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8 posts

Portugal

Symptoms

September 2, 2026··

Almost 5 months after and a lot of symptoms after, mainly I’ve minor internal vibration and helmet head sensation. Still trying to manage my sleeping, with some difficulties in getting a good night sleep, but is improving. I’m also experiencing some weird thinking process in the morning, as if feels like there some hipervigilancy in the morning, so my actions don’t feel really natural… like if I’m thinking about my own thinking process… and feels very weird. Is this normal?

44 Replies

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Catina16d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi, psychiatric drug withdrawal can cause all sorts of crazy symptoms. It's just your brain adjusting and recalibrating towards homeostasis. It might be a little derealization/depersonalization. https://taper.community/thread/caf83dd4-7885-4001-acbb-86c31f93d61c https://taper.community/resources/blog/depersonalization-during-withdrawal Glad to hear your sleep is improving. It can take some time.

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 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.

Healing_s16d ago

Welcomer

Hi @Catina, thank you for welcoming me! I’m doing much better than before. But mainly I feel like my mind is kidnapped in the morning, with this. Even though I keep doing my morning routines, during the morning and afternoon, things settle, and I get my mind and auto-pilot again, but still there is a lot of hipervigilancy (I guess). Still I don’t know if this is still normal. Or should just let the time tell…

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Catina16d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

The fact you've seen improvement thus far is a sign that you're healing and things are moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, anything is "normal" when it comes to psychiatric drug withdrawal. Everyone is different in how it affects them. Yes, time is going to be your greatest healer, so hang in there and cope the best you can as you continue to heal. ❤️

Masha16d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

What are you tapering off of?

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

Healing_s15d ago

Welcomer

"What are you tapering off of?" — @Masha

Hi Masha, I’m not tapering…I was advice to cold turkey at 37,5mg of venlafaxine and sedoxil almost 5 months ago. I was on 75mg of venlafaxine, when started my taper, doctor introduced the 37,5 mg for a month…and then CT. Been trying to find my out of this withdrawal since…

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

I had a horrible withdrawal experience and I reinstated I can’t imagine cold turkey!

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

Laura15d ago

NavigatorEffexor · active

Hi, Healing_s, I can’t believe you cold turkey went down to 37.5 from 75mg of venlafaxine. I have been tapering from 37.5mg for 1 year and 9 months counting beads. I was down to 4 beads and experiencing hideous anxiety and panic attacks in the morning. A taper specialist I found here told me to take SaffronRX, Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate and L-theanine from iHerb.com and it took away the anxiety and panic IN ONE DAY. I still have brain fog “helmet head” but that’s it. For the first time in 26 years I am hopeful for a future free of these drugs.

Effexor — 37.5 — 4 years — actively tapering | Prozac — 10mg — 2 weeks — holding | without clinician

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Catina15d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"A taper specialist I found here told me to take SaffronRX, Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate and L-theanine from iHerb.com and it took away the anxiety and panic IN ONE DAY" — @Laura

That's amazing that those things helped you! You're very fortunate. Everyone is different with how they can handle supplements.

Healing_s15d ago

Welcomer

Hi @Laura and @Masha 3-4 days after total stop I experienced some I will call them light WD symptoms of dizziness, huge head pressure and migraines, some discomfort with food. On the 5th day DP/DR showed his face for the first time and I started to experience dread fear and panic. When I went to my family doctor she just said “oh” and sent me to a local psychologist who told me that if I had chosen to stop the medication now I had to deal with the consequences. She also told me about natural supplements, which I think have somehow played a high role here. I started tryptophan and took it for about two months and half, my major symptom was high heart beat, anxiety all day long and even during sleep, insomnia, and major DP/DR. Looking back that was dreadfull and danger. But somehow I managed every day thinking this will go away. I then stopped the triptophan after combine it with two more supplements for stress control. That was the starting of real and acute withdrawal. 1s week insomnia and the construction work in my head specially during sleep. The following week, I couldn’t fall asleep, the construction was like seizure but awake, needed to be eating every three hours because it felt like I was spending all energy in 5 minutes. I lost 6 kg only in the first three days. Had a lot of intrusive thoughts, thinking I was losing my mind. My brain didn’t stop for a minute, and I was exhausted but still hipervigilant couldn’t let me fall asleep. I call for help, but doctors wanted me to take diazepam (benzo) which I didn’t wanted of course. But not sleeping was increasing my anxiety and fear. one night I took 2,5 mg and managed to sleep 5 hours, woke up in major distress, anxiety and panic. Until finally the sleep and exhaustion won, after 6 days non sleeping, I managed to sleep my first night with 8 hours of sleep. No supplements ever since, I’ve been taking care with food, mainly fresh food. Slowly been improving in sleep and thinking. I’ve already started to include some of the things I ate before, and decaf only in the morning. Hoping I can get back my life. This was a traumatic experience, so please do not cold turkey before you hit 0.01 mg. Because even then, the body will experience some withdrawal, hopefully it will be light. I haven’t made (yet) any medical exams, apart blood work right after stoping (everything was normal) I’m staying hopefull to see the future.

