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 3 August 2024
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
170 Answers Page 5
JDSPARKS
4 Oct 2016
I had been on Fenlaxafine 37.5 mg for just two months for management of hot flashes. At a doctor visit at that 2 month point, found out my blood pressure was through the roof. Oh, yea, that is one of the side effects my physician did not tell me about, along with weight gain - that happened too! I was told to monitor the BP and let her know. Well, after a couple other checks of my BP-high, decided that I would stop taking the Fenlaxafine. I emailed the doctor that and received a reply from a nurse that I would have to wean off the stuff. She suggested to take two out of the week and then every other day. Well, I did every other day for a while then every third day. Wow that was where it started to get difficult. I have been reading other posts where they are having many side effects. Very dizzy, brain zaps-I described them as chirping. It also feels like my head is in a vise.
Not very moody, but blood pressure continued to be high until about a week ago where it finally came down in the normal range. Just last week I missed the "third day" dose and decided to see if I could possibly continue. By the 5th day it was nearly unbearable. VERY dizzy and the chirping was awful. Still decided to wait one more day. Couldn't do it... had to take a pill. About 5-6 hours later was feeling better. The chirping was minimal and the dizziness went away. I am going to try every third for a while again and try weaning again. Would like to hear if anyone else out there has had a similar experience. Was told by a pharmacist that I should not have a difficult time with weaning as I was on them for such a short time--HA.
Middleagelady
16 Sep 2016
I have been on 37.5 mg of effexor for at least 5 months (half of my original dose). About three days ago i ran out and was too lazy to refill. My main sidr effect is dizziness, and it kind of sucks. I've been wanting to stop taking this drugbfor a while because I dont think I need it anymore. But i have to say the dizziness is pretty bad and i might just have to go back on it.
Miracles
15 Sep 2016
This is weird because I feel like my Psychiatrist gave me different advice than others...
I started this med bc of depressed and extremely anxious (in addition to germaphobia.)
Dr told me to go on Effexor, start on 75mg, then work way up to 150mg after a week. After 2 months of 150mg, I told him I didn't feel anything regarding my anxiety. He put me on 225mg for 2 months.. Depression was getting better but anxiety - forget about it. As if it didn't even put a dent! So he told me to go on 300mg. I did for about 2 months and I have the same outcome: EXTREME ANXIETY.
He recently told me he wants to try me on prozac. So I should start weening off effexor like this... And this is what I haven't seen anyone say here!
3 days go down to 150 mg.
Next 3 days go down to 75 mg.
Then next 3 days, completely stop taking.
Then after 3 days, start taking 10 mg of prozac.
Well, I am suppose to start taking prozac TOMORROW.
My withdrawal the last 3 days have been crazy.
1) Brain Zaps (with every single movement of my eye)
2) Insomnia
3) Vertigo -- ALL DAY and NIGHT!
4) Brain fog
and more.. but those are the main ones.
I have stopped going to work for the last 3 days, as I am a teacher and I can not Stand nor concentrate. I've been in bed for 3 days just watching tv or sleeping because that's the only thing I can do.
I don't even think I want to start on prozac tomorrow because I don't want to have these drugs in my system. (btw, the Dr said the drug is out of your system after 3 days) but I've read here that people have been having withdrawal symptoms for a week or more... That isn't good. I have a job I need to return to and more importantly, I have a wife with 5 kids. She understands it's difficult for me to help out and asks me to do minimum (mostly things involving watching kids while sitting on the chair) but it is not my reality. I want to continue being a father to my kids and husband to my wife.
I am on day 3 with nothing in my system (which is weird bc everyone is saying they've weened off for months. Why the heck did my dr. tell me all in all 9 days!!! )
I have less than 12 hours to decide whether I will take prozac tonight or whether I want to try not being on anything.
My psychologist said he can not give me medical advice and I should ask my psychiatrist, but my psychiatrist isn't answerings, which means I won't be able to get to him until Sunday (3 days later!!! )
thanks for listening and I would love to read your responses. As others have written, it's such a help to see others give encouraging words. I think that's a main reason as to why I am considering putting prozac on hold. On the other hand, I have no idea if he told me to go on prozac is so that it helps with the withdrawal... That wasn't clear!
