Effexor-Splitting Capsules Method _{Page 2 of 3}

Okay...I'm ready to give this weaning off thing a try. I unintentionally went 3 days without my daily 75mg dose since the pharmacy decided to lock it's doors early. Grrr That's another topic in itself.

So, mikemo....how do I go about this? I have been 75mg a day for 3 1/2 years. Been cold turkey for 3 days. Went to the doctor today and she gave me some 37.5mg to work my way down to. It was suggested that I take 75 mg every other day, then go down. I am interested in the splitting method so can you help me get started? I assume take 75mg in the morning then what do I do.

And thanks for the forum...knowing I'm not the only one misinformed about how dreadful this med is helps.

btw...i took a 37.5mg this afternoon as suggested by the nurse who herself had to ween off. She said to get some back in my system before taking a regular dose in the morning.

this is what worked for me;
75
75
75
75
75
55
70
65
65
65
65
65
45
60
55
55
55
55
55
35
50
45
45
45
45
45 and so on down to zero
read the splitting method and feel real real soon!

Hi Mikemo,
Thanks again for your help. I'm effexor free. Would you please look at another forum titled 'Effexor withdrawal, Any Suggestions?'.
http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/effexor/TCDBCBLD99KUQ56BF/p2....
People need you there!

Thanks Mike and Napz. Yeah, I took the 75mg again today and it eased off the withdrawal a LOT, but not completely. After I grade papers I am going to make me a chart to start splitting those things. I'll keep ya posted if you like. Thanks again.

Hi all. I'm tapering down my 150mg Effexor XR. I'm scared to death of all the side effects I will have. I have been taking 150 mg every other day now. Does anyone think that's too drastic? I awoke up on Sat. with vertigo, vomiting and diarherra mostly all day. I thought i had food poisoning. Now i realized that was withdrawals...I'm so scared. I have a one year old to take care of!

Dannigirl, That is too drastic! Read all of page one of this forum. Mikemo specifically addresses how to taper down from 150mg. If you take your time you won't be miserable. I was a mess when I skipped days and it wasn't good for me or my two children.

Has anyone tried taking body fish oil supplements?? THEY WORK!!!! I take 1 at each meal. and then 1 of each of these in the am with my breakfast- vitamin B complex and Chromium Picolinate along with a mutli-vitamin.
Try it, it really works, i feel CLEAR for the 1st time in a LONG time.

I've been weaning down by 37.5 every 5 days.

I’ve started at 3-75mg pills since FOREVER then down to 2.5 75mg now down to 2...i decrease every 5 days.
I’ve been on effexor since i was 20..im now 31..minus my pregnancy...so coming off was a big scare. For about a year I’ve been having crazy side effects that i swore was from effexor..like insane acne, and pins and needles in my arms and legs, since decreasing and starting the supplements im on fire kids!

Hi everyone. This thread is VERY helpful.
Sun4Shine: What do you mean by 'Body Fish Oil'? Do you just mean regular fish oil?


Has anyone found that they GAINED weight when weaning off Effexor and what can help with that?

Mikemo,
I'm not sure if this forum is still active?
I would like to get some more info on splitting Effexor, if you're still here.
Thanks,
mourningperson

so, if i'm currently taking 75mg, my weaning would look like the following?

75 week1
75
75
75
75
55
70
65 week2
65
65
65
65
45
60
55 week3
55
55
55
55
35
50
45 week4
45
45
45
45
25
40
35 week5
35
35
35
35
15
30
25 week6
25
25
25
25
5
20
15 week7
15
15
15
15
0
10
5 week8
5
5
5
5
0

and, btw, thank you all for this forum! i feel there's hope!!!

Here are some other things that might help:

1. Make sure you insist on Effexor brand name, not generic. Generics are allowed to be up to 20% off in terms of effective dose.

2. Consider asking your doctor for a switch to Prozac. It is very long-acting and has helped some patients come off Effexor with fewer or no effects, even with just one tablet.

3. Benadryl or benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan) may help with some of the discontinuation symptoms.

Effexor and Wellbutrin worked well for me re: depression, but the Effexor makes me drowsy and has given me dental problems from the dry mouth, so it's time to stop. I've been tapering for a year!

I am down to less than 37.5 mg. If I miss a dose, or sometimes even if I think I've taken the same dose, I get severe vertigo and vomiting. Every episode I get seems to be worse than the last, and harder/takes longer to resolve, even with gobbling and crunching the granules for fast release.

I am going to try your paper and taper method. I may try some Benadryl. I'm seeing my family doc tomorrow, and may ask for the Prozac and/or Xanax.

I started on 225g's about 1 year ago. Last December I started to taper off. The withdrawl symptoms began the time I came down from 75g's to 37.5g's. They only lasted 1 week. Approx. 2 weeks later I reduced to 18g's/day and had a week of withdrawls from that. Everything was fine on 18g's until I took the next step and stopped altogether. Well about 3 days later it hit me so hard! I had 90% anxiety and bouts of depression. I went back up to 18g's which helped some but after approx 2 weeks things were better but not great. I decided to go back up to 37.5g's and stabilize. That was about 3 weeks ago. I still have days of high anxiety and mild depression.

I think the sudden stoppage threw my whole system out of wack. I read that rebounding from that can cause the anxiety I feel today. As I wake up in the morning, my thoughts begin at such high speed (nothing negative) and that's when the anxiety sets in.

