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Venlafaxine Withdrawal Cold Turkey


AmyP

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ive decided i dont want to take these anymore. the gp didn't advise tapering off so i thought maybe it would be okay just stopping. im on 150mg. i looked up the symptoms and it sounds like it can be quite nasty. the tablets ive been given can't be split in two an i refuse to go back to that bitch of a gp. i also have trouble with doing things properly with meds i tend to be very all or nothing, ive never tapered off them just stop altogether.

has anyone had experience of going off venlafaxine cold turkey?

today is my first day not taking them, must admit im morbidly curious to see if it's as bad as they say :rolleyes:

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Im going to make this my venlafaxine withdrawal diary so people can see what the effects are like, bearing in mind everyone is different...

4 hours since I should have had my daily dose and i'm feeling very jittery which is affecting my coordination. Also have a queasy feeling in my stomach.

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It is as bad as they say hun. if you can half them then do quarter would be better.

I did go down from 300mg to 150 by halving tablet over a few weeks and that was ok, not taking 150 for a few days.

coordination problems, brain fried, nights when brain felt like I was hallucinating, stomach ache was terrible and massive headaches.

I know you could use this a SH, I had the same feeling but its was just too much for me.

take care hun thinking about you xxxx

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thanks for replying hun. didn't think of it in terms of sh, but maybe your right maybe thats what it is xxx

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I withdrew it gradually over about 4 months, with a LOT of supervision.

It was still really nasty.

But everyone is different.

So be careful.

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I would be a hypocrite if i told you to do it gradually coz i do exactly the same as you,but my withdrawal from venlafaxine was not good. It had made me feel like shit all the time i was on it,so once i decided to stop it,i got through the nasty time with the knowledge that it would pass and i would soon feel better. Not that i am condoning what you're doing. I just understand how you feel. Good luck pal. xxx

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thanks eagleheart hun, i dont want to take them an rather than weaning off for ages id rather just get through it and get it over with. how long did it take for it to wear off for you? xxx

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It was pretty quick for me but i seem to be quite good at enduring unpleasantness! I just wanted to get it over & done with too. I stopped my olanzapine at the same time. I'm too impatient to do things slowly. xxx

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When I insisted I wanted to stop them my pdoc agreed and prescribed me to reduce by 50mg a week until I was off them. The side effects of reducing then stopping were completely hideous and i was a wreck till a couple of weeks after I'd finished. My cpn did say I had the worst time coming off them he'd ever seen though. It might be ok for you - although if you're feeling jittery already I would advise caution. get a pill cutter and do it a bit more gradually than an absolute stop. Good luck. x

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thank you both xx

im just impatient i guess, plus part of me doesn't believe it will be that bad cos ive never really had any sort of reaction, good or bad, to meds

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I used to get brain zaps if i was late taking them even by an hour and one night i missed my dose (forgetting to pick up my script) and ithe following day was my worst day on Earth.

I could have never imagined how bad it could be!

When I reduced from 225mg to 150mg I was ok withdrawal wise (although did crash depression wise 6months later)

When i did stop it it was a change to another AD that was same family of AD so i didn't have any problems then.

As others have said here if you can maybe try to half and quarter the tablets with a tablet cutter (£1.99 in cheap drug stores) and try at 3/4 the dose and gradually drop down (If you are intent on stopping this med then at least make it as gradual as possible) then that might be easier for you.

The MR Capsules are the easiest way to go as have heard of peeps opening them up and literally removing a few beads at a time and then taking the remaining capsule, have heard this is a much more gradual/smoother way of doing it as the reduction is miniscule.

NB This advice is not from any MH professional, just user experiences I have come across in the past

x

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((((Pan))))

Sorry you had bad withdrawal symptoms hun.

If you still really want to try stopping it, how about talking with your gp to try a more gradual reduction.

(I'm not advising you to stop them but if you still feel you want to)

x

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Thanks wolfie, think i will. guna wait until usual nice gp is there rather than talking to that cow again x

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Thanks wolfie, think i will. guna wait until usual nice gp is there rather than talking to that cow again x

Good plan, :D

I have a list of gps at my surgery that i wont see if it's mh related cos they're a bit pants on that :lol:

x

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