Poppyjj
1 Nov 2016
I was on Effexor, 75 mg. for about nine years. I had no idea when this drug was prescribed for hot flashes what the side effects would be when I decided to quit taking this drug. The reason I am stopping the drug is because I realized that the drug was causing my hot flashes and overeating. It also affected my motivation and energy. This has been horrible. I don't think doctors should be prescribing a drug with the severe side effects when you discontinue. I visited with my doctor about stopping the Effexor. She wrote me a prescription for 37.5 mg and gave me instructions for how to stop. I went from 75 mg once a day to once every other day for three weeks. I then reduced the 75 mg every other day to 37.5 every other day. After two weeks I was supposed to go from 37.5 mg every other day to every third day. After I started experiencing severe side effects, my husband visited with our pharmacist who recommended that I slow down on my withdrawal from the drug.
I went back to 37.5 every other day for an additional month. I am now on a month of 37.5 mg. After this month, I will either stop or move to 37.5 every fourth day. This journey has been horrible. I have had all of the side effects listed on other comments; severe physical and emotional exhaustion, migraines, nausea, brain fog, irritability and crying, ringing in my ears (don't think that is ever going to stop), insomnia, brain zaps, vertigo. I am not going to stop. If this is what happens when you withdraw from the drug, what has it been doing to my body while I have been on the drug for nine years? I am very angry. I read that this is the third most commonly prescribed drug for hot flashes, depression and anxiety. I have learned a very valuable lesson: no one will ever get away with prescribing me something like this again. I am going to get through this but I am taking it very slow.
sueduva
31 May 2017
Miracles, how are you doing now?
Did you find a drug that has helped your anxiety?
selfhelper
2 Sep 2016
I have been reducing my Effexor intake for about a month. I have taken it for about 8 years. The brain fog is lifting and I am starting to uncover my "real" me. The Effexor has had me in a fog for far too long. I was taking 225mg but have gotten down to 75mg. I have been cutting back every two weeks. The brain zaps are difficult to deal with. The nausea and dizziness are not too bad. I am hoping the brain zaps go away soon, but I don't think I will be rid of them until I get off of the Effexor entirely and have it out of my system for a period of time. I am staying positive though. I feel like my personality is coming back and I am starting to care about things again.
gshollis
2 Sep 2016
I have been struggling with experiencing a lot more drastic emotions since I have gone from 75mg a day to 37.5mg a couple weeks ago. I feel positive emotions with more intensity, but more frequently negative ones with greater power.
How do I know if these stronger emotions are a symptom or if they are just me returning to my default emotional state? To me it reminds me of how I felt before I started taking Venlafaxine, however, I have a friend who told me some people think that when they reduce or go off their antidepressants they are returning to the way things were, but are actually only experiencing side effects.
I am very scared I am returning to my original emotional state. It was horrible. Venlafaxine frequently helped, but also made me so tired I was miserable. I feel like I lose with or without antidepressants.
Can anyone offer any hope?
starpolish1
13 Dec 2016
This is EXACTLY how i feel 2 weeks into tapering onto 37.5. Please tell me my emotions will return to normal soon! I'm a crying mess.
gshollis
13 Dec 2016
Hey Starpolish!
Glad to know I was not alone in this. My emotions have indeed leveled out a lot. Emotionally I feel pretty much like I did when I was on the pills at this point. I think the withdrawals of going from 75 - 37.5 are mostly over now. It was not pleasant though. It took 2 or 3 months for me. There was nausea, fever body aches, weird brain feelings (hard to explain) and other stuff.
Hang in there. It gets better. Please comment and let me know as you improve!
starpolish1
13 Dec 2016
I will! I'm a mess right now. Dealing with a lot of crap, but KNOW I can get through this. I've cried at least 5 times today. I'm not a really emotional person so this is weird for me. I've been on effexor for 4.5 years, had a year and a half med free before that (trying to have a baby) and 13 years on zoloft prior.
So now I'm just trying to do it w/ abilify. (2mg) It's time. I'm hopefully going to kick it's butt. I'm so over anxiety- but honestly even a year ago at 300 mg I don't feel like the effexor was helping, so now it's been 2 weeks and Im down to nothing.
Sue45
22 Aug 2016
I have been off for efferox for a month. My doctor said it should be out of my system and the reason I am feeling anxious and irritable was I needed to be on them. I went on I it was because it was suppose to help hot flashes. Well after 10!years it is nt helping anymore and figured why stay on it if it was t helping any more. Now I am very irritable and fine fault with everything and still have the hot flashes anyway. Should I go back on a low dose also feel nauseated almost every day.? Will this go away or do I need to be back on it?
