Tapering off of Effexor to try Zoloft .....HELP

Hello everyone. I have been away for quite a while, but I'm back ...
Hope you are all doing well.

I am on the hunt for help about tapering off of Effexor. I did search
for helpful threads, but none seemed to match what I am up against.
The difference with my tapering is that I am doing it so that I can try
Zoloft instead of the Effexor.

I have been on 300mg of Effexor xr for years ( more than 10 ) and have never felt that it was helping me. So not quite two weeks ago I
asked my doctor about trying something different ( because my depression has slowly but gradually been getting worse ). about the only A/D that I haven't been on is Zoloft , so he agreed that we ( I )
could try a taper from the Effexor and then try the Zoloft. Today is day
10 of being on 225 mg and the last two days have been rough. The usual depression with the darn nightmares.

So I called my pharmacist and explained my symptoms. He explained that these meds are slow in and slow out of our systems. After talking to him for a while we decided that if things got worse I would go back to the 300 mg of Effexor, at least until I see my doctor
In about a week and a half.

Here is my first question: if Effexor is slow in and slow out of our systems, then why do nightmares occur after missing only one days
dose, and then go away as soon as we are back on them? This seems to
contradict the slow in : slow out explanation to me...Any thoughts about this?

My other question is that I am wondering if anyone else has tapered off of Effexor to try tapering up to Zoloft, to the point that they ( me )
are only on Zoloft? If anyone has tried this , I would be greatful to
have some feedback on the experience.

Thanks very much,
Derwood ( and my cat Lupin )

PS - if this post is difficult to understand, please don't hesitate to ask
questions : I will try to give a better explanation.

Hi Karen , and thanks very much for the info and support

Regarding wether or not I have tried pristiq, I have to agree with you that I don't think I have tried it, for the reason you mention ( being on Effexor for over 10 years ). Is pristiq a drug I can take
WITH the Effexor? And if it is possible to take both, can I taper off
of the Effexor while on the pristiq? Or am I better off taking both?

Is pristiq an A/D? Did you have difficulties going from Effexor to
pristiq? Or was it a smooth transition? Also , did you have to taper
off of Effexor before you could take pristiq? This is opening up a lot
of possible questions to ask my doctor, but that isn't for about a
week and a half. Do you feel better on pristiq then you did on
Effexor? Sorry for so many questions, but this is new to me and may
offer some relief.

Regarding the nightmares, it is entirely possible that they were co-incidental, but they feel like the ones I had when I missed a dose
of Effexor ( very horrific and they stay in my head for hours, unlike
most nightmares that a person can't remember after about 15 minutes. It's hard to explain, but for now I'll consider it a co-incident.

But I really would be greatful to know what your experience was like going from Effexor ( are you off of it completely? ) to pristiq,
because this may be a much better idea for me than the Effexor to
Zoloft change.

Thanks for the warm welcome back
All the best, Derwood.

Thank you so very much Karen. The info you gave me is very
helpful. When I see my doc next week I will be asking him about
going on pristiq rather than Zoloft. It sounds like our brain chemistry has similarities, as I need some sort of A/D to function as
well.
Also, I am very happy to say that I have not had any nightmares
since my post two days ago . I think it may have been mostly
co-incidental. And I feel fine depression-wise after 13 days on the taper. If I still feel OK when I see my doctor in a weeks time I will
( with his consent ) continue the tapering and take anouther small
drop in doseage. I will report on how this all goes for the possible
help it may offer others.

Till then, all the best my friends ( special thanks to you Karen )
Derwood.

It took me 9 months to get off Effexor 225 mg after many years of it (and every other pill in the arsenal) eventually wearing off. Its so so so brutal, and a miracle I'm still alive after doing it. Tried it many years ago and nearly committed suicide.

This time, I used a Naturopath (ND) to help me get off all the antidepressants. Nothing the doctors threw at me helped for long, and the side effects (and loss of joy, sleeplessness, inorgasmia, etc) were not worth replacing one poison for another.

I took advice I found on other websites to take it very slow. Effexor is the worst to come off of. My GP's like to tell me it only takes a couple weeks, and don't seem to realize at all how awful it can be. My ND said she would not have started my taper until AFTER she had built up my system and neurons so that I had something to fight with. As it was, I was drained and unhealthy, and started the taper myself, and only ran to her out of desperation. I went into the battle with no army. If you have the time and money, I highly recommend building your army first. (Mine was high quality Omega3, GABA, 5-htp, thyroid support, adrenal support, hormonal support)

To taper, I would go on the smallest increments possible down from each step, which in whole pills would be 37.5 mg at a time, for two weeks at least at each step. When I was down to the last 37.5, I bought empty gel caps at the vitamin store and counted out the balls in an effexor cap. It was like... 40-50. So for 1-2 weeks I would put 40 balls in a cap. Then 35 for a week or two. Then 30... 25... 20... etc. Til I was off completely.

If you're switching to something else, perhaps the withdrawal shouldn't need to be so long. My GP put me on Wellbutrin, which doesn't do squat for me, but they don't seem to care about what neurotransmitters you need, just pushing a pill at you. I'm done with the whole lot. I don't trust doctors or psychiatrists anymore.

Post Edited (BabsBunny) : 3/17/2017 8:37:00 AM (GMT-6)

When a medication stops working, often an increase helps. Not always.

This taper might be all well and good for somebody trying to go off of medications but some of us desperately need medication. So often switching to a different type helps.

BabsBunny, I am glad that you don't need medication anymore. And yes, the roller coaster can be tiring. I am glad you found a different doctor.

Hugs, Karen...

Hi BabsBunny, Karen, 1013, and everyone else

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I want to let you all know that I have a very good, comfortable rapport with my GP.
I have been his patient for over 20 years , and we are about the same age ; we talk comfortably and I am always honest with him.
On top of this great rapport is the fact that I see him at least once a
month.

So I have a very good ( imho ) doctor helping me to make the
change away from Effexor. My primary goal at this time is to get off
of the Effexor ( have been on it over 10 years - maybe as much as
15 years ) and try a different A/D. My dose has been 300mg for all of those years. So far I am 2 weeks into a 3 week reduction of 37.5
mg of the Effexor, and I feel fine . I see my GP in one weeks time
and we will discuss my options then.

The question I will have for him next week will be his opinion on
wether I try Zoloft or pristiq , and when to start taking the one we
choose. I will leave it to him to decide wether we mix the new drug
with the Effexor and continue the taper, or wether I continue the taper, and then add the new drug a little farther down the line.

At this point I feel inclined to try pristiq, but my MD will be able to
help me make the choice of pristiq or Zoloft. He knows my health
condition better than I do ( I have pain relief and enlarged prostate
meds to be considered along with my Effexor and I have been taking Valium for 30+ years for chronic anxiety) so he will ultimately
help me make the pristiq vs Zoloft choice, as well as decide upon
the taper program that I have started.

So that is where I am at the moment, and I will be adding to this thread as time and experience passes. I congratulate you on your
success BabsBunny, and I thank all three of you for your help and
support as well as wishing you improved, stable health.

To wrap up my feelings on my first two weeks of the Effexor taper
I can sum it all up in one sentance. With the help I have received here at HW I consider myself to be moving forward without any
trouble at all

Please understand that I appreciate and will give strong consideration to any help from any HW member, and I will continue to share my results in hopes that it may be of benefit to someone
else at some time.

With cheerful and greatful regards I wish improved health to all at
Healing Well.
Derwood.