This drug has saved my sanity. I have been on and off Effexor 3 or 4 times. If you do not go off of this drug slowly it can cause terrible side effects. If taken as the doctor prescribes, it is great.
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27 People found this comment helpful
This drug was terrible for me. Started with 37.5mg and almost immediately had tremors. Going down stairs, legs wobbling..... stopped immediately.
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Fredrick | 19-24 | Other | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
11/28/2023
Condition: Extreme Apprehension or Fear of Social Interaction
Overall rating 4.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
It was gud. It heps me be less scared.
1
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Valley4 | 25-34 | Female | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
10/9/2023
Condition: Panic Disorder
Overall rating 2.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I was on Effexor for a month and accidentally missed a dose one night. Just from missing one dose, it gave me withdrawal symptoms that lead me into the Emergency Room 2 nights in a row. It was the worst experience of my life.
1
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Anonymous | 35-44 | Female | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Patient
9/26/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 1.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
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Just be aware if it doesn’t work for you, have fun getting off of it. Terrible side effects. It shouldn’t be legal. Let this be your warning. I wish someone had warned me.
1
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Ken | 45-54 | Male | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
9/22/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
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I was on Citalopram for 12 years but it stopped working My Doctor changed me on to Effexor No side effects what so ever now on 225 mg and back at work Thank you Effexor it saved my life
1
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Anonymous | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Patient
9/20/2023
Condition: Major Depressive Disorder
Overall rating 1.0
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I was on venlafaxine for a little over a year after bring diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Started at the lowest dose of 37.5mg and ended up going all the way to 150mg. It was awful getting on the drug and even worse going up. I don’t think this is the drug I needed and possibly was misdiagnosed, so that could be why it didn’t work in my favor. Long story short, this drug caused me to test positive for PCP and made me behave in ways I have never before. It was a long spiral downhill from beginning to end and had to work very hard to get my life back on track. It was definitely a huge learning experience for me. Read More Read Less
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Kelly | 55-64 | Female | Patient
8/17/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 1.0
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Satisfaction
This medication is horrible , made me feel crappy. I only took one pill and I felt like I was going crazy. Severe nausea , trembling , hot flashes . My dr or the pharmacist never told me about it being highly addictive and hard to come off . Never ever taking anything again !!
1
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Venlafaxine | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Patient
7/27/2023
Condition: Other
Overall rating 1.0
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Horrible side effects and even worse are the withdrawals. It's almost impossible to get off this drug without horrific withdrawal symptoms. On top of that, most doctors dismiss your side effects, don't know how to taper you off this drug and when you get withdrawals they blame it on your original condition (relapse) or diagnose you with something else adding more drugs. It should be criminal what these doctors are doing to people.
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Terry | 65-74 | Female | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
7/17/2023
Condition: "Change of Life" Signs
Overall rating 2.0
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Initially placed on 75 mg for mild depression due to the change of life. A different doctor suggested I go up to 225 mg stating it could help me with dizziness issues. Worst thing I ever did. I’m in a living hell trying to get off this medication.
1
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Cuzd1010 | 55-64 | Male | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Patient
7/5/2023
Condition: Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
This medication is EXTREMELY addictive. It will cause horrible side effects. Dizziness, brain zaps, severe mood swings, nausea
And just overall feeling unlike anything you have ever experienced trying to get off this medicine. They say opiods are addictive. If they're more addictive than effexor. I have some prime oil land for sale in Maine
For anyone who believes that bs from the pharmaceutical companies. It should be against the law for this medication to even be on the market. You can't even miss 1 dose without feeling side effects. It will take you 2 to 3 months to get off.of this and you'll feel worse than you ever have. Read More Read Less
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None | 25-34 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
6/14/2023
Condition: Bipolar Depression
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I was put on this medication as my mood stabiliser alone wasn’t controlling my depression. I have schizoaffective bipolar and part of that is severe depressive episodes. I also have terrible anxiety. I was suicidal when I was put on venlafaxine and within a few weeks my depression and anxiety were much improved. The combination of medication helped me go back to work and function better. I feel much more calm. Good medication. I’m coming off of it to get pregnant as an article by the CDC shows it can harm unborn babies.Read More Read Less
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Jonathan | 25-34 | Male | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
5/24/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
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Satisfaction
I started on 75mg for two months then moved up to 150mg. After Christmas I moved up to 225mg. I am 3 months sober from alcohol and feeling exhausted every day. Venlafaxine doesn't make me feel good just extremely tired all day long. I cannot function at all like this.
