It's only been day 2 (insurance cancelled) of withdrawal & so far I've been feeling as though when I'm walking to whatever destination, my body arrives but my brain delays its arrival. I feel extremely anxious, nauseous, short-tempered, dizzy, sensitive & confused. I like how I felt while taking Effexor but these withdrawals are unbearable... how much longer can I expect to have them?
How long do Effexor withdrawal symptoms last?
Question posted by ambudai on 9 Feb 2014
Last updated on 5 March 2023
167 Answers Page 6
I started weaning 9 weeks ago. Completely off for 2 weeks. Experienced all the same symptoms mentioned here. I continue to use Gravol to ease nausea. It decreases the dizziness but not completely. Dizziness is ridiculously difficult, close to fainting, sometimes interfering with my eyesight. I'm extremely upset about the weight gain and water retention! I've gained approximately 30 pounds and very uncomfortable. Exercise is not helping at all. I am praying it will diminish over time. My emotions are definitely back full force but prefer that to being a zombie with no motivation. I feel as though I'm waking up and cherish my emotions now. It's a heel if a fight but I vow to win. No matter how much depression or anxiety, I will never take Effexor or anything like it again. There are better ways to deal than to be a slave to this drug!
After 5yrs on meds, with the last 3yrs including Effexor XR amongst others, I finally realised it was the drugs that were making me feel depressed and mentally/emotionally numb. This realisation came too late to save my career, marriage or sanity (all of which I lost in the last 3 years) but better late than never I guess
Worst drug I've ever taken. So glad to be off of it. Took a long time to completely be weaned, but it was a winning battle. Was on 300mg a day and am now on 300mg Wellbutrin and 20mg Lexapro. Great combo for me considering how much Effexor I was on.
So sorry you went through all that. I'm tired of being emotionally numb also. Time to get off anti-depressants. Hang in there and best wishes .
I had been taking Effexor ER(75mg) for 3 months, it cause me to have very high blood pressure, excessive sweating, and extreme anxiety. My doc told me to slowly taper off so I did... well we are on day 7 of none and I feel as if I am being shocked everything that I move, I feel confused, I am very tired, dizzy and lastly having terrible balance issues. I just want to know when this feeling will end I have 4 childrwn to take care of and I can barely clean my house I have been sitting on the couch not moving for three days and I still feel horrible. If any of you have found something to help with the withdrawal symptoms I would greatly appreciate advice! I hope that this will go away soon.
Ginger root, for nausea. Omega 3, and St John's wort. Eating fresh products. A lot of vegetables when you eat a meal. It helped a lot.
Everyone is different. It took me a week 1/2 to finally feel better. But I didn't taper I quit cold turkey. It's been 3 weeks now. I still have brain shocks. Not as intense and not as frequent.
I know some people are against it. I was too until I turned desperate to feel better. Since the hospital or doctor wouldn't help. I tried medical marijuana for 3 days. Those 3 days I almost felt normal again. It helped with nausea, and dulled my brain shocks. After those 3 days is when the withdrawals started to go away.
Like I said people are different. Goodluck to you. And I hope you feel better. It's so hard going through this when no one around knows what you feel like.
Luckily you're on a lower dose and haven't been on it for long. The shocking sensation will last for a while. I was literally taking very small bites of my pills in the morning, just to help with the side effects. I got down to like a speck of the pill before I could completely stop it. Good luck, it's quite a struggle.
I've been reading the posts here and thank goodness for these types of things so that we can find out we are not alone in what can be a lonely process.
I have been on many antidepressants of all types and stripes over many years and it just reaches a point where I get tired of being on meds. I began weaning myself off of effexor but probably didn't do it slowly enough and this past week has been brutal but am optimistic that I will get back to normal soon. The brain 'zaps' are horrible and the night sweats have been terrible. Work has been a challenge with having very little patience. I took today off because I was feeling nauseated on the way in and turned around and tried to sleep most of the day. Really hoping all these awful withdrawal symptoms dissipate very soon. I will try the turmeric that someone suggested. Would rather find something naturally sourced if at all possible. It was so embarrassing when my eye doctor was fitting me for contacts and made a comment about the size of my pupils..
