Dealing with fatigue and muscle aches

September 12, 2026··

I need advice. The most persistent symptoms I experience after a dose reduction are fatigue and muscle aches. During this period, I wake up very exhausted and in pain. I experience these severely for about a week and then it settles after. How do I manage this with other life commitments such as work.

Effexor — 150 mg — 6 years — actively tapering

5 Replies

Masha6d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

Have you tried low impact exercise? Like very simple movements?

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 37.5 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day

Khanyisa6d ago

LighthouseEffexor · active

Hi Masha, I do go on walks and exercise a bit. Sometimes I find recovery from exercise to be quite tough as well. I haven't really found a rhythm yet.

Effexor — 150 mg — 6 years — actively tapering

Masha6d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

I totally get that. You don’t want to overdo it because it just makes you more tired.

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 37.5 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day

MamaLa6d ago

WelcomerProzac · holding

@Khanyisa - I too have dealt with the horrible muscle aches and pain. I was very active in the gym until May of this year and have not been able to go since due to the recovery being just too brutal. I do walk approx 5 km a day, which I started lower and worked myself up. I have also found gentle yoga seems to be ok, as long as I don’t push my stretching , or that also results in worse aches. Epsom salt baths have also become a daily for me before bed. They do seem to help some of the muscle aches and pains.

Prozac — 2.4mg — 4 — holding

Khanyisa6d ago

LighthouseEffexor · active

Thanks for the advice @MamaLa, I'll try not to got too hard with the exercise. I have wondered about the effectiveness of epsom baths so I'll also try them and see how it goes.

Effexor — 150 mg — 6 years — actively tapering

Join the conversation

Need a clinician who understands tapering?

Browse our map of deprescribing-informed providers worldwide.

Find a Deprescriber