Venlafaxine/Effexor

I really need some advice and some help because I feel so alone and like the worst person in the world.

For the past 12 years I have been married to the most wonderful man known to all mankind. He is honest, loyal, supportive, kind and loving. Everything I or anyone could ever wish for. He has loved me through thick and thin (Literally weight wise) and I hate myself so much for saying this but I am feeling like I don’t love him anymore.

I was initially diagnosed as having Major Depression with Suicidal Ideations and now they’ve changed the diagnosis to Bi Polar and through all of it I loved my husband. There were times where I didn’t feel affectionate but always I knew I loved him. It wasn’t until they began to reduce my effexor from 412.5mg per day by 37.5 per week so that I can just be on Bi Polar meds that my deep deep love for this man just vanished overnight. I still love him in a way, but it’s like he’s my best friend, like a brother. We’ve been together so long and done so much together. I care about him so much as a friend that it’s killing me to hurt him and tell him how I am feeling. Please please tell me this will go away! Please I am desperate to know I will love him again. I am now down to 150mg per day of Effexor and I am not emotional in a general sense but just about this one issue. Sorry If I am rambling and all over the place but I just don’t have the words to say how lost I am in this situation.

I was switched fro 10mg Lexapro to 37.5 Effexor to help with migraines after I developed kidney stones from topamax. I trusted my Neurologist and didnt think twice about the med he gave me. Yesterday I hit my low and actually went psycho. I am truly ready to commit myself because of how moods change. My husband and I are trying to work things out and I have an appointment with my primary dr today to discuss getting off this med.

The one post about women leaving their husband for someone the opposite was totaly true. I did and ended up hurting another person in the process and its killing me too inside.

a couple of weeks after taking effexor (which I abruptly stopped on account of its adverse effects on my diabetes and ability to feel my blood sugar dropping) and then lexapro, i woke up one day, no longer in love, after many years. I am still young, very confused, and its terrible. and I havent even cried yet, which doesnt make sense, I just keep sleeping, hoping ill wake up in love again or something. If there was a medical explanation it would make a lot more sense, at least, i dont know. I thought serotonin was supposed to be like love, and therefore should it not make us feel more love?

Emotions gone, numb still 5 years later. My life was ruined.

I started venlafaxine in 2019. I started develope worrisome side effects on the venlafaxine very early on such as tremors, restlessness, need of body flexing and clenching and many more. Instead being told to stop it, I was told to dose it up. I was told that there are no medications without side effects, so we need to accept them. Later I developed elevated blood pressure, light sensitivity, heat intolerance, balance problems with vertigo. I continued the medication for around 4 years until one day I checked my blood pressure and it was at at 180/100. That really scared me, so I told the doctor that I want to get off of it. He gave me 3 months taper schedule. During the taper the whole hell broke loose for me. It was so bad that I couldn’t believe it could be from the withdrawals. I started to look for help. I went to many different doctors. I was tested for multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases, autoimmune diseases, any many others. None of these tests showed anything. And when I mentioned to doctors that it might be due to venlafaxine, they looked at me as if I told them  I was abducted by aliens. I have had received zero help or understanding from medical professionals, especially from psychiatrists. It has been 3 years now since that taper. I’m still not able to function and participate in normal life. I was fully functional person before starting venlafaxine. I was prescribed it for life problems that can’t be solved by pharmacology.

My ex partner took these drugs and turned into a completely different person. Abandoned his family and isolated himself. Lacked empathy when I needed him most. Completely destroyed our life.

I was taking Effexor, 225mg for about 7 years. I decided to go off because it wasn’t helping my depression and anxiety all that much anymore. I found a psychiatrist and she supposedly helped me taper. She immediately told me to take one less 75mg a week. By the 2nd week, she added Wellbutrin as a bridge. I could not tolerate it. I had vivid nightmares and made a mess of my night table all while sleeping. The doctor then changed the bridge medication to Celexa. I ended up in the ER. The third week I went off the Effexor totally. I was a zombie. Dizziness, brain fog, restlessness, no appetite, insomnia and just a general feeling of not really being here. I had a visit with my primary and he was very disturbed by how I looked and acted. He insisted I reinstate starting with 75mg. Once I did, however, the tremors started. I figured I just needed more meds. I increased to 150mg. I wanted to stay at that dose, but with the tremoring, I thought maybe I needed my old full dose. So I went back to 225mg. The tremors never went away. A year later, I started once again to taper with a new psychiatrist. I began doing it hyperbolically. However, by this time my neurologist decided to give me a DAT scan to determine whether I showed signs of Parkinsonism. The test was inconclusive which made him think the tremors were drug, or lack of them so drastically were drug induced. I am now taking Sinimet, which is for Parkinsons, because I was unable to function. It is helping but there is a chance that this Parkinsonism was caused by this horrible drug, Effexor. I am appalled and angry. Doctors should also learn how to taper these drugs correctly. What they think is fine to do, is deadly. They dont get it at all