How do I wean myself off of Effexor?
Venlafaxine Reduce gradually over a minimum of 4 weeks; taper includes 75-mg reduction every 4 days and 25 mg reduction every 5 to 7 days to a final dose of 25–50 mg; for extended release products, a proposed taper is a decrease of 37.5–75 mg weekly to a final dose of 37.5 mg before stopping.
What happens when you stop taking Effexor?
Stopping venlafaxine abruptly may result in one or more of the following withdrawal symptoms: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin). Depression is also a part of bipolar illness.
How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?
How Long Does Effexor Withdrawal Last? The Effexor withdrawal timeline can be quite variable. Symptoms typically begin as early as 12 hours after the last dose and generally resolve within one to two weeks. Because Effexor has a half-life of only 4 hours, it is completely out of the system within a day.
Why is Effexor withdrawal so bad?
People taking Paxil and Effexor often have more intense withdrawal symptoms. These drugs have short half-lives and leave the body faster than drugs with long half-lives. The faster an antidepressant leaves the body, the worse the withdrawal symptoms. This is because of the sudden imbalance of chemicals in the brain.
What are the side effects of long term use of Effexor?
Serotonin syndrome can be recognized from the following symptoms:
- Fast or irregular heartbeat.
- Hallucinations.
- Loss of coordination.
- Severe dizziness.
- Severe nausea/vomiting/diarrhea.
- Twitching muscles.
- Unexplained fever.
- Unusual agitation or restlessness.
Is Effexor linked to dementia?
People who had taken drugs from specific classes of anticholinergics had as much as a 30% greater likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia later in life….New Study Finds that Some Drugs May Raise Dementia Risk — as Many as 20 Years Later.
| Drug | Alternative |
|---|---|
| Paroxetine (Paxil) | Duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor) |
Can Effexor cause brain fog?
Put on Effexor, 75mg. Took about 2 weeks to get used to it. Yes, head in a fog. Eventually things normalized and dosage did not have to be increased.
Is Effexor really that bad?
Effexor has an average rating of 5.5 out of 10 from a total of 309 ratings for the treatment of Depression. 40% of users who reviewed this medication reported a positive effect, while 36% reported a negative effect.
Does Effexor make you feel like a zombie?
You could also, strangely, get insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep), and disturbing dreams or nightmares. If you feel like a zombie, and you’ve been taking it for more than a month, you should go back to the doctor and see what else you could do.
Does Effexor keep you awake at night?
Insomnia (trouble sleeping) is a common side effect of Effexor XR. To find out how often this side effect occurred in clinical studies, see the drug’s prescribing information. If you have trouble sleeping while taking Effexor XR, talk with your doctor. They can recommend ways to reduce this side effect.
Is Effexor worth taking?
Worth it score: 62% Effexor can start working in some people in as little as 1 to 2 weeks. Also, they may work better than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac (fluoxetine), which are also popular but only affect serotonin levels in the brain.
How long does effexor stay in your system?
You must first know about a drug’s half-life, which is the time taken for the plasma concentration to reduce to half its original value. The half-life of Effexor is approximately 5 hours (+/- 2 hours), which is extremely short compared to other antidepressants.
Should you take Effexor XR in the morning or night?
Effexor XR (venlafaxine) comes as a tablet or extended-release capsule to take by mouth. The tablet is usually taken two or three times a day with food. The extended-release capsule is usually taken once daily in the morning or evening with food.
Does effexor xr cause weight loss?
Effexor can also cause a drastic decrease in appetite, leading to unhealthy weight loss.
Is Effexor a strong antidepressant?
In a study on patients who suffer from major depression, the drug Effexor was more likely than Prozac or Zoloft to result in full recovery. Researchers suspect Effexor is more effective because it acts on two different brain chemicals that transmit messages and are thought to control mood.
Does Effexor XR make you tired?
The serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are similar medications used to treat depression, anxiety, and sometimes, chronic pain. They include duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor) and can also cause drowsiness and fatigue.