Lowered dose for one week

Treatment and medication
1

Hi all,

First of all I would like to say to anyone reading this before taking venlafaxine,

Do NOT even bother!!!

I was on citalopram for a year and a half, they stopped working for me ( sleeping every chance I got, grumpy as hell etc )so my doctor changed to venlafaxine, now she told me these tablets would be better in making me feel more awake/alert as well as combatting the usual anxiety/ depression!

Yes, she was right in the way that my anxiety was better and I rarely had negative thoughts but I hardly had ANY thoughts!! I felt as though my head was stuffed with cottton wool, couldn't make decisions, would sit staring at nothing in particular, really quite zombie like and I was only having 37.5mg morning and night! As for feeling like I wanted to do more etc Lordy noooooo, I slept more than ever! I have been a compulsive picker for as long as I can remember (not nice but true and still don't know why??!!) so I itch/scratch and then pick constantly at the abrasions! These tablets have made it worse!

I felt constantly confused, I left my partner 3 times!! Adamant that I wanted to be on my own and an hour later feeling completely different! It's awful! Luckily he's an absolute legend and has seen that this has all come about since the dreaded pills!!!

I'm glad that other fellow sufferers have identical symptoms to me as I was beginning to think I'm insane lol

So now, I'm taking just the morning dose and have done for a week

I feel OK at the moment but I'm crapping my pants reading your withdrawals 😣

What is the best way??

Does anyone know of any herbal remedies that can help peeps like us?

Kind regards to you all 🤠 X

2

Buy a pill cutter and cut the tablet into quarters. Lower by one quarter every week. That's how I did it last time. Two years later and I'm back on it again

3

Hi,

Sorry you've had such a bad experience with Venlafaxine - it's not for everyone, I know - but you really shouldn't advise people to not bother using it - it works well for many, many people, it has for me in the past, and I'm sure this time round it will be effective without the disastrous side effects you describe. It's not an easy drug, the initial side effects can be very off-putting, and people who are struggling with it really don't need to be put off or dissuaded - it has to be given a chance to work, and that can be hard. Hope you find a treatment that is better for you.

4

Thank you for your advice, I will definitely try this, I hope you will feel better ❤️ X

5

The effectiveness of meds can vary, not everyone reacts the same, and dosages can make a difference too. I have taken venlafaxine and mirtazapine since July 2015 and I have my life back and all my emotions are normal.