User Reviews for venlafaxine oral

Have been on this med for 1.5 yrs after 6 yrs on wellbutrin which quit working. the first 2-3 days i was a zombie but came back and for about the first year was very happy w the results. actually felt happy every now and then which unfortunately is rare. but after about a year had depressive episode w suicidal thoughts coming back. went to md and had dosage upped to 75 mg and have been doing that ok for about 3 mths. Still have low days w lots of fatigue, NO interest in doing anything, no sex drive whatsoever, have gained 45 lbs, and very irritable. also not sleeping well and having hot flashes. gonna keep track of low days and see if i dont need to find something else.Read More Read Less

This is absolutely the worst medication ever invented. After taking effexor for over a month and never being able to get out of bed, I weaned myself off of it. Two weeks later I am still experiencing crippling brain shivers, a side effect of stopping this drug. I am much worse off than before.

I started taking Venlafaxine 2 weeks ago. The last 3 days I have been able to tell the difference in a great, great way. I had been suffering insomnia, OCD habits, and extreme anxiety attacks every other week on average. After a 12 hour anxiety attack I cut off my hair with a crayola brand scissors and went to the doctor the next day. I'm giving this information to characterize how extreme my anxiety attacks were getting. I didn't feel like I was in my own body anymore. I felt out of my mind, out of control. This had been happening since June 2011. I went to the doctor finally September 2012. I am now falling asleep when I want to fall asleep, I haven't had an anxiety attack and I don't feel anxious at all, and I feel like I can control my OCD habits. The last is still strugglesome but I believe that I can do it now. I have coherent thoughts. I tell myself "just one thing at a time" and I can do it. I have comlete control over my actions and behavior. I'm getting my online schooling done early, not last minute. Everything is going great. As for side effects - the first 4 days I was sicker than hell. (stomach wise) So, if you are ready to start taking Venlafaxine, I recommend not to do so on the beginning of a work week. Instead, try starting on a saturday or a day off of work. Take it in the morning. Drink a full tall glass of water with each dose and something else in your stomach for it to absorb. I hope that this medication works for anyone reading this as much as it has for me. I am so happy that I decided to go to the doctor. I have control over my life now and I am very optimistic about my future. I plan to stay on this medication until I finish my bachelors degree. Read More Read Less

Only 4 days on drug, but so far, very good!!

I am 53 yrs old and was having mild depression and also hot flashes. My Doctor said it has worked for some with hot flashes and she was right. Instead of having them several times a day, I now have maybe one per week.

I had a bad reaction to this drug the first (and last!) time I took it. I was prescribed a low dose of Venlafaxine which was supposed to gradually increase to replace the Bupropion I am taking. I took my medications around 8 - 9 AM. Around 10 - 10:30 AM I started feeling so sick and dizzy I actually started crying. I felt like I was going to die and I didn't know if I was going to be able to drive to work. Thankfully, the symptoms went away within an hour, but I was unable to get decent sleep for three nights afterwards despite taking a sleep aid. I only took the one pill and will never take it againRead More Read Less

had depression/anxiety and occasionally panic eposodes since age 12. i lived a live of pain until i visited the doctor at age 47. i wish i had gone lots earlier but was too afraid to go. about 30 seconds into explaining my symptons to the doc he said i have depression. i about fell off the table. i could not believe and i didn't want to believe him. i thought his diagnosis was completly wrong. he put me on Effexor initially and a few years later i was prescriber the generic Venalfaxine as my insurance wouldn't pay for Effexor. i found no difference in medicines. he was right. PRO's: i'm calm, no more anxiety and panic attaches. i can go out to the malls, big cities, large building without feeling anxious.i can be myself like everyone else. the drug has given my LIFE back. I LUV this drug. I'll be taking it the rest of my life, but thats OK with me. CON's: Blurred Vision and low sexual desires. These are the two main and worse symptoms that i don't like. but it looks like all the depession meds have these symptoms too. you can't miss or don't try to skip a dose. you'll get brain zaps that i can't stand. and don't try to wain yourself off unless your doctor knows and can assist you. try it you'll love it. Read More Read Less

I've been using this drug for 3 months and I am very happy about it. My whole life I've been depressed. I took Zoloft for some time but I didn't feel myself. With Venlafaxine I feel myself again, I enjoy more.

I began taking 75mg of this in place of 20mg of Lexapro (weening on/off), but this is the 3rd week and I have already walked off my job, can't get out of bed or stop crying, very depressed -- none of which i have ever experienced in my 48 yrs except when I was put on Sarefem 10 yrs ago. I have blood in my stool, sweat profusely, headaches and no apetite for food or sex, both of which are also extreme changes in my mood. Getting off this stuff as soon as I can!

The HORRIBLE side effects and the even worse WITHDRAWL make this medication absutely the worst pill I have ever experienced! Being on the drug is BAD...getting off is WORSE! I cannont see any situation in which I would recommened Venlafaxine! AVIOD AT ALL COSTS!!!!

Stopped taking Sertraline due to chronic diarrhea and started taking Venlafaxine. This med has been the worst of all the others I've been on. Drowsiness, sweating, leg shakes, dizziness, no sex drive, shortness of breath, nothing good so far. Sertraline was the best except for the diarrhea. I felt great and even had a sex drive. I hope to get off this med soon.

After two other prescriptions left me tired and 'burned out', Venlafaxine helped me to get the energy to perform my daily tasks and get my life back. Effexor is also a covered Patient Assistance drug so I do not have to pay the high price which I cannot afford.

This was prescribed for anxiety and depression. It worked fairly well but I was tired all the time and gained a little weight. The weight gain could have been due to the gabapentin that I was on at the same time. When I went off the gabapentin and stayed on this med I did start loosing weight. I just wasn't happy with this med because I was "dulled" and did feel happy. I wasn't anxious but then again I did seem to enjoy things either. So now I am trying a new med. Hoping it works better. Also feel I have a new dr that is listening better than the one that prescribed this one. Read More Read Less

No one told me that by discontinuing this drug I would be way worse off than I started. Not a physical withdrawal, sure, but I thought I was literally going insane. I'm off it now and will make sure I ASK the dr before I ever take another thing.

I have a concern that the generic (Venlafaxine) is less effective than the Effexor. The XR effect seems to be shorter. I'd like to see other ratings of this comparison.

I was prescribed this by my gynocologist for hot flashes! After suffering for months with 20 to 25 hot flashes a day ~ after being on this medication for 2 weeks my hot flashes only come once in a while ~ usually when I'm upset!! If I forget over the weekend I know it!!