User Reviews for Venlafaxine (Effexor)

30 minutes after I took this medication I had an adverse reaction. Less than 2 hours later I was in the emergency room. I found out that my body overreacted to the seratonin, so please keep this in mind when this is prescribed for you.

I have been taking this medication for 2 weeks and have become very tired. I honestly can't say I notice a huge difference in my attitude. Has anyone been breaking out with cystic acne? Since I have started I have been breaking out all over my face.

I have only been on a low dose for 2 days and I can tell you I have stayed extremely tired. I have 3 kids to take care of so I cant lie around and sleep so the doc tells me this will go away? After reading all of these comments...I wonder?

Sleepiness

I have been diagnosed with a medium case of depression around the age of 38 while I was in the military and initially started taking Prozac under doctor's orders. It helped somewhat but I would still go through bouts of depression. Once I retired from the military, my new family doctor started prescribing 75mg of Effexor to me. I have been taking Effexor now for nine years and am quite happy with it. I rarely suffer from depression now and am much happier with life. The only side effects I have are if I run out of my prescription and have to wait for more. I start feeling "waves" of nausea and also feel unbalanced. I cannot function well in normal activities such as driving and cannot concentrate well on work. Needless to say, there is a degree of dependency on Effexor. For those that are uncomfortable with feeling dependent on a drug than Effexor is not for you. For me, getting rid of the feelings of hopelessness and self-pity have made Effexor the antidepressant drug of choice. Read More Read Less

My gyn. Dr put me on this to replace the hormone replacement therapy I'd been on for 4 yrs, to control hot flashes mainly. It doesn't control as well as the hormones did, but is better than totally without before HRT. I had tried natural treatments before HRT, they quit working. She now wants me to increase my dose from 75mg to 150mg to see if that will do a better job. I haven't noticed any other effects from the drug really. I have lost 14 lbs since going off the HRT tho! I don't have depression altho before starting HRT, I did find I would fly off the handle easily and had other menopause symptoms. The HRT controlled that aspect, and haven't had that "urge to blow" on this either.It is quite expensive tho, so wish there was another option?? I am concerned about discontinuing use some day tho, from others experiences! I don't know how long she will want me to remain on it, at this point. I'm hoping someday sooner than late, all these hormone symptoms will pass.....Read More Read Less

The drug took effect, almost immediately. It did (along with a number of heart & cholestorel meds) I'm taking, absolutely destroyed my sex-life!! The biggest drawback I've found, is, DON'T ever let your prescription "lapse" for any reason. (In my case it was the druggist's inability to stock enough product) On my 2nd day without Effexor, I had become a blubbering mass of tears. Luckily, I work nights, and my wife was kind enough, to retrieve the prescrip' from the druggist and deliver it to me, at home. Otherwise, I simply would NOT have been able to operate at even the smallest things!! Read More Read Less

Has effectively treated social anxiety for my loved one.

This medication is the most wonderful thing to happen to me. I was suffering from severe depression and nothing else would work for me. My doctor started me on this and within the DAY that I took it, I started to feel better. Of course, like with all medications, if you take yourself off of it without the weaning method, the effects can be severe. I notice if I miss a dose I tend to get more irritable and angry. Also I notice an increased sensitivity to light of any kind be it the TV, computer or a lamp. But this medication most certainly works for me. Don't let the withdrawl effects stop you from talking to your doctor about this miracle medication. It can really help.Read More Read Less

This drug destroyed my life. Was put on it for some situational insomnia and not ever told by doc anything about it. Have been off of it for 19 months now and have to take natural supplements or the discontinuation syndrome comes back full force. Never had clinical depression in my life. Now I believe I will never be the same. Do Not Take if you value your life!

