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I'm laying off this pos that never helped me. The brain zaps are bearable but god the stomachache is annoying. Doctors should warn us before even starting this nightmare of a drug, like wtf.
How long do withdrawals last? I'm weening of them down to 1 tablet every 2 days right now. Dr has told me withdrawal should last 2 or 3 weeks after last tablet.
I went of Venlafaxine a few months ago... reduced my dosage for 12 months beforehand and then went cold turkey. Horrendous experience, but I'm free now. Good luck to you!
Omg I’ve been tapering the little beads inside the capsules for the past one and a half month and I feel COMPLETELY DEPRESSES AND ANXIOUS! Do you promise me I should keep on my slow tapering and things will be better? 😢
@bekamoreno absolutely, just stick with it... the final.hurdle is the worst... the anxiety of not taking tablets for anxiety is horrendous. Chinese Ginseng is a great, holistic and not addictive alternative
How long do the side effects last? I’m battling cold turkey it’s been about a week and 4 days now still pretty intense symptoms! Someone please tell me I’ll feel normal again!
I’m in the same boat, I have POTS and am in the process of coming off Effexor in order to start a med for my heart🤦♀️ it is immensely helpful to hear your experiences!!
Thank you for explaining the inability to cry. Before transition I was exactly the opposite!! I couldn't get through a week without several, sometimes inappropriately timed, crying sessions. After starting T this immediately stopped and was such a relief. So I guess the opposite would be true for you...to be able to cry when needed would be a relief. Also, I just came across a random video of a woman with Long COVID who is suffering from ME/CFS. Omg, what a horrible thing to go through! I am so glad you have the support system you have and a caring team of professionals. Much love!
Helo my friend. Yes, I used to be able to cry a bit before T, it was hard, but I still could on occassion, but T was one of the things that dried me up! Id love to be able to sob. Every tme Ive accessed my tears Ive loved the relief but it never lasts. Perhaps now Im in long term therapy I will finally crack it! And thank you, so many people have no idea of the impact of ME/CFS. It has such a long history of misinformation, of people "just being tired" of it "being in the mind" and other harmful tropes when its such a serious neurological autoimmunie condition with far reaching consequences for those unlucky to be affected. It steals your entires life. Im just now really learning how to rebuild a new life, a slower one that looks entirely different to the one Id had planned! I do count myself very lucky that I have an understanding partner, Ive at last found a great GP and that we at least have an ME/CFS service in my area. Many dont even have that. So much work to be done! I hope all is well with you Much love to you my friend!
so glad you're off venlafaxine, that stuff is so nasty to get off of. I've been on bupropion and quetiapine for wow, 4 years now. I don't want to stay on these forever, but I also don't want to rock the boat anytime soon.
Good grief brain zaps sound utterly awful. Thank goodness for the good support system, do you realise what a good manager you are Finn? Lovely to see you and Pip!
Hey lovely yes brain zaps are awful, very common with ant D's but never had them as bad as I have with this withdrawal. I head this med was the worst to come off and they were not wrong! I think Im over the worst of it now thank good ness! And yes, without this support system none of this would be possible, and I count you as part of that support sysem! Bless you for your lovely comments, my management has felt a bit off lately but then I have been managing a puppy as well as coming off meds!!! Isnt Captain Pip a bundle of love! Even when he is trying to bite my nose off 😀
I found brain zaps worse from the SSRI citalopram than this drug… I only had to be a few hours late and I was literally having, well the only way to describe it is… “brain zaps” but it was every couple of minutes and horrific…. I think all of this just obviously affects us all differently
It helped me at first but not as much later. I think it's time to go back to my normal state and use my coping mechanism, since the medication only helps to a certain degree and is losing it's effectiveness. Took my last pill today, so I am preparing myself for the worst to come. I can't wait to be through this and back to my normal self. I'll just take it day by day. My doctor didn't tell me about how the withdrawal symptoms would be before I started taking my medication, so this is going to be rough, but worth it. I just hope that it doesn't take 2 years to feel back to normal like it did with Prozac.
Went cold turkey about a week ago. Thought it was gonna be an easy game. Coz by day 4 I had zero symptoms. Which I found odd. When I missed a dose I got crying spells and massive headaches. Well, 4 days ago I been in so much pain. Stomach, headache, joints, moody. But I don’t want to go back. This is hell
Even with the brain zaps, the puffy brain feeling, the irritability, etc. I am not going back to Effexor. I actually feel my body again. The drug blunted my physical sensations, not just the emotional. I’m upset I was ever put on this nightmare of an AD. I’m literally afraid to ingest any more. I hope to switch to Zoloft or another SSRI soon. SNRIs have been awful for me.
I’m trying to come off this medicine and it’s horrible 😢I really hate that my dr suggested this medicine to me and it never really worked for me at all. The sickness everyday, sweating and brain zaps😭😭😭😭😭😭
@@streetlights111 i think i felt pretty much normal after the first week, but the last few days the zaps kinda came back for some reason. Happens when i turn my head, odd... otherwise probably back to normal and way better than being on the drug.
Thank you Finn! I've been on all three of the medications you mention, they were all hideous to come off of for me. The brain zaps are horrid, it's like being electrocuted by your own brain 😱⚡ I wish the best with the new medications 🤞 As for the crying and emotional blunting, I definitely experienced that as well. It's not fun when you feel it, but can't DO it (in more ways than one!) Right now they have me on mood stabilizer being none of the antidepressants or antipsychotics worked for me. I'm extremely sensitive to medications and very in tune with my body, when it doesn't feel right, then my anxiety goes through the roof! Pip is sure growing fast! He's adorable in so many ways, it will be fun to see how you and him progress with training and just the loving relationship as well 💖 Much love and support from me, I wish you smooth roads with no potholes! 🥰
Hey lovely man! Yes elctrocuted brain! Thats it! Gosh its horrid. My body and brain are a wreck at he moment, more so thn usual! Im hoping now Im n the new anti D it will settle, but of course Im starting new meds so probably not 🤣. This is the thing with ME isn't it? We are so sensitive to med changes, so any benefits from med changes takes ages to see as first we have to get over the effects from going on new meds in the first place!! Crying is a weird one for me that has many complex layers and causes, trauma, meds, testosterone......I feel a video coming on! As for this gorgeus puppy.....well at this rate he will be living up to his second name of Digby! He is growing so fast! Things are getting so much easier now he's toilet trained. Ive put so much effort into his training, which has been exhausting, but its already paying off in giving me more of my time and routine back, which I need for my health! I adore him! Eventually he might be a more compatible cohost!! Much love to you from us!
@@FinnTheInfinncible Med changes are the worst for sure with the whole extra sensitive part added to it. I remember sertraline was particularly bad for me with brain zaps. Lexapro, a medical doctor (not a psychiatrist) started me on the full 400mg, and I didn't know who I was, where I was or anything for three days from ONE pill 😱 Devastating consequences that anyone prescribing these pills should really get a better education on (multiple mental and medical health problems at the same time) I hope this all turns out well for all of you! Pip is adorable, I sure don't mind seeing him just enjoying being a puppy while he still can for a while 🐶
@@pmbluemoon blinking Eck!!!!!! That's a massive dose to suddenly whack someone on!!!! I hated sertraline, l couldn't feel anything, sadness not happiness, I was empty and numb and it was awful, made me even more depressed....though u didn't feel depressed.....just dead inside!!!! These meds are so person dependent and we need good doctors to help us to work out which is best for us! And don't worry....there will be LOADS of puppy vlogs! 🤣
@@FinnTheInfinncible Technically, we are all our own Guinea pigs for meds, what works for one, doesn't work for others. I've learned that over the years for sure! *puppy loves for Pip* *subscriber hugs of support for you and Chris!*
I used to be on 112.5 mg Venlaflaxine for years and I grew increasingly tired and in the end I could not work for more than two hours without extensive breaks. I grew sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time. After ruling out all other options, I realized that I have to cut down on the drug. So I cut down by 37.5 to 75 mg Venlaflaxine from Sunday and today (Thursday) I feel much more energetic and less tired. I still ain't complete, but much better compared to be on 112.5 Amazingly, the underlying depression issues did not (yet) return, if anything it got better by cutting down. By now no withdrawal symptoms, no brain zaps, nothing but feeling better without Venlafaxine than with. I will taper down slowly, possibly staying on 75 mg for another week or two, then cutting down on 37.5 for a few weeks, than only every other day ....
