EFFEXOR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (925 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
Results are sorted by Date added. 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 |
| 5 | Depression | Brain zaps if dose is missed | I take 75 mg Effexor with 20 mg Lexapro and wouldn't trade it for the world. This combo helped snap me out of my depression and helps keep me positive, even keeled and smiling. | F | 30 | 3 months | 8/13/2009 | 3 | Borderline Personality Disorder | Tdepression aspect of my illness is no longer there, and I just feel the "normal" ebbs and flows of life, I thought I would give life a go without it. Its 10 days since cessation of effexor a I have been very irritable about inconsequential stuff, nauseated, metallic taste in my mouth and feel like the inside of my skull is coated in metal shavings that shake with every step I take. I can't sleep until about 6.00am and then I can't stay in bed past 8.30am. I feel speedy, sweaty, shaky and frenetic during the day. I'm getting headaches, weird dreams and a cotton wool feeling in my head. I'm dizzy and turning my head to look around me is difficult as it makes me feel like I am going to fall over, it's like it takes a while for my vision/focus to catch up with the position of my head and the direction of my eyes. I kind of feel like a robot in slo mo - it's highly unpleasant to say the least. I am also having crazy legs and feet that can't bear the feel of blankets or clothi | Initially when I began taking it 75mg a day, I had the insane, disturbing epic dreams/nightmares after about 4 months these dreams decreased but I still have one a week (whilst taking effexor. When I was taking effexor the only side only other side effects I'v experienced have been yawning, hair loss, greasy hair and weight gain)Sweating that I experienced constantly prior to taking Effexor has decreased to about once a week and only at night, and my depression is pretty much zero. The decrease in sweats and depression I believe is attributable to considerable lifestyle changes like getting sober, not taking pain killers, sleeping more, enjoying life more, not being so tough on myself and living rather than waiting to die. Taking Valproate for the BPD side of my mental illness has helped in the reduction of severe highs and lows that used to put me in self destruct/everybody hates me/i'm crazy/i'm the greatest person in the world mode. (I don't intend to stop taking the Valproate ever because it has definitely balanced my moods BUT I do want to minimise the role of chemicals in living my life in a calm way)It was helpful to read everybody else's comments so Thanks & Good Luck in your recovery of good mental health | F | 38 | 9 months | 8/6/2009 | 1 | Depression | MAJOR WEIGHT GAIN, it did not make me feel less depressed specifically, it just made me numb to everything - never felt happy, sad, angry, this drug just put me in a cloud. Complete loss of sex drive. The worst side effects are now that I am gradually weaning off this addictive drug. Side effects from stopping are dizzyness, nausea, headaches, pain from eye movement, and generally feeling like hell! Only take this drug if you intend to stay on it for life! | F | 43 | 6 years | 7/17/2009 | 5 | Depression | None that I can see at this point or recall in the past. Dr. seems to think it made blood pressure go up. But I believe it was the chemo I was taking at that time. | Whit Effexor, I have emotions and normal feeling....just not depressed feelings. Lexapro made me want to sleep all the time and I mostly cared about nothing. I'm sure these drugs are designed to do a little more than that. | F | 50 | 2 years | 7/11/2009 | 4 | severe depression/panic | weight gain, acne and dizziness if I forget a dose | Effexor, with all it's negative side effects, has been fantastic so far. I have switched to it after 6 years on prozac which I had to keep raising the dose of. Now, with Effexor (150 mg), I feel great, for the first time in years I am enthusiastic about my job, I enjoy the company of people and have about 200% more energy. The weight gain bothers me as does the acne (which I always had but now it got worse) but all in all the positive effects outweigh the negative ones. | F | 32 | 4 months | 7/7/2009 | 4 | anxiety, depression | weight gain, libido, can't cry,restless legs | F | 53 | 4 months | 6/26/2009 | 4 | Bipolar/ panic disorder | Dizziness, slurred speech, vertigo, angry moods, less sex drive | I just started 2 weeks ago switching from Paxil. It takes a long time to kick in. I've been upped in those two weeks from 75mg to 150mg to 225mg. I'm finally starting to feel less depressed and anxious. I also take lithium, geodon, trazadone, and klonopin. These