Stopped working, can't come off, don't want to keep taking it :(

[Lizziesaurus]

After a few months my venlafaxine has seemed to stop working. I was origionally on 75mg which was fine, when that stopped working I went up to 150mg, soon enough that also stopped working so upped again (this time without my doctors say so) to 225mg. My other half then opened up to me that the 225mg dose was badly effecting me, causing tiredness, mood swings and me being in a dream like state. Over the weekend I decided to drop my dose back down slowly, first to 150mg which made me feel 100xs better, then 75mg again. I did feel ill though, I've read about the awful withdrawl effects of this medication so I will admit it may have been partly my own mind that was causing it.
However slowly now my depression's returning, my anxiety and paranoia also and this morning I got that awful voice back in my head telling me how useless I was. I've now this morning taken 150mg in a desprate attempt to feel better.
My boyfriend says he understands and that he's been through similar issues to me however I know he can't understand, noone can bar me as it's my own mind. I don't want to feel low and I know I have everything to live for but I can't help it.

I can't see my doctor at the moment and I don't know what to do, I don't want to take these things anymore but I don't want to not take them as I know they did help once and I want that back. I feel completely stuck in the middle.
Please can anyone offer any advice? I'm at my wits end.

[notfeelingconfident]

This might sound like really crazy and stupid advice, but try your nearest FREE Sahaja Yoga program. At one point their yoga/meditation technique totally saved me from insanity at my work place and I was able to turn everything around for the positive.

It's just one of those techniques that really helps people with issues they themselves can't understand totally.

[kibbutz83]

Hi, I've just withdrawn from Venlafaxine, and although it's been really hard, I'm glad I did it. I've decided to try and face my life and my issues without the "support" of a mind-numbing drug... Sometimes life truly is hard, but how will we ever learn to "grow" if we just keep medicating the "problems"?

[notfeelingconfident]

I have managed so far without medication because my instinct tells me what you have just confirmed. What else is there apart from good diet, sleep, exercise, meditation/self-hypnosis for managing without drugs? I'm recommending Sahaja Yoga as it is free, spiritual and somewhat of an intro into how self-hypnosis can transform or help a person. I really recommend looking into it if you want help ditching the medication.

[GeorgieT]

Hiya , now i know there is a big argument for a holistic approach but with my condition if i hadnt turned to the mind numbing drugs i would be dead. Im on 300mg of venalflaxine i have 'treatment resistant major depressive disorder' so solutions can be more challenging. Ive been on venalflaxine for 5 months and i think that for me it improved my situation. But after 4 months i deteriorated again and feel like ive become immune to it , i definetly feel the effects way less! My doctor says some alternatives are limotogel and lithium . What about calling your doctor on the phone? or a nurse there are some nurse helplines. xx

[tommy1982]

your being extremely silly, with effexor, its very dose sensitive, so you messing around upping and downing it, will make you extremely anxious , i know as i done it myself :)

you need to write down the upping and downing you have been doing, and see a psychiatrist quickly to advise you on what dose to keep stable in your system

please dont go over 225mg or even to the 225 level without a doctor's advise, as you should be getting your blood pressure checked when going up past 150.

it's not a big problem, dont worry about it, but try maybe stay on the 150mg mark and keep it stable for 6 weeks then talk to a shrink about making the med work for you or switching to a med that will work

if it all gets too much, maybe and if you have to go back to your doctor to see if he can give you some valium to get through the rocky patch for your effexor to stablize in your system, all that changing in dose will drive ure anxiety nuts

remember your doctor knows more than you , but a shrink understands these meds a lot more than a doctor.

tom

[Anxious_gal]

You really should be under the care of a psychiatrist rather than a GP, but then some psychiatrist's are awful for upping your meds ........
thing is you do become used to the medication, like most drugs you need to keep taking more and more and suffer if you stop.
Medication alone won't fix you, you need CBT or therapy, you have to learn to change your thinking, etc..
If you haven't done all those things and worked on your issues, you will end up repeating the same old patterns when you come off the medication.