I totally understand the not liking people. I tell everyone that I don’t like people. But if you’re my family then you aren’t people. I have told many people that if I could just talk to their pets to communicate with them I’d be perfectly happy. I also don’t like adulting. But that’s a different story.
Yes! If you are my 'family' then you arent people! I love that. I have certain people who I can be with, be myself with and they dont exhaust me, but the rest of the world, where I have to be a certain way, urg its just too hard isnt it!! And dont start me on adulting 😆🤣
Oh gosh Finn. Coming off that medicine sounds awful. 🥺 It's crazy how our brain chemistry works. I am deathly afraid of coming off of Cymbalta ever since my trauma from Phallo. I don't want to come off. I'm happy and stable. I will live on it if I have too. Lol I know with your history of substance abuse you want to be off as much as possible. I commend your strength. I never thought about it preventing me from crying. Hmmm .I do cry less. But I was so emotional on estrogen, not crying as felt like a relief. Does that make sense at all? I have been far less emotional since I started T and it's been freeing. Brain chemistry is fascinating. I love that Pip has made you more social able. Every one needs a nibble of Finn in this life my man. 😊 I am socially anxious too now. I am so much better behind a keyboard than over the phone, videos, in person. Living alone thru Pandemic and working from home for over a year really pushed me inward. I know getting out with Pip is good for you! 150 beats per minute. Finn. 😳 That is so scary. I am sure it feels normal to you now. But gosh. I hope the new meds for your new DX help. I love you!!
Switched to green powder supplements when coming off this they have been a god send, I went off cold turkey its been amazing my sleep has improved drastically. Its been almost 2 or 3 weeks and I havent even noticed much of withdrawal effects except the brain zaps and occasional brain fog. Make sure you get your greens peeps. 👊🏽
Wow, the number of things we have in common is startling and I’m going through extended withdrawals from venlafaxine, too! Many thanks for your kindness and vulnerability. Your warmth has helped temper a rather bleak day for me. As this video’s not current, I hope you’re doing well 🙏
It makes me lose my appetite too. I also am 10x colder then before. I used to feel hot all the time now im cold. It also make me shakey. And i cant fall asleep so im tired all the time. Its 6am while im writting this haha. Atleat ive lost 50 pounds.
Off this drug for 7 months and I think I'm okay I feel normal I still can do my activities, but this is the part that shocked me I felt fine when I was 3 months in off the drug but when the 6th month hit, I started getting phobia of (night times) I could feel that the night was like, imagine you on your own swimming in the middle of the deepest darkest ocean yes that is the feeling I was getting at night I felt like I was trapped in a fish tank with water all around me on my own, what made me get through the night was listening to meditation bird music only I couldn't listing to any other music with piano or any instruments I felt it was drifting me away into a different realm of anxiety, so ya it was mentally intense. And I started to notice I feel sorrowful everytime I look at my dog or my two perents I felt I could do better being a son for them and for my dog, I would get made up delusions in my feelings and thoughts I used to walk my dog in the woods now I fear the woods cause I'm off the drug. And yes I'm going back on my pills I'm only going to take beads instead to numb the sorrowful feeling and the night terrors i miss the wild things I use to do like going hiking at night swimming in the sea, absolutely no way am i living with this feeling seriously 7 months, man I thought I'd be free in a month, this drug was definitely made for humans not to come off it, anyways I'm a healthy 27 years old guy only eats veg and fruit and I still feel off. To anyone who wants to completely come off this drug the best thing is to just take the beads and not the whole lot and eat well and exercise more, cause like they say different levels different devil's and this 7 month level I tell you it's to much I don't want to end up with another mental health issues. With these trauma attacks. God bless in jesus name 🙏💙
Wow that’s so odd that’s exactly how I felt coming off it but in the mornings. I feared waking up prior to my parents in the morning. So I would wake up a do chores quietly to keep my mind off it. I’m about 10 years off effexor and was taking aprox 1800mg a day. Yes 1800 it’s not a typo. I had to be put in the hospital to wean off it and transition to Paxil. I did that for about 30 days then came off altogether. The Effexor left me with crippling anxiety that I have to this day. Currently coming off Valium which is another nightmare of a drug to be on. I feel that all these drugs just mask the pain and cause even more perm damage. Yes eating right and exercise are the way to go. I’ve learned that the hard way.
@@antartatinaI’ve been on it for 6, 17-23 years old, 225 mg. 2 months ago I went down to 150. It was one of the worst times of my life. I kept note of every day I’d take it, I did my 175 every single day and exactly 30 days in I went through only what I’d compare it to as a psychotic break. It was terrifying. Just went down to 75 this week. Goal is to get off lol wish me luck
@@haleyt3754how are you doing now ? X my daughter was on 225 mg every 2 week reduction, so at the mo from 75 mg to 37.5 mg but this weekend was terrifying, going doctors tomorrow
18:32 Hi! First time watching you and you’re a delight! Your fur baby is gorgeous. I was on Venlafaxine for 6 years and I decided to wean off recently. I didn’t have bad withdrawals, until now. I was on the gel extended release, and 37.5 is lowest. I was on a week of that, and now I am having withdrawals bad the past few days. Not bad brain zaps, but vertigo like crazy. Also irritability and crying spells. I heard it goes away slowly in a week, but I feel like it’s taking longer. I’m not on any other medication or going on right now. I want to see how things go living healthier and taking natural remedies. Have you experienced this, or anyone? I wanted to know how long the crazy withdrawals go on. Thank you!!!
Ah thank you for your lovely comment! Our furbaby is the best anti depressant! And yes, I struggled the most on the last week, it was really rough, and Im not surprised its been hard as you are not swapping to anything else. Do make sure to stay hydrated, and if things get tough, please reach out to some one for help. I understand wanting to wean/come off meds, we are conditioned to see them as a bad thing, but if the alternative is suffering, you really do not deserve that. I swapped on to the absolute lowest dose of ecitalopram and Ive stayed on that low dose. I decided that as Im having therapy, and I have that support, that right now Im OK to feel the extra difficult emotions and extra anxiety, but we must make sure we have that support in place. Sending you a ton of love
I dropped it cold turkey some time in may…75 mg and higher for 25 years…it’s September now and I’m still in a living nightmare…I have to tough it out…too far into this now to turn back…the stuff is poison
Vertigo, irritability, and crying describes my experience exactly. And it’s coming and going. I keep thinking I’m past it, only to be surprised. I hope you’re doing well 🙏
@@rustymullins6623hey Rusty just saw this. Wondering if you could give us an update? Ive been on this stuff for 10yrs and I went off cold turkey for 4months now but horrible anxiety and am really thinking bout getting back on. Wondering if things getting better for you
I’m currently on 75mgs (dropped from 130mgs bout a year ago) But I’ve been experiencing symptoms of “Serotonin Syndrome” and had it dropped to 37.5 mg… I’m hoping to get off completely. I just feel strange, confused, anxious and sick.
Hey you're not alone I've been on it for 10yrs on a lower dosage and went cold turkey months ago. Horrible anxiety amongst other side effects. I got on it again couple days ago but not feeling very good either tbh. Very lost and confused what to do going forward
The brain zaps are like trying to piece together moments of time that are only milliseconds apart but there's a definite break so everything is confusing and irritating
For everyone watching this video after me. Tylenol helps the headache go away. Sudafed helps me concentrate. My symptoms are reduced but still there. Everyone’s different but that’s what is helping me. Just went to the gym when I couldn’t even stand the other day. Every day is different. I have had good days and bad days, but I’ve been somewhat better since I found out about Tylenol by accident. I was taking the PM as a sleep aid. Then I wondered why I felt so good in the am, then everything came crashing down around lunchtime.
I have gone from 225mg, dropped by 75mg per 2 weeks and I am feeling withdrawals really badly! This helped with reassurance in symptoms. This drug to get off is nasty!
My short fuse temper came back, but not terrible. There are some things that keep happening and are annoying and would bother anyone. I also get more emotional. I cried a few times when nobody was around. Other than that I don’t notice much change. I lost ten pounds and feel great.
I have to add that the difficulty of withdrawal is affected by how long you've been taking it, how much you are taking, how old you are. I'm old, on 225mg and been taking them 20 years - not good. I am reducing by micro-amounts over more than a year Those brain zaps...I felt daft describing them to anyone, but when you describe them , they are EXACTLY as you describe!
