Effexor emotional side effects from withdrawal

Melonda

Hi, I am on my third week of tapering off of effexor and I've had zero physical side effects but emotionally I feel depressed and super anxious.



Anyone else deal with this?

Lowrider54

Humm...is there a reason you are going off the Effexsor?  If you are feeling depressed and super anxious, are you planning on another med to help with depression and anxiety? 

I have no experience coming off of it as it is working so well controlling the depression at only 75mgs along with .5mg of xanax 3 times a day - I have no plans of coming off of it.

udpt82

Hi,

This post is well timed for me and I will also be interested in what people say.

I started a very low dose of Effexor about 6 years ago for life stresses.  I continued after I was diagnosed in 2008, but upped the dose slightly during chemo.  I thought I would try to come off of it and tapered back to the lowest dose and am now using it every other day.  I was disturbed when I read about the difficulty people have coming off of it, but mine has been manageable so far.

The thing I don't like is that I am more moody and feel "flat" frequently. A friend told me her doctor told her that moodiness and anxiety can come with stages of menopause, especially when it is chemically induced.  I don't like feeling this way and will speak to my doctor about trying something else.

I hate to be on a med, but don't know if there is something more natural to try.  I have tried Bach's Rescue Remedy, but I don't see any difference.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

Lowrider54

udpt82 - one of the reasons I did not go up any further was due to the potential of that 'flat' feeling.  I wanted to continue to have a full range of emotion while not suffering with the depression and anxiety of my mets dx.  It has also left me with the option of moving up should things change but still be below the standard clinical dose of 150mg.  I maintain at 75mg.  An anti anxiety med was added to manage the anxiety so sometimes it takes a combination to obtain the result you want.

I had tried many of the natural thing - Valerian root is the only one that I felt had any impact.  Be careful that there are no contraindications with any treatment or other meds you are taking - St. John's Wort - another anxiety reliever does have quite a few and I would not recommend taking it at all.

Dark chocolate is excellent - a couple small squares can elevate your mood and have other helpful qualities.

I find rubbing fresh thyme under my nose quite relaxing along with some other herbs from my garden. 

Wish the best to you both!

LowRider

udpt82

Thanks lowrider54, I spoke to my MD and he told me I should go back to Effexor 37.5 mg everyday and to see if things are better.  I am concerned since I have read how difficult it is to get off of Effexor, but will give this a try.  My highest dose was 75mg, I just hate to take more than I need.