User Reviews for venlafaxine oral

After getting this prescribed and not noticing any positive effects on my mood or energy levels, the psychiatrist suggested taking a higher dose and I have done so over the months up to 225mg. Even at that dosage I did not notice anything positive. The negative effects were less energy and a slight reduction in getting stuff done (which was already at a low level). Also lost my sex drive completely and I started eating a lot less and lost 10kg quite quickly. These were things that were all managable. The real problem started when I wanted to stop taking this, the withdrawal effects are horrible and make me feel physically sick. The brainzaps I am familiar with from withdrawing from citalopram and escitalopram and I can deal with fine. Bad nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, total exhaustion and flue like symptoms I am not familiar with and wish I knew about before even considering this drug. I have hot and cold flashes, I can't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time and wake up sweating, I am extremely irritated and restless. Taking the medication again gets rids of these symptoms quite quickly. Building down by halving the dosage all the way down to 37.5mg was not hard for me personally, but going down from that will require other drugs or me cutting open the pills and managing a lower dose through that. All in all this is not a drug that I could recommend without people being made aware very clearly that it has severe withdrawal effects. Read More Read Less

It really helped my anxiety, but I'm still getting bad hot flashes that make me feel ill. I need to go lay down nude under my ceiling fan for half an hour. Then I'm ok. If I miss it for more than a couple days I get a strange dizziness, almost like when I move my eyes my vision "shakes", like when you quickly move a video camera. And, that makes me feel sick. Menopause sucks.

Night of the second day taking this, I'm drop-dead tired by 8pm. then was up and down all night with a 'knife in the skull' type of headache on the left side of my brain, and then hot and sweaty, and even mild hallucinations. morning of day three, and the headache is still off and on.

I got serotonin syndrome after taking one pill! I have also been on vyvanse for 4 years, so maybe there is an interaction there. I tried this after 3 different SSRIs didn't work. I woke up incredibly anxious, sweating, had chills and then hot flashes, and then threw up and couldn't eat or drink for hours. I got so dehydrated I had 2 IVs of saline put it me. So yeah, it is possible to get serotonin syndrome after taking one pill. I stopped throwing up after the effexor wore off and I got some zofran at the hospital. Read More Read Less

I like this medication very much, but I broke out with body rashes. My dr said to discontinue taking this meds.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: My insurance kinda sucks (Aetna), everyone's more or less does unless you have USAA, so of course like many others I'm on the generic. DO NOT TAKE THE 225mg SINGLE-PILL GENERIC. IT SUCKS. The time-release mechanism is wonky. Take 150mg+75mg generics, THE CAPSULES!!! I can't stress this enough! Anyway, Used to take 150mg, it worked, but not well enough. After a psychiatric hospital visit I upped my dose to 225mg and it's working wonders. I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (w/ mild OCD), and ADHD. It has done wonders for the first two, I can actually go out and be a normal human without anxiety attacks. I no longer fear being in public places or doing things that were hellish for my anxiety before like the simple act of making phone calls. I'm no longer actively suicidal and I can't be grateful enough. I do experience the side effects mentioned of excessive/weird sweating but I'm used to it because when I took Wellbutrin it was the same if not worse and I'm a little chubby anyway. The yawning is a little weird but nothing too major. I do have unusually high earwax build-up but I think it's more blood pressure related. Sex drive is fine though, it didn't obliterate it like Zoloft did, which didn't work for me anyway. I can't comment on the supposedly hellish withdrawal symptoms since I'm not withdrawing from it anytime soon but do always refill your prescription before you run out and don't skip doses!! No bueno when you skip a dose! Good luck to everyone!Read More Read Less

My GYN wouldn't prescribe Estradiol after age 70. I rarely had hot flashes when on Estradiol and my mood swings were pretty much under control. Since I couldnt take my Estradiol anymore, my PCP prescribed venlafaxine because other patients had success with it. After about 2.5 months, I started to have bad hot flashes, but the worst was the mood swings and depression. I thought maybe the lowest dose should be increased, so PCP told me to double. Awful decision. I had to stop after about 5 days. I was extremely anxious, very depressed, crying, mood swings all over the place (not a nice a person to be around). I was annoyed with EVERYONE, I couldn't fall asleep at night, and was tired all the time and had to takes naps in the daytime. Just a really bad experience for me; not a good choice of medications. I can't even stand myself. Dr prescribed a new med that I hope will help me feel normal again. I'd rather take my chances of getting of cancer (the reason I had to come off Estradiol) than live the rest of my life as this horrible person I have become.Read More Read Less

