc etc etc... 
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Take vitamin D 10000 iu per day and MAGNESIUM pills morning and night! It will def help and these symtomps will disappear: ADD, depression, sleep issues, anxiety, stress, tiredness, vision problems, allergies, rashes, agression, itching, feeling sick, migraine, speechproblems, thinkproblems, memoryloss, inflamations, etc etc etc... 
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I took effexor for november going up to 150mg by weekly 37.5 increases. And off in two 75mg 4 day decreases.  It is january 3 and i still feel like effexor is in my system.  I cant ejaculate when having sex. I am also on 300 mg wellbutrin after a week on prozac right after effexor.  When does this all stop?  I feel the wellbutrin starting to make me feel okay but the effexor still has its claws in me.  Or is this all psychological?
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Avatar universal
I took effexor last in 2005. The past week or so I started what my husband recognized as the symptoms I had while taking effexor, the symptoms we all see as withdrawl. I haven't been on any antidepressants in 5yrs and don't want to start now. I feel trapped by the rapid cycling emotions I've been dealing with, everything feels overwhelming. Beyond meds does anyone have ideas of what to do to deal with this?  I will add I have lost a lot of weight >60lbs since Jan. Help!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Try taking a healthy dose of fish oil, it's said to help with some of the physiological effects of withdrawal.  I wouldn't do this cold turkey myself, but good luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for the valuable information. I was on 75 mg of venlafaxine and probably the smallest dose of mirtazapine. i have been off cold turkey for two weeks, found some helpful vitamins from a website called Neuro Genetic Solutions so hopefully they will help with the anxiety. I was doing ok until this weekend and now am riddled with tremors and extreme panicky feelings. I just got the vitamins so I will start taking them asap. I have been on SSRI's since I was 16 years old and am now 29. I have a feeling this is going to be a long irritating process. :( but thanks against for your supporting comment!
Helpful - 0
1110049 tn?1409402144
There are a great many postings about withdrawing from Effexor.  There is one that asks, as you have, "How Long Does It Take" and there are 930 answers, and you will see that it varies from person to person.

We cannot tell you how long it will take you to get over these withdrawal symptoms.  

Having come off Effexor cold turkey once, I was poorly for 2 weeks, and had to go back on Effexor after a year, as depression returned.

This time, after 5 years on 150mg daily, Effexor XR, I withdrew over 10 months, and took it so very slowly.  It is three months now, and I have had no withdrawal symptoms at all.  I am really well.  So you see, the slower the withdrawal, the less the withdrawalo symptoms.  I am 73 years of age, and have been on anti depressants for 20+ years.  I believe if I can do it, then anyone can, so long as they withdraw VERY SLOWLY.

We cannot say how long it will last in your case, as we are all different.  Sorry I cannot be more positive.

I do hope you begin to feel better soon.
Helpful - 0
1128565 tn?1316721143
Hi I came off 150 mgs of venlafluxine cold turkey and its not an easy ride. I also came off two other drugs.
Its a double whammy because you have come off two at once ! You don't say how long you were on them ? I was on venlafluxine 11 years !
The longer we are on the drugs the worst it is because they are fat soluable and stick to fat/muscle in the body.
You may be best to go back to the dr's and tell them what you've done go back on the drugs then very slowly one at a time wean off them as going cold turkey makes wd's much worse and makes wd's go on longer it is hell !
Have a look on wb for CITA it's my support group they help you come off much more slowly than the dr's and have helped me, I was a wreck but am much better I still have waves and windows but I hope and pray it will go !!
Also look up recovery road on web.
Take care
Lorraine
Helpful - 0
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