Effexor Side Effects

My doctor started me out on Effexor XR very slowly. She gave me the usual sample pack containing a weeks supply of 37.5mg capsules and a weeks worth of 75mg capsules BUT also gave me 3 more 7 day strips of the 37.5mg. She told me to take 37.5 mg a day for 3 weeks and then move up to the 75. After only a couple of days I noticed jaw clenching, sharp "electric" pains in my eyes (not constantly, but several times throughout the day), constipation, problems with thermoregulation, night sweats, vivid dreams, a waning libido (even more so than before for me), and inability to achieve orgasm. My depression and anxiety has always been pretty mild, so these side effects were not worth what little good this medication could offer. After very recent blood tests, my doctor discovered that my testosterone and other hormonal levels are low/off, which is more than likely the reason why I was having symptoms of depression, listlessness, and lack of interest in life all together. After only 2 weeks of taking 37.5mg a day I stopped taking Effexor. All of the side effects that I had experienced went away within around 2 days after discontinuing use except for the electric shock eye pains, which took a couple of weeks to stop. I am glad to say that since my doctor is focusing on the real problem (my hormones) I have felt much better and am not taking any antidepressant at all. I just think that in so many cases Doctors are eager to jump the gun and tell their patients that they are depressed or anxious when there could be other problems going on that they don't even consider. If you are a guy, even a young guy (I'm currently 28), and suffer from mild to moderate depression and or anxiety, by all means, have your hormones checked out. After blood tests and an MRI, it turns out the root of my problem was/is an underactive hypothalamus (without tumor or growth), which led to low testosterone production.

Having had serious brain injury 4 years ago, had no real satisfaction with anything until Effexor xr. Found myself a little too happy and a little, out of it,so recomended lower the dosage to half, 75 mg. This has made a marked inmprovement on just feeling more normal and has still retained a clearer mind that I never had before taking Effexor xrWonder wether a further drop to 35mg, in time will help?

I'm a 30 yo woman and I've been on Effexor XR for about 6 years now. I started slowly with the 37.5 mg, and then I slowly upped to where I am now (75mg/twice a day - total of 150mg daily).

I'm clinically depressed with high anxiety and serious suicidal thoughts/tendancies and you could throw a little obsessive/compulsive disorder in there, too. About 4 days after I started taking the Effexor, it was like a light got turned on. I never knew that people didn't think about suicide all the time. I guess "regular" people don't.

I'm sad that I have been on this drug for so long, but after discussions with my doctor and my mom's doctor (she's like me - but she's on Pamelor or something like that), I've come to realize that I may never go off it. I'm not a situationally depressed person...I'm a clinically depressed person.

Side effects...I've never really noticed any side effects, EXCEPT when I forget to take a dosage. I get thrown into withdrawal pretty quickly with "brain fuzzies" (only way I can describe them) and the anxiety/depression/ocd really come on like gang-busters. I guess it's a "rebound" effect.
OH, just reading the side effects up top, I realize that my cholesterol is pretty high. I'm working with my doctor to lower it without additional medications.

I am concerned that Effexor is not appropriate for pregnant women, and I've never had children, but I'd like to...so that is a concern. My health or a baby's? Tough one.

I have been very satisfied on Effexor XR, and I have no desire to switch to another medication or even to stop taking this one. Situationally depressed people (and misdiagnosed people) may find other remedies that are better for them. I think that I'm exactly the type of person this was designed for, and it works beautifully for me.

Good luck making your decision!
Doxiemom.

I know this drug works for some people, but for me, the side effects were far more detrimental than any benefits - there's a petition on the web to force Wyeth to disclose all the undisclosed side effects about this insidious drug. And yes, it DOES cause anorgasmia - not just impotence - in males. Effexor has supposed anti-anxiety properties, but while I was on it, I had perpetual panic attacks. I also have ADD/ADHD, which Effexor is supposed to have a positive effect upon; but, as with my PTSD, the effect was nil. I was prescribed Effexor for depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and migraine. The results? First weight loss, which was bad because I was previously anorexic, then a 35 lbs weight gain. I became a whale. Also agitation/night terrors/panic attacks, inability to sleep more than 4 hours a night, nightmares, impotence + anorgasmia, suicidality - I was in a psych ward for 3 days. After 11 months, I said enough. 15 months later, I've lost 15 of the 35 lbs. that help to cause me to lose acting and modeling gigs (some antidepressant, huh?), am on Prozac and back on a small dose of Ritalin, which I was taken off of while I was on Effexor (which everyone who knows me said was a disaster - even my therapist). My psychopharm won't prescribe both Ritalin and Klonopin, which I'd taken for years with no problems, so anxiety remains an issue, but certainly it's far less worse than while I was on Effexor. Beware of Wyeth!

I take 150 mg Effexor XR each day for help with hot flashes. Prior to this, I was on Paxil for mild depression/anxiety and have also taken Imiprimine at a time when I was clinically depressed. When I miss a dose, almost immediately, the hot flashes become worse. I must take it with milk or food since it causes severe nausea on an empty stomach. If I forget a dose for more than 48 hours, I start to go through severe withdrawl symptoms including nausea, chills, hot flashes, sweating, etc. I am also less interested in sex than I think I would be without it, although this is a tough call because due to ER positive breast cancer, I no longer take replacement hormones.

Bottom line for Effexor, I very happy with drug and its minor side effects

Effexor will lift some dangerous depressions but, like many medications for serious illnesses, its side effects are not benign.

I don't get better from depression and anxiety without pills. My careful, brilliant, kind doctor prescibed these but they do support weight gain and low libido. I was taking 150, then 75, and now 37.5 per day
Effexor along with Wellbutrin 300 per day. Both of there are extended release.

I wonder, sometimes, if the side effects we attribute to Effexor are really nasty symptoms of depression which hide behind nastier symptoms of depression and then jump out at as when we are partly getting well. I'd like to read opinions on this.

Depression will ruin you. Loss of libido will nearly ruin you. I'd rather have the silver bullet cure but...

I was on Effexor XR for 1 year. It worked wonders for me. The only side effect I had while on them was weight gain (about 25lbs)That is why I went off of them. The side effects coming off them were not pleasant, but I survived. The withdrawals were like little electric shocks in my head, and also when ever I turned my head from side to side I got dizzy. It lasted about 2 weeks and then it was gone. I have since been on Zoloft 100 mgs a day for about a year for depression and anxiety. I am starting to wean off the Zoloft now and hope that I will not need it anymore. My advice is if you need this medication (Effexor) then try it. What have you got to lose. It really helped me.

For me the side-effects of this drug were manageable. I suffered from nausea, brain zaps, headache and excessive yawning for the first week or two. After that those things subsided (unless I missed or was late taking a dose).
When it came time for me to discontinue the drug, the situation became much more grave. I can honestly say that I have never felt so sick in my life. Brain zaps, nausea, insomnia, shortness or breath, headache - and all of these to an extreme extent which had me lying in bed literally writhing in discomfort. I have never cried so much or been so terified in my life. It is my firm belief that any psychiatrist or general practitioner prescribing this drug make patients aware of just how difficult it might be in order to come off of Effexor XR. My psychiatrist prescribed this for me very nonchalantly and prescribed it for panic attacks. I think I've had more panic attacks out of the sheer terror of trying to discontinue this drug than I ever did before starting treatment.
This is the last time I will ever take an antidepressant. I hope that nobody else ever has to go through what I have. If you are taking this drug and want to go off of it, I urge you to wok with your doctor to develop a weaning schedule (cold turkey is dangerous), and I also uge you to seek out online support groups. The people who participate in such groups are really the only ones who can understand what the withdrawal from this drug is like.

I have been on many anti-depressants, both ssri's and mono amine re-uptake inhibitors and have tried Effexor XR 300 mg for a few years. Although my depression was helped (in fact I will say it saved my life) it was mostly a blunting of emotion.
I found that it was hard to become motivated to do anything that was an interest to me before.
Although this 'amotivation' is also a part of depression.
I also could not miss a dose or 2 or all hell would break lose, with headaches and dizziness and nuasea which would only ease after going back on it. When I changed to Lexapro it took a long time (weeks) to get over the wash out side effects of brain zaps and dizzy nausea headaches from the Effexor XR. It was terrible to put it mildly.
I would say, in hindsight, I would not have taken it to begin with but I was in a bad state and would have tried anything to ease the hell I was in.
Although Effexor actually saved my life, it does have its draw backs, but I know that when the black dog is tearing out your heart you will try anything for some peace. Also I find that I was at the 'mercy' of my doctor who prescribed it.
I do trust my doctor though and I suppose that they are also at the mercy of the current knowledge about these drugs. I do often wonder what they would prescribe if these drugs were tested on them first!

Like all of the other people who posted here, I too, take Effexor XR. I have been on and off of it for about 8 years. More on than off. However, I get so peeved when people get upset about the side effects, etc. READ THE INSERT that comes with the sample packs that the physian give you. All possible side effects are listed. They only list the side effects that were most prevalent in the studies. Remember, taking this drug, or any is a foreign substance and everyone will react differently to it!
I am on Effexor XR 75mg 2x/day for Panic Disorder and it has worked - just like they say it should. Well, so should have Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Remeron and Wellbutrin. It's all about finding out what works for you.

I did get off of the drug a couple of years ago for about a year and it wasn't pleasant. Withdrawls weren't pleasant - hence why they are called withdrawls - people get them from alcohol and caffeine. I had that foggy feeling and brain zaps, I also felt what I say to be my nerves running through my body. You have to be patient and get off of the drug VERY SLOWLY. Took me about 2 months to do it comfortably. My doctor actually switched me to regular Effexor so that I was able to cut the pill in quarters and then eigths - yes eights. It worked & I survived - enough to know that about a year later I got back on it. Even after experiencing the withdrawls. Whatever gets you through each day. Remember 9/11? Love it or leave it alone.

