User Reviews for Venlafaxine (Effexor)

Effexor Saved Me from 1 Year Long TREATMENT RESISTANT BP II Depression Current Meds- Effexor 75 mg, Lamictal 200 mg, Abilify 5 mg, Adderall 10mg 2x/day as Needed It saved me from wasting any more time being depressed, crying, being antisocial, guilty, tired, unproductive, demotivated, uninterested, helpless, useless. I FINALLY LEAVE MY HOUSE. WILLINGLY and REGULARLY. Daily. I NO LONGER FEAR APPLYING FOR JOBS. I NO LONGER FEAR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A JOB because I would have to deal with people. I am willing and eager to go out with friends, family, acquaintances, meet new people. I have confidence. I'm positive, passionate, motivated. SIDE EFFECTS- Only Nightmares- but become less and less and go away after 2 mos. Helped when nothing else did! :) I'm finally happy again.Read More Read Less

No more crying fits. Relaxed but still disinterested in life. Just want to stay in bed. Used to be almost panic stricken. Not hostile and angry. Lessened appetite and anxiety. No sex drive at age 40 - female. Almost 30 days into treatment and am very hopeful. Have not run out of medicine. Have not tried to change dose or to stop therapy. I believe that it helps with IBS/constipation. Not as impulsive. More vivid dreams. Not consumed with violent/negative thoughts.

My doctor prescribed Effexor 37.5mg 2xdaily in addition to the Prozac 60mg daily that I was already on. I had been experiencing rapid heart beat, increasing anxiety and general nervousness. I was skeptical when I began taking Effexor with Prozac, but I am happing to report that I feel more LEVEL than ever before! I feel normal, with a clear head and ability to make better decisions. My job is also going better. I would recommend the combination of Prozac and Effexor for anyone experiencing both anxiety and depression.Read More Read Less

This medicine has me space out,irrtiable, slow speech and I just don't feel like myself.....It not helping my pain at all...

This drug works for me for my depression. After trying soooo many, this one has gotten me out of the house. However, My doctor told me it would help me with my post-menopausal heat flashes. This drug most definitely makes me hotter. I have to wear summer clothing in the winter. Even then I sometimes get so warm I feel as if I am going to pass out. Most of the heat flashes occur from the neck up. It is mortifying to be out in public and all of a sudden sweat is rolling down your face.

I have been taking the generic for Effexor for just over a month for persistent insomnia, associated with menopause. I am taking the lowest dose possible, 37.5 mg, and began getting results by the second night. I take it in the morning and take 100 mg of Trazadone at night for sleep. The Effexor generic seems to ease anxiety during the night, when I awaken, allowing me to go back to sleep, rather than lying awake for hours, even with Trazadone. At this time, I feel comfortable in taking the lowest dose of Effexor. The generic is very affordable.Read More Read Less

This medicine is a lifesaver. I was prescribed it for repeated anxiety and depression after the birth of my son. I am much more easygoing since taking this drug. I tried many different anti-depressants before this, and they usually worked well. However they were mostly ineffective for my anxiety/panic attacks. This drug is no fun if you stop taking it. If I miss a dose I feel very drowsy when I wake up about 48 hours after taking it. I went for a week without it and I got pretty nervous and on edge, I was tired, I was cranky and moody, but I was able to continue to work and take care of my son. That is probably why my doctor put me on different meds before trying this one. Now that I am on this medicine I can't imagine my life without it. I was suffering far more than I realized I was and life was far more of a struggle than it is now. I had a little nausea and blurred vision but this went away with treatment.Read More Read Less

I was on this for about 5 months, although I worked my way up to 300mg pretty quickly. Unfortunately for me, none of the effects really helped me. I think the drug was doing everything it was supposed to do, but I just wasn't the right candidate. Bad news before the good news: This drug didn't work or help me, but I think that might be because I have a form of bipolar 2 that is difficult to detect. (I am trying a mood stabilizer now that seems to be helping) Effexor definitely increased my blood pressure, which in turn made me feel dizzy or weak after exerting myself. I was rather flushed on my first couple weeks on the high dose. I didn't sleep well and often felt caffeinated. I seemed to startle much more than usual. Good News: From my experience, I can say Effexor was a POWERFUL drug and perhaps a great drug for refractory depression folks. I never experienced any libido problems -- probably difficulty getting off at first, but that issue faded away. I have heard a lot of reviews saying that Effexor is a slow but powerful drug -- it may take up to 8-12 weeks on your target dose to really feel yourself turned around. Anyone trying it right now should have hope, knowing that they are on a beast of an AD. About the withdrawals: Very little for me! I lucked out considerably. I basically cut it off very quickly, knowing that the drug was probably more bad than good for me. I got a few "shocks", but not painful, just weird. They were gone in a couple weeks.Read More Read Less

