User Reviews for Effexor oral

*WARNING* I have been taking this for about 3 years. It works, but at what cost. I'm was always tierd. As for sex in my life it was non existent and severe hot flashes weight gain, and sinus problemes. It fixed one probleme and gave me five more. I am now trying to get off this medication. It is so hard!! I have been pill free for 4 days and i'm dizzy I fell sick to my stomache and I just want to cry at the drop of a hat. I wish I had know of the withdrawl. At this point it is very hard to function normaly. I hope this gets better.Read More Read Less

I've had vertigo and I'm not sure if it is from taking my med and it not being XR or what it is... I do feel like it is ineffevtive because now I somewhat feel out of it... I might consider this an ok med to be on except for the dizziness and because I'm dizzy I can't do much .. I have a follow-up soon so maybe I'll find out more..

I was often emotional and depressed. Unable to let go of a troubled past. Lexapro did nothing. Wellbutrin was like speed for me. I feel great now. It has been two months and if I feel down it is for a short time and feels normal. My desire for sex has waned a bit but orgasm is still possible. No other side effects.

caused me to be impulsive and reckless. a do not care about life attitude live for the moment .It did decrease my hot flashes that is about it.

I only took Effexor XR for 3 weeks. The first dose I took made me so agitated and antsy I had to have my husband take over with the kids. I had internal tremors and headaches, my skin crawled, I scratched myself until I would bleed. I felt like I was losing my mind. I asked my dr what side effects the drug had prior to starting it, she said it really didn't have any. I wish doctors would prescribe this drug more carefully.

Took for 2 months after chemotherapy and tamoxifen caused intense hot flashes that woke me up 6 or 7 times a night. Did not have any hot flashes after the very first dose, but within a very short time the effexor completely wiped out sexual response. Switched to neurontin. It doesn't work quite as well, but no side effects.

Just like everyone else I experience side effects when I miss a dose. Mostly headache and nausea. I am a stay at home mom of 4 young kids so I have a hard time determing if I'm feeling better or if the kids just took a longer nap...still investigating. I have gained about 15lbs in 4-5 mos!!!

Doctor prescribed this med for me b/c of menopause and depression. Gave me one in the office at 3 pm and by 8:30 pm felt better than I had in 5 years! Awesome, miracle drug! - BUT no one told me about alcohol and the drug, I had a couple glasses of wine and by midnight I was throwing up like I drank a bottle of whiskey - Took me almost two days to recover from that episode - vomited for about 6 hours straight.

This drug slowly wrecked my health over 3 yrs.I had 9 anaphylectic shocks and joint and back pain that kept me in bed,all dissapeared when off,gained 30lbs.Beware and take something else.

I take a very low dose 37.5 milligrams and it works extremely well. I have been taking it for five years.

I take this for panic attacks(75mg 1X day) and it works wonderful except the side effects! I've been on it for 2+ years. ButI have trouble getting my doctor to call in my refills in a timely manner and I cannot skip a dose or the withdrawl begins.I get lightheaded, stumble like a drunk, blurred vision, nausea, sweating, and SEVERE Anger Rages. They are so bad they sometimes I have to send my kids to their grandparents until I get leveled out again.(I tend to destroy things which is very unlike me) While this is the most fast acting drug to treat what it is intended to: Panic, depression, anger. The side affects of not taking it is NOT worth it. I like many others was not told of the side effects of this costly drug or I would not have began taking it. Now without it though, I feel worst than a druggie. And the amount of weight it has caused me to gain is unreal. I've gained close to 100lbs in 2 years. And the worst part is my appetite has decreased but my body absorbs every ounce of fat it gets thanks to this medicine. And sleep, I stay so tired it's unbelievable. I sleep 12-14 hrs a day more if I could. My sex life is nearly non-exsistent! Thank God, I have a understanding husband! I really would like to stop taking this Medicine. My doctor also told me that should I become pregnant to stop taking immediately. I don't think one could survive the withdrawl side effects added to the syptoms of a new pregnancy. And I can't imagine how unhealthy this med. would be for a fetus. I would recommend trying every "non-addicting" anti-depressant before taking this one. You CANNOT JUST QUIT! It is truly ADDICTING!Read More Read Less

I can tell when I don't take the drug.I have less patience.I tell my Dr that it takes the rough edge off.I want to be the person I know I can be with out it but it takes much more effort.I dont feel depressed this drug gives me patience

horrible drug- causes dizziness and confusion. I would not recommend this to anyone! i would not wish this on my worst enemy.