I started taking Effexor Xr over a year ago. I suffer from anxiety. I've had many side effects: tinnitus(ear ringing)I freaked out the first night, but doesnt bother me anymore, I am just used to it I guess. Constipation is very bad! Ive never had constipation before. I get bruises easily, so I have to be careful not to take aspirin... It gave me insomnia for months, I used to sleep only a few hours a night, wake up very early. I did move a lot in my sleep,kicked my husband all night... but now I take my medication in the morning, so I do not have insomnia anymore. Sometimes get mild headaches. I do get crazy nightmares... especially if i lower the dose. But,even with those side effects, I feel so much better, have so much more energy. I think its worth the side effects. I take 75 mg a day. Most of my anxiety is gone!

i would say DO NOT EVER take this evil drug!! It poisons your system!!! I was on and off it for 7 years after suffering horrendous withdraws every time i came off them so was put back on them being told i was 'depressed' and never once told of the withdraws that could occur..... I only found out 6 months after coming off them this time - horrendous brain zaps, dizzyness, anxiety, tightness in chest, ringing in ears, mood swings,flu like symptoms -sometimes I actually felt like i was dying........ wouldn't go back on this drug if you paid me!! I am now 9 months down the line and still suffering with a lot of dizzyness and anxiety ......

I've been on Effexor for almost three years now. And I am must say it's been pretty good to me so far. I used yo be on 75mg but now I only taking 37.5mg a day. I used to smoked a lot of weed and I found that helped with the side effects (mainly sexual). Although I've heard of some people having cardiac arrythmia when comining effexor with weed. I've (stupidly) done a few harder drugs but their weren't any bad reactions or anything. I still puff on a joint once and while, no problems. Sex for me is great, my sex drive has never been better. (Mind you am I twenty-two!) The best thing I recommend to an Effexor user or anyone trying to get out of that vast, dark hole of depression is EXERCISE, AND GET LOTS OF FRESH AIR. ENJOY GOOD FOOD AND LIFE's PLEASURES... I really can't stress this enough. Most of the bad side affects like insominia are gone if I exercise regularly. I sleep like a baby and am destressed. A great orgasm... (and yes I lost that ability in the first two weeks, but I got er back) is KEY.

Best of luck to everyone!

I have been on Effexor for 5 years and I wanted to go off of it about two years ago. After trying and failing because the side effects were sooo bad I decided to stay on it. I began using effexor for just minor depression but mostly anxiety. Dont get me wrong the medicine worked great and definitely helped my anxiety, but being dependent on any drug is not healthy. This time I gradually decreased my doses from 250 to 37.5 at which the only real side effects i had at this point was nausea and some slight dizziness for the first two days after reducing. So the time came to drop the hatchet after a few weeks and stop the 37.5 doses. And this is when you come to the realization that effexor xr/effexor may have helped but needs to be outlawed and taken completely off the market. Between the nausea, dizziness, nightmares, brain tremors, and feeling like a zombie I'm trying to keep my strength and positive outlook that I can make it off this crappy drug. And of course still trying maintain a normal life and work schedule in the mean time makes this even harder. Thank my lucky stars I have a great boyfriend who is completely reassuring that makes this alot easier to handle. I am going to try to give this a week before I seek further attention from my family doctor. I may event try Benadryl which I heard helps reduce the side effects. I def stress however that you keep in contact with your doctor when going off this medication. Especially to help with side effects and to give any two cents that could help prevent her/him from prescribing this drug again!

I am 46. I have been taking Effexor for 6 years now, 300mg per day. This followed unsuccesful treatment from Prozac and Paroxetine. At one time the Effexor was 'complimented' with Lithium. All the above attempts to combat anxiety/depression with a subsequent Bipolar diagnosis. The drugs were augmented with Cognative Therapy and my own initiative of following some Buddhist philosphies and at one time meditiation.

Does it work (Effexor)? Well I'm pretty sure at some time in the past it did for me, but a recent visit to a specialist was a real eye opener for my partner and I. In East Lothian, Scotland, where we live, its prescription was withdrawn a year ago due to concerns about its use. Moreover he advised me to begin a step down plan, reducing the doze by 37.5mg every ten days.

What happened next is well documented by others. The withdrawl is quite frankly, brutal. Downward mood swings, real aggressive anger, restlesness (always had restless legs since taking SSRI's), insomnia plus tiredness. It is a really insidious drug and I'm not sure, knowing what I know now, that I would have ever taken it.

I cannot hold down a permanent job and have recently started doing contract work as companies screening programs are less vigorous if you are not a permanent member of staff.

Long term, well at the time of writing, bleak. I suppose like all of these anti-d's I am riding an emotionless plateau. Sometimes yearning for the excitements of the highs of the past.

Anyway, enough from me.

Windy

I started at 150mg, bumped to 300 the following week, and ended up on 450mg for fourteen months.

About six months into the 450 mg regiment, my living situation changed and I was able to see a therapist. Throughout the three years of therapy sessions I've had, we've very slowly lowered my dosage from that fourteen month high of 450 mg, to what I take now: 75mg. In two weeks, the dosage will be 37.5, and I might get off it by the end of January.

The latest decreases have been okay. But when I was in the 200's and 300's, the withdrawal was unbelievable. Effexor gives me headaches, but the withdrawal headaches were worse. Other side effects from decreasing the medication were vivid & disturbing dreams, nausea, tremor, taste aversion, dry mouth, vertigo, hostile behavior; there are probably more.

This drug is harsh stuff. It's made me physically ill and uncomfortable, but that is nothing compared to the straight-up horror show my brain and body were before this drug was titrated into my system.

hi, im 16 years of age and i have been having a bad time on these meds. i got very sick, still am trying to get better, This drug did help at 1ST BUT NOW IT'S DOES NOT AT ALL. ALL I AM NOW IS VERY SICK!

This is only my 3rd day of effexor xr, 37.5 which I take for a week then up to the 75. This morning I woke up at 3 am unable to go back to sleep - I'm off work today and look forward to sleeping until about 7 am. I have been on antidepressants for 4 years since I lost my 5 year old son in a tramatic way. I also take zanax, 3 - 4 mg. a day. This is my 5th anti-depressant, zoloft worked good mentally, lexapro for about a year but all have the sexual side effects for me. If I were single it wouldn't matter to me. Anyway, I'm looking for info because the 3 am is very unusual for me. Why can't they make a med that helps without hurting in another way?

I AM A RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC/DRUG ADDICT,CLEAN FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS SUFFERED FROM ANXIETY AND DEPRESS. ( IM 36 ) AND HAVE PTSD. I WENT THROUGH MOST OF THE ANTI/DEPRESS. (PAXIL, ELAVIL,WELLBUTRIN,DOXEPIN, ALL HAD TO BE DISCONTINUED DUE TO SIDE EFFECTS. (CELEXA NEARLY KILLED ME!, I BELIEVE I STOPPED JUST IN TIME! I ALSO ABUSED ALCOHOL THROUGHOUT MY 20's. I JUST GAVE UP ON A.D's AND REMAINED TAKING 30 MG METHADONE FOR PAIN (FIBRO?) AND A FRACTURED JAW. YES, I TORE MYSELF UP. JUST THIS PAST OCT. I ENDED UP IN VOLUNTARY INPATIENT WHERE I SAW A RUSSIAN DR. WHO STRAIGHT OUT SET ME UP W. EFFEXOR TABS (37.5) AND REMERON (15 MG) GUESS WHAT. AFTER 5 YR.s OF SEVERE PAIN AND DEPR./ANX/INSOMNIA I FINALLY SLEPT ALL NIGHT AND AWOKE W. NO PAIN OR ANX. PLUS, I WAS ABLE TO TITRATE UP TO 75 MG B.I.D. I HAVE BEEN ON THIS REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS W. NO ADVERSE EFFCTS! I WAS TOLD BY SOMEONE YR's AGO TO CONT. TRYING THE A.D.s UNTIL YOU FIND THE ONE FOR YOU AND I GOT LUCKY I SPPOS. I ONLY CAN COMPLN. ABOUT EJAC/DELAY BUT IM A GUY. I HAVE ALSO MISSED DOSES W. NO PROBS. I JUST HOPE THAT WHEN THE TIME COMES TO CEASE THERAPY, I DONT EXPERIENCE THE WELL DOCUMENTED HELL DESCRBD ABOVE! I SINCERLY HOPE THOSE SUFFERING NOW WILL FIND THE CORRECT TREATMENT. I WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU ALL!

I am a 40 years old, I been in Effexor XR for 6 1/2 years. The highest I ever was on was 15omg the last 9 months has been 75mg. Most of the 6 years have been okay, but the last few months I really notice a serious weight gain probably in the last 2 years I have put 0n 35 pounds that I definatly did not need. I never sleep good for the last 6 years, I blamed it on other things going on in my life the weight gain too, but know I am starting to relize this medicine is a part of it!! At my physical in JAN.I am going to try a slow ween off this stuff. Wish me luck sounds like it is not easy from what everyone says. DJS

I have been taking Effexor XR for two months for migraine, but experienced mood changes, agitation and very severe breathing problems. Have now spent the last three weeks trying to come off it as quickly as possible and am down to about 20mg - no side effects coming off until now except worse mood swings, but now I'm sick to my stomach. I'd really like to know if anyone else had trouble breathing while on this horrible drug.

I have been on many different antidepresents over the past ten years including zoloft,luvox,aropax and advanza.
i was on advanza fof about 3 yrs it helped to stop my mind constantly thinking and helped me sleep and stay asleep.i have just started effexor xr a week ago .The first few days ifelt less hungry than i have ever felt as advanza made me stack on weight.I was told that effexor should be different but after only a week my appetite seems to be returning but not a much.I wasnt aware of how bad coming of them can be but if they work i may stay on it for ever.I spoke to someone else on effexor and they raved about how good it was but they were on it for hot flushes.I felt sedated on it so tonight am trying it at night.My doctor said the sedation should pass and i should take it in the morning.I wish i new what is best but only time will tell.All medicines affect people diferent and i hope effexor works im sick of playing roulet with my brain and dont want to gain weight any more.I take 75mg a day.

I was on Effexor for a year for anxiety attacks. I stated to lose weight but my appetite came back after a week or so. I slept better at night but on weekends I mostly slept. Due to sleeping too much I wasn’t moving around as much as I should have and I managed to put on 30 pounds over that year. I ate as I normally did but seemed to pack on pounds with ease. I was already over weight but being on Effexor made it worse.
Now I am off these meds and feel much better. I have more energy and don’t take naps anymore. Now I have to fight to get these 30 pounds I managed to put on after being on Effexor.

