***how to get off effexor symptom free***

I used to take 75mg of Effexor XR. Now I am at about half dose with no side effects. I am amazed when I hear that people went from 75mg to 37.5 to 0. That takes some bravery and time of work or school. That would be just torturous. I came up with a much better plan. This plan is only for those who take capsules of Effexor. Every 75mg capsules has an average of 180 grains inside of it.

Each day I would count three grains less then the previous day and put them back in the capsule.

I have two little containers: One has all the little grains that I took out and the other one has all the opened empty capsules.

The best way to do this is to write how many grains you took on a calendar. The next day you see how much you took the previous day and write a number that is three grains less. This way you can keep an organized schedule on your progress.

The grains are fairly big and are easy to count. You just have to be careful because they tend to roll away. It is also a challenge to put them back into the capsule.

Putting 3 grains less in each day will take two months to get of the 75mg (180/3=60days=2 months). If you start feeling some side effects then cut back to decreasing by 2 or even 1 grain for a day or two. Same can be done with people that take larger amounts of this medication.

Important: The best way to get rid of the side effects is to start taking 1000mg of tyrosine in the morning on an empty stomach and 50mg of 5-HTP before bed.

This sounds interesting. I've been on it for 2 years now and was wondering if I'm going to have take for the rest of my day's

Google: 5htp and venlafaxine, or 5htp and effexor...

There is the possibility of a severe adverse reaction to this combination - serotonin syndrome. This is potentially lethal. Also, around 80% of docs will not be familiar with serotonin syndrome.

5htp will raise serotonin levels. Effexor/venlafaxine raises serotonin levels. Being on two serotonergic drugs is usually something to be avoided. Labels on 5htp would be expected to state 'Contraindications: This product should not be taken with prescription antidepressants, weight control drugs, or other serotonin modifying agents.' or equivalent.

For good reason.

Artur, what happened when you stopped the 5htp?

Pete... if you want to withdraw then there are ways. The bead method, like artur used, is documented.

You want to wean off the drug? First, get yourself some solid independent reading material on the subject. e.g. Glenmullen 'The Antidepressant Solution' library); Healy (available on the web)'Halting SSRIs'. Read, read, and read somemore.

Then... Web search to see what has worked for others, but from your background reading, put this into context... e.g. St John's Wort is another agent that acts on serotonin and again it is not recommended to be taken in conjuction with SNRIs or SSRIs.

well in my new document i have replaced the 5htp at night with rhodiola in the morning. anyone that sees this and wants to follow it, please make that change.

yes 5htp plus effexor can can seratonin syndrome, but if u only take 50mg at night, u will b fine. it is more for sleep. i actually took 100mg of it for about a week. i became really sleepy during the day and stoped taking it, and changed my document.

This is really useful information. My mother is taking Effexor and had me look up how to withdraw from it. After seeing all of the side affects from the withdrawl alone she wanted to know if there were ways to come off it without the side affects. She had me look this up as well. As soon as I read this page I found that these ways are really good ideas to do it. Way better than anything I would have come up with. I am going to leave this page up on her computer for when she gets back from her errands.

Hi. I was on 75 mg of Effexor for about 6 months, hated the side effects and have been tapering off ever since. I started taking one every other day. I got cocky a few weeks in and tried to stop altogether. I remember skipping the 1 day as usual, then I skipped a second and felt normal. On the third day in the morning, I started to feel the awful withdrawl effects people always mention. I mean more horrible than anything that I ever felt. Anyways, since then i've been dumping beads. I literally dump 1 bead out of every day. I'm currently taking a 37.5 mg pill and dumping over half of the beads out. I find it's working 'ok' to get me off of it. It should take me about 2 more months to be off completely. Seems like a long time but those withdrawl effects were a nightmare... so its worth it. I'm also thinking of taking a small 50 mg 5-htp at the same time as approx 15 mg of Effexor. That can't possibly cause Seretonin Syndrome can it?

Mike - reasearch 5 htp.

e.g. on a drugs checker you find the following:

"Major Drug-Drug Interaction venlafaxine and 5-hydroxytryptophan (Major Drug-Drug)
MONITOR CLOSELY: Concomitant use of agents with serotonergic activity such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, 5-HT1 receptor agonists, ergot alkaloids, lithium, St. John's wort, phenylpiperidine opioids, dextromethorphan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan may potentiate the risk of serotonin syndrome, which is a rare but serious and potentially fatal condition thought to result from hyperstimulation of brainstem 5-HT1A receptors.

MANAGEMENT: In general, the concomitant use of multiple serotonergic agents should be avoided if possible, or otherwise approached with caution if potential benefit is deemed to outweigh the risk. Close monitoring is recommended for signs and symptoms of excessive serotonergic activity such as CNS irritability, altered consciousness, confusion, myoclonus, ataxia, abdominal cramping, hyperpyrexia, shivering, pupillary dilation, diaphoresis, hypertension, and tachycardia. Particular caution is advised when increasing the dosages of these agents. The potential risk of serotonin syndrome should be considered even when administering one serotonergic agent following discontinuation of another, as some agents may demonstrate a prolonged elimination half-life. For example, a 5-week washout period is recommended following use of fluoxetine before administering another serotonergic agent."

