User Reviews for Venlafaxine (Effexor)

I was prescribed this drug after being diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as severe anxiety. I have been taking it for almost 4 years, 300 mgs for 3 and 225 mgs for almost a year. Recently, I've realized how bad I felt after missing a dose. I would get the "brain zaps" everyone on here is talking about and I would instantly feel more depressed, more likely to have an anxiety attack or to have severe mood swings. I am now trying to come off it and taking 150 mgs a day. I really want to stop taking this drug since I feel like the side effects cause more harm than it's benefits for me. I have been having wild nightmares every night since I began taking it and it has really decreased my sex drive. I feel like it did its job when I first started to use it but it truly is something to thoroughly think about before using since the withdrawal symptoms are very severe.Read More Read Less

By far the most effective antidepressant I have used, but also with the worst side effects and withdrawal symptoms. I was prescribed Venlafaxine (aka Effexor) after showing limited response to fluoxetine and trazodone (had previously tried amitriptyline, Seroxat, and dusolepin). Venlafaxine alleviated the worst of my depression and anxiety, and allowed me to start consistently getting more than 2 hours sleep per night, for the first time in months. The doctor gradually raised the dose, and I started getting more sleep and feeling less out of control. The side effects were unpleasant, but still preferable to depression. My mouth and throat were so dry each morning that I had to down a pint or two of water when I awoke, but just swallowing water was painful on such a parched throat. My sex drive diminished drastically. I was constipated. I sweated excessively, especially at night. Cuts and bruises took many times longer than usual to heal. My dreams were very vivid. After a few months, I developed pain and stiffness in the tendons of my fingers and the backs of my hands, and frequent pain in my shoulder joints: writing, typing and playing guitar all became difficult, but it took me a while to make the connection that the medication was causing me to develop tendonitis. I weaned myself off as quickly as possible, eventually quitting altogether to avoid the side effects. Withdrawal symptoms included weird electrical twinges in my brain, irritability, severe headaches, severely impaired concentration, and insomnia. I have stayed off it ever since, and the tendonitis cleared up. I don't regret taking Venlafaxine, but wish I had insisted on a lower dose and/or stopped taking it earlier. My emotions were numbed and I'm not sure that they've ever recovered to the pre-Venlafaxine levels, even now several years after quitting. A useful drug for severe depression when nothing else works, but approach with caution and don't take more than absolutely necessary.Read More Read Less

I have been taking Effexor for 4 years now to treat hot flashes. The flashes did decrease, however, Effexor caused me to test positive for PCP on a pre employment drug screen. Will NEVER take this again.

I often have a great deal of trouble speaking on the phone, I have chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Within 10 hours of taking one pill, I was able to have the most relaxed, intelligent telephone conversion I have had in years. That immpressed me. What didn't impress me was the dilated pupils; the halo's around lights on the tv and at night; the wild light show that appeared when I closed my eyes; the almost instant decrease in my vision; the inability to sleep at night; and the way that my normal food tasted off, it made me loose interest in food, but in just one week taking it I grew in size with water retention. On my Dr's advice I was able to quit cold turkey.Read More Read Less

Effexor (ER 150mg.) has saved my life. I couldn't have coped with all my life difficulties without it (being a single parent, hyperactive kid, etc.). I used other anti-depressants like Prozac for years, but Effexor is the best, in my experience. The main side effect is constipation, so I have to use Miralax regularly. Another side effect is reduced libido, but I still have plenty of libido. You could say I'm "addicted" because if I don't take Effexor everyday, I start to feel very depressed and even physically sick, nauseous, headache. All I know is that it works for my depression, and I thank God it's available. If Effexor is what it takes for me to be normal, then it's a small price to pay.Read More Read Less

With this medicine, I have experienced a great increase in my blood pressure. I used to have normal blood pressure and now I have very high blood pressure. It can get so high that people have almost reccommended me to go to the ER

I only need 75 mg a day!took 2 weeks to really adjust to the medication. Just give it time! It has been life changing!

I'm a college student. I've had MDD since high school, but Zoloft has typically been effective at keeping me in a healthy mood. However in the last year, Zoloft has started to fail me, and after messing around with the dose for a while, my psych switched me to 75mg of Effexor. I noticed nothing for the first month, so he bumped it to 150mg. This is where a lot of things changed. I didn't see much of a difference in side effects, however anti-depressants usually make me sweat a lot and give me sticky hands. Nothing major. It did have a great effect on both my mood and my motivation. In the last few months, I have had a horrible time with school, namely with writing. I'm a good writer and I typically receive A's and B's on assignments, however writing became much more difficult for me once Zoloft stopped working. I tended to completely avoid major assignments because they were too overwhelming. I couldn't even look at the assignment pages without becoming extremely anxious. Most of the time I simply procrastinated through the deadline because the stress of receiving a failing grade was worse than looking at, brainstorming, and drafting an essay. It was pretty bad for me. I couldn't even study for my easier classes either. So, about 4-6 weeks after switching to the 150mg dose of Effexor, I noticed that writing became easier. Suddenly it didn't give me a panic attack to create an outline for a research essay. I was actually able to study for hours for my finals as well. For my final essay in one course, I procrastinated until the day that it was due (however this time it was because I spent my time studying, not moping around all depressed and anxious). Instead of panicking that I had no time to do it and feeling overwhelmed, I actually seriously sat down and spent all day researching and writing, and I finished it and got an A. So I became functioning again, and deadlines motivated me rather than made me freeze up. So I'm pretty satisfied so far.Read More Read Less

