Hi, I have been taking venlafaxine 300mg for well over 10 years, am currently on a withdrawal programme.
I was told that it was possible that there may be permanent damage to my nervous system as a result of taking this drug for so long.
Does anybody know anything about this or has anyone suffered lasting effects?
Hi I have been on venlafaxtine 225mg for 20 years and am currently reducing to come off as they r no longer working, I'm interested to spk to u regarding this post
Hi Sarah, I have bipolar disorder and was given venlafaxine about 13 years ago by my gp before i was seen and diagnosed by a psychiatrist. I loved the stuff, it didn't sedate me and it took away a lot of anxiety and depression.
I've recently been advised by my latest psychiatrist that venlafaxine is not the drug of choice to use in bipolar as it could induce mania so they recommend i stop taking it gradually. I am in the middle of a 15 week programme to reduce by 37.5mg every other week for example last week I took 150mg one day and 112.5mg the next alternating all week, this week I take 112.5mg all week, reducing on alternate days next week
That's exactly how I'm reducing I have BPD it did work for me too in the beginning but not anymore tbh I'm coming off as I've been on so long but still suffer badly as also have severe depressive disorder, my old physiatrist wouldn't consider a change in meds but my new one is much better, I am gonna cc how I go without it but if needed I will try a new one. Ur not alone I no alot of ppl who seem to hav been put on antidepressants and hav bipolar which is not good, how r you finding the reduction I am experiencing some brain shocks which r unpleasant and headaches but I'm determined to get off it. Good luck pls let me no how u go
Sorry I read it wrong I'm reducing monthly 37.5mg but I'm currently at 150 then August 150mg alternative days _ 37.5 at 112.5mg for a month and then Sept 112.5mg a month
well, I took myself off depakote in march as I couldnt cope with side effects, so no mood stabiliser since then, bipolar has flared up and my marriage has ended after 20 years so along with venlafaxine withdrawal I am quite ill, not physically thankfully, no signs of withdrawal symptoms as i was expecting just very heightened anxiety. I've moved to a different area, new area health authority, I did register with a doctor who requested a mental health refferal but after waiting a couple of weeks i got scared and called the crisis team.
The help and support i have recieved from them has been overwhelming, have had more support in the last 2 weeks than I've had in 15 years of mental health problems, because I went through the crisis team my needs have been fast tracked, i will be allocated a care co-ordinator this week, something i have never had before
the slower the better, stick with it
Wow I'm on depakote also I'm hoping once off the venlafaxtine to reduce this too. It's so strange it seems that u have had very little help in past as myself, my doctor actually withheld my diagnosis u only found out 10 years after during a meeting with children services. I'm glad u r getting better help sorry to hear about your break up. I'm starting dialectical behavioural therapy tomorrow so hoping this will help. My main issue is the depression and lack of motivation to do anything, In the past I was v good at pushing myself but just seem stuck at the moment. I had an amazing care Co ordinator for 4 years I'm sure they will help. Thanks for sharing and I wish u well
I've been taking venlafaxine for 8 years and the dr. just increased it. I'll be dead before I notice any "damage". I'm not going through venlafaxine withdrawals.
Thanks for sharing your story too, its been good to have a comparison, take care of you, I wish you well too x
Hi there, any idea what type of nerve damage they mean? I was online venlafaxine for almost two years, stopped taking it for about 9 weeks, and now I'm going back on (started it again today). It was starting to not work for me at 150mg and I wanted to try something different so I got prescribed Cymbalta (duloxetine). Well, it worked for my depression problems but made my anxiety so much worse. Plus I was dizzy literally all the time and extremely tired. These side effects never subsided for the whole ~9 weeks I was on it. So back to venlafaxine I go! I'm starting back at 75mg but I'll probably need to go back to 150 since I've seen that at 75 it acts just as a regular SSRI, not effecting norepinephrine. Grrr. SSRIs did not work for me at all but Effexor worked WONDERS when I was at the worst point in my life in 2013.