Take your time coming off of it and the side effects will be minimal. I was taking 300mg a day and it took almost 3 months to be completely off it. I would take tiny pieces of the dust from a pill, just to help keep the shocks at bay. Weaned by going down a slight amount, every two weeks. I'm on a cocktail of 300mg Wellbutrin, 20mg Lexapro and 30mg Vyvanse. Works well and I feel human again!
I found this thread by googling "Effexor withdrawals" and I am so glad I did. I started taking 150mg Effexor 7 years ago as prescribed my my GP who said they would help with feelings of anxiety. If I could turn back time I would never never touch this drug. I tried numerous times to come off it but was too scared to give it up completely being convinced it was the only thing holding anxiety at bay. I am happy to say I am 28 days free now. It has been a long process. I went down to 75 for about 2 months; then 37.5; then 37.5 every second day and then I just stopped. The first week was tough - insomnia, nauseous, headaches, teary etc. But it is so worth it!! Nothing beats the euphoria of finally being off that drug. I feel like I am finally thinking clearly (albeit some moments of confusion) for the first time in 7 years.
I am not against medication for depression and anxiety at all. However I was prescribed this drug at a very vulnerable time in my life and I grabbed it like a life line believing that the DRs knew best. I am convinced now that this is not a beneficial drug for anyone.
I still get brief brain zaps and a feeling in the back of my mind that I need Effexor but I can live with those feelings for as long as it takes.
I have a question about weaning off Effexor XR. My Dr. Wants me to wean off to start taking Cymbalta. So my question would be how do you wean off the Effexor when it's a capsule?
Thank you for any insight you may have.
Cfraz, a lot of people would actually take the tiny beads and count them out. They would keep track of how many they took a day, then subtract one every other day. Sounds crazy, but coming off this drug is almost impossible without major side effects along the way.
If you want a less tedious way than counting beads talk to your doctor about coming off the medication. He can prescribe the 37.5 mg capsules for tapering off. If you are at 75 mg for example you can do
75, 75, 37, 75, 75, 37, 75
75,37,75,37,75,37,75
37,37,75,37,37,75,37
37,37,37,37,37,37,37 ( then optional*half the beads* 37,19,37,19,37,19,37)
0,37,37,0,37,37,0,37 (optional 37,19,19,37,19,19,37)
0,37,0,37,0,37,0 (optional 19,19,19,19,19,19,19)
0,0,37,0,0,37,0 (optional 19,19,0,19,19,0,19)
off (optional 0,19,0,19,0,19,0)
(optional 0,0,19,0,0,19)
off
You will still have a week feeling really bad at zero but it gets better. If you want you can add a level of half the beads (19) in the 37.5, but that makes coming off of the medication a couple weeks longer. It was an easier withdrawal however
Finally someone gets it. I thought i was feeling crazy!!! I am 20 years old. I take effexor for severe depression and anxiety.
I started taking this 3 months ago. I take a high dosage. And my doctor did not tell me about the withdrawals until just last week. The tremors or shocks that run through my body they are so extreme. I dont know what to do. I read alot of the comments. I am scared of this medicine and already want to get off. I dont feel good at all taking it. But how??? The withdrawal for one day is too strong. And it scares me. What do i do? On top of that how do i work woth the withdrawals i cant just up and quit. Or tell my work place about this.
My doctor gave me Klinopin to take to help with the withdrawals it helped a lot. I've been off the medication a year now. If you can take off a week it will help through the worst withdrawal days when you taper to the zero mark. I wrote on an earlier thread in this forum how to taper off really gradually... look it up... I was able to work during this time without my job noticing I didn't feel great. Dramamine helped with the dizzy nausea... taper off really slowly over a couple months. You will still have bad days and anxiety but remind yourself it's temporary. It takes time ... and if you do it too quick it can be fatal "serotonin syndrome".
