Posted by Dave001 on September 28, 2004, at 14:16:56
In reply to Beginning my tapering off, posted by dbh on September 28, 2004, at 13:20:52
> AIK, that was an incredibly "lucid" post. I'm serious, that was a joy to read. It went right to the heart of the matter, IMO.
>
> I started my own "tapering" process yesterday, stepping down from my normal 75mg XR to 37.5. My doctor (a GP), first suggested going to 37.5 for "a week or two" and then stopping completely. I said I would be more comfortable tapering off more slowly than that, so he then suggested alternating 75 and 37.5, then going to 37.5, then taking 37.5 every other day. How long I stayed at each level he left up to me. He gave me a box of 37.5 capsules plus a script for another 30. He then said he would see me in 6 weeks. :-/
>
> So, here I am, "on my own" for the next 6 weeks, left to my own devices for deciding how much to take and for how many days.
>
> I am going to follow his original advice and drop straight to 37.5 and just see how that goes. If it goes real easy, I might stay there for only two weeks. If it goes real bad, I will start alternating 37.5 and 75, although I am concerned about a possible "roller coaster" effect. I have read where the "half-life" of venlafaxine (Effexor) is only like 5 hours, but I don't know about the XR (timed release) version. So my concern is that by alternating dosages, my body could get even more screwed up than purely reducing the dosage.
>
> In other words, this feels like a chemistry experiment.
>
> So far (this is just the beginning of my second day at 37.5) I have had no strong symptoms. I have had MAYBE some mild symptoms, but so far nothing worth mentioning.You could alternatively try taking 37.5 mg every 16 hours for an even smoother effect than alternating between 37.5 and 75 mg, but there would not likely be any noticable difference.
You are on a very low dose, and I would be shocked if you noticed any significant withdrawal effects. I really think that all these horror stories being posted are likely to do more harm than good, since they can set one up psychologically to expect an unrealistic and horrific response, in effect creating an adverse placebo effect. I don't see how that can rightfully be called "support." If you have a bad withdrawal reaction, certainly don't be ashamed of it or hesitant to post your experience, but don't needlessly set yourself up to experience one either. Many people have been on and off Effexor at doses over 5-fold greater than yours with minimal trouble discontinuing, so try not to worry or think about it too much.
Dave
poster:Dave001
thread:12459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040927/msgs/396360.html