I was on this drug for about 10 months. I started taking it because I had no energy to get up off the couch and do anything. Within a couple of weeks I started feeling much better, got up off the couch and started walking. After a couple of months I had lost over 20 pounds. I decided to stop taking it because of a pre-existing bruising problem that had gotten somewhat worse. I was afraid to stop taking it because of all the negative reviews that I had read about withdraw symptoms. I took about 3 months to wean myself off and had no problems at all. This med might not be right for everyone, but it worked for me. Read More Read Less

WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T TAKE THIS DRUG, unless you plan on being addicted to it for the rest of your life! I allowed my doctor to put me on this because it was easier to believe he knew what he was doing, not realizing what would happen in the long run. 1. There is a difference in the generic and the original...don't be fooled into thinking otherwise. 2. You will become addicted to this drug as they will keep upping your dosage until it is hell with withdrawals that are incredibly hard to go through if you have anything else wrong with you. 3. This drug effects more than just your mood...you lose your drive to do most anything over time. Forget your sexual drive, you will become almost zombie as far as your emotions are concerned or you will experience worsening of your symptoms. 4. Oh yes it can "help" you, but in the long run it hurts you more This drug is just an almost automatic for some healthcare systems (do they get a "kickback" for using this drug to treat their patients?). My doctor is trying to switch this one to another dangerous drug so I am going off this drug slowly and this is my second week in hell. Nausea, dizzy, dis-orientation, sleeplessness and memory lapses not to mention finally I am starting to mourn my husband's death. This drug simply makes you complacent so your doctor doesn't have to think about you and your healthcare provider certainly never did! DON'T GET HOOKED ON THIS DRUG! DON'T ALLOW YOUR DOCTOR TO GET YOU HOOKED TO A DRUG SIMPLY FOR HIS CONVENIENCE AND OBAMACARE'S COMPLACENCY TO BIG GOVERNMENT PHARMACEUTICAL! If you value loving and caring about your life and the others in it, than never allow your doctor to become your "pusher"!Read More Read Less

After my father passed away I became severely depressed. My Dr. prescribed three different SSRI's but they were not effective. Prescribed this and it has been a lifesaver. You MUST take it regularly for more than a month to six months so everyone who reviewed this after only using it briefly does not realize the full benefit of the medication.

I was deeply depressed for 9 months. This medicine finally brought me out of it and leveled me off~!! Definitely SAVED MY LIFE~! :D

This drug is evil. I have been on 225mg for ten years and have suffered all of the side effects. I am desperate to come off it but even 24 hours of missing it and I become like a junkie - desperate to get my next dose so that I can function again. Sickness, upset stomach, dizziness, anxiety, mad mood swings and a complete lack of balance or coordination are what you have to look forward to coming off this stuff.

Been taking for about 2 years, now don't need. Stopped taking it per my DR's instructions. Had very bad withdrawl problems, severe nausea,sweating,chills,can't sleep, muscle tension when sleeping. Been reducing doseage 3weeks, now none.Still can't sleep,sweating,chills,muscles tense when try to sleep and wakes me with pain-hands and legs all tight-cramped.Called DR today to see if anything can help. Will update later.

I have experienced some of the side effects mentioned. Unusual/excessive sweating, waking up at odd times thru the night, yawning and lack of sex drive.

The drug has helped with the pain but I have so little energy to do anything and if I miss a dose It takes a couple days to recover from the negative side effects. I am useless for the better part of 2 days. I would avoid this drug if at all possible just because of the side effects.

Used Effexor 10 years ago, then no insurance, switched to Prozac. Now on Medicare (disabled), back to Venlafaxine for 7 years. My current dose is 450 mg per day. That's right. One 150mg pill in the morning, two at night. Upped to 450 after depression got bad again. Now I rarely sleep, but would give up my right arm if I could. Still depressed, but lack the energy to kill myself. If I screw up taking it on time, then you can mark 1 or 2 days off the calendar, bc I'm so tired I'm incoherent. Not sleeping tho. Just sitting around like a bowl of jello. Sounds terrible, but it is the lesser evil. See PCP next month and am going to make some changes. IF I remember, that is. Other daily meds-(3)15mg morphine for back/hip pain, levothyroxine for thyroid, pravastatin for cholesterol and nabumetone. Read More Read Less

I think this medication should be outlawed. The side effects of withdrawals are really scary...dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, memory loss, confusion, anxiety...I believe this is designed for one to be on for the remainder of their life.

do not let your pill doctor make you take this drug. its the worst antidepressant i have ever taken. i quit cold turkey and feel ten thousand times better than i did while on this wicked med. side effects of cold turkey were nominal for me. DONT USE THIS PRODUCT!