So I’ve been on and off it for 21 years all doses from 37.5 up to 375 at my worst times. I’m down to 37.5 for about a year now. Pretty sure my brain chemistry completely changed now that I might not be able to come off ever
Hi! I have been searching for someone like you for years. I'm old as well and have been taking effexor for 24 years reducing by 1 bead at a time for four years now. Sleep study indicated paradoxical effect of snri. When I go faster than 1-2 beads a month muscle/bone pain, muscle wasting and anorexia symptoms make walking very difficult. When I talk about this people think that I'm a scientologist! No one I speak with understands that antidepressant drugs can hurt people. I've never felt more isolated and lonely and still have 20 mg. to taper. Thanks for your comment.
U sound like me. The heart palpitations are crippling. Cardiologist says heart is fine but effexor....holy moly made it worse. I'm off it now and the withdrawl is awful
What are those brain blinks? I am getting down from 150mg to 110mg Venla a day. Now I would like to know what I might expect (or fear) coming off it. Could you explain a bit how it feels? Thank you in advance!
@@FinnTheInfinncible holy crap that is the perfect way to describe them. I am not off of Venlafaxine but if I miss a dose (not often) or am late to refill, right around day 2 of not taking it I experience these "brain zaps." It's mostly when I start moving quickly or am more active but it's like for the smallest second I feel a dizzy feeling or jolt inside of my brain.
I agree! Effexor is by far the woes medication I have come off. Did you also experience extreme agitation frustration coming off of this medication? I am also now going on lexapeo.
My ENT prescribed Venlafaxine (ER 37.5mg) for my Vestibular Neuritis. He said it would take 2 weeks and my vertigo would be gone. I took one pill and my vertigo was 80% gone in 2 hours. Hey great... At 4am I woke up with a blinding headache. Then I remembered reading watch your blood pressure if you take this. So I take my blood pressure....197/121. Off to the ER I go. The ER Dr. gave me 0.1mg of Clonidine and in one hour my blood pressure was 117/74. If I have to chose between Vertigo and a Stroke I think I'll go with the Vertigo.
Hey how r u doing now.. how long did u take antidepressants.. i too have got vestibular neuritis.. i have been prescribed ssri for anxiety due to vn and i feel horribly dizzy even when i have stopped the drug
hey Finn! this video has been extremely helpful. i have been considering tapering off venlafaxine for at least a year now but have been too nervous for obvious reasons - the days when i just forget to take my meds (rare and far in between but more than enough to put the fear of ever coming off on me!!!!). would u be able to make a video recounting maybe 3 months/6 months/a year off of these meds if possible? i heard the symptoms can last months and have heard one account of someone still feeling zaps after a year and am just wanting as much info as possible to take up this scary lil next adventure.
I'm on my bfs account currently but anyways i feel as if it's impossible to come off effexor. I've been on 150 mgs now for 6 yrs and counting. The people that worked in the woodridge facility never informed me of the withdrawal or any side effects ect. I feel like i wasn't informed enough about the medication i'm stuck on. My body just can't do it i can't handle the withdrawal i have a 2 year old son that needs me and i need him. And without my medication i can't do the normal things mothers are supposed to do with there children. I'll feel helpless i don't have time to taper off because i have to care for my baby boy. He needs me and wakes up and counts on me everyday just like any other child would. The migraines i get from the withdrawal is the worst for me out of any of the symptoms i face without it.😢
I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. Soldiering on through so much pain for your son is so brave and admirable. I hope that seeing him smile and laugh makes the weight of it all lighter and I hope the universe smiles at you soon. Wishing you and your darling little one all the best in the world.
Hi my friend. Yes all weened off. That last bit was the hardest! Within a month everything had settled thankfully. I'm now on ecitalopram and it's so much better!
Just a heads up, fully anecdotic, 20 year V user, but as much as I feel horrible if I skip a dose of V, tapering off has given me zero symptoms and I've done it very easily before. Not going off it again since I basically get back to GAD within a few months due to MS.
I'm just wondering if you swapped the 37.5mg's of Venlafaxine straight to the 5mg's of Prozac, or did you have a week off of the Venlafaxine for a week and then went onto the Prozac?
I was increased to 45mg s of mirtazipine and was stopped at 75mgs of effexor. The withdrawal was a nightmare. I went to my gp who put meback on 37.5mgs of effexor to start withdrawal again. I have now had my last tablet which I had cut down to 6 mgs two weeks ago. The withdrawal is worse than ever.
I've been taking Venlaxifine for 5 months now. I find myself experiencing weird worm like feelings under my skin around my temple, brain fog that's been related to pre menopause symptoms but I feel like screaming every day and clench my jaw all day. I end up with a sore neck and face.
I'm currently going through the process of getting off venlafaxine and I've had to take it really slow, I was on 175mg and now I'm on 6.5mg. I lower the dose every month and the first week is fine after but the second week is when I get withdrawal and it feels like I'm getting off meth, I don't get the zaps but I get migraines, nauseous, chills and I get super emotional. Since going through this process I do struggle with all the other side effect as well. This is going to be my last dose and I'm terrified of my last with drawal, I really think this drug should be discontinued
I only took three weeks this poison, not anymore. It’s hell on earth the withdrawal. But I must be strong to carrie on. Can’t sleep anymore and the appetite is grazy 😞. How wonder how long those terrible withdrawal symptoms lasts?
@@nishalidhanushika6531 Trust me for a person that cried and sobbed for 4-5 days a week over the little things disproportionately and an emotional wreck I would rather have the opposite and struggle to cry a bit. I still cry at really really sad things but it’s now proportional and I would say more normal base line.
Oh boy I’m in for a ride. I’ve been tapering off 220mg (or so). High dose, I know. I’ve been pretty good so far as I’m approaching 0mg. Only recently the brain zaps have started and brain fog has increased, not looking forward to when I get to 0mg…
I started taking Efexor xr and I am afraid of suffering some sexual dysfunction, is it likely that I will suffer some sexual problem when taking this drug?
Been on these devil tablets for over 10 years, just finally managed to get down to a quarter of a 37.5mg tablet every other day, I feel fine bar the brain fog/ dream state. But I start a new job Monday and have to unfortunately bump them back up to be normal 😭
One thing o forgot to mention were the hyper realistic almost Ai dres i would get when i missed a 150mg dose. Fast forward to now, the dreams are now bordering on nightmares now im taking 75mg. I missed a dose, and the headaches are half as bad but the dreams make me look like a bad guy and in them im eithwr being targeted or thrown in prison. Ive got a clean record and have never even been given fine. This drug messes with my head and these dreams are to hard to explain but the best way i can explain them is they are usually dark, im lost in the city where i grew up or im teying to vet somewhere and im always running into obsticales. Now i say it, it actualy sounds like my life right now 🤣🤣 but different. The last dream i was sentenced to 13 years prison for being drunk and running around. When i went to prison i was attack by a group bit me being a big guy i fought them off. Then i was in a jail that looked like a hospital ward with beds lined up in rows and everythijng was white including our clothes. Before i went to prison i was in an elevator that was normal height but there was a door behind me that was a long way back. I was told if i gotoff at the wrong floor or chose the wrong door id go to prision. I chose wrongly but the closer i got to the right door thw further away it got. It felt like i had gone down alices rabbit hole. Its horrible. Can't imagine what tonight will be like 😒
Feeling bad is good. Feeling bad will lead to different behaviors. Effexor made me numb to this. I’m at the point of no return, and Need to know the kind of life I want to live because……. death always wins.
I tried to get off this crap a few weeks ago after going a month without it and i literally wanted to off myself because the withdrawals were soooo bad. I felt like i was literally dying. I may be stuck on this drug forever and idk how i feel about it. Please pray for me
@@FinnTheInfinncible Ok. Thank you very much for the advice. I wasn't aware of how dangerous the withdrawals were! I'm still taking them as prescribed as I feel really good now.
"I've been slowly tapering off my Effexor/Venlafaxine antidepressant medication over the last two months and now finally I am off Venlafaxine completely" This is by no means a slow taper it´s very fast, but hopefully you are okay.
