Antidepressants

I was going through a hard time a couple of weeks ago and my GP increased my dose of Venlafaxine 37.5mg twice a day to 75.5mg modified release. For the last year or so I had been getting by one 37.5mg once a day and things were okay. I have to be honest, a lot has gone on. However, I want to get off of antidepressants. I am a creative person and as someone who has been on them for nearly 2 years, I feel like they are just making more and numb every day. I have spoken to family but they seem to be reluctant to support my decision to withdraw as they said the tablets keep one level. Please can someone offer some advice?

[Marnie22 Volunteer]

Hi. Has the doctor discussed any type of therapy with you? I was on a low dose of Venlafaxine for some time and then I suffered a bereavement that shattered me. I saw a psychiatrist who put up the dose several times so I ended up on quite a high dose, but then once I had therapy I was able to have the dose gradually reduced again. I have never had the feeling that it numbed me though, so that's something different for you to consider. I asked someone who knew me well if they thought I was different on the pills and they said no, ithey said they thought I was like me, only more so. I found the pills helped me cope with anxiety and depression until I was strong enough to learn to understand what was causing it and how to start to changing things with the help of therapy.

I don't know if anything I have said will help at all, but I hope you find the right path for you.🌸