I was on Effexor for a year for anxiety attacks. I stated to lose weight but my appetite came back after a week or so. I slept better at night but on weekends I mostly slept. Due to sleeping too much I wasn’t moving around as much as I should have and I managed to put on 30 pounds over that year. I ate as I normally did but seemed to pack on pounds with ease. I was already over weight but being on Effexor made it worse.
Now I am off these meds and feel much better. I have more energy and don’t take naps anymore. Now I have to fight to get these 30 pounds I managed to put on after being on Effexor.

I have been taking 75mg effexor for the past three months and glad to know that I am not the only one who is affected by this drug. I have rining in the ears, nausea, dizziness, weight gain, fatigue and the crazy dreams (like something from a Stephen King novel). I have been reading about effexor users going through hell trying to get off the medication, something my doctor did not talk to me about.

I was addvised to try effexor after other antidepresents only woked for a while then didnt really help.
I was told that the advanza i was on for several years was a more sedating drug than effexor and that advanza was well known for weight gain which i wasnt told about until it was to late.I have put on about 20 kg or more.I was told that effexor dosnt add excess weight and is not going to make me as tired or have low energy.I did feel tired in the first few days like valluim does and i have a child to take care of but it is a bit better and as i am now over weight i will see if this effexor works.
I have tried so many one day hopefuuly know it will work.
I must say im not as hungry during the day but will that last.
Eating late in the day is what i need to avoid.mel...

I am 20 years old. I started taking Effexor XR when I was 18 years old. And only recently decided that I had enough. My psychiatrist started me at 37.5mg/daily for a couple of weeks, and then I went up to 75mg/daily. The highest dosage I took was 300mg. I already knew what it was going to be like for me to come off of this medication because if I was just a little off on taking it the withdrawls came knocking. I was on this medication for almost 2 years. The side effects that I had during the time I was on Effexor include: Somnolence, Fatigue, Tremors, Headaches, etc. And now that I am trying to taper off of it I feel side effects such as: Sensory disturbances(Electric shock-like sensations also called "Brain shivers"), Vivid dreams/Nightmares.. plus I still have the side effects that I had while I was on the medication.

I'm sure you're probably wondering why I wanted to quit taking Effexor. Well, to be honest I didn't feel like it was doing me any good. I also felt like I was more addicted, more dependant on it than anything. And knowing that I felt that way I just didn't see the point anymore. The side effects were too much for me(mind and body) to handle.

This drug is evil. Do not take it for night sweats. I have been trying since Septmeber 2006 to get off this crap. I feel as though I am going crazy. Brain zaps, 30 pound weight gain. Sleepiness, dizziness and flu type symptoms. My doctor tapered me off and took the last dose on Christmas day. I feel like crap. I have been off work for a week. I have to go back tomorrow hope I don't go crazy in the mean time. I can't even think straight. I am determined to stay off. Good luck to anyone trying to get off this.

My doctor gave me samples of Effexor for mild depression from menopause and hot flashes. After just 2 weeks I developed Tinnitus so bad that I thought my head would explode. I continued for 6 weeks to see if it would clear. I have been off since Dec. 5 and no change. My god if this is permanet I think I will lose it. Where can I find out if this side effect is going to go away or not. It is driving me crazy. Please repond is you have any expirence with Tinnitus side effect. I have searched everywhere and can't find an answer. thanks

I have been on Effexor xr for 5 years. At first when I started it, at night I would have fireworks going off in my head but I was determined to work through it. Since I have been on this, I have lost my sex drive and have gained a ton of weight. Recently I have had some hard obstacles to get through,divorce, lost my home, lost my job. Now living in low income with no insurance. No way to pay for meds. Finally found a insurance company to cover me but I was going to run out of meds before I could get some. Contacted doctor to get generic for effexor a week ahead of time. Mix up at Walgreen's, well in the long run I had a blow up screaming tantrum at Walgreen's. They finally got a hold of my doctor and I got my meds. Never again do I want to go through that again.

I am a 36 year old man. I took Effexor ER 37.5 mg daily for three weeks, and I have taken 75 mg daily for over a year-and-a-half now (1/4/07). The 75 mg a day dose, for me, is effective at lowering the psychological hurtles to engaging successfully in work and with people. Because of anxiety and mild depression, I used to stumble hard over criticism or conflict at work, and I used to avoid interacting with groups of people, such as neighbors. Since I began taking Effexor, I am more assertive and confident, and I no longer ruminate over negative or troubling thoughts. These benefits manifested themselves very subtly over the first few months. It was certainly not like throwing a switch. To this day, the benefits are subtle, but just enough. I was so desirous of relief that I had no trouble accepting the initial dizziness, headaches and sexual side effects. All these completely subsided by week six or eight. I have always sweated a lot, but on Effexor I sweat buckets. I have had no weight gain or weight loss that I associate with Effexor. I have always been a very equananimous guy. On Effexor I still am that person, but I feel like I gained an aggressiveness (which is not too strong a word) that was not previously available to me. Now I purposely hold eye contact when I'm making a point. I would never have done that before. I believe the posts about withdrawl symptoms, and I have gotten ditzy when I've missed a dose, but I have no desire to stop taking Effexor. I won't speculate about higher doses because I've only taken 75 mg a day. I have never tried any other antidepressant, and Effexor is the only drug I have ever regularly taken. Effexor has worked well for me, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone debilitated by mild depression and anxiety. Good luck (and exercise)!

Effexor was the second anitdepressant prescribed to me. Previously I was on celexa. I am 28 years old.

Usually I am not affected by side effects so I was not worried about effexor even though I read many negative comments about it.
Within the first week I was severly constipated- which resulted in hemorrhoids - so what I like to sit on the toilet!! Because of the constipation and consequently hemorrhoids, I refused to eat. In time, that resulted with an approx. 40 lb weight loss--I won't complain about that previously I was a 210 lb fat ass!
I suffered from a low libido (I never had problems before) and when I got an idea/urge to do something, I was fixated on achieving the idea or satisfying the urge. Also, all pleasantries were gone. I enjoyed nothing. Not even a movie.

The biggest problem I had with effexor is how it interacted with my marijuana consumption. In fact that was also my problem with celexa. I found that BOTH antidepressants blocked my high. That is, I could not get stoned at all (even when I ate mushrooms)! I have been smoking weed for over 12 years chronically. It drove me absolutely insane.
I responded by smoking mass quantities of weed with virtually no buzz not even a glow. This caused mood swings and I became highly irritated. I could not enjoy the company of others I would avoid converstions). I had to smoke salvia (just a pinch)to calm down and or crush cravings for weed. I tried to find similar cases/stories on the internet about antidepressants interacting with marijuana but it seems there is hardly any information on this--I do not trust doctor's at all so I would not disclose this. Answers to my questions were highly vague so I felt like I was the only one suffering with this problem. I didn't know if it was a quality issue or the antidepressant. I was set on going to Amsterdam to figure this out--decided to put a downpayment on a house instead. Depression is not readily accepted by people so I told nobody--I told my wife about my depression after seven years of marriage!! I had nobody to discuss this with.

My response was to quit effexor cold turkey just like I quit celxa. Of course marijuana consumption remained.

Side effects from quitting cold turkey were minimal but not absent. I can only remember being pissed off and irritated with everybody and anybody that crossed my path--you only had to breath the wrong way. I do not recommend cold turkey though.

Medication did help my depression. I have been off meds now for 6 months (still smoke weed like a champ). IF i get depressed it is nothing like it once was. I will say that meds did help correct some kind of chemical imbalance in me.

Only you, the individual know how depressed you are. Do not let horror stories of SSRI's (ie prozac, zoloft, celexa, paxil...) or SNRI's (effexor)scare you away. You know if you need medication or not.

I'm taking effexor and I have alots evil thoughts going threw my mind and sometimes I have even planned on how to kill myself at first I thought it was me even with the brain zaps headache dizziness and nausea came when I treid to go cold turkey to come of the drug

I have been on Effexor for approx. two years now. I have bi-polar disorder and have been treated for manic depression and anxiety since I was 14. I have been on a variety of drugs, all SSRI's and SSNI's. As well as drug thearpy I have also gone to CBT and experienced other garden variety forms of therapy. I currently take 150ml's of Effexor each day.
As I have no family doctor I have been forced to educate myself and make my own decsions regarding my mental health. The side effects of this drug are unbarable for me. I have gained 35 pounds in less than a year with no substantial life change. I became even more depressed because I feel fat and undesireable. The side effect of weight gain is less common in people than weight loss so I felt like my problems could be attributed to poor life style. I eat well and I exercise regulary. I addressed this concern with a doctor approximatly 6 months ago. His suggestion was to increase the dose, to which I venemently declined. Upon seeing another doctor he suggested I try Lithium (after speaking to me for 5 minutes about my 14 year history!) So I am currently in limbo. The withdraw from Effexor is the worst I have ever experienced. I have to take it at the same time every day or else I get spins, diarreha and slurred speech! People have often mistaken my symptoms for drunkess. I too have the vivid dreams, at times, they are so vivid that I cannot distinguish them from reality. I have been forced to keep a journal and often have to refer to notes that I make for myself. I get the "brain shock" and sore eyes. I am greatful to have a resource like this as I would like all the information I can get in order to help myself with this illness.
Personally, this product is not for me, yet, I feel like a drug addict as I cannot go off of it without proffessional help. I can't go cold turkey. If anyone reading this has bi-polar disorder and has a doctor advising them to take Effexor I would recommend seeking other treatment options.

Was given sample pack of Effexor for night sweats. On third day of taking 37.5 dosage noticed extreme Restless Leg Syndrom and uncontrollable twitching throughout my body. Evident I was having a reaction from this drug, I went to bed with the intention of calling my physician in the morning. When I awoke the next day I was completely numb from the waist down. I immediately went to my Internist who told me this "side effect", the numbness, would go away in a day. That was the week before Thanksgiving 2006. It is now January 10th, 2007 and I am still numb! Over the course of the past eight weeks I have consulted with another Internest, two Neurologists and have been through a battery of tests including blood work, Nerve Conduction Velocity test, EMG, MIR's of the brain, and spine. No diagnosis yet. Concerns now are perhaps a virus in the spine or possibly MS! All I know is that I was fine until I took the THREE, I repeat three 37.5mg doses of Effexor! I have been researching non stop online to find anything, any clues, anyone else that may have experienced a similar side effect. My neurologist said he will contact the pharmaceutical company however the report will take a couple more weeks. I highly discourage anyone to take this drug. If anyone has knowledge regarding such a side effect as mine from Effexor I would appreciate your input.