Can anyone offer any reassurance. I’ve got to (and WANT to) come off venlafaxine due to having POTS/dysautonomia. I’m only on 75mg but have been on it for nearly 3 years. I was put on it at 17 when I was already underweight 🤬 felt the most ill I’d ever felt in my life, didn’t eat for a week and ended up in hospital 😭 thankfully it settled but I’m done and I want and need to get off it. I have severe anxiety and emetophobia and I’m terrified to come off it and suffer the side effects 😭😭😭 I wish I was never put on this I will forever be angry at the person that did this. Can anyone offer any reassurance that it’s going to be ok 😭😭 I’m only 19 :( and I’m worried about becoming very mentally unwell again 😭😭
Well done for tapering done that far! That last bit can often be the hardest, if you want to do it, chat to your GP. I was taking a dose every other day in the final stages
How long did it take to go from 375 mg to 37.5 mg? I’m on 300 mg, and I want to get off of it. I’m not well. I tried going from 300 to 150 and had major withdrawals, and went back up to 300.
I'm about to start a reduced dose 75mg. Not sure If its just me or does anyone else ever hear music when they're in bed at night but there's actually no music playing?
@@FinnTheInfinncible I really don't know 😖 it had gone away a year or so ago and it has started again. This medication definitely has some weird side effects
@@Rebecca-705 right noe I just got into bed and was about to switch off and I started to hear a guitariff playing. My neighbors are all asleep and one is at work and it is raining so there's no music being played. Its like I have a radio in my head and its playing music very quietly. Its so bizzare. I don't have a hearing problem so I can rule that out . just something I live with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ´_>`
I went thru at least 3 weeks of living hell getting off this poison. Some ppl less most ppl more. Every body is different so there will b different wd side effects for different ppl. After d initial month of hell, i can feel my body still has some of d crap. D symptoms r milder. Feeling woozy/sometimes off balance when i stand up, mild tolerable short periods of headaches, buzzing, anxiety, impatience, etc All I can say is that u have to get off of this poison if possible. AD meds only really deal w ST symptoms. No proof of any LT benefits. No LT studies were ever done. These r mind altering drugs just like heroin, coke, ecstasy, etc. U will grow dependent on them cuz u can't get off of them easily. D stupid drs will keep increasing ur dosage to make them work. Or change & mix them w other stupid AD meds. They hav no bloody idea what d hell they r doing. It all just messes up ur brain/mind & body chemistry. Effexor is d worst to come off of cuz of its short half life, 5 hrs. Normally it takes a day to clear ur body. It all depends on ur dosage. D more & d longer u take, d longer d poison is in ur system. But d WD side-effects will kick in as d crap leaves ur system & cuz ur body & brain r trying to readjust & return to its natural balance from d artificial environment/state created by d drug. This is only what I think from research. I can't say d med is for u or not. But for me, d stuff made me a zombie. Effexor is just a mood stabilizer. It is not an AD. As a I said before nothing really is. D medical ppl hav no idea what they r doing or d poison they r handing out. Some of it works for some ppl but I noticed it doesn't for most. Especially when they hav stupid side effects that can possibly make u worst or kill u. Chk out d subject "Effexor withdrawal" for patients' comments. Good luck on ur journey.
I’ve been on this for about 3yrs and the past couple of months I’ve been tapering it down. Finally came off of it completely and let me tell you!!! It will kick your butt and brain and body and everything else left and right and it sucks
After years and years of being lied to by doctors who these days represent more of Germanys"doctor death" Josef Mengele since the release of the covid Bioweapon. I have been forced into withdrawl from venlafaxine 150mg by not being able to find a doctor to provide me with the proper health care, that I NEED, not what they think i need. It was a terrible night for the first night and this i hope will give me insight. Thank you.
My psychiatrist just prescribed me some Venlaflaxine, but I didn't know what it was or what to watch out for... so I didn't start right away (that was two days ago and I still haven't). Now reading comments across many YT videos and I'm worried if I should even start it. I'm so lost and torned.
Bless you, I understand the concerns, however, not everyone has bad experiences. I actually found the mediation worked really well for me. I only had to come off it because it affected my PoTS and it was the coming off it that caused me problems. You could try it short term and see f it works for you, but do discuss your comcerns wth your psych
Yep GAD is a nightmare, but I find Milo gives me something to talk about and then a reason to walk away from people, so it’s usually ok. When he’s not with me I just try not to look at anyone and walk quickly 😂
This is exactly me! And now I find I'm taking via Pip as they are looking at him and asking questions, or I'm taking to their dog 🤣 so yeah....it works lmao!!! Anxiety is awful but I can really see how this pup will help. I can't wait to meet you and Milo!
I hink i all depends on the dose. My memory wasnt adversely affected. Id suggest you start on a small dose and see how you feel than just increase very gradually
Help me. I hallucinated today. I’m dropping things. I have hangover anxiety. Paranoid episode. Amnesia. Visual blurs. Losing track of time. Intense body ache. Shy. Migraine. Freezing cold. Tremor. I missed my script. Next 3 days I went to get it I forgot ID or money every time. I’m back on it 2.5 days now. I can’t eat. Can’t go to the bathroom. Keep walking into walls.
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I'm laying off this pos that never helped me. The brain zaps are bearable but god the stomachache is annoying. Doctors should warn us before even starting this nightmare of a drug, like wtf.
super agree if my doctor had of told me I would have a month long flu coming off it I would've said no
I’m so sorry you have those symptoms as well they are awful been dealing with them for years myself
I get a dizzy headache. It feels like a mild flu.
Snri’s are terrible. Same thing happened with Cymbalta.
How long do withdrawals last? I'm weening of them down to 1 tablet every 2 days right now. Dr has told me withdrawal should last 2 or 3 weeks after last tablet.
I went of Venlafaxine a few months ago... reduced my dosage for 12 months beforehand and then went cold turkey. Horrendous experience, but I'm free now. Good luck to you!
Omg I’ve been tapering the little beads inside the capsules for the past one and a half month and I feel COMPLETELY DEPRESSES AND ANXIOUS! Do you promise me I should keep on my slow tapering and things will be better? 😢
@bekamoreno absolutely, just stick with it... the final.hurdle is the worst... the anxiety of not taking tablets for anxiety is horrendous. Chinese Ginseng is a great, holistic and not addictive alternative
Well done :) , I did it the complete opposite way due to reasons and just went cold turkey instead been 3 months today 🙈
@@bekamoreno: sorry, no one can promise anything. Everyone is different. It's when u stop then d WD hits u.
How long do the side effects last? I’m battling cold turkey it’s been about a week and 4 days now still pretty intense symptoms! Someone please tell me I’ll feel normal again!
I’m in the same boat, I have POTS and am in the process of coming off Effexor in order to start a med for my heart🤦♀️ it is immensely helpful to hear your experiences!!
I’m in the same boat it’s terrible I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this be patient and gentle with yourself ❤
Im so glad my vid is helpful, coming off this med is rough, I hope you are doing OK.
I tried Effexor a few years ago and it messed me up for months!
You come across as a very kind person. I love your dog.
What a lovely thing to say, thank you so much 💖
Thank you for explaining the inability to cry. Before transition I was exactly the opposite!! I couldn't get through a week without several, sometimes inappropriately timed, crying sessions. After starting T this immediately stopped and was such a relief. So I guess the opposite would be true for you...to be able to cry when needed would be a relief.
Also, I just came across a random video of a woman with Long COVID who is suffering from ME/CFS. Omg, what a horrible thing to go through! I am so glad you have the support system you have and a caring team of professionals. Much love!
Helo my friend. Yes, I used to be able to cry a bit before T, it was hard, but I still could on occassion, but T was one of the things that dried me up! Id love to be able to sob. Every tme Ive accessed my tears Ive loved the relief but it never lasts. Perhaps now Im in long term therapy I will finally crack it!
And thank you, so many people have no idea of the impact of ME/CFS. It has such a long history of misinformation, of people "just being tired" of it "being in the mind" and other harmful tropes when its such a serious neurological autoimmunie condition with far reaching consequences for those unlucky to be affected. It steals your entires life. Im just now really learning how to rebuild a new life, a slower one that looks entirely different to the one Id had planned! I do count myself very lucky that I have an understanding partner, Ive at last found a great GP and that we at least have an ME/CFS service in my area. Many dont even have that. So much work to be done!
I hope all is well with you
Much love to you my friend!
what is T
@@porkch0mp538 i looked it up and i think it means treatment.
so glad you're off venlafaxine, that stuff is so nasty to get off of. I've been on bupropion and quetiapine for wow, 4 years now. I don't want to stay on these forever, but I also don't want to rock the boat anytime soon.
Thanks my friend. Yes they say its one of th e worst to come off and they were right! I understand not wanting to rock the boat!
I can't believe how much Pip has grown since the last video!! He's adorable :3
Thank you! He is growing so very very fast!!