Effexor was great while I was taking it. It totally made me feel "balanced" and calm. I had little to no anxiety. On-the-other-hand, I would definitely NOT recommend this to anyone who is in need of an anti-anxiety medication for the simple fact that I have TRIED to go off of it 3 times but have experienced terrible side effects. Even after slowly weening off of the drug, I experienced depression, severe dizziness and other side effects that are difficult to explain. I wish my doctor would have told me about the side effects of going off the drug before I started taking it. I NEVER would have started taking it, I would have opted for something else. Read More Read Less

If you can use any other medication, do not even start using this one. I have been on it 5 years and tried 3 times to get "off" it. It is highly addictive. I have finally been off it now for two weeks and am still suffering from side effects. I wish I had never even heard of the stuff and I know there has got to be other medications out there.

I tried some other medicines that did not help me. I had some minor panic attacks for the past year and depression. Only in the past month or so after starting Effexor have I realized how very depressed I must have been. I seem to be much happier and able to handle stress more easily. I also am more aware of even the little things that I must have ignored for so long. This has been a very helpful drug for me.

I was prescribed this med for pain of Fibromyalgia. The sweats are very bad, and i have heard the withdrawal is described as coming off heroin. Dr's should read about the side effects before prescribing. If I would have been able to make an informed consent I would have declined this drug. When I mentioned the severe sweating to my Dr he said well it's either sweat or be pain free. I take a lot of pain medication, lately I have experienced head aches in the sinus area like a barometer. I never miss a dose, but after reading the other reviews, I am convinced it is a side effect of the drug. Read More Read Less

My sister was murdered and I sank into a deep depression, stopped eating, cried all the time, personal hygiene went out the door, sleeping less then 2 hours a day, unable to take care of myself let alone my husband and children. I had no history of depression up until this point. When I finally went to see my doctor, after 8 months of this, he gave me this drug. In less then 2 hours I had stopped crying, I was finally able to go to bed a normal time, and I cooked breakfast for my children the next day. I can't tell you the relief I felt from just getting that far. I've only taken it for 2 days, but regardless of the nausea and other strange side effects. I 'm just relieved that I finally stopped crying.Read More Read Less

I was on this medication a couple of times. The first time ended up with me back in the hospital due to siezures. The second time I was given the med I was taken off all the other meds I was on the first time to see what reation I would have. I could not fall asleep at all. I had to end up being on tranquilizers to help me sleep and that combination caused a second seratonin issue but not as bad as the previous time. On the upside I was very active while on it and didn't have any mood swings or any real signifigant issues with my depression. Read More Read Less

Had life altering mobility changes due to a virus. Lengthy rehabilitaion (6 mos. inpatient care at 2 hospitals and a nursing home)then continued outpatient PT & OT. Returning to my job after 1 year off of work in a power w/c. Continual disabling physical challanges X 7 yrs. Tried Paxil and Celexa for about 2 months with very little success for my profound depression. The suggestion to try Effexor came from a nurse aide taking care of me in the nursing home because she was taking it herself. I asked MD to try it on me and it has been a Godsend. I returned to work as a nurse in a wheelchair...then progressed to a 4 wheeled walker. I am no longer in the patient care aspect of nursing but I work full time even with multiple physical challanges and am able to maintain good emotional health as I am continuing to take Effexor. I regularly get MD check ups and have been able to reduce the dosage over time but continue using under dr's orders and supervision and life is Great! (7 yrs post disabling virus infection.) Read More Read Less

I have been on this almost a month and could tell within the first week that it helped me greatly. Getting ready to get it refilled again and discovered that I was supposed to be taking 2 a day after the first week. I really wonder if I should take the 2 when I am feeling great with only taking 1 a day? I even sleep better at night. I still haven't picked up the things that I lost interest in, but I am not sad or angry or cry at the drop of a pin. Compared to the Lexapro I was taking before, this works great.Read More Read Less

I've been taking Effexor for about 8 months. It worked well for the first little while, then stopped, so my doctor increased the dosage and I've been fine since. My problem now is that I want to go off it. A few times I've tried to go off it all at once. After just 2 days I felt horrible. I felt like little shocks were going through my mouth and into my head. I also cried about everything. Each time my husband convinced me to go back on it. Now I desperately want to go off it again right now. I don't know why. I don't want to go off gradually with a doctor; I just want to be off it now.Read More Read Less