Neededsomthing
23 Feb 2017
Try reading up on menopause, your symptoms may be normal also perimenopause is only supposed to be about 10 years ? Also beside realizing what is or isn't from a natural process maybe in your reading you might find a bridge meds, like addreall ( sic) which is ridealin or speed and used to treat adhd can help with menopause but is short acting in the body ie is dosed every 4 hours, so would be easier to take a short time.
Jent
21 Aug 2016
I have been taking Venlafaxine for 6 years and the last 6 months have weened my self off... this is a NASTY NASTY drug to detox from. Benadryl helps and I've been taking ginger/Epsom salt/baking soda baths and use the hottest water you can stand and sit and sweat... sweat all that crap out of your body! I'm on day 4 of zero Venlafaxine and my mind is SO much clearer. Last night was 3 days and the worst so far. Hang in there it will get better. Best wishes to you all detoxing from this horrible drug
hillwalker
21 Aug 2016
Stay strong Jent. I was only on Venlavaxine 37.5mg for 6 months last year. Horrible Drug. I stopped last October. Best thing i ever did. I.v got my life back again. I have Emotions again. I can laugh and cry and thats a great feeling. I had all the horrendous withdrawal symptoms but i kept thinking of good times in my life and that really helped me cope. Nearly 10 months later and i am completley clean of this drug. I,l never take another Antidepresent again. You can do this. Stick at it, one day you,l be glad and it will all be a distant memory to you.
mangnarm
17 Aug 2016
Congratulations to all of you who were able to kick this habit, and to those who are still trying to kick it, stay strong!
I've been on Venlafaxine HCL ER 75mg for about 6 months and started weaning off of it by subtracting two beads every day. Today (Aug. 17th) I am down to 35 beads and on Sept. 3rd I should be down to my last bead. I know that the beads do not equal exactly 1 mg but the approximate value is good enough for me. Anyway, two days ago I started to feel some general lightheadedness, involuntary bouts of sweatiness lasting for a few minutes, and a few sharp headaches throughout the day, but no dreaded brain zaps or debilitating anxiety yet. Throughout the whole weaning process I've felt super itchy but I just lotion up (or get my partner to help, which can be fun!), take my allergy medicine (desloratidine) and resist the urge to scratch to the best of my ability.
I hope that the withdrawal symptoms don't get much worse because my health insurance just ran out and I'm trying to stop taking prescription medication altogether.
gypsy_traveller
28 July 2016
Its over 12 months and I've been efexor clean,lots of perseverance, and i always kept in my mind "I was determined to break the cycle"
My chemist advised me to cut back slowly,I was on 150 grams (capsule) so as i slowly came off them ,near the final days i may only have a few granules... I suffered a lot of withdrawal symptoms which nearly made me give up.But I kept so positive
Today I look back at all the years I was on them & it was like I'd been in a bubble..Where had all the good times gone & the years.
Today,my mind is so much clearer,I (like many) have had to grieve in that time for my brother and my father... just do the best you can is my advice... thats how i did it & believe me I'm so proud of how far I've come
ash29ley
26 July 2016
After trying wellbutrin and fluoxetine at varying doses I started venlafaxine starting with 37.5 working my way up to 150 where I did not feel very depressed anymore. I finally decided I wanted to get off medications and after about 6 months on 150 (I was on 75 for my longest stretch which was about a year), I went back down to 75. After about 6 more months of 75 I decided to get really serious and went down to 37.5 only for about 2 months until I started taking beads out of the pills. I did about a week of half-37.5 and then a few days of quarter-37.5 pills and then nothing.
Had I seen this post sooner I would have went down much more gradually. I am feeling many of the same symptoms as everyone else. Nausea, unending headache, brain fog, brain delays, feeling dizzy. I have been free of any dose for a week and I am still feeling these symptoms full blown. I feel so awful I am so impatiently waiting for this to be over.
solomon-gump
13 July 2016
I got off of Effexor with only some mild withdrawal, dizzy, nauseous, but no brain zaps.
I sas on Effexor for about 2 years. Helped with anxiety/depression but basically numbed all emotion except anger. No libido to speak of. Made me drowsy at work and unfocused. Was even running three times a week and could barely maintain my weight. Seemed always had a sensation of being hungry. Only taking 75mg. I found that if I missed a day, I was fine. Made me wonder about all the reports of withdrawal. I tried to go to a third day just to see what would happen - then I would get a headache and nausea. Significant enough to knock me off my feet.