Lovely to see you, you’re doing amazing ❤ also how cute is Pip🥰
Thanks so muchy friend. And he's so blooming cute! Which helps a lot!!!
Good grief brain zaps sound utterly awful. Thank goodness for the good support system, do you realise what a good manager you are Finn? Lovely to see you and Pip!
Hey lovely yes brain zaps are awful, very common with ant D's but never had them as bad as I have with this withdrawal. I head this med was the worst to come off and they were not wrong! I think Im over the worst of it now thank good ness! And yes, without this support system none of this would be possible, and I count you as part of that support sysem! Bless you for your lovely comments, my management has felt a bit off lately but then I have been managing a puppy as well as coming off meds!!! Isnt Captain Pip a bundle of love! Even when he is trying to bite my nose off 😀
I found brain zaps worse from the SSRI citalopram than this drug… I only had to be a few hours late and I was literally having, well the only way to describe it is… “brain zaps” but it was every couple of minutes and horrific…. I think all of this just obviously affects us all differently
Can i say, watching you with your puppy is so beautiful
Ah thank you! I'm smitten with him 🥹
When my Effexor dose has been too high I’m apathetic and unable to cry
It helped me at first but not as much later. I think it's time to go back to my normal state and use my coping mechanism, since the medication only helps to a certain degree and is losing it's effectiveness. Took my last pill today, so I am preparing myself for the worst to come. I can't wait to be through this and back to my normal self. I'll just take it day by day. My doctor didn't tell me about how the withdrawal symptoms would be before I started taking my medication, so this is going to be rough, but worth it. I just hope that it doesn't take 2 years to feel back to normal like it did with Prozac.
Hi I hope you're doing better now! I hope you come across this comment as I would love to hear how everything went for you.
Went cold turkey about a week ago. Thought it was gonna be an easy game. Coz by day 4 I had zero symptoms. Which I found odd. When I missed a dose I got crying spells and massive headaches. Well, 4 days ago I been in so much pain. Stomach, headache, joints, moody. But I don’t want to go back. This is hell
Have your symptoms worsened or do you feel like a new version of yourself yet?
How are you feeling now? How long did you take them for before quitting? I hope all is well🖤
Finn take care of yourself,your always in my prayers. ❤
Bless your heart thank you 💓
Even with the brain zaps, the puffy brain feeling, the irritability, etc. I am not going back to Effexor. I actually feel my body again. The drug blunted my physical sensations, not just the emotional. I’m upset I was ever put on this nightmare of an AD. I’m literally afraid to ingest any more. I hope to switch to Zoloft or another SSRI soon. SNRIs have been awful for me.
Appreciate you sharing your experience Finn!
I'm working with a Homeopath to get off Venlaflaxine completely, it's hard!!
Im told its the hardest rug to come off! I hope the homopathy is helping. Good luck!
I’m trying to come off this medicine and it’s horrible 😢I really hate that my dr suggested this medicine to me and it never really worked for me at all. The sickness everyday, sweating and brain zaps😭😭😭😭😭😭
SAME
How long does this last? I was on 75mg for 1-2 months and stopped a few days ago and feel like pure shit.
@@KK001 How are you doing now? I hope things are better.
@@streetlights111 i think i felt pretty much normal after the first week, but the last few days the zaps kinda came back for some reason. Happens when i turn my head, odd... otherwise probably back to normal and way better than being on the drug.
Thank you Finn! I've been on all three of the medications you mention, they were all hideous to come off of for me. The brain zaps are horrid, it's like being electrocuted by your own brain 😱⚡ I wish the best with the new medications 🤞
As for the crying and emotional blunting, I definitely experienced that as well. It's not fun when you feel it, but can't DO it (in more ways than one!) Right now they have me on mood stabilizer being none of the antidepressants or antipsychotics worked for me. I'm extremely sensitive to medications and very in tune with my body, when it doesn't feel right, then my anxiety goes through the roof!
Pip is sure growing fast! He's adorable in so many ways, it will be fun to see how you and him progress with training and just the loving relationship as well 💖
Much love and support from me, I wish you smooth roads with no potholes! 🥰
Hey lovely man! Yes elctrocuted brain! Thats it! Gosh its horrid. My body and brain are a wreck at he moment, more so thn usual! Im hoping now Im n the new anti D it will settle, but of course Im starting new meds so probably not 🤣. This is the thing with ME isn't it? We are so sensitive to med changes, so any benefits from med changes takes ages to see as first we have to get over the effects from going on new meds in the first place!!
Crying is a weird one for me that has many complex layers and causes, trauma, meds, testosterone......I feel a video coming on!
As for this gorgeus puppy.....well at this rate he will be living up to his second name of Digby! He is growing so fast! Things are getting so much easier now he's toilet trained. Ive put so much effort into his training, which has been exhausting, but its already paying off in giving me more of my time and routine back, which I need for my health! I adore him! Eventually he might be a more compatible cohost!!
Much love to you from us!
@@FinnTheInfinncible Med changes are the worst for sure with the whole extra sensitive part added to it. I remember sertraline was particularly bad for me with brain zaps. Lexapro, a medical doctor (not a psychiatrist) started me on the full 400mg, and I didn't know who I was, where I was or anything for three days from ONE pill 😱 Devastating consequences that anyone prescribing these pills should really get a better education on (multiple mental and medical health problems at the same time)
I hope this all turns out well for all of you! Pip is adorable, I sure don't mind seeing him just enjoying being a puppy while he still can for a while 🐶
@@pmbluemoon blinking Eck!!!!!! That's a massive dose to suddenly whack someone on!!!! I hated sertraline, l couldn't feel anything, sadness not happiness, I was empty and numb and it was awful, made me even more depressed....though u didn't feel depressed.....just dead inside!!!! These meds are so person dependent and we need good doctors to help us to work out which is best for us!
And don't worry....there will be LOADS of puppy vlogs! 🤣
@@FinnTheInfinncible Technically, we are all our own Guinea pigs for meds, what works for one, doesn't work for others. I've learned that over the years for sure!
*puppy loves for Pip* *subscriber hugs of support for you and Chris!*
I used to be on 112.5 mg Venlaflaxine for years and I grew increasingly tired and in the end I could not work for more than two hours without extensive breaks. I grew sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time.
After ruling out all other options, I realized that I have to cut down on the drug.
So I cut down by 37.5 to 75 mg Venlaflaxine from Sunday and today (Thursday) I feel much more energetic and less tired. I still ain't complete, but much better compared to be on 112.5
Amazingly, the underlying depression issues did not (yet) return, if anything it got better by cutting down.
By now no withdrawal symptoms, no brain zaps, nothing but feeling better without Venlafaxine than with.
I will taper down slowly, possibly staying on 75 mg for another week or two, then cutting down on 37.5 for a few weeks, than only every other day ....
Wise move, the way it is supposed to be handled, stay safe and well
This is the wrong way to taper Effexor. You need to do a hyperbolic taper.
@@7inchdestroyer959 Done. No turkey, no brain fog, nothing. Off of it without problems.
@@7inchdestroyer959 hows that?
@@7inchdestroyer959can you explain what this is if tapering from 37.5
I totally understand the not liking people.
I tell everyone that I don’t like people. But if you’re my family then you aren’t people.
I have told many people that if I could just talk to their pets to communicate with them I’d be perfectly happy. I also don’t like adulting. But that’s a different story.
Yes! If you are my 'family' then you arent people! I love that. I have certain people who I can be with, be myself with and they dont exhaust me, but the rest of the world, where I have to be a certain way, urg its just too hard isnt it!!
And dont start me on adulting 😆🤣
Oh gosh Finn. Coming off that medicine sounds awful. 🥺
It's crazy how our brain chemistry works.
I am deathly afraid of coming off of Cymbalta ever since my trauma from Phallo. I don't want to come off. I'm happy and stable. I will live on it if I have too. Lol
I know with your history of substance abuse you want to be off as much as possible. I commend your strength.
I never thought about it preventing me from crying. Hmmm
.I do cry less. But I was so emotional on estrogen, not crying as felt like a relief. Does that make sense at all? I have been far less emotional since I started T and it's been freeing.
Brain chemistry is fascinating.
I love that Pip has made you more social able. Every one needs a nibble of Finn in this life my man. 😊 I am socially anxious too now. I am so much better behind a keyboard than over the phone, videos, in person. Living alone thru Pandemic and working from home for over a year really pushed me inward.
I know getting out with Pip is good for you!