are great drugs. Its the effexor I'm waiting to kick in. | M | 29 | 2 weeks | 6/24/2009 | 1 | Menopausal Symptoms | I would not want to dissuade anyone from trying this drug as it DOES take hot flashes away and there is little else that women can take for hot flashes other than HRT which is NOT AN OPTION for BRCA people...HOWEVER, be forewarned...this medication can have SERIOUS side effects. | SIDE EFFECTS THAT I EXPERIENCED: Crushing Chest Pain Sudden Severe Tachycardia in a bradycardic person Orthostatic Tachycardia Dizziness High Blood Pressure in someone with historically low blood pressure Anxiety Severe Withdrawel symptoms I am trying Neurontin along with Celexa for pain and menopausal symptoms which gives me some relief from hot flashes and burning pain, but this combination is not as successful at mitigating all the menopausal symptoms as Effexor was | F | 52 | 30 days | 6/24/2009 | 5 | depression. anxiety, pain | ringing in the ears more often, sugar cravings gone, harder time waking up | This has been a great drug for me. I feel very calm, not depressed and my pain level is near half of what it was. I just can't believe it! My counselor was the one who actually recommended it. She worked in a medical office for years and knew that in some cases it helped with mood and pain. What a surprise and a relief! I'm taking only half of a 75mg once a day and don't feel I need any more (at least not now?). Don't know why the sugar cravings are gone, I don't see anyone else mentioning it here, maybe it's something else. | F | 56 | 30 days | 5/23/2009 | 5 | Depression, anxiety | Slight headache during the first week. Weight loss during the first 6 months, then I went back to my original weight within 5-10lbs. | I know many people post about difficulties withdrawing or other side effects. And I don't want to belittle that - but one has to realize that people who have bad experiences are far more likely to post their experiences then those for whom Effexor works great! So for a 1000 negative posts, there might be a million people taking it and be happy. Impossible to know the precise numbers. In my case EFFEXOR SIMPLY CHANGED AND SAVED MY LIFE! This drug is wonderful, it allows me to be myself again, be happy and make my family happy. I have been taking it since 2006 and the only ongoing side effect I have is a little bit of dry mouth - and the benefits of taking Effexor far outweigh that. I know sometimes people feel they are not themselves when they take psych drugs, but in my case I feel that Effexor finally allows me to be the real me again. Sorry if this sounds too positive, but this drug really helped me. | M | 36 | 3 years | 5/22/2009 | 3 | depression | horrible night sweats, vivid dreams, inorgasmia, weight gain | I was given this when Lexapro wasn't doing anything for me. The only thing better about Effexor is I'm not a walking zombie. It still doesn't seem to do anything for the depression. I have been considering asking for something else, and am now afraid to as hearing people taking FOREVER to wean off it. When I have missed a day, I get horrible nausea, sweating, vertigo, anxiety, and just generally pissed-off feeling. | F | 41 | 8 months | 5/21/2009 | 1 | Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency | Dizziness to the point of clinical vertigo, loss of libido, inorgasmia, episodes of heart pounding and arhythmia, severe headaches, increase in fatigue and brain fog, blood pressure spikes. | Stupid psychiatrist: A top neurologist had me on Selegiline (Eldepryl) without levodopa, which greatly relieved the CFIDS symptoms. I moved 4 hours away, and the new family Dr. would not re-prescribe without a psychiatric consult. The shrink refused stating possible interaction with Demerol in an emergency room situation which could spike blood pressure. I said I'd wear a bracelet. He still refused and put me on a series of anti-depressents, starting with Prozac. Each of them made the fatigue, inability to concentrate, brain fog, and excessive sleepiness worse, as well as causing loss of libido and inorgasmia. The last, and by far worst of them was Effexor. I did not realize that it caused the dizziness (I had to hold onto walls to walk) until I decided to can the shrink. Within 2 days of stopping the Effexor the Vertigo stopped. The increased fatigue, etc. took several months to resolve. The real kicker: Each and every one of those antidepressants caused blood pressure spikes! I'd like to start an "Anything but Effexor" club. I went to a new doctor who started me on Wellbutrin, which is an energizing anti-depressant, and has helped with the fatigue and "brain fog" fairly well for the past 9 years. | F | 51 | 4 weeks | 5/20/2009 | 5 | anxiety, depression | I have