Weaning off Effexor

[ng15]

So I am in the process of weaning myself off Effexor. I started at 225mg and just went from 150 to 75. My first step down was not too horrible, but I think this step may be a little worse. And I worry that the final step will be unbearable. Any advice for dealing with the symptoms? I keep telling myself how wonderful it is going to be to not be on meds after 6 years on them to get myself through. And if I do need to go back on meds, that's okay too, but it will not be Effexor again! Don't get me wrong, Effexor did what it was supposed to, but this withdrawal process is not something I want to repeat. I am struggling a bit with bouts of anger since I started weaning down, I have heard this is a withdrawal side effect. But I worry it is depression rearing it's ugly head, how do I know the difference? Any ideas, thoughts are very welcome!

[ng15]

There are some that are "more safe" than others, but there just isn't much research on Effexor and pregnancy. One of the biggest risks is of persistant pulmonary circulation (or hypertension) in the newborn, which means their blood ends up bypassing the lungs after delivery as it does during fetal life. Although most of the time, we see babies who are hesitant to breathe at delivery, something about the antidepressant can suppress their respiratory system.

If I have to go back on meds, I will. There is also a lot of research that shows the side effects of having a depressed mother are just as great or greater than taking antidepressants and other psych meds during pregnancy.

If anything the Effexor withdrawal will prepare me for morning sickness, lol! Gotta find some humor in this process :) I feel grateful to not have experienced the "brain zaps" I've heard others described. Mostly I'm really tired, dizzy and some stomach issues at times, but nothing I can't handle so far. The nights sweats have been worse at times, but I had those while on the med so not much different. And I have to say the dreams are sometimes pretty cool, it's like watching a movie in my sleep every night. Just trying to stay positive!

[Hensley258]

Oh, I see. Yea, If I were a women I don't think I would want to be on any antidepressant while pregnent.

They say that drugs like Effexor and Prozac are ok to take while pregnent, but I don't know if that is totally true. I would still be paroniod about any antidepressant if having a baby.

[ng15]

I am hoping to get pregnant in the next year or so and do not want to be on Effexor if at all possible during pregnancy. I am an OB nurse and know the potential side effects of this medication during pregnancy. I also feel I am in a stable point in my life and would like to see if I can be medication free. I am actually finding that in many ways I feel better with the lower doses, my digestive upset is not nearly as bad for example. So far with withdrawal, I've only had a handful of bad days and my body seems to be adjusting rather well. Yesterday was a bad day for symptoms, but today I worked 12 hours without really noticing much. I am not opposed to going back on medication if I need to and I know exactly what to watch for; I'm well in-tuned with my red-flag symptoms. I've also had a lot of counseling which has taught me numerous skills on other ways to deal with things. Some people do need to be on medication forever, but not everyone.

I am also going to talk to my doctor about using Prozac when I go completely off of the Effexor because I heard that can help with withdrawal symptoms and Prozac is easier to get off of.

[Hensley258]

I must ask... If the Effexor was working at 225Mgs a day to give you a normal life free of depression, then why would you want to stop taking it and risk a serious relaps of your condition?

I took 350Mgs a day for 4 years, before Effexor slowly became non-effective for me. That is why I had to taper down and start a new combination of medications.

The withdrawl is not fun, but I can tell you that the slower the better. Once you get to 75Mgs a day, stay with that dosage for at least 2 weeks. Then drop down to 37.5Mgs a day for 3 weeks. Then at that point take 37.5 every other day for 4 more weeks. Then it's time to say good bye to Effexor and deal with the remaining withdrawl.

If you taper too fast then you WILL get sick.