Doctor agreed to let me make a switch to Wellbutrin. Original plan was to reduce to 38.5 for a week, while adding half dose of Wellbutrin. No issue. Second week went to full Wellbutrin dose and tried to go every other day with the Effexor - that was OK for me - no issues. Tried to extend the weaning process by waiting for the third day - but the nausea hit. I was leaving for a vacation with only a couple of capsules left.
Doctor agreed to prescribe 38 mg tablets that I could easily cut in half. So I went down to 14 mg. No problems, went to every other day and that was ok, then when I tried to wait till the third day it hit me around lunch time - dizzy, nauseous, mild headache, even at the lower dose. I found that eating helped get through the nausea.
So I decided the last step would require me to just deal with the nausea - it wasn't horrible. Usually would get dizzy and sick around lunch time, but I would eat a bit, nap a bit and then I was OK. Nausea persisted periodically for about a week and a half, but it may have been made worse by the fact that the last few days of the vacation I was at a high elevation (8000 ft plus). Maybe elevation sickness was getting me, or just the last bit of purging the drug from my system, or both. When I returned to less than 5000 ft, I felt really good. So the whole process took about a month. I am now completely off the stuff. Never want to take it again.
Seems to me that prescribing something that is guaranteed to require a detox period is unethical. Even though it can be tapered off and eventually stopped, not everybody will have the luxury of a slow taper. If the drug becomes unavailable for any reason, not only will the depression return, but the patient will suffer a harsh withdrawal that can last days or weeks and can be debilitating - everybody is different. I had no brain zaps, but I have no doubt others can have more serious symptoms.
But having said all that, it is possible to get free of it. Take it slow, listen to your body. Just know that there will be some discomfort on the last step. At the end you will have to push through.
MaricotaD
13 July 2016
I was on Effexor 75mg for over a Year due to extreme anxiety. Withdraw was way easier than expected. I gradually lowered my dosage in the course of one week. After that I may say I had 2 bad, but not horrible days. Symptoms included the mentioned brain zaps and dizziness. Gotta say addapting to the medication was harder than getting out of it. It did wonders to my anxiety but I was feeling numbed, couldnt cry! Hope I can help someone. Do not fear having medication when needed and dont fear getting out of that, always guided by a psychiatrist.
OKnow
13 July 2016
I have gotten great help venlafaxine when nothing else would work. These posts have been really helpful but I haven't seen anyone mention that venlafaxine, just like Paxil, are recognized as the most difficult antidepressants to withdraw from so adding a secondary or supplemental antidepressant like Wellbutrin as you come off of Effexor could provide you with a lot of the benefits of an SSRI OR SSNI and soften that blow of withdrawal a bit. Then after the discontinuation syndrome is taken care of you could much more easily stop the secondary SSRI ror SSNI without many side effects compared to the effexor/venlvenlafixine (which I could reiterate and expand on at length but won't even attempt to describe).
twinpeaksfff
31 May 2016
thank god for motion sickness pills. I was very dizzy and nauseous. this was the only thing that helped. SERIOUSLY get some!!!
jasonross518
27 May 2016
Here's my experience... I was put on Effexor 5.5 years ago for depression, and was always tired on it and put on some weight, but it did it's job. Starting in Feb 2016, I went down to 112.5mg, with only a bit of side effects (moodiness, crabbiness), then in Mar I went down to 75mg, no big deal. Then a month later I went down to 37.5mg, with no big problems. Yesterday I went off the med, and by 2pm I felt horrible (dizziness, nausea) and it has lasted into today. I decided to take my 37.5mg dose today. I'm still dizzy/nauseous at 1pm, so it is not fun. Apparently it is the hardest coming off the lowest dose? This sucks. I'm going to make an appointment with my family doctor next week to sort this out. My psychiatrist said it should be fine, and that I could alternate one day taking a pill, and not the next, but I'm thinking counting the beads within the pills would be better. Feeling like garbage... :(
Hopefully it gets better??? How long does this weaning process last?
ptsdvet
28 May 2016
I experienced a few cycles of extreme fatigue, dizziness and nausea during my withdrawal period. Fortunately for me, the really crappy times never lasted for more that two or three days at a time although the entire withdrawal period was quite long. I was on 225mg of venlafaxine for about 5 years but didn't taper off as gradually as you did. Hang in there.
Donellion
4 Aug 2016
There is also a 25mg pill that you can cut in half. Use the 25 mg for a while and then half it. No bead counting involved.
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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