Hi: It is interesting to read about the variety of side effects that people are experiencing on effexor. I did not realize the other uses for effexor i.e. hot flashes, night sweats. I am currently 54 years old. Was started on effexor when I was 49, right after a traumatic move to a city I never wanted to live in. I was also taking care of my elderly Dad with no breaks. Looking back I realize that I aways had some mod. anxiety but it increased drastically during and after that big move. I met a wonderful, compassionate young female doctor who prescribed effexor along with 1 months supply of ativan. I felt like she saved my life. The effexor worked very well on the anxiety. This is also the time in my life when I was starting menopause. I thought I was lucky because I was not experiencing severe hot flashes. I noticed when I would taper off effexor that I would have more sever hot flashes. Well, now I know why. The 2 side effects that are a constant are : "excessive yawning" ( I am trying to get enough air into my lungs) and constipation. I did gain about 25 lbs not right away but when it happened it was literally over night. I have had tinnitus which bugged me at night but has resolved itself. I have had fits of anger (I've had that before effexor). I am still somewhat depressed but that is a lot easier for me to live with than anxiety. When wheening myself off I have the vivid dreams, much increased anxiety and I don't know what else. I just remember that coming off of effexor is awful. I have tried several times. I think we should wear medic alert bracelets just in case we get into an accident or get so sick that we can't speak for ourselves and we end up in the hospital without getting our medication. I shudder at the thought of going thru some medical trauma and abruptly coming off effexor. I am concerned about being on it for years and years. But, at the time I desperitly needed something and effexor was it. Good luck to everyone. By the way I've returned home and I'm so glad to be back here, yet my depression has not lifted. Go figure!

I started on Effexor SR last year on 150 mg./day, now down to 75 mg./day because my mouth was so dry, my lips would stick to my gums when trying to have a conversation--very embarrassing. After reading all these comments, it may explain why I sometimes have such vivid, life-like dreams. I've been able to lose weight with no trouble--15 lbs. After having horrible withdrawals when on Wellbutrin SR and ending up in a mental hospital for a week or so for suicide thoughts and almost catatonic, I am now scared silly about ever having to get off this drug. I'm trying to find out if anyone has had hair loss. I think it started when I was on Celexa a few years ago, and last year on Depokote/Depakene, off both now. I'm also on Lamictal for bi-polar, 200 mg./day, down from 300, which also caused severe dry mouth. Something is causing severe hair loss on the top of my head--embarrssing for a woman. I wear hats all the time.

I have just started taking Effexor XR again after almost a year off them. Actually, It's the generic brand, Venlafaxine, that I'm on this time. No difference I guess. I took effexor xr for aobut 2 years before I felt that I needed to get off of them and see if my mind was any clearer. Anyway, It has been 3 days. I forgot about all the starting side effects and I'm almost thinking of discontinuing them again. I am nauseous, listless, tired but I can't seem to sleep or to stay asleep, headachy...etc. The nausea and lack of sleep is definately the worst. I am really afraid to stay on them because I do remember the withdrawl of coming off of them the last time. The brain zaps were crazy and for about a month or more later, when I would get anxious or stressed, my face would go numb around my nose and then down into my mouth and chin. Is that normal? I haven't read about anyone else having that problem. Is it really worth being back on them? Do I really need it? I come from a family with over half of them depressed and the other half believe that using medication to help is wrong and that it is all in your mind and I need to learn to deal with it. My brother tells me that if I'm having a problem, and it is causing these bouts of tears and extreme depression, then obviously, I need to find out what the problem is and change it. I'm really having a hard time going back on them but some days, I really feel that I need help. Other days, I feel like I can do it myself. I don't have a lot of days that I can feel that I can make it. I have to do something though. I have a husband and 2 children to think about and my husband is very concerned with these extreme ups and downs. I really hope this helps me. But again, are these side effects worth it?

I started Effexor 150 mg about 4 years ago as my first AD. I wanted it mainly for my anxiety but quickly learned that I also suffered from depression. This drug helped me become for confident but as I've read before I feel that I was married to this stuff and it dulled my senses and ability to have meaningful relationships. My libido was nil, gained weight, felt ill if missed a dose, etc. This is a very serious drug which I would not take again unless I had tried everything else. This drug works to stop anxiety and depression but at a serious cost to your physical and emotional well being. Not only did it dull my anxiety and depression but every other important sense that humans possess. In a nutshell, it works very well but the side effects and other effects that come with it outweigh the use of this drug. I stopped using slowly about a month ago. I came down slowly from 150, then 112, then 75 and didn't have any problems. I just took my last 37.5 dose 3 days ago and since it has not been pleasent to say the least. My biggest problems seem to be tied with my vision. looking side-to-side or just to one side quickly and I get a jolt of energy through my head, which in turn makes me nauxious. Worst of all, I feel angry. Its not a mood swing, its one mood of being completely irritated, and at the ones who don't deserve it. This is not a drug for use unless you have no other choice. No drug should take control of your body and mind as this drug does.

OHHhh boy where do I start? So I'm on the 4th day of Effexor XR and like most have started out at 37.5 a day for one week then up to 75 a day. I'm also on 300 a day Wellbutrin XL AND something like 600 a day Depakote. I don't know how any of this mess started. First I just wanted to try something to take the edge off my anger. Before you know it I'm on all this crap and don't even know how I'm "supposed" to feel anymore. I've been on AD's for like 9 years and the last 3 or 4 on the Wellbutrin and Depakote. I can't say the Wellbutrin helps but I can say going off it doesn't help. I think I've been severly miss diagnosed for year and year but am so scared to come off the drugs that I find myself taking others to compinsate for the lacking in the drugs I'm already on. Does that even make sence? Internally I'm in a world of horror yet live a somewhat normal life. I have a steady job but its no carrier, I'm 29 with a wife that is 29, my son just turned 3 and a daughter on the way this April. We also have a dog..."NORMAL" right? But what is normal? This 1950's vision of Wife, Two kids a dog picket fence minivan (I don't have a minivan its a Crossover). Crap I'm off track huh...

Effexor...lots of side effects. Jaw clinch, brain zaps, sweaty, sleap for 4 hours then nothing, haven't had sex or thought about it till now for 4 days, eyes go fuzzy, I'd say ringing in my ears but I have that all the time, YAWNING like you wouldn't believe. I mean a yawn so massive that I feel like vomitting afterwards. My stomach feels week and I don't feel like eating anything. I'm already very skinny so not eating is VERY BAD. The second day you can visually see the weight loss already. I only eat 2 times a day as it is. I ate NOTHING the first three days. I've always had some leg kicks but I've been kicked out of bed the first 2 nights on this for MAJOR leg kicking. As I'm typing this right now my legs are constantly moving back and forth at a high rate of spead. I must look like I gotta take a pee like no tomorrow. Speaking of the 'jon'. No poop until today and it wasn't easy. Sorry for the bluntness but what the hell huh? In any case I'm getting small panic shocks like 1 second devistations every once in a while. I feel like I have to physically push it away. I'd like to not be on ANY meds and see what that was like. I don't even remember anymore what I used to feel like. I've been on some sick and twisted roller coaster for 9 years. Should I stop the Effexor now being its only been 4 days??? I'm scared to keep taking it only to find out I really don't like it and have to come off it after its been in my system for too long. My wife says I've been MUCH better to be around. I do have some feelings of calm at times and it feels good, feel right. But they are short and hard to keep a handle on. Last night I had a major anxiety fit and picked up dog crap in the back yard at 10:30 PM in the dark with a flash light because I forgot to pick it up earlier and I just FREAKED out and had to do it in order to go to sleep. But then I had to shower cause I felt nasty and by the time I finally got back to bed it was close to 3 AM. This was do to the Effexor. I have been MUCH more patient with my wife and son though. Don't get me wrong I was never abusive to them or evil but short fused and irretated and would retreat to the garage. I almost feel I'm "more patient" with them because I don't have the oomf in my gut to make a big deal out of things. Last night my son knocked over his milk. Nothing to get upset about...normally I would have said oh crap and jumped up and grabed a wash rag to clean it up. Last night I didn't even blink, didn't get up, didn't say anything and just kept eating as though nothing happend. My 6 month pregnant wife cleaned it up and we went on with dinner. I don't know if that was a good thing or bad. Am I just not going to care about 'anything' or what?? My heart feel like it skips sometimes and my chest a little tight. My legs are shakeing again. If you would like to chat about anything regarding wellbutrin, depakote or effexor email me wjeremyp@hotmail.com

Hi, Im 25 years old and I have been on Effexor for 10 YEARS! After being diagnosed when I was 15 with Borderline Personality Disorder and Depression, my doctor prescribed Effexor-xr 375mgs daily. For the next 8 years I continued to take this drug, mostly, because if I missed a single dose I would become somewhat a disfunctional human being! It was last year I made the decision that I did not want to live the rest of my life having to take a pill every morning in order to function. Especially as I never had a Personality Disorder to begin with - I came from a childhood of neglect and abuse. Yes I was depressed as a teen and the Effexor seemed to help for a while, but I continued to take the drug because to go without it was horrible! I tried to discuss this with various doctors over the years but soon realised it was pointless as they really have no idea what we are all going through with this drug. So after researching this drug myself I discovered that there are people who have gone through what Im experiencing and have managed to get off this drug with time and persistance. I started cutting down 2 years ago. I set myself a long term plan and stuck to it. I started by going from 375mgs to 300mgs. Each time that I lowered my dose, I have done so by deliberately missing a dose then the next morning instead of taking the normal dose I have lowered it. This helps me as the lower dose actually offers some relief to how awful Im feeling from missing the dose altogether! For the next week I give myself permission to stay in bed (Im a student so I have the ability to give myself a week off) I find I spend most off the week sleeping. After a week I still have side effects but I stay strong and remember that I do not want to spend the rest of my life taking this drug. 10 years is 10 years too long! I am now four days in to taking 37.5mgs. I did it the same way as I have from the start, I missed my usual dose of 75mgs then the next day I took 37.5mgs. It hasn't been easy, I have been sleeping soooo much as on top of everyone elses side effects they have mentioned in the posts above, I get extremely drowsey. (I have fallen asleep in my car outide shopping centres as I just cant keep my eyes open!) I have acted 'weird' to my friends at times and certainly responded to situations badly during the past 2 years. (I soon found out who my real friends are!) As I have 2 children, aged 4 & 6 this really hasn't been easy, Im a single mum and every 6 months my boys have been either at home with me for a week or an hour late for school for a week as it is really hard for me to get going in the mornings when I have just cut my dose. Naturally some of the teachers have not responded friendly to this so Ive had to reluctently explain my personal situation. Im sometimes ashamed of the side effects Im feeling, the fact that other people dont understand what Im going through has been really tough. We have to stay true to ourselves, it will get easier and we CAN be rid of this drug forever more! I have 6 months left until I am off this drug. There are many other ways to beat depression, the benefits of this drug do not out weigh the damaging side effects and nothing is worth the prison it puts you in.