I have incresed my dose from 75mg to 150mg daily and I'm beginning to wish I hadn't. If I don't get some quality sleep soon...I dream (or nightmare) so much that I wake sore and confused. I am exhausted, have muscle weakness, anger, apathy, and feel like an observer of my life rather than the main participant. As soon as I have the finances and the right people around me to get the support I need, I want to stop taking this drug. But for now, it's sligtly better than the depression and I am hopeful that the new dose will settle soon.Read More Read Less

Unfortunately, my 25 year-old son's depression worsened and he thought he could correct it by taking a second pill. This unfortunately led him to commit suicide December 5, 2007. Please, please be careful and read the information provided.

Since starting the medication my intense anger and mild depression have all but disappeared; however, I experience hot flashes, night sweats, very stiff neck, muscle weakness, fast and hard heartbeat, and headaches. My doctor did not explain the side effects associated with discontinuing the medication. I haven't experienced any of those side effects because I still take Effexor, but I'm worried about how it will be when I come off. Ultimately, this drug saved my marriage, but I do not feel 100% myself.Read More Read Less

They should call it, "EFFECTS - OR"! I was prescribed this drug when I was in sixth grade (six years ago), and it has been a bumpy road of on and off ever since. When I was first prescribed, I was on a small dose. However eventually I would out-grow that dose and once again feel my general sings of: Nervousness, Anxiety, and my tourettic body maneuvers would return. However after a while on this prescription, like all patients of this drug, I was slowly becoming addicted. This meant that, If I didn't take my prescribed dose once, It didn't matter If it was only one dose, or even if it was an unnoticed accident, before long I would be stumbling around like a drunk, I would have a headache so splitting that if I turned my head too fast it would feel like the blood in my skull was in a centrifuge on full turn. Not too mention my appetite would be lost, mostly because of the low-aching-numbness in my gut that nulled out all satisfactory feelings for food. Also there was muscle cramping. Normally you only feel a muscle cramp of this caliber if you just ran a couple-non-stop laps around a track and stopped to touch your toes, however this was not the case, My tendons, thighs, and even hands would go as far as to "lock up" if even given the mundane task of bending down to tie my shoes. However the effects while taking the drug could be even worse. For one I was so fatigued that I would be going to bed at 8:30 pm and still be exhausted at 6:00. Also weight gain, the extent of the weight gain was so massive that now, that I am attempting to cleanse the drug from my system( I've been clean about a week and lived with negative side effects every day since) but the weight gain was so massive that once I limited my intake of the drug, I was beginning to add new notches to shrink my belt every-so-few days. Not only has my weight gone down but I am actually able to stay awake. In the end all I am saying is, the choice is yours. Choose right. Read More Read Less

Started with 75 mg orginally, now on 150 for 18 months now. Short term effects at first, now it's effectless & VERY difficult to get off of. Terrible side effects: If I miss one day, I'm nervous, anxious- it's terrible. Plus weight gain. Am going to try to get off this drug completely come spring. I hope I can.

THE MOST DANGEROUS DRUG IN IT'S CLASS.AT 300MGS I WAS A PERSON WHOS FRIENDS & FAMILY PULLED AWAY FROM ME.I FELT I WAS FINE,AND THEY WERE CRAZY..LASHING OUT CONSTANTLY. LOST MY JOB...MY FRIENDS. UNTILL I BLACKED OUT ON A NYC STREET. 8 MONTHS OF A WITHDRAWL THAT I FELT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MONITORED IN A HOSPITAL FOR. THIS DRUG IS DANGEROUS & RESEARCHED VERY VERY CAREFULY BEFORE TAKING. IT TOOK 1 YR.TO GET MY LIFE BACK AFTER STOPING IT !!!!!!!!!

Yes the drug does help but I also had the worst withdrawl from it when I would miss a day. I would physically get tremendously sick. In the end I wouldn't recommend this drug. Though it may work is it really worth it if it messes up your body that much. Not to mention the major amount of weight that it made me gain. I would suggest trying something else. Unless of course you like to feel sick if you accidently miss a dose.