to say that I felt no side effects whatsoever of this medication. My doctor had me on 75 mg dose once daily and within 5 to 7 days of starting this medication I started feeling back to normal - things didn't bother me as much and my attitude was much more positive. I was on it for about 5 years when I decided to go off the medication because I just didn't feel I needed it anymore. I quit cold turkey and felt NONE of the side effects mentioned here - as a matter of fact I felt NO side effects at all. I did feel some of the "brain zaps" that folks talk about here but at least in my case they were not debilitating whatsoever and very short lived. I have been off the medication for over 1 year now and I am noticing that some of the anxiety has crept back into my life - I am uninterested in eating (can go for a whole day with little to no food), I have irregular sleeping times and can (and usually am) awake in the wee wee hours of the night, am uninterested in things I enjo | M | 52 | 5 years | 5/19/2009 | 1 | depression | twitching, sweating, shortness of breath, insomnia, jitters, muscle pain, headaches, dry mouth, hands and feet tingling. blurred vision, anxiety, memory loss | F | 26 | 2 weeks | 5/19/2009 | 5 | Depression and anxiety | Sensitive eyes to light and they burn a bit | I have only been on thsi drug for 5 days now (35mg) and I love it! I am haapy and sane now. The Doc. gave me Trazadone for sleeping to take at night. I sleep great and I am happy. No brain zaps (whatever that means) or nausea, restless legs or spacy feeling, no tiredness or anything! I know it's only been 5 days, but its made that much of a difference. I also noticed that the people having these side effects are one on really high doses. The highest I am going is 75mgs. Seems like that is the magic number! | F | 38 | 5 days | 5/4/2009 | 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 | 1 | depression and migraines | I've had weight gain, memory loss, blurred vision, tiredness, severe jaw clenching. Don't even think about quitting med cold turkey because you'll get dizzy and nausiated for days with a severe headache. You must reduce med slowly for weeks. There must be something better. | Too many side effects, has not helped depression nor migraines. | F | 46 | 3 years | 4/24/2009 | 5 | anxiety,panic, depression | Sweating | I have been on Effexor xr 300 mg in the morning for about 3 years now. I do notice I sweat ALOT. I can be doing nothing and start sweating. This happens only in the first 1-2 hours after the dose. Otherwise it has saved my life. I never thought I could be " normal" I went from years of being so afraid of leaving the house and being afraid of everything. I will deal with the side effects just to have a life. THANK YOU EFFEXOR ! | F | 42 | 3 years | 4/8/2009 | 3 | depression, anxiety/panic | tiredness/lethargy, weakness, nausea, decreased appetite, headaches, urinary problems, sexual problems, runny nose. Put simply, this drug has lots of side effects | Effexor is somewhat effective but it has too many side effects! The literature claims effexor is not sedating, but it knocks me out! I take regular effexor (not XR) and it causes a very uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, especially if you eat right after you take it. It does decrease my appetite (which can be a good thing), had tremendous difficulty urinating while on this drug. I am trying to get off of it, but it has withdrawal symptoms. Effexor is a difficult drug to get off of because of its short half life. I am trying to taper off (down to 25mg every few days) but I keep getting very dizzy, like brain "zaps" if that makes sense, and an increase in anxiety. Don't take this drug unless nothing else has worked! Try zoloft, lexapro or another SSRI first. For the most part, this drug does help with anxiety and stuff, but it is too potent. | M | 22 | 4 months | 4/6/2009 | 5 | Hot flashes | Nausea | I was prescribed Effexor for hot flashes by my gynecologist several years ago, While it helped with hot flashes, the reason I am such a believer in this drug is not for curing hot flashes but for social anxiety. I have suffered from social anxiety my whole life. At times, I've been in therapy for it, but I never considered taking a pill. When I was told it would help with the flashes and night sweats, I was willing to do anything. A week or so after taking Effexor, I felt a lot better. I could be in a room with a lot of people and feel comfortable. I could lead a meeting and be comfortable. I could give a presentation and be comfortable. This drug has done a lot to help me with little to no side effects. I highly recommend it if you are slightly depressed and have social anxiety. | F | 55 | 4 years | 4/2/2009 |