Effexor Withdrawals

Well, it's obviously too late to tell you that you tapered too fast. AND.....You're almost out of the woods now. So with that said.....

What always helped me with the dizzies and lightheaded feeling, from tapering off of an AD, is Benadryl. Give it a shot, it can't hurt.

Good luck, and I hope you start feeling better soon!
Fox

I have never been on Effexor, but I have tapered off of Zoloft 3 times in the past, and I just started taper number 4 a week ago.

What my doc always had me do while tapering, is to drop down in either 12.5 or 25 mg increments. I would do that for two weeks, and then if I was feeling better, drop the dosage again for two weeks, and so on, until I was done completely.

I was on 200 mgs of Zoloft, so at this point I am taking 175 mgs for at least another week before I drop it down to 150 mgs. I will keep reducing my dose in increments of 25 mgs. Probably until I'm down to 25 mgs, and then I'll split that in half to 12.5 and take that for two weeks, and then every other day for two weeks. If my calculations are correct, it will take me until March to totally wean off.

The unsteadiness lasted a few weeks if I am remembering correctly.

The generic name for Benadryl is diphenhydramine. Here is some information you might find useful.

Diphenhydramine is used to relieve red, irritated, itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; and runny nose caused by hay fever, allergies, or the common cold. Diphenhydramine is also used to relieve cough caused by minor throat or airway irritation. Diphenhydramine is also used to prevent and treat motion sickness, and to treat insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Diphenhydramine is also used to control abnormal movements in people who have early stage parkinsonian syndrome (a disorder of the nervous system that causes difficulties with movement, muscle control, and balance) or who are experiencing movement problems as a side effect of a medication.

Diphenhydramine will relieve the symptoms of these conditions but will not treat the cause of the symptoms or speed recovery. Diphenhydramine should not be used to cause sleepiness in children. Diphenhydramine is in a class of medications called antihistamines. It works by blocking the action of histamine, a substance in the body that causes allergic symptoms.

It is very important to stay in touch with your doctor while you are tapering off of any SSRI or SNRI, just in case you start having uncomfortable side effects. The slower you taper, the easier it will be. But that's just my opinion from experience.

Good luck with everything!
Fox

Our personal genetics are the major factor in how we respond to medications and how much withdrawal we have in going off. If you read the antidepressant and benzo forums the length of time and dose have little to do with withdrawal. It can vary from zero to a very, very, very long time. I don’t want to scare you but mine was in the long, long time range and I had dizziness and probably 30 other totally disabling symptoms.

Many/most doctors make the mistake of telling a patient that the return of symptoms post detox is the old condition returning....often it is withdrawal and it can be hundreds of times worse than what we were treated for. I prayed for my old anxiety and panic back.

This is one of the cruelest features of anxiety meds, over time they can cause the condition (and worse) that we were treated for, they can be hideous to get off of and then we can be misdiagnosed and put back on them starting a whole new cycle.