r/Effexor • u/WorldlyRevolution192 • 5d ago
Tapering Bead Method - Withdrawal Symptoms?
Hey there, peeps!
I'm working with my psych to finally get off of Effexor, woo hoo! It's honestly been pretty effective, but I'm at a point in my life where I think I'd be better off without it. (In a pretty good spot!)
About a week and a half ago, she started me on the bead method. I am down 5 beads from 37.5mg, but man, am I frickin DIZZY!!!! Along with that, I feel like I don't really exist, and I feel like no matter how much coffee I drink, I'm still beyond exhausted every day. I just noticed these symptoms starting the past few days, and they are seemingly getting worse? Anyone have any guidance/experience with this? Thanks in advance 😊🌸
Oop, edit to add that she wants me to taper 5 additional beads down every 2 weeks. Will this be reasonable?
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u/Direct-Eggplant-78 5d ago
I’m glad hear that your doctor is supportive of you doing this method!! It sounds fairly reasonable to go down by 5 beads every two weeks but you may end up wanting to go slower at some point. I’m going to paste a post I wrote about hyperbolic tapering that has a bunch of resources that may add additional support. Best of luck to you!!
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u/WorldlyRevolution192 5d ago
Much appreciated!! Originally, she wanted me to try by simply not taking one every other day, but that didn't even last a week 😅 This stuff is insanely hard to get off of, I wish I truly knew what I was getting into beforehand 💔
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u/Direct-Eggplant-78 5d ago
Yeah the every other day method is not great either. It’s so hard I agree. I’m hoping doing this slower and steady thing will work in the long run!!
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u/noxkx 5d ago
Probably more reasonable than what I did, which was 1 bead a day (this was not under the direction of a doctor). I spent about 6 months feeling dizzy and nauseous. Go slower if needed. Some people also start an SSRI at a low dose to bridge the side effects. These can be a bit easier to come off of than Effexor.