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How Can Side Effects Of Effexor Be Treated?
Im on effexor and have been having bad side effects but every time I try to wean down 75 mg at a time I get very sick. Is this normal and how long does this last? are there lower dose pills so I can go down slower? I was on prOZAC A LONG TIME AND NEVER HAD ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS. I HAVE MUSCLE ACHES ALL THE TIME THAT WAKE ME UP AT NIGHT. iM 50 YEARS OLD. i ALSO HAVE NAUSEA, NO APPETITE AND WATER RETENTION
Tue, 8 Jan 2019
Hi,
Due to Venlafaxine’s half-life of about five hours, withdrawal symptoms develop quickly, even after missing just one dose. Half-lives are determined based on the length of time it takes for the body to metabolize one half of the medication.
Effexor’s half-life is shorter than medications of this nature, and withdrawal symptoms can start anywhere from five to 12 hours after missing one dose or discontinuing Effexor use. I understand that this process is very troublesome for you.
One solution for this is tapering strips. Tapering strips are personalized medication packages in which each pill has either the same or a slightly smaller dose than the last. Users can use these tapering strips over the course of months to slowly wean themselves off of drugs such as antidepressants.
This enables users to have more control over how long their discontinuation process lasts. Without using tapering strips, there are only two options for discontinuing (besides cold turkey). Users can make large jumps between the doses provided by pharmaceutical companies, which increases the likelihood of severe withdrawal.
The other option is to crush or open pills to take only part of the dose. This is problematic because it does not necessarily provide the same dosage—the active medication may not be evenly spread throughout the pill, for instance and moreover this is not medically advisable.
Due to Venlafaxine’s mode of action, very slight decrease in dose of it causes non-occupancy of a lot of receptors due to which withdrawal effects occur. Hence, you can talk to your healthcare provider to prescribe you these tapering strips so that the withdrawal from the medication is easier for you.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Maninder,
General & Family Physician
Due to Venlafaxine’s half-life of about five hours, withdrawal symptoms develop quickly, even after missing just one dose. Half-lives are determined based on the length of time it takes for the body to metabolize one half of the medication.
Effexor’s half-life is shorter than medications of this nature, and withdrawal symptoms can start anywhere from five to 12 hours after missing one dose or discontinuing Effexor use. I understand that this process is very troublesome for you.
One solution for this is tapering strips. Tapering strips are personalized medication packages in which each pill has either the same or a slightly smaller dose than the last. Users can use these tapering strips over the course of months to slowly wean themselves off of drugs such as antidepressants.
This enables users to have more control over how long their discontinuation process lasts. Without using tapering strips, there are only two options for discontinuing (besides cold turkey). Users can make large jumps between the doses provided by pharmaceutical companies, which increases the likelihood of severe withdrawal.
The other option is to crush or open pills to take only part of the dose. This is problematic because it does not necessarily provide the same dosage—the active medication may not be evenly spread throughout the pill, for instance and moreover this is not medically advisable.
Due to Venlafaxine’s mode of action, very slight decrease in dose of it causes non-occupancy of a lot of receptors due to which withdrawal effects occur. Hence, you can talk to your healthcare provider to prescribe you these tapering strips so that the withdrawal from the medication is easier for you.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Maninder,
General & Family Physician
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