@CND27

Hi there!

I successfully tapered off of Venlafaxine after being on it for 6 years or so. The fact you have been on it about 2 years is a great news in your favor.

Before I found an online tapering community I went cold turkey as well, more than once, thinking I could just tough it out and would feel better in a few weeks. Didn't work out like i had hoped 😅

I think that you felt better for a while is also a very positive sign. If you did it once, you can do it again.

Stay strong, and please post often!

2 hours ago, j1290 said:

@CND27

Hi there!

I successfully tapered off of Venlafaxine after being on it for 6 years or so. The fact you have been on it about 2 years is a great news in your favor.

Before I found an online tapering community I went cold turkey as well, more than once, thinking I could just tough it out and would feel better in a few weeks. Didn't work out like i had hoped 😅

I think that you felt better for a while is also a very positive sign. If you did it once, you can do it again.

Stay strong, and please post often!

Thank you so much, I'm sorry you went through that before finding the community. It's awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I'll keep everyone updated as I recover

I had a really good evening yesterday, starting about 5 pm. This morning though, I've woke up and I'm back to full on panic. My arms and legs have times where they feel like they're burning, I'm shaky inside, my heart is pounding. I've been lying in bed for 2 hours, trying to get up and I just can't. I hate this so much. I pray I continue to feel good in the evenings, that at least gives me a break. I can't stop crying.

13 minutes ago, CND27 said:

I had a really good evening yesterday, starting about 5 pm. This morning though, I've woke up and I'm back to full on panic. My arms and legs have times where they feel like they're burning, I'm shaky inside, my heart is pounding. I've been lying in bed for 2 hours, trying to get up and I just can't. I hate this so much. I pray I continue to feel good in the evenings, that at least gives me a break. I can't stop crying.

I’m so sorry to hear that your mornings are so rough still. I’m very pleased to hear the evenings are better. Hang in there, very promising signs.

@CND27 Welcome. What you are going through is unbearable I know but I assure you 100 % it's not going to harm you ,its terrifying I know ,I've been through it many times and I'm still here . I'm not normalising it but believe me it's all normal for coming off these medications ,it's can all feel very physical at times but it's not it's just the chemicals totally out of balance ,try and understand what is happening in your body rather than fear it . The chemicals are so out of balance it's literally gone into chaos ,its desperately trying to find balance ,adrenaline, cortisol ,gaba ,glutamate just a few things you could look up and get a better understanding of what's happening in your body .the more control you have the less fear . You are already having good evenings that's great . The mornings are to be expected as cortisol is higher . Try and accept non of this is unusual the body needs to do this to heal . You will get better I promise you ❤️🙏

1 hour ago, Chippy said:

I’m so sorry to hear that your mornings are so rough still. I’m very pleased to hear the evenings are better. Hang in there, very promising signs.

I hope so. I feel like I'm going to die today.

1 hour ago, Beehive said:

@CND27 Welcome. What you are going through is unbearable I know but I assure you 100 % it's not going to harm you ,its terrifying I know ,I've been through it many times and I'm still here . I'm not normalising it but believe me it's all normal for coming off these medications ,it's can all feel very physical at times but it's not it's just the chemicals totally out of balance ,try and understand what is happening in your body rather than fear it . The chemicals are so out of balance it's literally gone into chaos ,its desperately trying to find balance ,adrenaline, cortisol ,gaba ,glutamate just a few things you could look up and get a better understanding of what's happening in your body .the more control you have the less fear . You are already having good evenings that's great . The mornings are to be expected as cortisol is higher . Try and accept non of this is unusual the body needs to do this to heal . You will get better I promise you ❤️🙏

Thank you, I feel like I'm going to die. I don't know how to calm myself down. I've tried reminding myself to accept that I'm having a rough day, but my kids are home from school and I need to be able to function for them, but I just can't. My husband helps when he's home, but he can't take off. I don't know how I'm going to survive this, especially for weeks, months, years if it comes to that. I'm really hating myself for coming off of the medicine right now

I also can't eat anything, so how am I to get better if i can't eat

Edited May 19May 19 by CND27
Added about eating

@CND27 Bless you the amount of times I thought I was dying but I'm still here . Your mind is catastrophising that's what it does best in these situations, worst case scenarios, it's all so overwhelming it's hard to think straight I know . Not sure if you have a bath but at my worst times I would have an Epsom Salts bath it's magnesium, also I would take Magnesium Glycinate and drink chamomile tea . Are you able to go somewhere quiet like the bedroom and just try and get some control of your breathing and try some grounding exercises using all your senses like naming things in the room what sounds can you hear is there smells you can smell . If you can distract the catastrophising mind it will help .I really feel for you but I can assure you that unbearable as it is this will pass its definitely not permanent ❤️

32 minutes ago, CND27 said:

I hope so. I feel like I'm going to die today.

Hopefully things pick up again for you later as the day passes.

2 minutes ago, Beehive said:

@CND27 Bless you the amount of times I thought I was dying but I'm still here . Your mind is catastrophising that's what it does best in these situations, worst case scenarios, it's all so overwhelming it's hard to think straight I know . Not sure if you have a bath but at my worst times I would have an Epsom Salts bath it's magnesium, also I would take Magnesium Glycinate and drink chamomile tea . Are you able to go somewhere quiet like the bedroom and just try and get some control of your breathing and try some grounding exercises using all your senses like naming things in the room what sounds can you hear is there smells you can smell . If you can distract the catastrophising mind it will help .I really feel for you but I can assure you that unbearable as it is this will pass its definitely not permanent ❤️

I've been taking a magnesium complex for several months already. I do have Epsom salts with magnesium that I will try. It really helps to know there's others who have survived this, but it's so overwhelming to know I may be like this for a while. It feels hopeless. Then I get in my brain what if this site disappeared and then I have no direction on what to do. I know thinking like that isn't helping, but it just pops in my brain. Thank you for listening, it helps to get on here and talk about how I'm feeling.