I was on this medication before, and was on the XR one, I cant take extended relief anymore so Im on the regular one. I have horrible headaches, it causes me not to beable to eat, the nausea is so bad im in bed, i cant sleep anymore. I cant tell if its working on my anxiety or not. I know when I stopped this medication before, the brain zaps are horrible! its kind of scarey actually. Im thinking about stopping this med again. I cant deal with these headaches

I have taken this med for 10+ years. I did not know you could not stop taking it without a major effort (worst than giving up smoking). I am trying to get off of it , currently. I started taking it for: anxiety attacks; pre and post menopause; and pain relief (as a result of Lyme's disease). Immediate relief but after long term use I experienced bouts of nausea/vomiting; re-occurring anxiety attacks and dizziness if I missed a pill. Tried to get off these several times, this time I am going to make it. Withdrawal symptoms are all of the side effects rolled into one. Read More Read Less

This seems to be working just fine. I was suicidal before taking this med. I occansionally still have a couple of "down" days a month. Usually right before my period. The doctor has said it is because my hhormones are out of whack at that point of the month. I am not suicidal anymore. The did have to up my dosage because a lower dosage was not working. Once the doubled the dosage it seems to be working just fine. I am taking 150mg twice a day now. That is a high dosage to be on. It took about 3 months before the med starting working. Read More Read Less

Life was ok with effexor--took 75 mg twice a day. Felt like I was getting a horrible case of "flu" if I was late with a dose. I developed prolonged QT syndrome on it. I am now trying to get off it.I decreased by 37.5 mg a week for 5 weeks. Became very ill with dizziness, headaches, nausea/vomiting, and "brain zaps" I call them. It feels like an electrical current zapping through your brain. They are horrible. Now I'm down to 1/4 of a 37.5 mg tab every 48 hours and trying to eliminate that does. Currently, I'm at 71 hours since last 1/4 tab dose and today has been awful! Besides, it totally took away my sex drive. If I would have known about these withdrawal symptoms, I would NEVER HAVE STARTED IT!! DO NOT START THIS MEDICATION IF YOU HAVE ANY CHOICE AT ALL!!! Read More Read Less

This drug did nothing for me.

the drug makes me feel spaced out and sick feeling. no mood improvement whatsoever

i dropped into a bad depression when I started this medicine. My anxiety got worse. I dont want to go any where. It is not working for me at all. Was even in the hospital this week with a panic attack.

It works well while taking it, however when I miss a dose, I have severe withdrawal symptoms. My mind races and I can not hold a thought long enough to act on it. I become dysfunctional without it.

This drug was a big help in the beginning, but please do not take it!!! It did help me in the beginning, but it is damn near impossible to get off this medication. I started at 250 and was a freaking zombie for two years, finally went down to 150 and had severe withdrawal symptoms. Extremely painful brain zaps, horrible headache, sweating like crazy, terrible nightmares! I finally adjusted to 150 and have been trying to taper down from that for the last 2 months. I am now at 35 mg and can't seem to move down any more. It is a freaking nightmare being on this drug. I don't believe in lawsuits but if I had the money I'd sue Wyeth pharma if I could!!! This stuff is poison! I have gained 30 pounds, lost a lot of hair and have no sex drive!!! Please don't take this dangerous medication!Read More Read Less

I started taking this about 6 yrs ago. Wish I would have read reviews before starting it. It has really helped me with everyday life, feel much better about myself and just take things as they come to me, no big deal. But if I should miss a dose, or even a little late, it does things to my body that I just can't explain. Kind of feels like having the flu. And I get these like electical zapps through out my body. I know if I should ever decide to stop taking it, it will be pure hell getting off of it. My advice is to avoid this med and hopefully there is something else out there that will help. Also advise researching before starting any drugs. Like I said, had I done some research about Effexor prior to starting it, I would not have ever started it.Read More Read Less