Hi there! I have a question about alternating Venlafaxine dosage to handle pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder and ADHD! My doctor has prescribed me 150mg of Venlafaxine for 2 weeks, and then 300mg for the 2weeks before my period (and then back to 150mg). But I have never heard about this before, and I’m wondering if this can cause withdrawal symptoms during the weeks when the dosage is lowered? Is this a common practice in psychiatry?

Background: I (33F) have depression, autism, ADHD, and social anxiety. Venlafaxine worked great for depression (I’m currently symptom free!).

However, my ADHD symptoms became more apparent after I treated depression. So it is harder to manage - especially during PMS!

I can’t handle stimulants (they give me extreme anxiety). And since Venlafaxine worked so well, my doctor thinks it would be unwise to change it to something else (like stratera or welbutrin).

Instead, she asked me to double the dosage when my adhd symptoms become unmanageable (around 2 weeks before my period).