Omg, don't ever just "take a week off"!!! Start slow and stay slow. If you taper off too quickly, you will end up in the ER like I did, with BP at stroke levels.
I'm starting to wean off 37.5mg Effexor next week. My doc started me on 5mg Buspar twice a day and .5mg Clonazepam twice a day for a week first with the Effexor, then next week I'm supposed to start taking the Effexor every other day.
She warned me about the nausea, dizziness, headaches, jitteriness etc that are coming my way, so this morning I sat down with my boss and told him that I'll be feeling very sick for the next few weeks. I didn't go into details but said it was medication related, and that I'd be as productive as I could but I wanted to give him a heads up.
It takes a while to get rid of the shocks you feel sometimes and as you stated the delays. I thought that I was never going to be able to get off of it but I weened myself off of them very slowly and even after I was done, I would occasionally feel the shocks. I would just try and calm myself down and basically "think good thoughts'. I also started going to the gym and noticed a huge difference. If that doesn't work, I have heard that medical grade marijuana works for take the edge off as well. Just remember it is possible.
I use cannabis in place of over 30 medications
Hi
I have been struggling with effexor for 6 years... No emotions at all, lost all passion an drive in my life. Hives insomnia nausea head aches tension in my body constantly the list goes on. And the horrid brain zaps. Its a horrible drug and should be taken off the market in my personal opinion.
FISH OIL has been my saviour...
Ask you Dr to give you an idea of what does of fish oil is right for you before you try this. fish oil in different doses helps particular parts of your body.
I have found taking the max daily dose of Omega 3 fish oil tablets erases the majority of withdrawal symptoms from effexor. Including the brain zaps. Easier to list what the fish oil does not help with... After 2 weeks only using fish oil I have slight vertigo occasionally, still sensitive, feel a little emotional i cry at the drop of a hat' little loss of appetite and I feel I need a little extra rest here and there. although it has been a much smoother ride than not using fish oil in the past.
I hope this helps at least one person here its worth it!
Good luck on your journey all off you, try keep or spirits high, stay positive.
Lala
I have been off effexor 150 mg for 5 weeks. The withdrawal symptoms were a living hell. Day 5 was the worst. Developed brain zaps week 2 off it. Exercise (walking) helped. Week 5, night sweats, brain zaps and extreme irritability returned. I am at the start of week 6. No night sweats and irritability seems better. Brain zaps are still here
It's been almost 6 months since my last comment on this post. Withdrawals are still here. Brain zapping especially in the mornings. Confusion. Not constant like in the beginning but it is still an every day occurrence. I thought 6 months ago there was a light at the end of the tunnel because of the improvement but it seemed to come to a halt and this is where it is leaving me. Hard to believe that only taking Effexor for a couple of months can have such adverse effects when stopping it. When it alters your serotonin levels is that permanent? I have had DRs say it is temporary or try to say the zapping is caused by something else. My Dr prescribed me low dosage busbar... not sure exactly what it is for but it doesn't do anything. Effexor is a horrible drug... the side effects while on it was unbearable, the constant over heating, sweating, nausea, headaches... withdrawals are worse. I'm still hopeful that I will be normal again one day.
I have been reading up on the withdrawal symptoms and everyone mentions brain zapping... i have a constant low grade tinny undulating sound in my head and whooshing... which occasionally ramps up to loud and discombobulating lebels... is that the brain zap everyone is referring to? I am switching from 300 mg to 150 to 75 to 37.5... am now off and prescribed Wellbutrin... any thoughts on this switch? Weepy withdrawals. Light sensitivity and so loud
I too have been without health insurance for a week for the first time in 28 years. I'm completely out of Venlafaxine 75mg. for the fourth day. My doctor was giving it to me for menopause (hot flashes), not I'm sweating like you know. Thank you everyone for the posts it has helped me know what is going on with me. I have been dizzy, nauseous, short-tempered, and yes a little confused. I did go see my doctor today and we decided not to put me back on it because of my blood pressure. I didn't see a post to tell me how long this would last? My doctor didn't know she told me if it get to bad to call her.