I am taking Effexor 75mg for depression/anxiety. This is the 2nd time I have been on it. It works wonderfully for me. It is nice to actually live a life through a "clear" mind. I don't spend my days freaking out over everything and sleeping my life away because I feel too sad to breathe. Yes, there have been some negative side-effects. I have a slight tremble at times in my hands which is only noticeable to me. I have night sweats on occasion and weird dreams. If I forget to take my dose, Effexor reminds me pretty quickly, because I will wake up with a massive headache quickly relieved once I take it. These have not been bad enough for me to stop the medication. I feel like Effexor XR is addicting though for sure.
The last time I was on Effexor was about 2 yrs. ago. Same side effects and terrible withdrawals when I stopped. I was practically bedridden for a week feeling like I was on my deathbed. My doctor at the time told me it was o.k. to stop cold turkey. Ummm. bad idea. After switching doctors and discussing this I learned that it was recommended to taper slowly off the med. I wish I would have known that then.
Why then did I start again? Because it is the only anti-depressant that has worked for me when I felt like life could not go on the way I was (hopelessly depressed). Another thing..this is the only med. I have taken where I still wanted sex, actually had feeling and could have an orgasm, which is only slightly delayed. I mean what good is an anti-depressant that totally takes your sex drive, which hurts your marriage, which in turn makes you depressed?

is this the only message board currently out there? i'm looking to chat about the side effects, but the site i went to several years ago is gone.

have been on venlafaxine for 2 years only take a 37.5 mg dose in the morning and am keen to come of them as my anxity is much better but after reading what other people have been through am very worried about it. Any ideas about how to go about it, i know that if i don't take a dose i start to feel tired and unwell

I too would like to know if there is a chat room for this? I'm now deep into my second week and have tried a new approtch to my loss of sleep. I was taking the effexor at night and could not sleep. The last two days I've taken it in the morning, but I've also been on welbutrin and have a morning dose of that...combined with the effexor I'm shaky, nervous, fusy eyes and sweaty hands, leg shakes again too. Now I'm thinking of trying to take the welbutrin at night and keep the effexor in the morning. I have a morning and evening Depakote that is supposed to help level off the hyperness of the other two drugs but don't know how well that is working.

all in all I think the effexor is working 'sorta' its hard to say when the side effects get strong. We'll see how week three goes.

J
wjeremyp@hotmail.com

Me again. Been off Effexor since Dec. 5, 2006 and still no relief from the Tinnitus. On a 1 to 10 scale. It's right up there as a 10 most days. I hope to God this goes away.

Brain damage?

jeremy, the only one i have found is at rxlist.com, but it doesn't really look like people use it much. the last post was on the 6th. tammie--to your brain damage question...i have wondered that many, many times. unfortunately, we will be the ones to find out...

FINALLY a glimmer of hope, todays headache was slightly less intense, it's been three weeks since my last dose. I've been on 225 for five years, I know I weaned myself off to fast but my circumstances dictated it and I've paid, it's been hell...but hang in there everyone and for heavens sake don't stop taking it cold turkey, the longer the weaning period the better. My DR said to take 3/2/3/2/3....for 7 days, then 2 pill for 7 days (in my case i was taking 3 x 75 mg).Then the third week 2/1/2/1/2/1/2....then 1/1/1/1/1/1, then 1, 1/2,1,1/2.....The truth is there is no way around it, it's going to be a very nasty, painful time. Good luck, steve Smith, meghansdad@sbcglobal.net

OH yeah, as for the brain damage, since they don't know "how" this "poison" really works, it's anyones guess but without sounding like tom cruise, I don't have a lot of faith in the drug companies or our FDA/MDA.

I am finding out, after being on Effexor XR for several years, that many of the things that have been happening to me may have been and are being caused by this drug. I'm thinking about filing a law suit. Sunday, I became confused and drove through the fence where my parking space is at my apt. complex, hitting 2 cars beside me first. I don't remember the first part or parts of it. Maybe the drug had something to do with it. The dry mouth, sweating, agitation, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, headaches daily, yawning, and many more may be the drug. When on Wellbutrin several years ago and stopping it abruptly because no one told me I shouldn't, I ended up in a mental hospital for a week or so, after laying catatonic on my couch for 3 weeks and not sleeping. My hair loss has become terrible, which started from Celexa several years ago and probably from anti-depressants since. After finding out I was bi-polar, Lamictal was added last year, which helps between the two, to keep me more even-tempered, but certainly not adequate enough. A psychiatrist once told me that these mental problems are hereitary, mostly the anger I was feeling daily, as both my parents had strong anger problems. It was a relief to find this out, as I just thought I was helplessly crazy. It took a burden off.

After reading all these posts i am quiting taking just 37.5 mg NOW. I had ringing in one ear to start with. When i woke this morning i found the other one ringing. I also have jaw clenching. To bad there is not something out there with no side affects.

I've received many e-mails to keep posting my progress or lack there of since I just started taking Effexor XR. This is only day 15 and side effects are tapering off a lot. MUCH less jaw clenching than the previous two weeks. This morning I woke up with little jaw pain and am actually chewing gum with no problem. Hard cerial this morning was no issue either. My biggest side effect that was bothering me was the YAWING!!! I had Major yawing on the 37.5 pills for most the day...then when I switched to the 70 mg pills the Yawning would start around 2pm-2:30pm. This morning is the first day of my 3rd week and have slept quite well the last 3 nights now that I'm taking the effexor in the morning. I'm also trying something new this moring. I took two 70 mg pills rather than the one to see if the yawing will go away until later this evening. If I can kick the damn yawing I will for sure stay on effexor. It made me much more pleasent to be around. My leg kicks are almost back to normal too. I concentrate better and am more productive at work. Don't get me wrong I'm terrified at this point to miss a dose or go off effexor only because of all the posts on this page. I don't want to withdrawl from this the way others have. But I feel like I think I should feel. Like I can take on the day comfortably. I'm thinking my regular dose should be 150mg, but if the yawing is still there I'll up to 200 and see what happends. So far this morning taking the two 70 mg pills I feel even more stable than when just taking the one 70 mg. I guess like I found the nitch or sweet spot. Not high on the drug and not to low where I stuggle to benefit from the effects.

Jeremy
wjeremyp@hotmail.com

I forgot to mention that since I took two of the effexor 70mg pills I did not take my 300mg welbutrin I normally take in the morning. So far so good with that. If I can stop taking the welbutrin all together that would be awesome but I will be keeping a very close watch on myself and my actions. Missing just one dose of Welbutrin would normally put me into a major down spin but it is still to early to tell if missing that dose will have an effect. I'll know more about that this evening into tomorrow morning.
Jeremy
wjeremyp@hotmail.com

Me again,...sorry to hog the page. Only day 16 but I'm doing well. I've not taken my welbutrin again and I think it will be okay!!! By now I should have ran over some kids or some demented thing by missing two days of welbutrin. This to me is real proof the effexor is working. Even so it has only been two days so I'll feel more confident about this when its been a full week. I wont even entertain the thought of dropping my depakot yet. Today I woke up a bit tired but slept about 5 1/2 strait hours then another hour later in the morning. I can pretty much eat again too. My jaw clinching is almost completely gone, my jaw pain IS completely gone! No legs kicks at all today. I still have sweaty hands though and the ringing in my ears is back to its normal once or twice a day ringing. I must have been dropped as a baby cause I've always had ringing. My pupils look like I'm high on extacy being so big so bright lights are actually bothersome, more so outside than inside of course. Yesterday my boss even said I seem to be much more possative at work latley so there is another sign to me that this effexor is working. If you knew my boss and my work you would know this small observation is nothing small. Will wait a few days before anymore posts. Just thought I'd share my progress. I'd call it progress now...if you read my first post on this page you wouldn't think I would sound the same as I do now. Even when I read it I am amazed at my interal change.

I must preface this by saying that i beleive this medication had therapeutic effect for my acute adepression/anxiety disorder, and that i am unsure as to whether i will return to that state without it.

My side effects include Weight gain, sweating, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, memory loss, information recall failure, painful peripheral vision, 'electric shock' feeling in eyes.

Due to the 'intellectual' side effects(of which i was unaware for years, but became increasingly suspicious), my studies to become a vet are hanging by a thread. I have been taking this medication for 5 years and was told by doctors that these symptoms were unrelated, and felt that i was dependant on this medication, because without it i would 'crash'. Although I have wanted to reduce my dose for a long time to investigate for myself the result, past attempts to reduce the dose resulted in a substantial withdrawl period with symptoms that were incompatible with keeping a job, and continuing my studies. Although i was increasingly convinced the side effects were severe and were begining to outweigh the therapeutic value of the drug for me, i was tied to it. so i accepted the situation for a long time. I am now attempting to reduce and ultimately discontinue the dose because although discontinuation will cause quite substantial debilitation, putting my career in the immediate future in some jeopardy, hopefully this will be transient and repairable, whereas the alternative is to destroy my career over a more protracted period. I am braving the truely crippling withdrawal symptoms over the summer break. (Without a strong support system-for me, my partner Katie- I don't think success would be possible). I have reduced my dose in increments from 300mg/day. I am currently at 75mg/day. more to come.