I went on this medication at around 19 and it helped initially, but then I started misusing it and went on other medications which made things worse. Recently, now 27, I started back on it again because I knew it initially helped and this time it has helped immensely. Obviously my anxiety will never completely go away but I feel much more able to function in normal daily situations. Occasionally I have trouble sleeping, along with dry mouth, and loss of appetite, but I can definitely deal with those side effects.Read More Read Less

I hate this drug because it's very hard to near impossible to get off of. If I had known it would be this difficult I would have never started taking it. Even if I go down a little bit on it I feel the effects and then I have to go to my normal dose and I feel better. This drug has side effects like sweating which I get and that's one of the reasons I want to get off of it.

I was prescribed this medication for depression, anxiety and panic attacks. After a 2-3 week bout of nausea, diarrhea, pain in my arms and blurry vision, I was free of all depression, anxiety and panic attacks. For 2 months I have been feeling great except constipation, pain in my arms and just generalized fear of being on this medication so I decided against medical advise to stop taking it. It has been 1 whole week with some lightheadness, but that's ALL. I did need that time I was on the medication to pull myself out of that dark place and I think it worked. I can drive, go to the mall/grocery store and even work and have had no problems for the last 3 weeks and no withdrawals the last week. Don't be afraid to try the med. I'm glad I didRead More Read Less

It is the only medication I have ever taken that allows me to feel close to normal most of the time. I have what I consider to be "normal" anxiety most of the time. It is important to not just stop taking this medication. The side effect is high anxiety, and happened quick for me, only missing a couple of days.

My doctor prescribed this medication for me to get through some depression and anxiety, recently she just up the dose to 150 mg per day, for weight loss. I have all ready lost 8 lbs in 4 days, which I am happy for. I am having trouble sleeping, little blurred vision, and sweating. I know these will lessen as time goes on, but I am happy about the weight loss. I have been a lot calmer and mellow.

Couldn't be happier with this medication. I started off on Zoloft, and that was great but I had terrible dreams while on that medication. I'm on 150 mg of Effexor now and I finally feel "normal". I am finally happy but I have not so good days as well. I didn't know what to expect from antidepressants and was worried that it would make me unrealistically happy. I still want to be me, just a happier me and I finally am.

I took my first pill 2 days ago and have had extreme insomnia for 2 nights. I had enlarged pupils within 12 hours of taking, I had a panic attack, I almost fainted in the shower, i had extreme shakes for about 12 hours and my hands still shake a little 36 hours later. I feel completely drugged after one pill... I would never take it again.

I took my first pill 2 days ago and have had extreme insomnia for 2 nights. I had enlarged pupils within 12 hours of taking, I had a panic attack, I almost fainted in the shower, i had extreme shakes for about 12 hours and my hands still shake a little 36 hours later. I feel completely drugged after one pill... I would never take it again.

I was put on Effexor as an alternative to Paxil for extreme anxiety resulting from a a job change. Initially it worked well; however, since my successful transition to a new job the source of my anxiety is now gone and I am left with side affects of the drug, primarily the lack of interest in any social activities, hobbies, and sexual activity to include ED and the lack of sexual satisfaction. I intend to speak to my doctor today about weaning off the drug. My biggest concern is that I do not experience the horrible withdraw symptoms identified in many of the reviews listed here. In my case, it was effective for the short-term (18 months) anxiety I experienced; however, it is not something I would want to be on long term.Read More Read Less

What can I say? It is working for me. I no longer play the "100 different ways to off myself" throughout the day. My mind doesn't feel cloudy like it did on Lexapro, though the Lex had some euphoric yawns. Greatest of all, I can no longer experience/feel the emotion of sadness. Not for a couple of months now. It's gone. Completely. Songs and stuff that once set me off now do nothing. My mind just filters it all out and I just tend to yawn during times when I once got sad. It's like I am always happy or numb, but I can't fall below the numb area. Also, it has seemed to curb my appetite and my weight is finally stabilizing to where it should be. Only negatives that I have found were the onset of headaches and such while starting the treatment, along with some random twitches, nervousness, restlessness, and the occasional panic attack. All-in-all, it works for me. Might not for everybody else, but it's better than thinking about killing yourself all of the time. Read More Read Less