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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Medicine For Withdrawal From Venlafaxine

I am experiencing severe withdrawal from venlafaxine. My gp has prescribed me 7x2mg diazepam to take when required but this is making no difference. Reluctant to prescribe anything else and I feel as if they re not taking me seriously! Looking for any help/advice as I am struggling! Thanks :)
Mon, 25 Aug 2014
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
hi.. i have understood your concerns...
some antidepressant medications have very low half life, so when the level of the drug goes below its effective level, the person starts feeling the discontinuation effects of the drug..

same happens with venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine etc...
strategies to discontinue a drug with short half life is to gradually decrease the dose of the drug over weeks..and then when it comes to a lower dose of the drug then take it alternate day, then thrice weekly and then twice weekly..these strategy works for most of the drugs..

but if u are nor able to decrese the dose of the drug then u have to switch to a drug which has longer half life like prozac [fluoxetine]. prozac is a SSRI antidepressant and has half life of 4 to 6 days..

so u have to start taking it along with your venlafaxine dose, [take prozac 20 mg in the morning after taking breakfast], continue your venlafaxine and prozac in the same dose for 15 days.. now gradually start decreasing the dose f the venlafaxine i have described in above paragraph.. u ll be safely withdrawn from the venlafaxine..

then the same u have to do with prozac, and because it has longer half life it wont cause discontinuation symptoms..u ll be safely withdrawn from it also...

i hope this advice will be helpful to you.. best luck..
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Suggest Medicine For Withdrawal From Venlafaxine

hi.. i have understood your concerns... some antidepressant medications have very low half life, so when the level of the drug goes below its effective level, the person starts feeling the discontinuation effects of the drug.. same happens with venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine etc... strategies to discontinue a drug with short half life is to gradually decrease the dose of the drug over weeks..and then when it comes to a lower dose of the drug then take it alternate day, then thrice weekly and then twice weekly..these strategy works for most of the drugs.. but if u are nor able to decrese the dose of the drug then u have to switch to a drug which has longer half life like prozac [fluoxetine]. prozac is a SSRI antidepressant and has half life of 4 to 6 days.. so u have to start taking it along with your venlafaxine dose, [take prozac 20 mg in the morning after taking breakfast], continue your venlafaxine and prozac in the same dose for 15 days.. now gradually start decreasing the dose f the venlafaxine i have described in above paragraph.. u ll be safely withdrawn from the venlafaxine.. then the same u have to do with prozac, and because it has longer half life it wont cause discontinuation symptoms..u ll be safely withdrawn from it also... i hope this advice will be helpful to you.. best luck..