Anecdotally, the majority of comments on this page are negative, but I'd say this is because it's people with bad experiences who are highly motivated to post a message about them online, while people for whom Efexor works wonderfully (including me) typically aren't. This is not to discount anyone's personal experience here, but for people who are perhaps going to try the drug in future and are curious, I'd say that reading this board gives you a view of what may happen heavily biased towards worst cases. Efexor, like all anti-depressants, reacts with individuals in highly different ways. If it turns out not to be for you, then so be it. If not... so be that. Possible side-effects are very well documented. You may have many or none. (I eventually had some increased sweating and minor sleep disturbance - that's it. While going onto the drug I had yawning and dizziness as well, but those disappeared. I've now been on it 3.5 years.) You have to balance any sideeffects you get and the effect of the drug on your mood and clarity against the experience of depression off the drug. And don't rashly go on what's happening just 2 days after you've started taking the drug. It can take weeks to adjust it into your metabolism, and sideeffects can settle or totally disappear during this time - or vice versa. Just don't jump to conclusions. Know that it'll be weird when you start, that you have to ride that out, and once you've stablisied somewhat, then you can make a full assessment. If you're fortunate, you may already be feeling much better mood-wise during that time, too. The possibility for withdrawl symptoms is also well documented. The key is to reduce the dose veeeeerrry slowly, and your doctor should be able to help you manage this well if they are well-informed. I merely seek to offer an alternative view of Efexor here and some practical general advice about it, since the great body of people for whom the drug works well usually aren't the ones who post in these columns. The boring truism is that the drug may work well for you and help out lots, or it may not. It does help a great many number of people. If dosage gradation is mismanaged or withdrawl poorly handled, though, of course you're likely to have a bad time.

Way: In response to your posting of January 26, 07. Yes all medicines react differently by individual. I am happy that it's worked for you and hope that you never have to stop taking it. I don't care how slowing or carefully you withdraw from this medicine I am willing to wager the house that YOU will be affected in a very unpleasant manor. During my five year experience with 225 mg daily, the obvious side effects were weight gain, loss of emotions/sensitivity and complete annihilation of my libido.

I have been on Effexor XR for about 6 months now. I was prescribed Effexor for generalized anxiety. My doctor started me on a graduated dosage that went up to 150mg. At 150 mg I just felt weird and descreased to 75mg. In the past 6 months I have managed to gain 25lbs without any difference in my eating habits. I get those brain zaps where I feel like I am electrically short circuiting for a second. I have successful Lasik eyesight correction 3 years ago, but since I have been on this medication my eyesight has deteriorated to the point that I am going to have to either redo the surgery or get eyeglasses again. I wanted to get off of this med so my doctor dropped me down to the 37.5mg two weeks ago. The brain zaps have kicked up during that time. Two days ago the brain zaps went into high gear and caused dizziness and shocks into my legs and even my teeth. Last night I decided not to take my pill. When I woke up this morning my whole body was popping with electrically shorting, I am extremely nauseous (can't eat - not hungry), my balance is very very off, headache, and I feel soooooo sick! I broke down and took the stupid pill. Five hours later I took another to get me back to the 75mg. I had no idea that theses side effects were possible not to mention a major discontinuation issue. It definetly was not mentioned by the manufacturer and not known by my doctor. I NEVER would have started these pills!! I agree that they should be taken off the market. My issues before were nothing compared to this now. On Wyeth's website it now mentions that discontinuation issues are so severe in some people that they have to be on them permanently!! I have never heard of this before in ANY drug!! I have read posts where this drug helps some people, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps one of the many other antidepressants out there wouldn't be a better choice? Perhaps one that doesn't cause sooo many problems just coming off. I was trying to wean down from just 37.5mg and can't seem to due to the side effects of discontinuation. I have no idea what I am going to do now.

Laura, Don't Panic! I know its easy to say, especially considering the tone of my post, but I think you can get off these pills. You've had the first hand experience of the withdrawal symptoms, which are obviously severe and when you first experience them, really shocking and distressing as to how bad they really are. I was able to appriciate a situation of need that was stronger than myself where I will do anything to get the drug back into my system to stop those withdrawal affects. The first time (or for me a number of times) you don't plan properly and don't know what's coming when you try to reduce your dose, its distressing and frigghtening. right? i experienced all the things you wrote down, and its kind of nice to hear others telling such identical accounts. especially those damn 'brain zappers'. Anyway, while its not fair/right etc, this is the situation we are in, and i think we can do something: From looking on the net and talking to a couple of people who went off these pills, it is seeming that the common experience is that the withdrawal is unavoidable but temporary. that is a pretty nausiating and somewhat scary propect, but my point is that i think you feel like you are trapped. I felt this way, and there must be some extra unfortunate souls out there who really can't ever go off this stuff and are stuck with all these side effects for life, but i doubt we are those people. I am assuming that like me, the severity and duration of the withdrawal symptoms made you think you were one of these people on the weyth website that has to stay on them for ever. = PANIC!!!!. This, from anecdotal evidence i have gathered seems unlikely. You just need to plan your moves and be aware of the consquences-the withrawal symptoms, their severity, duration, changes, etc. from here you can arrange your life temporarily around reducing the dose to be ready for all the symptoms-eat healthy, be in a good place mentally, have friends and family around you-especially a confidant- someone who will nurse you when things are really bad, and be excited when you get babk to your old self. There is plenty more i forgot to include i spose, but the point is, once you map out how is going to be when you reduce the dose, you can react (survive) accordingly. My advice would be to try to find a good doctor to help -i told mine about the brain zappers and he stared blankly. that was, in hindsight kind of an important and common symptom. my experience has been that what ever dose you are on, reduce it to 75% of the whole dose for two weeks. the first few days might be tough and eye zappy, following incresing nausia until you are living with the full withdrawal set by middle week 1(3 or so days). by middle week 2 you should be feeling like i can beat these few side effects that are distressing me and jeering at me to just take the pill and make it all beter. then wait at leaset a month, till you fell strong and healthy again and try again, 75% of the new dose... so your system is get prepared, dive into an managable accute phase of withdrawal, which you really have to suffer through, then a long period of recouperation and getting your body strong again for another round. I think I will post a diary of my experiece as i try to reduce from 75mg/day again soon, when i feel strong enough to face it. i will try to be detailed and clinical on the side effects duration and severity as a guide for others like us who are worried about 'taking the leap'. also, read my post 56 for my story. Also, i think this drug does help some people and elements of it probably helped me if you discount cognative therapy. And for some people like Way venlafaxine seems to be his chemical saviours.

so my comments on effexor/venlafaxine aren't driven at making these pills illegal or anything, but to advize and gain advice from other dependants who want to try to do without venlafaxine. I end of myh time on this board my actually be 'no i sm stuck on these things for thre rest of my life,'.

But i can't continue on without sorting this out and finding myself a clearer answer.living like this for the rest of my life seems not an answer at all. I hope the documentation of my experience can help someone.

OMG!! I didn't realize, until I read some of these comments, that the Effexor was causing these things with me!

This is a good drug. It works well, BUT... My problem is that I had no idea that the tinnitis, weight gain (I thought this drug was supposed to reduce appetite - not make you gain weight), insomnia, vision changes/blurred vision, memory problems and increased anger and negativism was due Effexor until now.

I have been taking Effexor SR for several years, in concert with a couple of other antidepressants. It seemed to work well. My dr wanted to take me off of it last summer, but I was such a bitch coming off that I went back on the drug. Again, he wanted to take me off of it. Said it is "redundant" of another drug I take (Wellbutrin?), so off I went (slower than he recommended -- I do know a few things about these drugs). My dosage was 112.5 mg of SR 1x day. He wanted me to taper down to 75 mg of SR. Maybe I miststate this -- not taper, stop taking 112.5 and start taking 75 mg/day for one week. Then, take 37.5 mg/day for one week, then nothing.

Effexor is a psychotropic me. Anyone who has missed a couple of doses and tried to come off of this stuff can figure out that this is probably too abrupt a decrease in the level bc of the side effects. So, in my experienced utter wisdom, I did as he said and then instead of just stopping cold turkey (I only had a few pills left and no RX), I titrated the level further down, hoping to minimize withdrawal symptoms. After the last 37.5 mg, I skipped a day, then took another -- took in this pattern for 3 dosages (6 days), then stopped.

Although I think it helped to decrease the wdrawal effects, this really is hell. My anxiety is through the roof (before I didn't even realize that I had problems with anxiety), brain shocks, the dizziness when you look side to side (room shifting, but you don't), nausea, irritability, crying, mood swings, etc., etc.

I spoke with a doctor at the office and asked how long these w/drawal effects would take to go away. He said he didn't know - it is different for everybody. It could take days, a week or longer. I asked if it would take months and he said no == I am not so sure I believe him now that I read some of this. He said that if it is too bad, maybe I would just have to go back onto the Effexor!!

I was never fully informed by my doctor of the *realistically* possible side effects of this drug (and yes, I read the package insert). I am not sure I would have taken it to begin with.

I am suffering through -- we'll see how long this takes to get through this hell.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I couldn't help but wonder about the horrible withdrawal side effects of Effexor.

Has anyone stopped to think that maybe this drug was purposely engineered so that the side effects on withdrawal are so "unpleasant" (to put it mildly) that people stay on it rather than discontinuing it and enduring withdrawal effects. What a money maker.