1
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Effexor | 55-64 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
5/7/2023
Condition: Anxiousness associated with Depression
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I have taken antidepressants since 2000, 2 years ago I began experiencing severe perimenopause anxiety. Effexor has worked great to take my anxiety and depression away. No antidepressant works in a few days, give it a couple weeks to kick in and get used to it.
1
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Anonymous | 45-54 | Male | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Patient
5/3/2023
Condition: Major Depressive Disorder
Overall rating 2.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I started taking zoloft for anxiety and depression at age 40 and had good results for more than 10 years. In my early 50s it stopped working even at the maximum dose of 200mg. I switched to effexor with no problems from the transition. Over the last two years on the effexor I have had some good periods of time but also some bad periods that have lasted for months. I decided to try something else. I am currently taking Lexapro while tapering down on the effexor. After one month, both my depression and anxiety are bad. I don't know if its the reduction in effexor, ineffectiveness of the Lexapro, or just the illness itself. Read More Read Less
1
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Kt | 19-24 | Female | On medication for 6 months to less than 1 year | Patient
4/13/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
It really helps with my depression, but not so much my anxiety. For the first few weeks of treatment, I felt very strange. But it goes away after 4-5 weeks. It took a while to kick in, but it’s really nice to have relief from depression. It also helps me focus which is nice. I’m on 150mg.
1
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Sunny | 25-34 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
3/27/2023
Condition: Repeated Episodes of Anxiety
Overall rating 1.0
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I was prescribed 37.5mg for severe anxiety and ptsd. WORST DECISION of my life ever. I only took it for three days and within those three days I had the most HORRIFIC panic attacks ever. I was extremely paranoid, anxious, and could not concentrate or think straight. I had insomnia, nausea, and loss of appetite. The side effects were horrible! It's been about a month since I stopped taking it and I still have side effects. It really affected my vagus nerve as well and now I'm more anxious than before and feel more sickly than before. It did not work for me sadly. Read More Read Less
1
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#Mensh95 | 25-34 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
3/19/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
Saved my life!
Probably wouldn't be here today if it weren't for effexor.
Side effects were mainly nausea, and nightmares, which lasted for the first couple of weeks, and that's it.
Worked alot better for me than prozac. A life-saver.
1
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InsertNameHere | 35-44 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
3/16/2023
Condition: Major Depressive Disorder
Overall rating 4.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I have had many bad side effects from other depression medications (celexa, gabapentin, lexapro, etc). So I have gone unmedicated for many years. I hit a suicidal breaking point this year with my depression and anxiety, and was prescribed Effexor. At first I was extremely tired, and extremely nauseous. Now 3 weeks in I mostly just have some issues with dry mouth and a little fatigue, but every day seems better. My depression doesn’t seem as heavy and my emotions feel more level and I do feel like I’m able to laugh more and feel calmer now. My anxiety is still not well managed- when something sets it off i don’t feel like the Effexor is doing much for it and I’ll feel anxious the rest of the day (I’ll be talking to my psychiatrist about it next week). But I am so far happy with how Effexor has made me feel and I’m glad I tried it.
Also if you’ve had issues with bad side effects with your depression medications, I highly recommend asking about Genesight testing- this test helps show your doctor what medications work best with your metabolism.Read More Read Less
1
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S Adams | 35-44 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
3/6/2023
Condition: Repeated Episodes of Anxiety
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
Venlafaxine made me seriously ill. For the 12 days I took it I was bedridden. I shook continuously, couldnt eat, rest or sleep. I've never sweat so much in my life. Horrible drug.
1
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Bill | 65-74 | Male | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
3/5/2023
Condition: Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
This is the worst medicine I have ever taken. Its side effects say rage. I took it for I don’t know how many months. I started having incredible rage episodes where I wanted to fight people. I got really out of control. My doctor said I wasn’t afraid to die or anything. My doctor took me off of it quickly and it took five weeks of withdrawals. I would not recommend this medicine to anybody.
1
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Suzan | 25-34 | Female | On medication for 6 months to less than 1 year | Patient
3/3/2023
Condition: Depression
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction
I love Effexor. I’m 27 and used Wellbutrin before and honestly loved what it did for my depression but it made me very aggressive and irritable. My doctor switched me to Effexor and initially I had some bad emotional blunting, but once I adjusted it felt like the sun was shining on me for the first time. I still have some intrusive thoughts (like everyone), but it is so much easier to dismiss them as irrational. My social life has bloomed, I am a better mother, and I’m not bothered by much at all. I’ve never felt so mentally stable or capable. I finally am feeling like a “normal” person for the first time ever. Read More Read Less
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