Venlafaxine (Effexor) is one of the hardest antidepressants to come off of, and here’s why. It has a really short half life, so it leaves your body fast. But you can’t taper it down slowly the way you can with other meds, which means you’re basically going cold turkey every single day between doses. When the serotonin drops, you don’t feel okay. You’re not peaceful. Then the norepinephrine drops too, so you can’t focus and you get those brutal brain zaps. If you’re on it and want to come off, please talk to your doctor about a slow cross taper to something with a longer half life. Don’t try this one on your own. #philsmypharmacist #healtheducation #antidepressant eatshameless