EFFEXOR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (925 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 |
More on EFFEXOR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | Depression | DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION. DO NOT LET A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER TAKE THIS MEDICATION. ONCE YOU ARE ON IT YOU CAN NOT GET OFF IT. I have been on this medication for one reason...I CAN NOT GET OFF THIS!!!! In 1996 after only two weeks of use, my friend's cat lost my pill bottle. Within 24 hours I was in hardcore WITHDRAWAL. SEVERE (off the charts) anxiety, insomnia, crying spells, dizziness, nausea, brain zaps. Went to ER literally begging for this medication. The doctor said "its impossible for you to have had any therapeutic effect from this dose let alone experiencing 'withdrawal' symptoms.' After two hours the ER doctor finally gave me an RX for this medication to be refilled and within 30 minutes of taking the medication the withdrawal symptoms disappeared. Decades later now PHARMA USA and doctors are now referring to this as "discontinuance syndrome." Nice name for HELL ON EARTH WITHDRAWAL. Over the last twenty years I have tried at least 15 times to get off this m | DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION. IT IS A ONE WAY TICKET TO ADDICTION AND A WITHDRAWAL THAT IS INCAPACITATING. | F | 51 | 20 years 25mg 1X day | 8/14/2016 | 1 | Depression anxiety | Yup, I did type 17 YEARS! I was perscribed this medicine when I was 22 because of severe depression and anxiety especiialy around my period. I started out on 75 mgs extended relief and I think it gave me some relief but honestly I dont really remember because over the years I have tried to stop taking it but PHYSICALLY my body couldnt take it :( I even poured out the little beads inside and counted to try to step down one time. The way I finally got to 37.5 mgs pills was due to pregnancy. In my 3rd trimester I just said "enough" and this is the lowest dose I have been on and been able to maintain-2 years now. I am now working with my doctor to completely break free from this awful medication.... | JUST DONT TAKE IT...EVER. | F | 39 | 17 years 37.5 1X day | 7/21/2012 | 5 | Depression/anxiety | Slight weight gain but no where near as much as other meds. No other side effects at 75 mg or less. At higher doses it makes me tired. At really high doses I sweat and feel exhausted. | I have been on this medication at various doses for 15 years. It’s the best medication I have found by far for depression and anxiety. The side effects are very manageable at 75 mg or less and the benefit is great. Before I found this medication all I did was worry and cry and I was miserable most of the time. Since beginning it 15 years ago, my life has changed for the better in a thousand ways. For those just starting this medication, the initial side effects do go away after a week. In the first few days you might feel sleepy but it goes away. Also people complain that it’s a hard medication to get off from but I have been off it several times for pregnancy. If you take Benadryl when getting off it it’s really not that bad. | F | 43 | 15 years Varies | 2/25/2018 | 5 | Panic Disorder/Depression/OCD | Sleepiness, Memory problems, word finding problems, and waking up the next day is very hard, grogginess for at least first 2-3 hours...Does a number to slow your mind up... | Side Effects aside this is my go to drug. Has been for 15 years from 50 mg to 100 mg. The drug always helps anxiety/depression for me. | M | 36 | 15 years 50-100 Mg 1X day | 11/9/2018 Patient History | 3 | depression | Totally speed, I had to take benzodiazepine to balance the effect. I stopped it once, it tooks me around a year to get off it, due to strong side effects. Last year I fall into the worst bout of depression I ever had and I was on Effexor when that happended. 2 days after going on 150 mg, I had dissociation and akathisia. Dissociation didn't disapear when going down to 75 mg. It took months. Very hard to stop. | F | 44 | 15 years 75 mg 1X day | 12/28/2018 | 5 | depression/anxiety | Flu-like symptoms, chills, fever; slight irritablity. All these side affects disappeared after a few years. I've been taking Effexor since it was in clinical trials, about 14 years. | Has worked very well for my bi-polar type II. Sometimes, though, I am still slightly depressed. | F | 51 | 14 years | 12/5/2006 | 3 | fibromyalgia | after 14 years on the same drug..it did manage to keep some sort of pain level in check...but not any more. Now the side effects wiening off of it are horrifying. Only to mention a few..mood swings, violent outbreaks, dizziness, anxiety, weepiness, etc...i will never go back on this drug once I get it out of my system...good luck | F | 50 | 14 years | 8/24/2004 | 5 | CFS | relatively mild | was on it for 12 years It helped so much....i stopped taking it 6 months ago but have realized I need it so I am on it again working up correct dose of 150. People need to realize thses drugs need time to ween off. I did it very slowly and it went ok | M | 50 | 13 years 150 1X day | 1/6/2011 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | On Effexor for 12 years, told my Dr. I wanted to get off..5 months of weaning off was a nightmare..Having said that, getting off was the worst thing I could have done. Anxiety has been a nightmare. Been off for 4 months, just called my Dr.,went back on so I'm going through the beginning side effects, spacy, exhausted, insomnia...I'm looking forward to getting through this. I'll never come off again. | F | 54 | 12 years 75 mg 1X day | 9/14/2015 | 4 | depression | extreme fatigue, zero interest in sex. | It's been eleven years and I don't know how to get off of this drug. Even missing one dose for more than a couple of hours makes me dizzy and jittery. It cured the depression, but I sleep all of the time and my husband misses me. | F | 55 | 11 years | 2/18/2008 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | inability to have an orgasm weight gain | Took Effexor for over 11 years. Stopped 2 year ago because I wanted to see if I was still depressed without it. So far so