Michele, how long have you been totally of the effexor? I might have missed it in your post but I got the impression it was weeks or months. knowing the withdrawal effects, that is pretty scary to hear, but really tough of you. This is a total guess, but it is the 'logic' I am hanging onto for when it gets difficult. and that is that logic dictates that it is a matter of time. From what I can gather, medication that is given long term to alter your physiology often works by either taking over supply of something(s) you need, or blocking the action of the receptors which recognize and use a certain metabolite. The result is that the body's production of the metabolite is down regulated and the supply of that chemical is taken over by whatever you are taking (I think this is the case with insulin), or the downregulation of receptors that recognize and use the particular chemical.(I think an example of this kind of drug is the beta blocker, used to block the action of beta adrenoceptors in a number of situations, like heart conditions and anxiety, through the preventing binding of adrenaline to the beta receptors). -These examples may be way off- Anyway the point is after you stop a drug that has changed your physiology it should take some time for you body to start making new receptors, or making whatever chemical it was previously being supplimented. In the meantime, things aren't going to work right and therefore not feel right to varying degrees(with venlafaxine its severe). I have no idea how long it takes for these changes to happen, but it seems unlikely that taking a drug for a while could perminantly 'turn off', or 'turn on' something that is part of your basic physiology. It seems more likely that it would just take a while for the body to repair the changes that have been made. I'm not explaining this very well, and I don't know a lot about it, but I just think it is a bit of a dismissive line for a doctor to say 'well, if you don't feel better you will just have to go back on it'. it seems like a lazy thing to say. anyway, i just wanted to give you a possitive feeling by hopefully giving you some kind of logic, rather than this mysterious line from doctors 'it is different for everybody'. Its the self covering (fair enough) line that also implies to the patient that there is no knowlege about the effects, no rhyme or reason for the duration, severity and range of the effects. But this makes no bloody sense. So to an edocrinologist out there who looks on this forum thing, even if you don't know the exact explaination for the type, length and severity of the effects of venlafaxine withdrawal, you would have some general endocrine physiology knowlege that could give people at least a general explaination. I think this would give people some peace and strength. Doctors can't be experts in everything, and it is pretty specialized, and on top of that, in these litigeous times we can't really expect the doctor to speculate for fear of getting sued, but i do not beleive that there is no rhyme or reason for the effects and if you don't feel better after a certain amount of time then there's no alternative but to get back on venlafaxine. Its possible i spose, and if it's true Wyeth has known about it, and exactly why for a long time i'd bet. Oooohh look at me- conspiracy theory. Hope that helps a tiny bit michele.

This post is in response to comment #57 by Way on 1/27/2007: "Anecdotally, the majority of comments on this page are negative, but I'd say this is because it's people with bad experiences who are highly motivated to post a message about them online, while people for whom Efexor works wonderfully (including me) typically aren't.... I'd say that reading this board gives you a view of what may happen heavily biased towards worst cases. ... Possible side-effects are very well documented. You may have many or none. ... It can take weeks to adjust it into your metabolism, and sideeffects can settle or totally disappear during this time - or vice versa. Just don't jump to conclusions. .... If dosage gradation is mismanaged or withdrawl poorly handled, though, of course you're likely to have a bad time."

Way, the point most people are making on this board (I think, anyway), is that there are some pretty severe side effects, not only to taking the drug, but to coming off of it, too. In fact, in coming off of Effexor, the withdrawal side effects are more severe than most AD/SSRI/SNRIs/MRIs out there. And, that many/most doctors who prescribe Effexor are either unaware/uninformed or misinformed as to the effects of it on their patients while taking it and during the process of discontinuing it.

To be honest with you, I didn't think I had any side effects from it until I started coming off it. When I titrated the dosage down I noticed the tinnitis (finally gone now!!). Reading extensively about Effexor (not just here), I realized that my weight gain was most likely due to it, as were the insomnia, inability to focus, memory loss, vision changes, decrease in motivation (should I go on?).

To be fair, some of these things can also be attributed to depression, they should not be so pronounced as the other meds in the cocktail should be either acting to control the depressive symptoms or these symptoms should be eliminated altogether.

I am now, after much reading, of the opinion that this is a dangerous drug. Effexor should, at the very least, be reviewed closely for consideration to be removed from the market. I do think it helped me, but then, it feels good when I stop hitting myself in the head with a hammer, too.

What is the price one should pay for a little help? I have to wonder how many deaths have resulted from mismanagement of this drug or from the mismanagement of the withdrawal of Effexor from a patient's system.

This drug is not harmless. Sure am glad you didn't have any negative effects from it -- can't wait to see your post when you finally try to come off this monster, though.

This is day 5 after completely stopping the Effexor (down from 75mg to 37.5mg/ day to 37.5 mg SR 1x every other day for 3 days (2 doses). The every other day thing was mine bc I just knew that going from 75 mg of SR for 2 weeks to 37.5mg for 1 week to cold turkey would suck. And sure enough...again...I do know more than the doctor. I don't even want to know what it would have been like if the blood level had been at straight 37.5mg for 1 wk b4 stopping...

I am being so mismanaged re: the withdrawal of this drug. I am filing a grievance. I have cyclothymic bipolar disorder which is sort of a mixed state - not high swings or fast cycling but a mixture all at once with a lot of lethargy. Now, over the last day, my depressive symptoms have really increased to an almost intolerable level. I am afraid I will go into a depressive swing and that could trigger to Bipolar I or II, which is more severe than cyclothymia.

I am not suicidal at this point, but my depressive symptoms are worsening, despite the other medications.

Would you know, this doctor will not return my calls? Today his office told me that he was going to be with a bunch of doctors tonight so he wouldn't call me back. (I had called earlier b4 he left the office -- this was the call back to see if he got the message around the time the office closes bc I hadn't received a call back). It took an act of congress and an hour of fighting with the answering service on Sunday just to ask the doctor on call a question about the side effects. This morning (Tuesday) he returned a call I placed to him last Friday! (I had already figured out the answer to that question)

I know, it sounds like I am a nut! Before I started to come off of this stuff I never called his office. I never bugged the doctor with questions. Now, when you have problems and you need them to call you back....they don't. You call again, because you really need help and your hands are tied --- they are ones with the specialized education and the RX pads -- the ones you pay to take care of you. Yet, because the doctor doesn't call you back (and I give him hours, sometimes days) and you are calling yet again, you look like a nut or a hypochondriac. So.. they don't call! I just want to scream! This drug is really hard to come off of and I need some help and this guy won't help me. Does anyone else have this kind of problem?

Can someone tell me why we see doctors at all? I am so done with this guy. Can anyone say malpractice????

Michele- I have this kind of problem with my doctor he seems to feel like 'the withdrawals will take as long as i say, so stop asking'. So i gave up on his 'advice'. I think good doctors are out there, just really rare. Also, you say you sound nuts, well dude, that's their freakin' job- to help people who are 'nuts'. If you're feeling a bit tender at the moment and you want to seek support a whopping once a week over the phone, well to your doctor i say sorry you took the hipocratic oath buddy. Anyway, If you are correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, well from the little bit of reading I've done, i think the literature appears to say that effexor is contra-indicated, because it can induce manias. or something like that. Think strongly about not bothering with complaints and legal action etc with this doctor, but getting as far away from them as you can and finding someone to help you. Its sounds like you're having to make all the decisions on your own anyway, and you're getting very little support. Look after yourself, Chris.

Hi Michele - Very glad to see your tinnitis DID go away. I have been off Effexor now for almost two months. (I was only on for two months on a trial for hot flashes) The tinnitis is as bad as ever. Somedays it is so bad it makes me wince. I am now wondering if I need to try some other type of antidepression drug to try to rearrange my brain chemicals again to get back to normal? This is insane.

If I had known how bad I would feel now getting off of this drug I would never have taken it. This drug should be taken off the market.

I've been takind Effexor XR for months now for panic disorder and residual PTSD. The panic attacks don't seem to go away unless I take Klonopin. Today, my doctor wanted to increase my Effexor dose from 150mg to 225mg. I'm constantly crying and I don't know what to do. Hopefully, the increase will work.

Eva,

Effexor is an SNRI -- Serotonin & Norephinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor. It is supposed to help with anxiety (anti-anxiety medication). Meds do lose their efficacy with time, but a good bit of the time a "cocktail" - two or more than two drugs will be prescribed to work together to combat not only your initial problem, but the additional symptoms/problems brought on by the drugs taken to combat the diagnosed disorder/illness/problem.

Talk to your doctor about all of your options. If you are reluctant to take the Klonopin or to increase the Effexor dosage, tell him and ask him what else should be done. Maybe another drug would work better for you than Effexor -- without the addition of Klonopin, but you will never know your doctor's thought processes on your treatment unless you ask.

Take it from me --- they probably aren't going to throw a bunch of explanations at you as to why they want to change or not change medications with you. They just don't think we will understand --- or that it is important that we understand why.

If you want the best treatment that you can get, make it perfectly clear to your doctor that he must to communicate what he wants to do with you, why he wants to do it that way, take the time to answer your questions, and that you expect no less! This is the only way you will be fully aware of what your doctor's plans are for your treatment.

I just got prescribed venlafaxine 2 days ago, and haven't started yet. I wanted to research online first as I'm nervous about ADs after bad reactions to SSRIs including suicidation and self-harm (never had before SSRIs). I'm seriously concerned about the possible worsening of manic & suicidal symptoms on effexor. I suffer from daily extreme mood swings from sad & suicidal to ridiculously irritable, argumentative and loud, followed by extreme remorse and sorrow, then forgetting all about it. These shifts happen very suddenly, several times a day. The doctors can't agree on whether I have Bipolar or not. Although treating the depression is #1 priority for survival - death is permanent- if I go anymore "high" & irritable I think I'm going to lose the people I love, which will feed my depression even more. The new psychiatrist I just saw wants to try effexor first then add sodioum valproate as a mood stabiliser later. I too read in the official info that effexor can worsen hypo/mania & psychosis, but haven't seen that so much in the comments. I was on anti-psychotic meds for almost 14 years from age 19 to 32 but was taken off 4 years ago following recovery, and have not had return of psychotic symptoms. Needless to say I don't want to risk that either. If anyone would like to share their experiences of this I'd be grateful to hear about it before starting on effexor. Thanks.

I started taking Effexor 150/day after a major crash-and-burn brought on by trying to do 60 hours a week consulting job while holding my 40 hours a week day job.

Needless to say, I was badly burned out, anxious, having panic attacks and with serious pain in my chest, back, arms and neck.

After confirming that this was not a heart attack (I could have sworn I was dying,) my doc and I settled on Effexor complimented with Lorazepam.

My anxiety attacks subsided and I enjoyed what I thought was a regulated existance. The muscle pain continued, but my mental well-being returned.

I had kind of accepted that I was just getting older and had pains and fatigue to deal with as part of the aging process (I'm 46.)

Recently, through a combination of moving across country, procrastination in getting a new doctor, and lack of vigilance, I let my prescription lapse. I had the usual "brain shocks" for a day or 2, and then I FELT GREAT!!