150 beats per minute. Finn. 😳 That is so scary. I am sure it feels normal to you now. But gosh. I hope the new meds for your new DX help.
I love you!!
Switched to green powder supplements when coming off this they have been a god send, I went off cold turkey its been amazing my sleep has improved drastically. Its been almost 2 or 3 weeks and I havent even noticed much of withdrawal effects except the brain zaps and occasional brain fog. Make sure you get your greens peeps. 👊🏽
Hello. Can you tell me what green supplements you t are. I sure do need help😊
Going through a cold switch from 300mg venlafaxine to 50 mg Sertraline but your cute puppy Pip really cheered up my day
Oh that sounds haedcore! Good luck with that my friend! I'm glad my Pup helped to cheer your day! There's more of him on Instagram if it helps!
Wow, the number of things we have in common is startling and I’m going through extended withdrawals from venlafaxine, too!
Many thanks for your kindness and vulnerability. Your warmth has helped temper a rather bleak day for me. As this video’s not current, I hope you’re doing well 🙏
I stopped taking the medication and gained 40 lbs. it was an appetite suppressant for me.
Oh wow! Thats really interesting!
Crazy how it affects ppl differently! Venlafaxine made me wanna eat and never stop eating 🤣
It makes me lose my appetite too. I also am 10x colder then before. I used to feel hot all the time now im cold. It also make me shakey. And i cant fall asleep so im tired all the time. Its 6am while im writting this haha. Atleat ive lost 50 pounds.
I've noticed an increase in appetite. I'm a little under weight so eating more now and lifting weights.
Off this drug for 7 months and I think I'm okay I feel normal I still can do my activities, but this is the part that shocked me I felt fine when I was 3 months in off the drug but when the 6th month hit, I started getting phobia of (night times) I could feel that the night was like, imagine you on your own swimming in the middle of the deepest darkest ocean yes that is the feeling I was getting at night I felt like I was trapped in a fish tank with water all around me on my own, what made me get through the night was listening to meditation bird music only I couldn't listing to any other music with piano or any instruments I felt it was drifting me away into a different realm of anxiety, so ya it was mentally intense. And I started to notice I feel sorrowful everytime I look at my dog or my two perents I felt I could do better being a son for them and for my dog, I would get made up delusions in my feelings and thoughts I used to walk my dog in the woods now I fear the woods cause I'm off the drug. And yes I'm going back on my pills I'm only going to take beads instead to numb the sorrowful feeling and the night terrors i miss the wild things I use to do like going hiking at night swimming in the sea, absolutely no way am i living with this feeling seriously 7 months, man I thought I'd be free in a month, this drug was definitely made for humans not to come off it, anyways I'm a healthy 27 years old guy only eats veg and fruit and I still feel off. To anyone who wants to completely come off this drug the best thing is to just take the beads and not the whole lot and eat well and exercise more, cause like they say different levels different devil's and this 7 month level I tell you it's to much I don't want to end up with another mental health issues. With these trauma attacks. God bless in jesus name 🙏💙
Wow that’s so odd that’s exactly how I felt coming off it but in the mornings. I feared waking up prior to my parents in the morning. So I would wake up a do chores quietly to keep my mind off it. I’m about 10 years off effexor and was taking aprox 1800mg a day. Yes 1800 it’s not a typo. I had to be put in the hospital to wean off it and transition to Paxil. I did that for about 30 days then came off altogether. The Effexor left me with crippling anxiety that I have to this day. Currently coming off Valium which is another nightmare of a drug to be on. I feel that all these drugs just mask the pain and cause even more perm damage. Yes eating right and exercise are the way to go. I’ve learned that the hard way.
@@melreezy1092 wow ten years that's a long time do u still feel not right after the drug
@@antartatinaI’ve been on it for 6, 17-23 years old, 225 mg. 2 months ago I went down to 150. It was one of the worst times of my life. I kept note of every day I’d take it, I did my 175 every single day and exactly 30 days in I went through only what I’d compare it to as a psychotic break. It was terrifying. Just went down to 75 this week. Goal is to get off lol wish me luck
@@haleyt3754how are you doing now ? X my daughter was on 225 mg every 2 week reduction, so at the mo from 75 mg to 37.5 mg but this weekend was terrifying, going doctors tomorrow
18:32 Hi! First time watching you and you’re a delight! Your fur baby is gorgeous. I was on Venlafaxine for 6 years and I decided to wean off recently. I didn’t have bad withdrawals, until now. I was on the gel extended release, and 37.5 is lowest. I was on a week of that, and now I am having withdrawals bad the past few days. Not bad brain zaps, but vertigo like crazy. Also irritability and crying spells. I heard it goes away slowly in a week, but I feel like it’s taking longer. I’m not on any other medication or going on right now. I want to see how things go living healthier and taking natural remedies. Have you experienced this, or anyone? I wanted to know how long the crazy withdrawals go on. Thank you!!!
Ah thank you for your lovely comment! Our furbaby is the best anti depressant! And yes, I struggled the most on the last week, it was really rough, and Im not surprised its been hard as you are not swapping to anything else. Do make sure to stay hydrated, and if things get tough, please reach out to some one for help. I understand wanting to wean/come off meds, we are conditioned to see them as a bad thing, but if the alternative is suffering, you really do not deserve that. I swapped on to the absolute lowest dose of ecitalopram and Ive stayed on that low dose. I decided that as Im having therapy, and I have that support, that right now Im OK to feel the extra difficult emotions and extra anxiety, but we must make sure we have that support in place. Sending you a ton of love
I dropped it cold turkey some time in may…75 mg and higher for 25 years…it’s September now and I’m still in a living nightmare…I have to tough it out…too far into this now to turn back…the stuff is poison
Vertigo, irritability, and crying describes my experience exactly. And it’s coming and going. I keep thinking I’m past it, only to be surprised.
I hope you’re doing well 🙏
@@rustymullins6623hey Rusty just saw this. Wondering if you could give us an update? Ive been on this stuff for 10yrs and I went off cold turkey for 4months now but horrible anxiety and am really thinking bout getting back on. Wondering if things getting better for you
❤❤❤❤thank you im coming of Sertaline and I got the puppy too. I'm super introvert, also ppl can drain me completely 😅 well done 👏 you doing great ❤❤❤
Really helpful, thank you for this content.
Thank you so much for your kind words
Haaayy sweetie.Good to see you and doggie ❤❤❤❤❤
Hiya!! He's not very good at this filming buisness is he 🤪🤣
@@FinnTheInfinncible 🤣🤣🤣.Not yet.He'll learn..or not.😆😆😆😆
@@bernadettedevereux4489 he's learned so much.....so there is hope!
I’ve really struggled on this drug. They make me so tense and wired
A lot of folks say that. I was fine on it! Coming off it, not so much!
I’m currently on 75mgs (dropped from 130mgs bout a year ago)
But I’ve been experiencing symptoms of “Serotonin Syndrome” and had it dropped to 37.5 mg… I’m hoping to get off completely. I just feel strange, confused, anxious and sick.
Hey you're not alone I've been on it for 10yrs on a lower dosage and went cold turkey months ago. Horrible anxiety amongst other side effects. I got on it again couple days ago but not feeling very good either tbh. Very lost and confused what to do going forward
The brain zaps are like trying to piece together moments of time that are only milliseconds apart but there's a definite break so everything is confusing and irritating
For everyone watching this video after me.
Tylenol helps the headache go away.
Sudafed helps me concentrate.
My symptoms are reduced but still there.
Everyone’s different but that’s what is helping me.
Just went to the gym when I couldn’t even stand the other day. Every day is different. I have had good days and bad days, but I’ve been somewhat better since I found out about Tylenol by accident. I was taking the PM as a sleep aid. Then I wondered why I felt so good in the am, then everything came crashing down around lunchtime.
I have gone from 225mg, dropped by 75mg per 2 weeks and I am feeling withdrawals really badly! This helped with reassurance in symptoms. This drug to get off is nasty!
I am doing this right now. How are you now please???
I’m on 300mg and just starting to reduce and it’s horrible. I need to get down to 250mg in order to start ADHD drugs. I was late diagnosed with ADHD.
Bless you, ts an awful drug to come off but it cannot be rushed, slow and steady, lots of water, rest, and patience my friend!
My short fuse temper came back, but not terrible. There are some things that keep happening and are annoying and would bother anyone.
I also get more emotional. I cried a few times when nobody was around.
Other than that I don’t notice much change. I lost ten pounds and feel great.
