Hi, I'm Harlow

April 2, 2026

I was told I had a “seratonin” deficiency after a life threatening traumatic events which led to anxiety attacks and sleep issues. I was on Effexor XR 75 mg for 11 yrs and tapered to 37.5 mg on my own 10 yrs ago. It took 6 months to a year. Every time I try to drop a day of 37.5 mg I get brain zaps and severe flu like symptoms. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I have recently learned about hyperbolic taper. I have figured the dose down to 9 beads, but am not sure how I would reduce after that. I’m hoping to learn from others a safe and effective way to taper. Sadly physicians in my areas think it’s a 2 week taper. It is not. I am currently holding at 37.5 mg with no withdrawal side effects for the 10 years.

Effexor — 37.5 mg — 21 yrs — holding | without clinician

4 Replies

JulesStaffApr 2

Community Anchor

Hi Harlow, so happy you found us, and hyperbolic tapering. The lower you go on Effexor, the hardest it is, but it's possible. There's a new blog post that speaks to Effexor withdrawal, you can read it here: https://taper.community/resources/blog/effexor-withdrawal-timeline There are also all kinds of articles in the blog section that may be helpful to you, take a look if you have time. A two week taper is not nearly long enough, especially with Effexor. I'm glad you want to it slowly, as it will be more successful. The first time I went off Effexor, I didn't know how to do it properly, and I ended up in the hospital. They said it was relapse, but even back then, I knew it was withdrawal. The second time I went off it, I tapered by counting beads and was successful in getting off of it. Let us know how we can help. Hang in there, you've got this! One bead at a time.

⭐

BasedStaffApr 3

Community AnchorEffexor

"One bead at a time." — @Jules

One bead at a time!!! Welcome Harlow, happy to have you here. Check out the taper tracking feature in My Taper in the side bar. If theres anything we can help you with let us know.

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

⭐

CatinaApr 3

Community AnchorEffexor

"I was told I had a “seratonin” deficiency after a life threatening traumatic events which led to anxiety attacks and sleep issues." — @Harlow

Hi Harlow, and welcome! Many people get put on these drugs after experiencing normal reactions to stressful life events.

"I have figured the dose down to 9 beads, but am not sure how I would reduce after that." — @Harlow

What does your Effexor look like? Does the capsule contain tiny beads? When you did try to reduce, what percentage of a reduction was it? I'm tapering Effexor XR myself, and I'm at the point where I'm only reducing by one tiny bead per month. When I get close to the end I'll have to do longer holds in between cuts. Another option is to switch to liquid, but some people have issues when switching to liquid; everyone is different. Looking forward to us supporting one another as we free ourselves from Effexor!

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

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SteveStaffApr 3

Community AnchorEffexor · active

The others said all the important points. Tapering Effexor myself and i‘m also at the one bead per taper now. Tell us how it went 👍

off Stimulants (2000-2013)
off Fluoxetine (2010-2013)
off Lamotrigine (2013-2016)
off Quetiapain (2016-2020)

currently Effexor — 33mg — 13 years (from 300mg) — actively tapering | with clinician

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