There is a secondary consideration: effexor affects serotonin, 5htp affects serotonin. If your aim is to withdraw from effexor and allow your body's hormones and neurotransmittors to adapt to an off-drug state, then adding another compound that affects serotoin will be at odds with this aim.

Are you still missing days on your doses? Independent specialists tell you to avoid this due to the very short half-life of the drug, as it causes the levels of the drug in the body to rock. It can effectively plunge you in and out of withdrawal. Physiological chaos. It sounds like you felt the effects of this when you tried to extend to 'miss 2 days'.

I've just gone from 150 mg XR to 75 mg, as per doc, but brain zaps are driving me nuts. It's been about 2 days! I can't turn my head at all or I get the buzzy/zapping sensation. I have a headache also, but not sure if that is part of it. I'm tempted to go back up to see if it helps and try the tiny bead method.

Michelle: here is your standard list of serotonin-boosting antidepressant withdrawal symptoms...

That Mimic Depression
1. Crying spells
2. Worsened Mood
3. Low energy (fatigue, lethargy, malaise)
4. Trouble concentrating
5. Insomnia or trouble sleeping
6. Change in appetite
7. Suicidal thoughts
8. Suicide attempts

That Mimic Anxiety Disorders
9. Anxious, nervous, tense
10. Panic attacks (racing heart, breathless)
11. Chest pain
12. Trembling, jittery, shaking

Irritability and Aggression
13. Irritability
14. Agitation (restlessness, hyperactivity)
15. Impulsivity
16. Aggressiveness
17. Self-harm
18. Homicidal thoughts or urges

Confusion and Memory Problems
19. Confusion or cognitive difficulties
20. Memory problems or forgetfulness

Mood Swings
21. Elevated mood (feeling high)
22. Mood swings
23. Manic-like reactions

Hallucinations
24. Auditory hallucinations
25. Visual hallucinations

Dissociation
26. Feeling detached or unreal.

Other
27. Excessive or intense dreaming
28. Nightmares

That Mimic the Flu
29. Flu-like aches and pains
30. fever
31. sweats
32. Chills
33. Runny nose
34. Sore eyes.

That Mimic Gastro-enteritis
35. Nausea
36. Vomiting
37. Diarrhoea
38. Abdominal pain or cramps
39. Stomach bloating

Dizziness
40. Disequilibrium
41. Spinning, swaying, lightheaded
42. Hungover or waterlogged feeling
43. Unsteady gait, poor co-ordination
44. Motion sickness

Headache
45. Headache

Tremor
46. Tremor

Sensory Abnormalities
47. Numbness, burning or tingling
48. Electric zap-like sensations in the brain
49. Electric shock-like senstions in the body.
50. Abnormal visual sensations
51. Ringing or other noises in the ears
52. Abnormal smells or tastes

Other
53. Drooling or excessive saliva
54. Slurred speech
55. Blurred vision
56. Muscle cramps, twitches, stiffness
57. Feeling of restless legs
58 Uncontrollable twitching of the mouth.

Cardiac effects are not on this list, but are well known to be associated with withdrawal. Hair loss can happen too.

Headaches are very common, can vary in severity, and at the top end, people have ended up in Emergency getting all sorts of investigative tests done.

A 50% cut in dose is MASSIVE. Hopefully your doc still told you to take the drug every day though? So many compound the problem, by plunging patients in and out of cold turkey on their miss-a-day instructions.

If you've got severe withdrawal, general advice is to go back and restabilise at the previous level (i.e.150mg), then once stabilised, drop by a smaller increment and observe one's reaction to this drop. The approach should ideally be individually tailored, since people react in so many different ways. What one person's physiology can handle, sends another's haywire.

This is about physiological dependence,'addiction'. The drug has made major changes, and withdrawal isn't simply about removing the drug from the system. It is about allowing one's body time to try and slowly adapt to the changing conditions - that indicates a gentle approach, listening to what your body is telling you.

I spoke to my pharmasist about doing the "bead" method and she said that each bead doesnt have the same ingriendient in - Effexor is made up of 2 types of drug - one that deals with Seretonin and the other that deals with the adrenalin.

That's odd.

I would suggest talking to another pharmacist.

From this document, you will see that in doses less than 150mg, Effexor (venlafaxine) acts as an SSRI, but once a person is taking a higher dose than this then it also inhibits noradrenaline reuptake.

http://www.ssri-uksupport.com/files/haltingSS...

As far as I know, the only active ingredient in venlafaxine is venlafaxine hydrochloride. But I could be mistaken.

Check out some effexor drug sheets, and have a look?

The bead method is described in Glenmullen's book on antidepressant withdrawal, and lots of people have used it - but this is the first time I have heard of "each bead doesnt have the same ingriendient in - Effexor is made up of 2 types of drug - one that deals with Seretonin and the other that deals with the adrenalin."

So I would suggest a discussion with another pharmacist, preferably a compounding pharmacist.