I have to add that the difficulty of withdrawal is affected by how long you've been taking it, how much you are taking, how old you are. I'm old, on 225mg and been taking them 20 years - not good. I am reducing by micro-amounts over more than a year Those brain zaps...I felt daft describing them to anyone, but when you describe them , they are EXACTLY as you describe!
So I’ve been on and off it for 21 years all doses from 37.5 up to 375 at my worst times. I’m down to 37.5 for about a year now. Pretty sure my brain chemistry completely changed now that I might not be able to come off ever
Hi! I have been searching for someone like you for years. I'm old as well and have been taking effexor for 24 years reducing by 1 bead at a time for four years now. Sleep study indicated paradoxical effect of snri. When I go faster than 1-2 beads a month muscle/bone pain, muscle wasting and anorexia symptoms make walking very difficult. When I talk about this people think that I'm a scientologist! No one I speak with understands that antidepressant drugs can hurt people. I've never felt more isolated and lonely and still have 20 mg. to taper. Thanks for your comment.
I've been on them over 20 years and would love to quit, but Im scared
Im 55 woman. So you cant heal if you are older? Feels like it.
U sound like me. The heart palpitations are crippling. Cardiologist says heart is fine but effexor....holy moly made it worse. I'm off it now and the withdrawl is awful
Coming off venlafaxine I kept getting what I called brain blinks. It drove me crazy.
Yep, thats them! Its horrid!
What are those brain blinks? I am getting down from 150mg to 110mg Venla a day. Now I would like to know what I might expect (or fear) coming off it. Could you explain a bit how it feels? Thank you in advance!
@@annetteenzoulis4870 they are strange electric shoc type sensations in your head. Not everyone gets them. www.healthline.com/health/brain-shakes
They're bearable compared to stomachaches. I am so TIRED. Burn it. Kill it. Ugh.
@@FinnTheInfinncible holy crap that is the perfect way to describe them. I am not off of Venlafaxine but if I miss a dose (not often) or am late to refill, right around day 2 of not taking it I experience these "brain zaps." It's mostly when I start moving quickly or am more active but it's like for the smallest second I feel a dizzy feeling or jolt inside of my brain.
I agree! Effexor is by far the woes medication I have come off. Did you also experience extreme agitation frustration coming off of this medication? I am also now going on lexapeo.
My ENT prescribed Venlafaxine (ER 37.5mg) for my Vestibular Neuritis. He said it would take 2 weeks and my vertigo would be gone. I took one pill and
my vertigo was 80% gone in 2 hours. Hey great... At 4am I woke up with a blinding headache. Then I remembered reading watch your blood pressure if you take this.
So I take my blood pressure....197/121. Off to the ER I go. The ER Dr. gave me 0.1mg of Clonidine and in one hour my blood pressure was 117/74.
If I have to chose between Vertigo and a Stroke I think I'll go with the Vertigo.
Hey how r u doing now.. how long did u take antidepressants.. i too have got vestibular neuritis.. i have been prescribed ssri for anxiety due to vn and i feel horribly dizzy even when i have stopped the drug
hey Finn! this video has been extremely helpful. i have been considering tapering off venlafaxine for at least a year now but have been too nervous for obvious reasons - the days when i just forget to take my meds (rare and far in between but more than enough to put the fear of ever coming off on me!!!!).
would u be able to make a video recounting maybe 3 months/6 months/a year off of these meds if possible? i heard the symptoms can last months and have heard one account of someone still feeling zaps after a year and am just wanting as much info as possible to take up this scary lil next adventure.
I'm on my bfs account currently but anyways i feel as if it's impossible to come off effexor. I've been on 150 mgs now for 6 yrs and counting. The people that worked in the woodridge facility never informed me of the withdrawal or any side effects ect. I feel like i wasn't informed enough about the medication i'm stuck on. My body just can't do it i can't handle the withdrawal i have a 2 year old son that needs me and i need him. And without my medication i can't do the normal things mothers are supposed to do with there children. I'll feel helpless i don't have time to taper off because i have to care for my baby boy. He needs me and wakes up and counts on me everyday just like any other child would. The migraines i get from the withdrawal is the worst for me out of any of the symptoms i face without it.😢
I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. Soldiering on through so much pain for your son is so brave and admirable. I hope that seeing him smile and laugh makes the weight of it all lighter and I hope the universe smiles at you soon. Wishing you and your darling little one all the best in the world.
Hey Finn, just wondering how youve been doing on the 5mg now and if youve weened off it now. Greetings from hong kong
Hi my friend. Yes all weened off. That last bit was the hardest! Within a month everything had settled thankfully. I'm now on ecitalopram and it's so much better!
Just a heads up, fully anecdotic, 20 year V user, but as much as I feel horrible if I skip a dose of V, tapering off has given me zero symptoms and I've done it very easily before. Not going off it again since I basically get back to GAD within a few months due to MS.
I'm just wondering if you swapped the 37.5mg's of Venlafaxine straight to the 5mg's of Prozac, or did you have a week off of the Venlafaxine for a week and then went onto the Prozac?
I’m currently coming off it. My first day without any doses and I feel so physically ill. Not to mention the brain zaps are the WORST
I pray you are doing well ♥️
I was increased to 45mg s of mirtazipine and was stopped at 75mgs of effexor. The withdrawal was a nightmare. I went to my gp who put meback on 37.5mgs of effexor to start withdrawal again. I have now had my last tablet which I had cut down to 6 mgs two weeks ago. The withdrawal is worse than ever.
Needed this video
Bless your heart. Thanks for watching, I hope you are doing ok
I’m on 225 mg and trying to come off it’s a nightmare 😢
I'm on 300. I tried to drop 25 mg. Couldn't even cope with that.
I've been taking Venlaxifine for 5 months now. I find myself experiencing weird worm like feelings under my skin around my temple, brain fog that's been related to pre menopause symptoms but I feel like screaming every day and clench my jaw all day. I end up with a sore neck and face.
I would speak to your doctor, it might be that another medication suits you better
I find that 37.5mg is atually to much to taper down on, the bad thing is that they do not offer a lower dose in sweden.
You can even break your tablet in half, I did that and it helped
My GP literally said “it suppresses appetite…”’it really does for me!
I'm currently going through the process of getting off venlafaxine and I've had to take it really slow, I was on 175mg and now I'm on 6.5mg. I lower the dose every month and the first week is fine after but the second week is when I get withdrawal and it feels like I'm getting off meth, I don't get the zaps but I get migraines, nauseous, chills and I get super emotional. Since going through this process I do struggle with all the other side effect as well. This is going to be my last dose and I'm terrified of my last with drawal, I really think this drug should be discontinued
How did you get down to 6.5? How do you get a tablet to be that dose ?
Do you get weird sleeping too almost like stuck in bad dream and just cannot wake yourself up like a night terror type thing
When did all this health stuff begin for you? It sounds identical to long covid which I have been diagnosed with and also all your symptoms
Mine began back in 2017, I just wasn't diagnosed until 2022. Long COVID and ME/CFS do have many similarities .
I only took three weeks this poison, not anymore. It’s hell on earth the withdrawal. But I must be strong to carrie on. Can’t sleep anymore and the appetite is grazy 😞. How wonder how long those terrible withdrawal symptoms lasts?
I'm also going on mc.. bless you 🙏
I soooo wish I could struggle to cry i cry waaaaaay too much
Nothing wrong with healthy emotional release!
@@nishalidhanushika6531 Trust me for a person that cried and sobbed for 4-5 days a week over the little things disproportionately and an emotional wreck I would rather have the opposite and struggle to cry a bit. I still cry at really really sad things but it’s now proportional and I would say more normal base line.
Oh boy I’m in for a ride. I’ve been tapering off 220mg (or so). High dose, I know. I’ve been pretty good so far as I’m approaching 0mg. Only recently the brain zaps have started and brain fog has increased, not looking forward to when I get to 0mg…
I started taking Efexor xr and I am afraid of suffering some sexual dysfunction, is it likely that I will suffer some sexual problem when taking this drug?
Been on these devil tablets for over 10 years, just finally managed to get down to a quarter of a 37.5mg tablet every other day, I feel fine bar the brain fog/ dream state.
But I start a new job Monday and have to unfortunately bump them back up to be normal 😭
One thing o forgot to mention were the hyper realistic almost Ai dres i would get when i missed a 150mg dose.
