User Reviews for Venlafaxine (Effexor)

Started out on 75mg/day, then increased to 150mg/day. It seems to really help me stay on an evan keel. Not too high, Not too low. Very satisfied.

After taking this med for quite some time I developed excessive sweating from using a higher dose which does help with my depression. This is embarassing (the sweating) my hair gets wet, my face, and sweat just runs down my temples. My make-up "melts" and to have hot coffee is terrible. The meds can definitely work but there are side effects sometimes. I am now going to try another drug to treat the sweating problem, hopefully it will help.

I take this drug 2 times a day at 75mg. I have not gain any weight. I notice I eat less than I did before. It has helped me very much.

I kept fighting the idea of going back on a antidepressant, but I finally gave in. I was taking Citalopram but had to discontinue it because it conflicts with Tamoxifen which I have to be on for 5 years. For the first couple of weeks I had problems with constipation, but eventually got back to normal. Now I am "loving life" again and couldn't be happier. If I have to stay on if for the rest of my life, I'm ok with that. So far, no weight gain! :)

I had to stop taking it because I started to get severely dizzy, tremors and muscle cramps in my legs. Plus I was taking it with another medication...I will never go back on this drug.

Of no benefit

This medication works but the side effects for me at least are extreme sweating and weight gain. I'm miserable. I sweat profusely with just the littlest activity. Head sweats are terrible. I need to stop this medication because my legs and ankles are all just retaining water like mad but do I have to check myself into a hospital to get through the withdrawal symptoms? I've tried cutting down on the dosage but I get the spins and feel like I'm gonna throw up. I'm not sure what to do but I'm not happy being on this. I've never gained so much weight in my life. I now weigh 185 and I haven't weighed this much since I gave birth to my daughter 18 years ago. Read More Read Less

It has and is still helping me. I take one 75mg at night. It helps me sleep. I agree with others that the weight gain is great. Just have to get more active and go on a diet.

I've been taking this medication for 7 years. It works for my depression, but I've been aware of eye problems and other common side effects such as sexual, ringing in the ears, unusual dreams, dry mouth and constipation. But lately I have additional problems - stomach always upset, gas, bloating, stomach cramps, itching, and muscle twitching. I am thinking of asking my doctor for a new medication.

I have tried several depression medications, as most of you who post and read here have. it's about finding the right med or the right combo. i have to say that all i have to take is this now. no need for abilify, which i found overpriced and ineffective. not everyone has the same experience or gets the same side effects. mine is about an hour of nausea every day. So worth it to me. I did not find that it made me gain weight as much as other drugs, but that has a direct correlation to my level of activity too. for more than one reason, i am not excited about having to ween off of it when i get pregnant. i do plan on taking it again, if needed, once i can again.Read More Read Less

1. Ultimately, I began feeling jittery and had trouble getting a good night's sleep. 2. Even the generic of this drug can be extremely expensive. 3. When trying to discontinue the Effexor, I experienced nausea, diarrhea, and episodes of rapid heartbeat for weeks. I'm switching back to an SSRI, but NOT Paxil. It caused weight gain. Meanwhile, it's still not totally understood why the same drug can affect different people in such a variety of ways. Thus, finding a "perfect fit" may take some unpleasant trial and error. (When it came to Paxil, the perfect fit certainly didn't extend to my skinny jeans!) How convenient for physicians to have us available as experimental rats... Am I bitter? No, just increasingly wary. Read More Read Less

If you take this, YOU WILL GET FAT and end up more depressed than when you started. Not worth it!

I have taken the generic effexor for about 6 months and I have to be weened off for a sleep study. This medication has worked for me but getting off of it is very hard. I have body zaps, shakiness, dizziness, nausea, sweating and flu like symptoms...I suggest taking a long period of time and use some xanax or adivan to help.

I took this medication for over 10 years. It was superb for me. I switched to Zoloft. It is good but I am not as relaxed. I did have withdrawal when coming off but I was given some anti-anxiety pills temporarily and they seemed to help. I am completely clear of any side effects after maybe a month or two.

The side effects of this medication are terrible, I didn't sleep, I was always dizzy, could barely walk. I always felt "Dead". The worst part was getting off it. I went through a rough time for a week. With twitching, Sweating, & what they call "Brain zaps" which feels like an electric shock going from your brain through your body. It was the worst thing to come off of. I thought i was going to die. I couldn't even walk i was lifeless. I would NEVER recommend this to anyone.

i have been taking this for about a year. now up to 150mg. i feel a lot happier on effexor then when i was taking zoloft. My frequent "crying spells" are gone and im lees likly to think negative thoughts. I have lost about 10 pounds since i went on it. The side effects are BAD :( my sexual function has decreased to almost zero... if you miss a dose for a day i get really dizzy and sick to my stomach. and also i sweat alot at night. I still want to be on this medication but im not sure if the side effects are worth it...Read More Read Less

I was not on this med long enough to notice if there was any benefit, to many negative effects from it. It started with Insomnia, lots of cold sweating with a funky not normal odor, dizzy all the time, Unable to have erection, leg swelling and cramping with water retention (had to take a water to pill) changed asap due to sexual side effects.