Re: Venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms?
Venlafaxine seems like one of the worst antidepressants to come off - probably worse even than paroxetine which is known for its withdrawal symptoms. Its because venlafaxine has such a short half-life so it leaves the body comparatively quickly compared with other antidepressants.
I've never taken venlafaxine before but I've heard that there isn't a liquid version available, so when tapering people have to take individual pellets out of the capsules and use very sensitive scales to taper by a very small amount each time. There is well known website which talks about withdrawal from seroxat (or the US version of the drug) I don't know if you can mention other sites here, but it essentially advises tapering by 10% every 3-6 weeks to minimise long-term withdrawal symptoms. The website is fairly anti-medication, and many people seem to blame symptoms months or years after quitting a medication on withdrawal symptoms. I don't know whether this is true or not, but a slow taper does seem like the best way to come off the medication.
You could also temporarily switch to another SSRI with a longer half-life such as fluoxetine as a way of minimising the side effects. To quote wikipedia:
Many doctors advise patients who are suffering from SSRI discontinuation syndrome to use fluoxetine as a substitute for their current drug.[39] Substituting fluoxetine in the final stages of SSRI discontinuation, or post discontinuation, provides a rate of reduction of antidepressant which can minimize or eradicate withdrawal symptoms in the patient. Fluoxetine migrates slowly from the brain to the blood. The active metabolite of fluoxetine remains a long time in the brain because it is lipophilic, with a biological half-life of 4 to 8 days (the longest of any SSRI). Therefore the level of the drug in the body falls slowly at a rate to which the brain can adjust when the dosage is reduced. Fluoxetine is also available in a liquid formula, allowing the physician to titrate the drug with greater ease (e.g., with an oral syringe).
Good luck! Also, if you're worried about the money, mention that to the GP and try and get 2 or 3 months prescription to save on prescription charges. A good GP will give you more than a month's worth if you explain your situation.
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