I never realized that the pain and stiffness should have gone away when my condition improved!!

I am now weaning myself off this stuff and am down to about 75 mg/day. I feel better than I have felt in 5 years. I never realized that many of the aches and pains that I was experiencing were due to this medicine since I had them (due to the condition I was in) when I started taking it.

My withdrawal symptoms have been minimal. I cut down from 225 to 37.5 after about a week at 150 thru 75. This proved to be a little too fast, and I had 2 anxiety attacks yesterday. I am back up to 75, but I am getting off this stuff. I can feel my muscles tighten up about 1 hour after taking it.

I feel lucky not to feel some of the horrors that some of you all are going through, but I also feel cheated out of 5 years of vitality for having taken Effexor. It did help with the anxiety (big time!!) but maybe something else might have had less serious side effects.

This is my second time on Effexor, the first was a few years ago. I thought I had gotten over my depression (dysthymic disorder) but I failed to realize it had been progressively getting worse. Now with 75 mg/day of Effexor XR for the past 3 months, I have begun to feel "normal." I can actually feel the high points in my life and the low points are much shallower. I look forward to the day when I will be drug-free, but that could be years. I am wary of the brain shocks after years of use, having experienced them when I lost my pills for a few days. Anyone who says the shocks are inconsequential must be feeling something less than I felt. I have a high threshhold for physical pain, but I could not bear the rapid, random shocks throughout my body and light-headedness at the same time. A few of the jolts were almost blinding and produced instant hot flashes. I work in an industry whose products, if they fail, will allow people to die. I am also a family man with 2 kids. The depression is bad enough; if you are taking Effexor and expect to end therapy, do so very cautiously and slowly.

I have for the first time in my life agreed to take some form of AD medication and I get this one prescribed!
I am 55 and menapausal and do not need another "monster" in my life. I agree with the earlier statement that people with bad experiences will often be the most vocal, and I think that most doctors are doing the best they can, BUT even though the capsules lay before me near the key board, they will remain unopened. I am going to go back to trying to handle my situational anxiety by my own actions and by doing thimgs to resolve the issues verbally, etc- not chemically, just like I have always tried to do. Thank you all for you comments and good luck to you all with trying to feel "normal"

Wow! I'm not alone with the symptoms and withdrawals! I too was told that because the withdrawals were so bad just to stay on the tabs. I have experienced pretty much the same things as you all and thought it was just me. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm getting ready to go off 37.5mg and have tried before with not much success. This time I'm determined. I feel I need to be off these pills so they don't control me. So I can do life on my own chemically - still need my family and friends!! Here goes....

What can I say, so nice to know I'm not "imagining" all these side effects. My partner thinks I exaggerate the way I feel, but I think I will point him in this direction to have a read.

I've been on 75mg for a year now, it was prescribed for post natal depression, and have started the process of coming off it. I've been doing 75 one day and 37.5 the next for 10 days, and today was the start of the drop to 37.5 for 10 days. Have to say, definately feeling the withdrawals now. I knew they were coming, like a lot of others here, if I forget to take my pill I felt terrible. First thing is my teeth would buzz, very odd feeling, then headache, short temper, shakes, unable to concentrate. Just want to get off these pills now, it's horrible having to relie on medication every single day. I hope my 2 children will understand why mummy is going to be very short tempered with them for a while, but at 4 and 16 months, I don't think so. Good luck every one who is coming off!
Jo

GOOD EFFEXOR COMMENT:
Just doing a quick update on my progress with Effexor XR. This medication is perfect for my situation. I've not felt normal since 3rd grade. If I break it down that was the point in my life where everything went downhill. I remember everything from before preschool to now. Being 29 with two kids and wife. So many years and much of my life has been interupted by my brain and its constant non-stop bombardment of usless, needless and pointless thoughts. I started effexor at 37.5 for about a week or so then upped myself to 150 and it's been about 3 weeks on that. All side effects are gone now except for completing my sexual needs. My wife doesn't mind of course. In any case for me Effexor is the answer. Would I mind taking it for the rest of my life? I don't know and don't care at this point. I've finally found something that has set me stable. I do wish I didn't have to take Depakote with the effexor but at this point in my life I think I deserve to feel like the whole world isn't out to get me.

Hello All,

I just wanted to let people who are considering taking Effexor this: When i first started taking it, I was worried about all the horrible experiences that I read from this site. However, I have not had any negative side effects at all from this, and it has been the only AD that has helped me. My Point is THIS: Not everyone will react the same to this drug. Some bodies react good, some bad. You need to find what works for you. But don't be scared off because some of the comments posted here. I feel sorry for the people who had a bad experience with Effexor. But i didnt, and it doesnt mean you will either. If it doesnt work for you, then ask your doctor to switch you. You have the right to ask to be switched if its bothering you. If i noticed any bad side effects like some of these posts, i would certaintly immediately ask to be taken off. Remember, AD is supposed to make you feel better not miserable! Everyones body is different. Just as a lot of people are complaing by not being able to sleep, i have never slept better on this stuff and i wake up feeling refreshed. So my advice is this: Its good to research other people's experiences and keep them in mind, but in the end, you need to be your own judge.



Best Wishes,

Makensia

I am on my 2nd week with Effexor and I am sneezing like crazy. I haven't found this side effect documented, so if anyone has, please leave me a link.

I am also having really bizarre dreams that I remember vividly. Not a good thing, since I have nightmares from PTSD. There are differences though, since my drug dreams are so far out there, that there is no way to connect them to my current problem.

Anyhow, that's all for now. This week is 75 mg, next week 150 mg. Can't wait to see what I dream up then. Sighs.

I'm a 24-yr-old female and have been on Effexor for 9 months. I started out on 37.5MG, but then my doctor increased the dose to 75MG. I've been battling depression and anxiety since age 20--it comes and goes depending on circumstances. Break-ups often seem to be the trigger for the most severe, debhilitating episodes. Although currently my depression/anxiety seem to be under control, I'm tired all the time and am very unmotivated. I feel like a zombie. I rarely call friends anymore and have lost my desire to do much of anything. Not to mention, I'm also a writer, and find it very difficult to write these days. However, when I tell my doctor this (as I've done before), I'm fully prepared for her to tell me that this lack of motivation and grogginess may still be a result of being "depressed." (I obviously feel otherwise.) I know that ultimately it's my decision to be on meds or not, but I'm just afraid to be completely off them again. The last time that I was completely prescription drug free, within 6 months the crying and anxiousness came back and I had to go back on drugs. 10mg of Celexa was the choice at that time. A very small dose because I always try to stay on the least amount possible. Anyway...if anyone has any suggestions or words of encouragement, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm glad that I'm not laying around crying all the time anymore, but I almost miss feeling things the intense way that I used to, as crazy as that may sound.

I have been on Effexor for about three years now. I have suffered from clinical depression all my life most of the time not realising thst this was my problem or in denial. Effexor works for me and I realise that I will be on it for the rest of my life. No problem - better than depression any time. No serious side effects that I can tell except no sex drive or very infrequent.

I have now switched to a generic and have been on it for a week. My IBS has started again which is a problem - has anyone else had this problem. If it persists I shall have to go back on the original which is a lot more expensive and my medical aid will not cover the full amount.

PS Tried Weebutrin and had terrible panic attacks within a day so stopped those.

My daughter also suffers from the Black Dog and Effexor help a lot. She too has changed to a generic, Vel something or other, and she is fine

WARNING
I too thought this drug was my life line, thought I couldn't live without it or more to the point people around me might not survive if I didn't have it.

I took this drug for 8 years. My memory started going and so did my ability to concentrate but I attributed it to stress of teaching special edu kids... I now don't teach...I don't work...

I don't know exactly when the problems started because I CAN'T REMEMBER exactly.
It has effected my ability to learn, to work and my relationships ("What do you mean you forgot?)

DO NOT RISK it! If all the other side effects don't scare you think about losing your memory and concentration which will keep you from learning, working and having healthy relationships!

How many out there who talk about their side effects have noticed memory and concentration problems? I have talked to several people and once when I didn't attribute it to Effexor I am now convinced it is the cause.

I am just now starting to surf around and found this site...where are there some good blogs and more info in this area?

I'm on 150mg XR SR, and find it does do a little bit of good, but nothing beats gods gift of cannabis to help with the rest.

Sweetie I am 29 years old and feel you. I am fighting this nightmare but am down to 150. The withdrawls are worse. Now is the time to get off. All my life being depressed.......I am not sure this 6year pain and withdrawl is worth it. So maybe I will end up just plain crazy.. I am praying for us all. There has to be something we can do. I was to feel the old feelings I got just not being sad---I truely feel you pain and understand you Best of Luck

I'm a 24-yr-old female and have been on Effexor for 9 months. I started out on 37.5MG, but then my doctor increased the dose to 75MG. I've been battling depression and anxiety since age 20--it comes and goes depending on circumstances. Break-ups often seem to be the trigger for the most severe, debhilitating episodes. Although currently my depression/anxiety seem to be under control, I'm tired all the time and am very unmotivated. I feel like a zombie. I rarely call friends anymore and have lost my desire to do much of anything. Not to mention, I'm also a writer, and find it very difficult to write these days. However, when I tell my doctor this (as I've done before), I'm fully prepared for her to tell me that this lack of motivation and grogginess may still be a result of being "depressed." (I obviously feel otherwise.) I know that ultimately it's my decision to be on meds or not, but I'm just afraid to be completely off them again. The last time that I was completely prescription drug free, within 6 months the crying and anxiousness came back and I had to go back on drugs. 10mg of Celexa was the choice at that time. A very small dose because I always try to stay on the least amount possible. Anyway...if anyone has any suggestions or words of encouragement, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm glad that I'm not laying around crying all the time anymore, but I almost miss feeling things the intense way that I used to, as crazy as that may sound.

81. Posted by Josephine on February 10, 2007

First thing I noticed was I wasn't able to sleep.. I felt a little dizzy and I had this increase in energy. I couldn't focus properly to study. Within the next week, I noticed that my sex drive was low and I'm not able to have an orgasm during sex. I've only been on Effexor for 2 weeks, and I'm on 37.5. I've read a lot that people have had the same side effects... the most annoying was I was yawning all the time and couldn't stop. But the sex part bothers me the most.