4 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Hopefully things pick up again for you later as the day passes.

I hope so, I'm hanging on to that hope right now.

2 hours ago, CND27 said:

I had a really good evening yesterday, starting about 5 pm. This morning though, I've woke up and I'm back to full on panic. My arms and legs have times where they feel like they're burning, I'm shaky inside, my heart is pounding. I've been lying in bed for 2 hours, trying to get up and I just can't. I hate this so much. I pray I continue to feel good in the evenings, that at least gives me a break. I can't stop crying.

Awful how it changes in the blink of an eye, I'm so sorry, hang in there, we're all on this roller coaster together and it will get better with time, maybe gentle exercises and or a relaxing shower can take the edge @CND27 for me that usually helps.

Hope it ease very soon.

@CND27 All that catastrophic thinking is the withdrawal brain talking its not you ,when in a wave the thoughts will keep looping its mental torture . A bath may help ,I know it feels like the end of the world stuff ,my goodness I've been there but again I can assure you what ever your thinking its all lies its not you and you definitely won't be stuck like it ,it's just how you are at this moment its not permanent and it will change and disappear. You won't believe it whilst you are in the thick of it but I am here as proof that you will get through this I absolutely promise you ❤️

Edited May 19May 19 by Beehive

14 minutes ago, Beehive said:

@CND27 All that catastrophic thinking is the withdrawal brain talking its not you ,when in a wave the thoughts will keep looping its mental torture . A bath may help ,I know it feels like the end of the world stuff ,my goodness I've been there but again I can assure you what ever your thinking its all lies its not you and you definitely won't be stuck like it ,it's just how you are at this moment its not permanent and it will change and disappear. You won't believe it whilst you are in the thick of it but I am here as proof that you will get through this I absolutely promise you ❤️

15 minutes ago, Beehive said:

Thank you for this reassurance, I find myself reading it over and over.

20 minutes ago, Fullhealing said:

Awful how it changes in the blink of an eye, I'm so sorry, hang in there, we're all on this roller coaster together and it will get better with time, maybe gentle exercises and or a relaxing shower can take the edge @CND27 for me that usually helps.

Hope it ease very soon.

Thank you, I need to be patient, it's just hard to be when you feel like this

@CND27 Patience is hard to come by when you are in the thick of it ,so please don't be hard on yourself .at the moment all you can do is get through the day minute by minute . We all know how hard it is and it's difficult to think anything positive ,but we are here to do that for you ,you won't see it but we do ,we know you will get through this and you will ❤️🙏

You're getting good advice. I know it feels like a catastrophe, but factually speaking you did have some good time the other day. This really will get better.

Not gonna lie, when I got the chemical anxiety, even though I 100% KNEW that it would blow over in a few weeks, i always felt convinced this time was different and id never recover. I believe its a WD symptom, at least for me.

I wish there were a fast solution, but enduring is the only way through. Exercise and getting outside helped me when I could do it, also I took a million baths 🛁

19 minutes ago, j1290 said:

Not gonna lie, when I got the chemical anxiety, even though I 100% KNEW that it would blow over in a few weeks, i always felt convinced this time was different and id never recover. I believe its a WD symptom, at least for me.

Oh my goodness, this is me. I keep thinking what if I never recover from this? It feels absolutely hopeless. Thank you for encouraging words, these replies are what's getting me through

Having better periods is a good sign that you are moving towards stabilisation.

I definitely think it's worth sticking to the plan, which is to give that a bit more time and re-evaluate.

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Having better periods is a good sign that you are moving towards stabilisation.

I definitely think it's worth sticking to the plan, which is to give that a bit more time and re-evaluate.

Okay thank you. I had another good evening yesterday after the terrible day I had. Woke up today shaky with my heart pounding. I'm hoping it will be a little better today than yesterday

It's quite common to feel better in the evenings.

I'm not sure why, some theorise that it's due to with cortisol levels. As always with withdrawal, very little objective science has been done, so theories is what they remain for now.

4 hours ago, Luke said:

It's quite common to feel better in the evenings.

I'm not sure why, some theorise that it's due to with cortisol levels. As always with withdrawal, very little objective science has been done, so theories is what they remain for now.

It's wild how I feel like I'm going to die during the day, but can function completely normal in the evenings. I'm not complaining, I'm so thankful for the normal! I just pray it continues

52 minutes ago, CND27 said:

It's wild how I feel like I'm going to die during the day, but can function completely normal in the evenings. I'm not complaining, I'm so thankful for the normal! I just pray it continues

It's exacty like this for me as well! Debilitating depression and just feeling nauseous, sick, dead inside but in the evenings it is tolerable.

54 minutes ago, MischaDE said:

It's exacty like this for me as well! Debilitating depression and just feeling nauseous, sick, dead inside but in the evenings it is tolerable.

I'm glad you get a bit of respite too! It's something to look forward to.

7 hours ago, CND27 said:

but can function completely normal in the evenings.

Im glad this pattern of the evening being better is still the same for you. Good to hear.