Please try turmeric curcumin 500 mg, I read that it was good for Genetically linked dementia and hot flashes. Well let me tell you, I am hot flash free but made the mistake of taking effexor 75 mg prior and I want off because my hot flashes never improved on the drug and I found that turmeric could take care of that. The headaches and brain zapping is horrible, again, I'm hot flash free but with horrible side effects from the drug withdrawals.
All of these comments are extremely helpful--thank you all for posting them. I too have been weaning myself off of Effexor and have been experiencing all of the same symptoms save one... heart palpitations. Has anyone else besides me been getting heart palpitations?
Hi. I am glad to say no. I am sorry you are experiencing them. I know how scary they can be. There is a gentleman by the name of Chuck in this forum you might want to speak to. He seems to be a specialist and has advised many people. I hope this helps. Feel better
Yes, I experienced palpitations while on it (375mg per day for 3 years). I'm now in day 6 of my final withdrawal from 37.5mg down to 0 (I've been gradually tapering off over the last 14 months) and still get palpitations at night only. I just try to control my breathing and breathe through it - it's hard though because with all of then other withdrawal symptoms (chills, sweats, dizziness, brain zaps) you begin to panic that maybe you are having a heart attack (by the way, I'm 50yrs old and, thanks to the meds, overweight, so that worry isn't as far-fetched as you may think). I listen to guided breathing clips on YouTube - maybe this might work for you too... no harm in trying.
Good luck
Hi. I saw your comment and can totally relate. I have been on Effexor for the past few years and had somehow got to a dose of 150mg per day. I don't believe that was necessary at all. Anyway I decided to come off it when I realized Effexor was the reason for my excessive weight gain and constant fatigue. I weaned down over a month, starting mid December. I had some withdrawals during that process but absolute worst since stopping completely about 5 weeks ago. Im still experiencing withdrawals and every day I feel some combination of nausea/vomiting, hot and cold sweats and depression / low mood. I am so damn sick of being sick. How much longer will it take? I want to hear from those who have come off and no longer have withdrawals. Oh and how long til you were able to get your metabolism back to normal and drop weight? Im working out hard and eating healthy hoping to drop the 20kg that Effexor stacked on! Thanks
Hi. I have been off venlavaxine 37.5mg for 4 months now and its the best thing i have ever done. I was on this tablet for anxiety for about 5 months and although it helped with anxiety it had negative effects on me. Main one being intrusive thoughts. I knew it was the tablet doing it and i decided i had had enough and want to stop it. I told my phyciatrist my problem and she suggested i stop for 2 weeks. I had all the withdrawal symptoms, ( sweats, insomnia, brain zaps, etc.) Four months later and i have come through the other side. Thank goodness. The withdrawal symptoms lasted about a month, i just kept telling myself it was the tablet coming out of my system. The intrusive thoughts have taken a bit longer to go away but they are fading. I go for ages without having them and i have started to look forward to things again instead of feeling like a zombie. My emotions have returned also. I fel human again.
My anxiety is under control now and i have promised myself i will never take another antidepresent ever again. Life means to much to me. To anyone coming off this stuff stick at it, there is a light at the end. I know, im at that end tunnel. Good luck to all of you trying to stop.
This is my 2nd full day of not taking 150 mg of Effexor. It's 3:42 am, my head feels like it wants to explode and the nausea is driving me crazy. I'm trying to ride it out. Has it taken anyone more than a week to go through withdrawal?