The only lasting side effect I've noticed is my jaw clenching more. I used to clench my jaw occasionally, but after taking venlafaxine it's just all the time and sometimes I can barely open my mouth 
That doesn't seem to be too common though. Good luck on your withdrawal. I didn't really experience withdrawal from switching as Cymbalta is also an SNRI, however I do occasionally forget to take my medicine and I get withdrawal as soon as it's 24 hours past when I last took it. It's so awful, it's like having the flu plus anxiety, extreme mood swings, and brain zaps. Hopefully you're tapering slowly and won't have to deal with severe side effects. Take care!
no idea about what type of nerve damage or what signs to look for, I was a bit overwhelmed when I was told so didn't ask questions.
I get face ache from tension as a result of jaw clenching, didn't realise this was a side effect
just found this - http://www.drugdangers.com/ssri/effexor/side-effects.htm
Hi! I have been on Venlafaxine for almost two years. I tried to come off it last year and ended up with an ankle injury shortly after. It was an odd injury and they just kept telling me that my ankle was sprained, even though all I did was take a normal step, no twisting or rolling of the ankle. For 10 weeks I saw 9 different doctors trying to get answers as to why my entire right foot was purple, with pins and needles when I tried to put pressure on it. Anytime it started to feel a bit better, I would use it and it would “restrain”. After seeing a physio therapist, she said she had only seen two cases like mine before and it turned out the people had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
All of the symptoms made sense. I had a previous injury to my ankle as a teenage and CRPS actually attacks previous injury’s when your body becomes too stressed to deal with it.
After losing my job, I had to go back on Venlafaxine because it is literally the prescribed medication for CRPS. Within 36 hours of taking Venlafaxine again, the swelling went down and the colour returned to my foot. I haven’t had another sprain like symptom since being back on them, other than a burning sensation in the front of my ankle. Since coming off the meds about a month and a half ago, I can feel my ankle being weak. I can feel a burning sensation and it is swelling around the front and outside of the ankle.
I’m concerned Venlafaxine caused this nerve damage.
It causes the worst withdrawal symptoms and I truly believe I have a nerve disorder because of it.
I too had been taking venlafaxine for 8 years fluctuating from 75/150mg.
I came off them December last year and since 3 of my teeth have had to be extracted - I always had healthy teeth and I have been experiencing awful panic attacks since - I am now taking 20mg of citalopram to counteract that’s an fortunately it seems to be easing off. But what’s causing these panics is pain I am getting in my upper back/shoulder blade and chest all in one general area, at first I immediately thought it was my heart then lungs and now I believe I could also have nerve damage, I feel permanently ruined by taking this drug - something that helped me has left me with these what seem to be permanent side effects. I’m a bit angry about it all.
I am still angry - nearly 7 years after I withdrew from venlafaxine ... the first time. I have yet to bring myself to write down or record anywhere online the extent of the severity and longevity of my hellish withdrawal experience. I was on 150mg about 6-7 years. At my request to come off, I was brought down to zero mg in 5 days. I myself knew no better - then. Longer story short I had to be reinstated on that drug. The next time I attempted to withdraw - I now no longer remember what the timeframe of that taper was - but I remember plunging back into hell. This included feeling as though my lungs were burning and also having a slamming heart. I was then forced on to a stronger drug - with a much longer half life - which the doctor eventually weaned me slowly down from. I went on to this site to see if others are troubled by pheripheal neuropathy type problems. Currently I’m dealing with paresthesia down my left leg - and into my groin. I had - among many other nasty symptoms - a massive amount of paresthesia in the full blown withdrawal stages. This is common I have learned. CNS damage is not uncommon with this drug I have read. Millions of people have been left angry from their experiences with the whole class of drugs effectively marketed as “antidepressant medications“. I have done a vast amount of research since the beginning of being put through the medical system hell and my world has changed. I have found a very deep level of cynicism and I truly hate the drug industry. It is very much their standard practice to release what they know to be dangerous drugs onto the market - and to push them “off label” for every possible reason they can get away with. Their corruption knows no bounds - all easy to find out with thorough research. I am avoiding western medical doctors as much as possible for the rest of the days I have left. My best wishes to you in the hope that you fully heal from the damage caused by venlafaxine. The world needs to be familiar with the word iatrogenesis - because there are millions of people suffering from that condition without even realising it.
Do you find it helps?
Hi Riabird how did you manage ? I have just came across this site did you get nervous system damage or where you ok , If not did you get anything to help with damage that you could please share with me thankyou
Curious to know how your tapering went and if you had any lasting effects from Effexor.