Venlafaxine Discontinuation

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Having trouble with discontinuation of an antidepressant? You are not alone. All the antidepressants can cause discontinuation symptoms which can include: fatigue, body aches, electric shocks (iykyk), nausea, dizziness, vertigo. It can be pretty darn unpleasant and some antidepressants have worse withdrawal symptoms than others, most notably venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, duloxetine and paroxetine. Also, these are really great medications and I am not recommending to simply discontinue them, however, there are various reasons why a person may want to discontinue an antidepressant (usually side effects or no longer being able to access treatment).

One option to reduce discontinuation symptoms is a slower taper. For example if reducing medication one week at a time is too fast then try for two weeks at a time. Everyone is going to need a different speed taper to be comfortable and the range can be so wide. Some people need almost no taper and others require months on one dose before they can reduce again. Please be gentle with yourself. Your experience with these medications is very valid, everyone's body responds differently to these medications based off their symptoms, genetics, other medications, supplements, and medical conditions.

Sometimes we use as needed doses of fluoxetine to help reduce discontinuation symptoms. The trick with the fluoxetine dosing is that it’s very long acting so it can "smooth out" the taper you have going on. I tell my patients that one of the benefits of fluoxetine is that you can stop it at any dose at any time without withdrawal symptoms because it’s so long acting that it actually tapers itself out of your system.

People with bipolar disorder should usually avoid Prozac because it can induce hypomania or mania. That said, sometimes you have to break the rules to be well and that’s okay too. The most important thing is that you trust your doctor to monitor your symptoms closely and respond appropriately.

Did you have any issues discontinuing an antidepressant? And how did you cope?

Work with your doctor on what’s the best fit for you! Not medical advice, but you can definitely ask your doctor if this is a treatment option for you.

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