Hi. I saw your comment and can totally relate. I have been on Effexor for the past few years and had somehow got to a dose of 150mg per day. I don't believe that was necessary at all. Anyway I decided to come off it when I realized Effexor was the reason for my excessive weight gain and constant fatigue. I weaned down over a month, starting mid December. I had some withdrawals during that process but absolute worst since stopping completely about 5 weeks ago. Im still experiencing withdrawals and every day I feel some combination of nausea/vomiting, hot and cold sweats and depression / low mood. I am so damn sick of being sick. How much longer will it take?
Many of the people in this forum have said it takes about a week for the symptoms to subside. I hope that is true because I don't know how much more of this I can take. I started getting emotional last night, crying for no reason. My son was only serving me dinner, and in the middle of saying thank you to him I started crying. I now know what everyone is calling "brain zaps", started experiencing them today. All I can say is hang in there, you're not alone. This is only my 3rd day of being off of this terrible medication, but, I truly feel that things can only get better.
I have been taking Effexor for 13 years. first 37.5 mg after 6 years 75mgs. I want to stop because 3 years ago I've developed this annoying ringing in my ears and it is driving me crazy, not to mention the weight gain. Once I stopped taking it for 1 day and I thought everyone speaking to me was whispering because I never heard a word nor did I move to do anything. Another time I forgot my pill and felt like I wanted to jump on the train track. I don't know what to do at this point because I feel like I'm living in a bubble.
How is it going without Effexor XR I have been on it for 3 months I need off of it bad but I'm scared
I am on day 5 to 8 (I don't even know my head is so confused) of no Venlafaxine and feel like hell. I can't even type, I'm so uncoordinated. Maybe when I feel better I will come back on. But just exhausted myself typing this.
You are not alone.
Hi, I started taking 150 mg of Effexor for only 4 months now, well on Holy Friday I decided that I want to get off this medication on my own. Anyways my last pill was on that Friday. Today it's been 3 days off hell with out them, felling all the symptoms that everyone says here, even heart palpitations, today 28/3/16, had to go to the ER, I wanted for the doctor to a detox on me.. I was feeling in pain, was so anxious, my stomach hurted, had a bad sensation of going to the bathroom, but I couldn't it was like I was constipated , nausea, headaches, dizziness, and what the dam Doctor did was gave me 2 infections one for the anxiety I came in with, the other for the nausea, and one for the pain. Felt a little better, but the dizziness is what I hate the most. I got home and went to sleep, the only part where I feel better, I sleep for hours, and I wake up all sweety, feel a moment better then it all comes back..
The dizziness, the discomfort, the anxiety of wanting to feel better, it drives me nuts. But every symptoms that everyone talks in this forum, is all true, I say to me that if I ever have to be in a antidepresion medication ever again , I rather be dead then taking Effexor.. I just want to be me again. This madication make you look like a zombie. Like if nothing around you cares. Or if someone says anything to you that u know in your good time you would have flip and tell the person off, well with this medication u look like a sucker, just the this feeling.. I'm glad I'm doing it on hard cold... With no need off lowering my dosage, been 3 days already, what the heck, might ass well finish with this way... Good luck!!!
Thank you everyone for your experiences. I was up to 350 mg and have titrated down 50 and 25 mg at a time. I am finally at 25 mg, 1/4 a 100 mg tablet. It was hard at first, terrible in fact, for the first few tries until we found 25 mg reductions and adding 10 mg Prozac helped. After the Prozac was in my system for around 8 weeks we found I could reduce the Effexor by 50 mg without being crippled by the withdrawals. I started taking a new medication and continued using the Prozac but the last 25 mg of Effexor have me stuck. From reading more comments on this post I think I am going to try dealing with the worst 6 days during spring break. From what I have read in the past few months I have done what I can (bridging with the Prozac, tried omega-3s, reduced caffeine greatly) and I just have to deal with being in pain (agony) for a week... Does anyone else have experience completing their titrating off Effexor from the tablets- not the time release capsules?
I have brain zaps everyday and it took me years to finally figure out how to explain the feeling!
Related topics
effexor, withdrawal, insurance, brain, symptom
Further information
- Effexor prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Effexor (detailed)
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