Laura15d ago

NavigatorEffexor · active

Your journey has been difficult. I hope you find the other side of this hell soon. I hope you will consider trying the Saffron. It has been nothing short of a miracle for me.

Effexor — 37.5 — 4 years — actively tapering | Prozac — 10mg — 2 weeks — holding | without clinician

Healing_s15d ago

Welcomer

Thanks @Laura I believe we do heal from this. I tried also magnesium but it was to activating, and from what I’ve seen most supplements are triggering at some point. So i prefer to keep things calm, without adding more fire in an already sensitized CNS. I hope you are seeing good progress ☺️

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

I tried magnesium but could digest it. What does saffron do?

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

Laura15d ago

NavigatorEffexor · active

Saffron is a mood stabilizer and helps with anxiety and to help calm you. I was waking up with terrifying panic attacks and anxiety and it’s gone. Dr Anna Nodin whom I found on this site, helped me. She told me to keep the SaffronRX on my nightstand and take it first thing when I wake up. I split the magnesium dose one in the morning and one before bed and take the L- Theanine at lunch. I have a super sensitive system and tummy and I’ve been tolerating it with no issues. It’s a miracle. I was able to taper off Paxil to Zoloft after 7 years and from Zoloft to Wellbutrin after another 6’ish and then to Prozac for another 7 and then Effexor for the last 6. Almost 27 years of this hell.

Effexor — 37.5 — 4 years — actively tapering | Prozac — 10mg — 2 weeks — holding | without clinician

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

Wow you’ve been on all Those meds? What prompted all the changes?

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

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

And now you don’t take anything?

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

Laura15d ago

NavigatorEffexor · active

The changes were because I’d hit a wall of side-effects. On Paxil, I was sleeping for 16 hours or more. Before each switch, I’d try to get off on my own and fail. Doctors would not help and the solution was always to try another med. I’ve been tapering off venlafaxine for a year and 9 months by counting beads. I’m literally taking 3 beads!!! In two weeks I will drop to 2, stay for a month and go to one for a month and stop. I didn’t think it was possible before. But I am so excited now. I really think I will succeed.

Effexor — 37.5 — 4 years — actively tapering | Prozac — 10mg — 2 weeks — holding | without clinician

Azul15d ago

NavigatorKlonopin · active

@Catina, supplements can be helpful but it needs to be tested in small dose. @Healing_s I tried magnesium plus Vit B and it made my anxiety to the roof, so I stopped it. Everyone is different. A functional doctor tried to help my the recommended plan included more supplements. So I didn't go for it. CT is a traumatic experience. I had to reinstate and I try to manage WD symptoms with diet and mindset which is hard since we are dealing an issue in the neurobiological realm. I learned from survivors experiences that slow is the name of the game and time helps to heal.

Klonopin — 1,75mg — 6 months — actively tapering

Azul15d ago

NavigatorKlonopin · active

Hi @Laura. I wish you the very best with you getting off this drugs. I don't have experience with venlafaxine tapering, but I remember I was put under a cocktail of drugs one night in the hospital and one of them was Venlafaxine. I didn't take it anymore.

Klonopin — 1,75mg — 6 months — actively tapering

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Catina15d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"supplements can be helpful but it needs to be tested in small dose" — @Azul

This is absolutely true! Everyone is not going to react the same. Something that helps one person can make someone else much worse.

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Catina15d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

"In two weeks I will drop to 2, stay for a month and go to one for a month and stop. I didn’t think it was possible before. But I am so excited now. I really think I will succeed." — @Laura

This is great news! I'm jealous lol. I'm so happy for you! We will be here to celebrate with you when you reach the end. ❤️

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

Be very careful mixing supplements with meds!

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

Healing_s15d ago

Welcomer

"Be very careful mixing supplements with meds!" — @Masha

Indeed masha! In the end, better to let your CNS heal on its own! So if introducing, start with small.

Masha15d ago

LighthousePaxil · holding

Absolutely. One change at a time.

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

Laura15d ago

NavigatorEffexor · active

I’ve been very fortunate that magnesium has not affected me negatively at all and that the Saffron has almost completely eliminated my anxiety. I have no words for the relief and joy I feel. One month ago I was considering checking into a clinic because of the anxiety and panic attacks. Now it’s gone. This is the 4th straight day being anxiety free. All I have is the brain fog which I can totally live with. But I hope in time might also disappear as my CNS and brain adapt to being chemical free. I wish all of you the best as you work through this. I pray you can all be free soon.

Effexor — 37.5 — 4 years — actively tapering | Prozac — 10mg — 2 weeks — holding | without clinician

Healing_s15d ago

Welcomer

Any change on this please let us know @Laura. Keep going steady and most of all always listen to your body! You are almost there, and there is no rush! Take your time! Wishing you well!

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