Venlafaxine withdrawal

Reactions 970 - 27 Sep 2003 Venlafaxine withdrawal Severe headache: case report A 25-year-old woman who had been receiving venlafaxine for an episode of major depression experienced a severe headache after abrupt discontinuation of the drug. She had started treatment with sustained-release venlafaxine 75 mg/day increased to 150 mg/day within a few days and maintained for 2 months. Her dose was then reduced to 75 mg/day and then 3 months later she discontinued venlafaxine of her own accord. Within 36 hours of stopping venlafaxine she experienced a severe frontal headache and positional vertigo, and was unable to walk unaided. A head CT scan was normal and her symptoms resolved within a few hours of venlafaxine 75 mg/day being restarted. Venlafaxine was subsequently tapered to discontinuation over a 3-month period. Author comment: "Use of the Naranjo probability scale indicated a probable relationship between the severe headache and the withdrawal of venlafaxine." Mayr BJ, et al. Severe headache with venlafaxine withdrawal. Annals of Pharmacotherapy 37: 1145-1146, No. 7-8, Jul-Aug 2003 - Austria 800952014 1 Reactions 27 Sep 2003 No. 9700114-9954/10/0970-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved