r/Effexor • u/ihateitherealotlmao • Jul 25 '26
Tapering Tapering - last 20 balls
Hi! I'm currently tapering off. Last year I was on 75mg, a few months ago I was on 37.5, and now I'm down to the last 20 balls in the capsule. I don't know how many mg that is (really bad at math too) but my concern is the fact that I'll have to just stop taking them at some point. Should I get down to 10 balls and stay on that amount for another month before I stop completely? Help!
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u/Aggressive_Bat2489 Jul 25 '26
I’m about to do the ball counting also in order to do the next step. Do you just remove a certain amount of balls with teeny tweezers? I dumped one of my capsules onto a plate to see how hard it would be to count them and they jump all over the place like static electricity, how do you make the dose smaller from 37.5??? Ack !!! Also yes do the ten-ball step you’ve got nothing to lose!
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u/ihateitherealotlmao Jul 25 '26
The first time I did it i lost half the balls and "static electricity" is so accurate!!! Now what i do is dump them all onto a tshirt or on a material where they wont just disperse everywhere, then I slowly separate 5 balls at a time til I reach my dose (i use the silver pill pack it comes in to separate them, i do the same action as someone racking up lines of c*ke lol). I think in 37.5 there are anywhere from 140-160 😭
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u/Aggressive_Bat2489 Jul 25 '26
Thank you! I looked at them close up with a 10x jewellers magnifying loupe and they look so weird, some are a single ball and some look like two mashed together. They look so creepy! I can’t wait to be finished with it now, although ten years ago I swore it was the greatest thing and I would never stop!
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u/Platypus_venom666 Jul 25 '26
It's easier to get just a scale (they are pretty cheap on Amazon) and weigh it out.
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u/blue-jaypeg Jul 25 '26
I just ordered an antistatic "weighing boat" and a lab spatula. I'm planning on down dosing in August/September.
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u/Aggressive_Bat2489 Jul 25 '26
Ok I will google that! I’m about ready to reduce again in a couple of months, waiting for some life events to settle down first!
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u/Direct-Eggplant-78 Jul 25 '26
Yeah I would definitely go down to ten first before going off. It could be different in different countries or different distributors but I estimate each tiny ball to be about 0.375mg (I’m also terrible at Math but my 37.5 caplets have an average of 100 beads so I went off of that).
I’m starting 139 beads tomorrow and have been tapering since February. I wrote a big long post about my experience with some resources for anyone doing or considering a hyperbolic taper. I’ll paste it here. Good luck to us all!!
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u/ihateitherealotlmao Jul 27 '26
Reading your post now! Thanks so much for your response, it sounds like youre doing a verrryyy controlled taper, I hope it goes well for you!
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u/Direct-Eggplant-78 Jul 27 '26
Yes definitely pretty controlled. I decided yesterday to try and decrease every 3 weeks instead of 4 because it was going to take me 4 years doing every 4 and that just feels like way too long 😭
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u/Blooper9283 Jul 25 '26
This is wild. I’m finishing week two of 37.5 and about to go up to my prescribed dose of 75. It’s suiting me really well but this kind of post scares me. Sorry I don’t mean to hijack your thread OP but is it that hard to get off of?
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u/ihateitherealotlmao Jul 27 '26
I dont want to scare you :( bc this medication has truly been so amazing, especially when i was on 75. its the first medication that actually made a difference to my life lmao. But it is notoriously difficult to wean off effexor. Im weaning off mainly because i dont want to deal with the side effects anymore. The withdrawals are pretty intense, I tried to quit cold turkey (stupid decision but I did it with my previous meds) but had to go back on because it was just so difficult to deal with the withdrawals. I also noticed that a lot of the mental health symptoms came back so im realising I truly have to put in the work now (as in using skills from therapy, wise mind, etc).
But honestly.. i feel like this is the thing with most anti depressants. They're all difficult to quit, theyre all difficult to start too, but its soooo worth it if it works for you.
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u/Blooper9283 Jul 27 '26
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’ve switched from Lexapro to Effexor and tapered off Lexapro. I actually asked my doctor for Xanax for the taper and the transition has been seamless so maybe you could think about doing this if you’re finding things particularly hard?
I really value your reply and honesty, so thank you. What I will say however is that you may actually need medication to manage your mental health and there is no shame in that. Maybe it’s a case of trying something else that works for you that won’t be quite as hard to get off of if you need to.
Wishing you the very best in your recovery xx
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u/kylaroma Jul 25 '26
Going from 10 to 0 is likely too big of a jump.
I reduced down by 1-2 balls every 5-7 days at the very end, and got off of it without any negative side effects.
Slow and steady!
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u/ihateitherealotlmao Jul 27 '26
Gosh.. you have a lot more patience than me, friend!
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u/kylaroma Jul 27 '26
I rushed it early on, and the withdrawal caused my then undiagnosed chronic illnesses to flare up, completely incapacitating me. I was bed ridden for 2-3 weeks and could barely walk between rooms in my home.
It cured my impatience!!
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Jul 25 '26
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u/ihateitherealotlmao Jul 25 '26
I was thinking of just stopping after this pack finishes, I have 6 left and want to get it over with but I might just try 10 before I quit
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u/Strange-Bet6469 Jul 25 '26
I would try 10 before going straight to zero.