Switching from Effexor XR to another antidepressant, will I still have withdrawal problems?

Question

In about a week, I will be completely off Effexor XR. I decided to come off of it cause of money reasons. I can't get insurance from work, so I have a short term plan that has a high deductible for prescriptions and usually just covers emergencies, so yeah I'm one of the 45 million underinsured or uninsured Americans. So my doctor is weaning me off Effexor and switching me to Lexapro. She told me that I shouldn't have any serious problems coming off, since she put me on the this discontinuing schedule and started me on 10mg Lexapro right away, so here's the agenda:

Aug 27th:

started at 150mg of Effexor, first day of taking 10mg of Lexapro

Aug 28th - Sept 3rd:

take 75 mg of the Effexor, 10mg Lexapro daily

Sept 4th - Sept 7th:

take 37.5 mg Effexor, 10mg Lexapro daily

But then she has me taking the last three 37.5 mg Effexor pills every other day and just take the Lexapro daily:

Sept 8th - 10mg Lexapro

Sept 9th - 37.5mg Effexor; 10mg Lexapro

Sept 10th - 10mg Lexapro

Sept 11th - 37.5mg Effexor; 10mg Lexapro

Sept 12th - 10mg Lexapro

Sept 13th - my very last 37.5mg Effexor; 10mg Lexapro.

So from there on out, I'll be completely off Effexor and on Lexapro only. I'm seeing my doc again on Sept 25th. So since I'm already on another med and slowly comming off the other, will I still get horrible withdrawal and the brain zaps like everyone is talking about.

Answer 1

NO

Answer 2

Uh, don't do that. Make her take you off of Effexor EXTREMELY slowly. Get a liquid form if there is one; they have really small doses in liquid form that aren't available in pill form. Just say, "Would it hurt to stay on this a couple of extra weeks and come down very slowly? I've heard bad things about withdrawal and I'm just paranoid like that. Could we do that?" My psychiatrist took me off Celexa too fast and I paid for it. My guess is that you'll definitely pay for coming off Effexor, so demand that if there's no chance it'll make the situation worse, to come down more gradually. If she says (like mine did) "Well, it won't hurt anything but it won't help, either" then say "Fine. I still want to come down much slower, even if it won't help." Withdrawal isn't a joke, and it looks like you know that. I hope the best for you.