Fast forward to now, the dreams are now bordering on nightmares now im taking 75mg. I missed a dose, and the headaches are half as bad but the dreams make me look like a bad guy and in them im eithwr being targeted or thrown in prison. Ive got a clean record and have never even been given fine. This drug messes with my head and these dreams are to hard to explain but the best way i can explain them is they are usually dark, im lost in the city where i grew up or im teying to vet somewhere and im always running into obsticales. Now i say it, it actualy sounds like my life right now 🤣🤣 but different. The last dream i was sentenced to 13 years prison for being drunk and running around. When i went to prison i was attack by a group bit me being a big guy i fought them off. Then i was in a jail that looked like a hospital ward with beds lined up in rows and everythijng was white including our clothes. Before i went to prison i was in an elevator that was normal height but there was a door behind me that was a long way back. I was told if i gotoff at the wrong floor or chose the wrong door id go to prision. I chose wrongly but the closer i got to the right door thw further away it got. It felt like i had gone down alices rabbit hole. Its horrible. Can't imagine what tonight will be like 😒
I just tapered off of Venlaflaxine. Did you experience discontinuation syndrome?
I did get the awful brain zapps, even though I tappered slowly, how was your experience?
Feeling bad is good.
Feeling bad will lead to different behaviors.
Effexor made me numb to this.
I’m at the point of no return,
and
Need to know the kind of life I want to live because…….
death always wins.
It's hard struggling with these kind of feelings, I hope you have some good support my friend 🙏
I tried to get off this crap a few weeks ago after going a month without it and i literally wanted to off myself because the withdrawals were soooo bad. I felt like i was literally dying. I may be stuck on this drug forever and idk how i feel about it. Please pray for me
Please make sure you get the support of your doctor and taper very very slowly
@@FinnTheInfinncible Ok. Thank you very much for the advice. I wasn't aware of how dangerous the withdrawals were! I'm still taking them as prescribed as I feel really good now.
Have you heard that Benadryl helps ?
Never heard that!
"I've been slowly tapering off my Effexor/Venlafaxine antidepressant medication over the last two months and now finally I am off Venlafaxine completely"
This is by no means a slow taper it´s very fast, but hopefully you are okay.
Can anyone offer any reassurance. I’ve got to (and WANT to) come off venlafaxine due to having POTS/dysautonomia. I’m only on 75mg but have been on it for nearly 3 years. I was put on it at 17 when I was already underweight 🤬 felt the most ill I’d ever felt in my life, didn’t eat for a week and ended up in hospital 😭 thankfully it settled but I’m done and I want and need to get off it. I have severe anxiety and emetophobia and I’m terrified to come off it and suffer the side effects 😭😭😭 I wish I was never put on this I will forever be angry at the person that did this. Can anyone offer any reassurance that it’s going to be ok 😭😭 I’m only 19 :( and I’m worried about becoming very mentally unwell again 😭😭
I was on 375mg at one point 😬😪😪😪.
I’m down to 37.5 at the moment for about a year not sure how or whether to taper and try come off
Well done for tapering done that far! That last bit can often be the hardest, if you want to do it, chat to your GP. I was taking a dose every other day in the final stages
How long did it take to go from 375 mg to 37.5 mg? I’m on 300 mg, and I want to get off of it. I’m not well. I tried going from 300 to 150 and had major withdrawals, and went back up to 300.
I've been on 225mg for over three years...I can't remember normal life
I’m just angry all the time since I flushed the pills.
I'm about to start a reduced dose 75mg. Not sure If its just me or does anyone else ever hear music when they're in bed at night but there's actually no music playing?
Thats a new one on me. Maybe a form of tinnitus?
@@FinnTheInfinncible I really don't know 😖 it had gone away a year or so ago and it has started again. This medication definitely has some weird side effects
Yes. I thought I was going crazy. It was insane!
@@Rebecca-705 right noe I just got into bed and was about to switch off and I started to hear a guitariff playing. My neighbors are all asleep and one is at work and it is raining so there's no music being played. Its like I have a radio in my head and its playing music very quietly. Its so bizzare. I don't have a hearing problem so I can rule that out . just something I live with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ´_>`
@@FinnTheInfinncible nah not that. My ears and hearing are perfect. Except for the jukebox in my head 🤣
Mine cut me cold turkey from 150 mg its day 3 and ive never felt this bad in my life
How are you nowadays?
I went thru at least 3 weeks of living hell getting off this poison. Some ppl less most ppl more. Every body is different so there will b different wd side effects for different ppl.
After d initial month of hell, i can feel my body still has some of d crap. D symptoms r milder. Feeling woozy/sometimes off balance when i stand up, mild tolerable short periods of headaches, buzzing, anxiety, impatience, etc
All I can say is that u have to get off of this poison if possible. AD meds only really deal w ST symptoms. No proof of any LT benefits. No LT studies were ever done.
These r mind altering drugs just like heroin, coke, ecstasy, etc. U will grow dependent on them cuz u can't get off of them easily. D stupid drs will keep increasing ur dosage to make them work. Or change & mix them w other stupid AD meds. They hav no bloody idea what d hell they r doing. It all just messes up ur brain/mind & body chemistry.
Effexor is d worst to come off of cuz of its short half life, 5 hrs. Normally it takes a day to clear ur body. It all depends on ur dosage. D more & d longer u take, d longer d poison is in ur system. But d WD side-effects will kick in as d crap leaves ur system & cuz ur body & brain r trying to readjust & return to its natural balance from d artificial environment/state created by d drug. This is only what I think from research.
I can't say d med is for u or not. But for me, d stuff made me a zombie. Effexor is just a mood stabilizer. It is not an AD. As a I said before nothing really is. D medical ppl hav no idea what they r doing or d poison they r handing out. Some of it works for some ppl but I noticed it doesn't for most. Especially when they hav stupid side effects that can possibly make u worst or kill u.
Chk out d subject "Effexor withdrawal" for patients' comments.
Good luck on ur journey.
That’s very cruel. I want you to know that you’re heard. Are you doing better? I hope you’re feeling well
Omg
I call it Brain spins
Yep they feel like that!
My wife has POTs… 😬
I don’t like people either
I like them, just in moderation 🤣
0:18 hahaha 😂
He's a very cheeky puppy!
Do you have a social phobia?
Yes it's all part of my generalised anxiety
I’ve been on this for about 3yrs and the past couple of months I’ve been tapering it down. Finally came off of it completely and let me tell you!!! It will kick your butt and brain and body and everything else left and right and it sucks
After years and years of being lied to by doctors who these days represent more of Germanys"doctor death" Josef Mengele since the release of the covid Bioweapon. I have been forced into withdrawl from venlafaxine 150mg by not being able to find a doctor to provide me with the proper health care, that I NEED, not what they think i need. It was a terrible night for the first night and this i hope will give me insight. Thank you.
My psychiatrist just prescribed me some Venlaflaxine, but I didn't know what it was or what to watch out for... so I didn't start right away (that was two days ago and I still haven't). Now reading comments across many YT videos and I'm worried if I should even start it.
I'm so lost and torned.
Bless you, I understand the concerns, however, not everyone has bad experiences. I actually found the mediation worked really well for me. I only had to come off it because it affected my PoTS and it was the coming off it that caused me problems. You could try it short term and see f it works for you, but do discuss your comcerns wth your psych
Yep GAD is a nightmare, but I find Milo gives me something to talk about and then a reason to walk away from people, so it’s usually ok. When he’s not with me I just try not to look at anyone and walk quickly 😂
This is exactly me! And now I find I'm taking via Pip as they are looking at him and asking questions, or I'm taking to their dog 🤣 so yeah....it works lmao!!! Anxiety is awful but I can really see how this pup will help. I can't wait to meet you and Milo!
I feel like I am the only person who has benefitted profoundly from Effexor/Venlafaxine.
Does Effexor decrease memory? Thinking of going to college soon. But I’m scared of the side effects I hear.
I hink i all depends on the dose. My memory wasnt adversely affected. Id suggest you start on a small dose and see how you feel than just increase very gradually
Help me. I hallucinated today. I’m dropping things. I have hangover anxiety. Paranoid episode. Amnesia. Visual blurs. Losing track of time. Intense body ache. Shy. Migraine. Freezing cold. Tremor. I missed my script. Next 3 days I went to get it I forgot ID or money every time. I’m back on it 2.5 days now. I can’t eat. Can’t go to the bathroom. Keep walking into walls.
This sounds like a medical emergency. I'd strongly suggest ringing your doctor and asking to see.someone immediately.