I want so bad to get off the effexor. I don't want to have to increase to 75g's.

Can someone give me a taper off scenario from 37.5?

Dear Mike,

I told my doctor that the Effexor didn't seem to work for me. He increased my dosage to 225 mg. I've been on this for 3 years. I'm having intense night sweats and intense nightmares. I also can't afford this medicine anymore and want to get off. Can you help me with a plan like you have so generously with the others? Thank you so very much for any help you can provide!

I have been off Effexor for four weeks and feel fine. I was on 37.5 mg for six months and it initially worked well and helped me get through a rough period. After a short time, the beneficial effects wore off and all I noticed were the annoying side effects such as increased blood pressure, sexual problems, increased need to urinate at night, sleepiness, tremors and extreme lack of motivation. When I made the decision to get off, I read so many horror stories on websites and blogs about the withdrawal effects. I became apprehensive and disheartened. I eventually came across this website about capsule splitting and it finally gave me hope. I followed the method like a mad chemist (LOL no pun) and to be honest with you, it worked just like he said. The only side effects I felt were occasional dull headaches, minor tremors and minor dizziness (Advil took care of the headaches and the dizziness and tremors were just occasional). I weaned myself by 10 mg each week using his plan about the one day dip and I would celebrate my accomplishment each week (I know it sounds goofy). I have been off for four weeks now and feel just fine...no effects at all. I recommend purchasing a mini perfume funnel to make the granule transfer easier. An example would be one selling on Amazon as 'mini funnel' (set of two). The funnel tip has to be small enough to fit inside the capsule.
Anyway, don't get caught up in all the horror stories since that is not everyone's experience. I was meticulous about following this withdrawal plan and it worked for me. Be careful about not leaving the extra granules laying around or letting them fall on the floor. You don't want your children and pets getting into it. Good luck!

I would like to give this pill splitting a try. I have been on effexor for a few years now and am down to 37.5mg. I just can't seem to get off this last amount. Can you suggest a splitting calculation?
Thanks

Dear Mike,

Thank you very much for the great methodology (although I haven't proved if or not it works for me).

I did a direct jump from 150mg to 75mg in mid July 2010, advised by my doc:-( It took me 4+ months to stabilize, what the hell!

So with the remaining 75mg, I'd like to try your magic. I already did the 75->55->70 during the weekend, and today I just took the 65mg capsulate. I feel bad actually: headache, shaking and a little bit sweating. I guess I am too sensitive and nervous and also the bad sleep last night. I hop I can get over it this week first. I doubt if I could get stable with just 5 days on 65mg. Your advice are greatly appreciated!

BTW, I have been taking 150mg Effexor evil for 3+ years to treat the Panic Attack and GAD. I am also on a very low dosage of Clonazepam (0.25mg).

I have been taking 75mg effexor xr for 2 1/2 years, have recently dropped down by 50% to the 37.5mg dosage. I have been at this dose for 30 days and am still experiencing withdrawal reactions - anxiety, depression, ringing in my ears, dizziness and jsut not feeling right.
I am wanting to increase my dose a bit, but not go all the way back up to the 75mg dose.
Using the method you have outlined for splitting the capsule beads, how would I best do this.
Please help me.
Thanks

Hello Mike: please help me, i was taking 75mg tablets of the generic effexor well i started taking 3 1/4 of the tablrt for a week then 1/2 of the tablet for a week then 1/4 for a week then 1/8 for a week and this week with the 1/8 i was feeling great during the day but like around 6 pm i was getting the brain shocks and during the morning too until like 10 am that i take my pill, but nothing that i couldn't handle, well 3 days ago i finally didn't take the medicine first day it was ok not so bad but i did took something to helped me to sleep because i gas having panic attacks kind off, but yesterday the anxiety saddens and specially the brain shocks were horrible so i took 1/8 again like around 2 pm and i felt great again, so today i am feeling good no brain shocks or anything so what should i do now?

thank you so much for your help and GOD BLESS YOU

You'll have to forgive me if this question has already been posted and answered - my concentration levels are way off at the moment. Can you tell me if this capsule splitting methods works for the timed release venlafaxine?

You'll have to forgive me if this question has already been posted and answered - my concentration levels are way off at the moment. Can you tell me if this capsule splitting methods works for the timed release venlafaxine?

I have been on for five years. I'm sick of feeling toxic. 3rd attempt to wean myself off. Currently taking one 75mgXR about every 2 1/2 days when the harsh withdrawal kicks in. Someone please help me with an effective tapering plan. Also, does 5HTP help with boosting serotonin during the weaning process?

Hi there. So I am pretty excited I found this site. I got prescribed Effexor 75 mg by my GP for anxiety and am now wishing I had done my research before taking it. After 5 days of not sleeping I told him I wanted off and he said I would be fine to just stop. Well.... 3 days later I was in the e. r. With an I.v. and sedatives. Who would have thought? My GP won't call me back, I am searching for a psychiatrist I can trust to help me off this. So far all the help I get is from the web. The E.R. Doc said to go back on it and slowly wean off. I'm so terrified of how I felt so I have been taking it a granule at a time. I am guessing I could go faster. I am down to taking out 10 granules and feeling great. Can I speed this up? My fear is feeling awful and I have 3 kids to care for. Also, with your technique , when u empty a capsule, do you put one dose back in ... And how do you take the rest? Thanx so much.