Do you take something else with your venlafaxine?

[sun43]

hi all,

i am taking 150mg venlafaxine, i have been on that dose for a month now (i was on 75mg for a month previously)

i'm finding that although i feel like it is working, it's not working quite as well as i hoped (i still get some depression and anxiety, enough to still be bothersome)

i know some might say at this point to increase my venlafaxine dose again (or keep going longer on the 150g dose), but i have been in this position before in the past with this and other meds like citalopram, sertraline and some others - i increase but it doesn't tend to help, but instead often just increases side effects or i have an increase in anxiety

i was wondering, does anyone take anything along with their venlafaxine? i have read about some people taking eg. a small dose of mirtazapine with their venlafaxine

thank you for any advice

[aprilmoon]

Hi
I take mirt alongside ven and have found it to be a good combo,it brought me out of a very severe depression some years ago.
I also take Olanzapine for anxiety
I would say its definitely worth trying

[sun43]

hi aprilmoon thanks for your reply :)

in the past i tried mirtazapine on its own and i was one of the unlucky ones in that for some people, it can cause (or in my case, make it worse) restless legs syndrome, so i had to stop taking it

im wondering if i try it again though with venlafaxine, perhaps a low dose of mirtazapine like 7.5mg or 15mg, then i might get lucky this time and it works out

mind you all this said, it all depends on if my doctor is happy to prescribe venlafaxine and mirtazapine together at all. i do see a psychiatrist in a few weeks though so perhaps he can help

ps. they did actually give me some pregabalin to take alongside venlafaxine but i havn't taken it, as i read that people can build up a tolerance to pregabalin and end up on high doses, and along with that, have difficulty stopping pregabalin, so i guess i got a little paranoid about pregabalin (silly really i know, as everyone has different experiences of course)

[nicola1980]

Hi I take 225mg of ven and olanzapine as an add on too. The combo has been working well for me altho I'm going through a blip at the minute but that's due to personal circumstances that unfortunately no amount of pills will cure :weep: ××

[sun43]

thanks nicola for that info,
i remember looking into considering adding abilify (aripiprazole) so good to know another similar option is olanzapine

sorry to hear you are having a rough patch at the mo, i hope things get better soon

[ana]

I take Klonopin on an as per needed basis, and 50 mg of Seroquel.

[sun43]

ana have you been taking klonopin long, do you find you have to take more of it as time goes on to be as effective

ps. does it make you drowsy/sleepy feeling?

[ana]

I used to be on Klonopin for 9 years, taking it daily. Inevitably, I became severely addicted to it, so I withdrew completely last year. Now I only take half of 0.5 mg on an as per needed basis, and I try and not take it more than 3 times a week. Sometimes I can go weeks without taking any Klonopin.

Yes, you need a and higher higher dose as time goes by as they stop being as effective. I've never been drowsy or sleepy from it, but then again, I guess I'd be immune to horse tranquillisers even, given how many and how much of sedatives I've been on over the last 17 years... :blush:

[Enola79]

Re: Do you take something else with your Venlafaxine.

I have been taking Venlafaxine 300mg and Aripiprazole 10mg for 20+ years. I was given both for anxiety and depression. When things are really bad I can be prescribed Busperone tablets as well. I find this cocktail works for me. xx

[Strat60]

Hi all, I’m trying to come of off Venlafaxine 225, as it isn’t working anymore, I have dropped 37.5 tablet for two weeks, I’m going to drop by another 37.5 tomorrow, my Doc wants me to get to 150mg p, then he says he will give me something to take with the 150 Ven. The trouble is he doesn’t know enough about these meds, he rang a colleague while I was there & asked him. Since reading this forum I have discovered meds I have NEVER heard of, so I’m bloody sure he hasn’t. Where can I find out about these meds to pass on to my Doc. With the tapering off I’m not really suffering, just a bit of anxiety which comes on every morning between 6am & 6.30 am. I have no strength or energy I feel like I’m fading away.

[panic_down_under]

Hi all,

:welcome: to NMP,


I’m trying to come of off Venlafaxine 225, as it isn’t working anymore, I have dropped 37.5 tablet for two weeks, I’m going to drop by another 37.5 tomorrow, my Doc wants me to get to 150mg p, then he says he will give me something to take with the 150 Ven.

If it isn't working then there is no point in adding something in the vain hope the combo will somehow improve things by synergy. It rarely works and what mostly happens is more and more meds are thrown into the mix with little improvement and potentially significant psychological and physical harm. Polypharmacy is a growing scourge in the psych field, imo. Venlafaxine isn't that great a med anyway, imo. Was it the first antidepressant (AD) prescribed, or did you arrive at it after others tried didn't work?



The trouble is he doesn’t know enough about these meds, he rang a colleague while I was there & asked him. Since reading this forum I have discovered meds I have NEVER heard of, so I’m bloody sure he hasn’t.

Sigh! :sad: Then maybe he should have referred you to a psychiatrist...or his colleague!


Where can I find out about these meds to pass on to my Doc.

He should have access to a lot more information than you could provide. The thing to know about venlafaxine is that while some can weaning off it without significant issues most find the process very difficult. The problem is its very short half-life - 3-7 hours. The much better option is switching to fluoxetine (Prozac) which has a very long half-life, up to 6 days for the parent compound and up to 16 days for its active metabolite which actually does most of the work, and either weaning of it, or if it proves effective remaining on it. NICE says (https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/depression/prescribing-information/switching-antidepressants/) switching directly from venlafaxine to fluoxetine is okay (see also NHS guidance - PDF (https://www.sps.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UKMI_QA_How-do-you-switch-between-TCA-SSRI-related-antidepressants_update_Oct-2019.pdf))), I think a cross-taper is the better option, but either way I'd be more confident if you had a GP who knew what he was doing.


With the tapering off I’m not really suffering, just a bit of anxiety which comes on every morning between 6am & 6.30 am. I have no strength or energy I feel like I’m fading away.

Then you're doing better than most. Have you been taking venlafaxine for anxiety, depression, or both?