good. It was a great help in lessining my depression and anxiety. It also helped me not have explosive anger episodes. If I get seriously depressed again, I will have no problem resuming the meds. | F | 56 | 11 years 37.5 1X day | 5/31/2013 | 3 | fear of recurrent depression | Weight gain, elevated blood pressure at 75 mg per day. Once went cold turkey off of 75 and had severe physical pain in legs and twitches and weird feeling in legs. It did help - but I probaby would have weathered the situation I was in without it. Doctors are too quick to prescribe this drug and do not know enough about side effects or serious withdrawal problems. | A good choice for one who responded to Nardil; less limiting - no dietary restrictions, but patients should always be told about how seriously difficult it is to go OFF it. | F | 63 | 11 years | 6/21/2008 | 5 | No Libido, Brain is tranquil. | I started effexor at a very low dose and slowly increased the level from 37.5 to 75 and continued to increase to a comfortable level. I have stopped taking the drug by tapering off as well. I have tried many popular anti-depressants and find Effexor is the best for me. Everytime I stop taking this drug, I come to the same conclusion-I will need to take this until I find something better. I also take Wellbutrin in combination and highly recommend the combination. I used to love smoking cigarettes. Started smoking at 10 and stopped when I was 31. I went back to smoking for 2 years after not smoking for 8 years. Now I don't like smoking anymore-this is from wellbutrin perhaps. The combination works well for me personally and can easily get off the drug when I decide to. I have stopped at least 3 times. I always come back. My girlfriend is very upset about my lack of sexual drive. Diabetes doesn't help. No erections or ejaculation. It is better than depression and anger. | M | 50 | 10 years 150 2X day | 2/10/2011 | 5 | Depression | insomnia, weird dreams, drowsiness, headaches, increased appetite | This medicine saved my life. The side effects are nothing compared to full-blown severe chronic depression. Anything that takes away all that pain is well worth it. | F | 43 | 10 years 300 mg 1X day | 8/21/2010 | 5 | anxiety disorder, depression | first few weeks - unable to stay awake and vision tracers..... not really any long term effects that I can say for sure are from taking effexor, I have had some heart palpations in the last year and I have to get plenty of sleep | I was a nervous child, OCD symptoms, wide mood swings, and had experienced a few panic attacks in my life. In feb 1996, I had a severe flu, and woke up one night towards the end of the flu in a panic attack that didn't go away. I was unable to do anything for myself - depression ensued. For the 1st time in my life, I saw a therapist & psych who tried a few other drugs that didn't work. As the weeks wore on, I saw a little improvement, but not much. In May, I started effexor. When I took the first pill, my body totally relaxed for the first time since february. Even with the effexor, it took me months to get well. I ended up at 375 mg, which I still take today, 10 yrs later. I think I had always needed something to make my brain right. I still feel, get sad, nervous, excited - but all at more normal amounts. I NEVER miss a dose. I have started worrying about extremely long term effects since it looks like I will take effexor for the rest of my life. I never even wanted | F | 42 | 10 years | 6/25/2006 | 4 | Depression | Uncontrolible sweats in the morning,slite memory loss,vivid, crazy dreams, dry mouth, tired, achey, | I don't like being on a drug that is so hard to come off of. I have been taking for about 10 years, want to see how I am without it. | M | 59 | 10 years | 3/4/2009 | 4 | Depression and anxiety | Loss of sex drive, muted emotions, weight gain | Withdrawal is miserable, brain zaps, anxiety, tearfulness, high BP, bad dreams, irritability. I have had very limited support in going off medication, other than taper slowly. I have to work and take care of people! Going off slowly. 150 to 75 mg, been taking that for a month, now down to 37.5. Will probably take that for at least two weeks before tapering further. Take a different medication! | F | 54 | 10 years 150 1X day | 5/24/2021 | 4 | anxiety | I cannot get off this med. The side effects are so bad I just stay on it. My dr said it would not hurt me to stay on it. | F | 51 | 10 years 75 | 1/25/2014 | 4 | depression | None while on it; difficult to get off of. A slow, steady taper over a few months works, along with omega 3. | F | 58 | 10 years 150 mg 1X day | 12/21/2014 | 3 | severe depression | weight gain even when eating next to nothing, uncontrollable sweating, restless leg syndrome, very low libido | I have been on Effexor XR for over ten years. In the beginning it did seem to help my bouts of severe depression, but as time went on I simply took it because I took it, no other reason, and my depression crept back in under the drug, with no appreciable help from the drug. I tried suicide, and found that unhelpful, went dutifully back on the drug after I got out of the hospital. It worked OK for 6 mos, but not as well as before, and again I drifted into depression. I made large lifestyle changes and, in the process, quit the drug. The process was horrible, but I feel better than I have in years. Things I had come to accept as growing old (memory loss, restless leg syndrome, lack of sex drive) melted away. I feel like a new man. I may need to go on a drug again for depression, but it will not be Effexor. | M | 69 | 10 years | 5/3/2009 |
EFFEXOR (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE): Venlafaxine is used to treat depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). It may improve your mood and energy level and may help restore your interest in daily living. It may also decrease fear, anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and the number of panic attacks. Venlafaxine is known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances (serotonin and norepinephrine) in the brain. FDA Approval Date: 1993-12-28 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)