What is definitely true is that not all of the beads are the same size, and the numbers/capsule can also vary slightly... but people sort them out the best they can to calculate dose and maintain dose accuracy as far as is possible.

Read up about it first? Chapter 12, Glenmullen,'The Antidepressant Solution'

Hi I came across this post as I was looking up 5-HTP interactions. You folks need to check out the site www.crazymeds.org
excellent site on meds and getting off
I'm tapering off 300mg by 37.5 mg a day. But the sites amazin' At the end of your last wean of also ask for prozac from your doc, as prozac has a much higher half life its easier to come off of.

Artur,
Thank you for posting your method for weaning off effexor. I am doing exactly as you have said. So far so good. I am on my 9th day so today I will take out 27 beads. Last night I had a little trouble sleeping and today I have a little anxiety. I don't know if it is just in my head or not. I really want to get off this stuff. I feel it has contributed to my increase in alcohol consumption. I would always feel like I needed to have a drink to "even" the effects of the effexor out.
As far as the brain zaps go, it's weird but I have had them before I started taking the effexor. I am the type of person that avoids taking medications at all so never took any anti-depressants before effexor. I don't even take tylenol unless I really really need it.

artur wrote:

I used to take 75mg of Effexor XR. Now I am at about half dose with no side effects. I am amazed when I hear that people went from 75mg to 37.5 to 0. That takes some bravery and time of work or school. That would be just torturous. I came up with a much better plan. This plan is only for those who take capsules of Effexor. Every 75mg capsules has an average of 180 grains inside of it.
Each day I would count three grains less then the previous day and put them back in the capsule.
I have two little containers: One has all the little grains that I took out and the other one has all the opened empty capsules.
The best way to do this is to write how many grains you took on a calendar. The next day you see how much you took the previous day and write a number that is three grains less. This way you can keep an organized schedule on your progress.
The grains are fairly big and are easy to count. You just have to be careful because they tend to roll away. It is also a challenge to put them back into the capsule.
Putting 3 grains less in each day will take two months to get of the 75mg (180/3=60days=2 months). If you start feeling some side effects then cut back to decreasing by 2 or even 1 grain for a day or two. Same can be done with people that take larger amounts of this medication.
Important: The best way to get rid of the side effects is to start taking 1000mg of tyrosine in the morning on an empty stomach and 50mg of 5-HTP before bed.

My Natropath put me on Adreanal BC3 and Adreanal Glandular (AOR) and I have been taking these daily for the past 2 months. I have taken 1 37.5mg capsule every second day for the past week and didn't have really any side effects. I decided today to miss a dose so now I am on one pill every 3 days. I am a little dizzy but nothing I can't handle. I am just trying to keep myself really busy. We'll see how tomorrrow is though. Good Luck! Remember...You can do this.

hi
i took am my last prozac 47 days ago after weaning off and still feeli g brain zaps, irritability, weariness

am not goig back on, but h ow long lord how long

I was what I thought weaning myself off of effexor. My original dose was 150, then I went down to 75 for a week, then 37.5. I have having some nasty side effects. Rushing in my head, nausea. I took my last 37.5 two days ago, how long will the side effects last?

If I Had Only Known wrote:

I was what I thought weaning myself off of effexor. My original dose was 150, then I went down to 75 for a week, then 37.5. I have having some nasty side effects. Rushing in my head, nausea. I took my last 37.5 two days ago, how long will the side effects last?

The first 4-5 days are the worst, then it gets slightly better every day. I still had symptoms for 6 weeks, but after the first two weeks, things were pretty managable. The lingering symptoms were short term memory loss, difficulty concentrating, emotional lability, difficulty sleeping.

I wish you luck!

Brigid W wrote:

<quoted text>
The first 4-5 days are the worst, then it gets slightly better every day. I still had symptoms for 6 weeks, but after the first two weeks, things were pretty managable. The lingering symptoms were short term memory loss, difficulty concentrating, emotional lability, difficulty sleeping.
I wish you luck!

Thank you for your reply. I have been drinking water, hoping to flush this out of my system. I feel like a fish. I go in for a minor procedure next week and will be off work 1-2 weeks. hopefully by then I'll be back to almost normal.

I have been weaning off of effexor for about a month now. It is pure hell. No one warned me about the horrific side effects. I feel as though i am literally losing my mind. Severe leg cramps, flu like symptoms, anxiety, spinning sensation, nausea, dizziness, confusion, tremors, hallucinations, severe headaches, electrical impulses in head, crying, should i go on? I have been weaning off slowly. I was on 150mg and am down to about a quarter of a 37.5mg capsule. I have been dumping beads for a while. This is torture. I feel like someone putting in a hospital in an induced coma until this goes away. Any one else feel this bad?

If I Had Only Known wrote:

I was what I thought weaning myself off of effexor. My original dose was 150, then I went down to 75 for a week, then 37.5. I have having some nasty side effects. Rushing in my head, nausea. I took my last 37.5 two days ago, how long will the side effects last?

It will last for what feels like an eternity. You will need to get some more capsules and dump beads. Going from 37.5 to nothing will be too drastic for anyone to handle.