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 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 | 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 | 4 | Depression/Anxiety | First few weeks: nausea, unable to sleep, restless legs syndrome After that, loss of libido and tiredness which has become extreme of late (not sure if related to drug??). | This drug really assisted me at a time that I was weeping all the time due to increased stress/anxiety in my work/personal life. I couldn't function in my day to day life anymore without bursting into tears. I did not want to see or spend time with anyone-was too exhausting to talk to people and pretend I wasn't feeling as low as I was. The initial effects were difficult but worth it. Changing my dose to the morning and taking it with food helped. When prescribing, my doc said it would help me 'handle' everyday life & that I would need to work thru my issues with a psychologist b4 coming off drugs. Now I have more strategies & the unusual extreme stress in my life has reduced to a 'normal' amount, I am ready to start coming off the drug. There's many online comments about how difficult it is to come off - I'm hoping that doing it under advisement of a doc & not cold turkey will make it okay. It is difficult to know if weight gain, exhaustion & low sex-drive is from Efexor - so will be int. to see what I am like post-efexor... Lately, am needing to sleep a few hrs in the p.m. & then still can't stay up late... it's become debilitating. Also, I've been yelling in my sleep over the last few months & last night punched my partner during a dream. I didn't link this to Efexor but since reading online about side-effects wonder if this will reduce as I come off it. I have been on 150 mg per day for almost a year, today was my first day at 75 mg... | F | 36 | 1 years 150 mg 1X day | 8/14/2010 | 2 | depression, mild anxiety | no sex-drive, no emotions, vivid dreams (nightmares usually), excessive sleeping, more sociable, a little more energy, no anxiety whatsoever | It started to seem alright for the first few weeks but then it ruined my sex-drive and I started to not really have any kind of emotion range. After a while I couldn't stand the stuff anymore and wanted my sex-drive back especially because the depression I have already made my sex-drive weak to begin with among alot of other things. Now I'm tepering off Effexor with some really nasty withdrawl symptoms and starting to adjust to Wellbutrin XL. | M | 23 | 3 months 75 MG 2X day | 8/11/2010 | 4 | depersonalization and depression | For the first few years I didn't really notice any side effects but during the last year or so I absolutely lost any and all sexual desire and had extremely reduced sexual functioning on all levels from from desire to sensation to arousal to orgasm. Also despite anything I've read, I remain convinced that this medication caused very significant weight gain that I'm still struggling to lose. Remember results from clinical trials are generally of short duration and say nothing about long term use. | As I mentioned this drug worked quite well for a long time thus the high rating and when it worked it was a 5 and the best med I'd been on. Then suddenly it began to "poop out" and I began suffering from brutal sexual side effects (this was always one area I had complete confidence in so there can be no doubt Effexor was the culprit). Believe it or not this seemed to coincide with my quitting my habitual pot use and I really wonder whether the pot was acting as an aphrodisiac (which is certainly was for me) and masking the side effect. This makes it very hard on a relationship and I have yet to fully recover normal sexual functioning. I'm quite concerned about something I have come across called post ssri sexual dysfunction (which means many people do not recover their sexual function for a long time if at all after stopping the med)!! This needs to be studied further. My advice (and I've been on many of these medications for years and years) is only take these medications if you absolutely have to. I believe they can make profound chemical changes and let's face it, most doctors don't really have a clue (probably less than I do at this point) about why or how they work and the consequences of their long term usage. I would not need a Pshyciatrist if I could prescribe my own medication. It's all theory and hit and miss and I am convinced that with the research I've done that my guess is as good as theirs. | M | 42 | 3 years 300 1X day | 8/4/2010 | 4 | anxiety | at first nausea, and diahrrea, then it leveeled off, sometimes short of breath, but I did quit smoking recently and that could be lungs adjusting, also gained like 40 lbs, but that could be from smoking also. Biggest problem was ejaculation...could not at all at first, but once I relaxed, can come most every time, sometimes twice in a day. No problems with getting erections, just finishig. It does feel differently than vefore effexor, but I also do not have crippling panic attacks any more. | M | 46 | 6 months 75 1X day | 8/1/2010 | 4 | MDD,GAD | Dilated pupils, hard time falling asleep, foggy memory. | For me, Effexor is AMAZING. As long as you do NOT miss a dose by anymore than 4 hours. Effexor has completely taken care of my depression and it's helped a great deal with my anxiety (it did not cure my anxiety completely though.) I've been on Effexor for a little over 2 years now. As for long term side effects, I really only have a few such as low sex drive and foggy memory. Although neither seem to interfere with my life too much. Although I did miss a dose one day and I completely went off the edge, then I took it when I remembered and felt better within an hour or two. Overall I'd say this drug is worth it. | F | 18 | 2 years 225mg 1X day | 7/25/2010 | 3 | Anxiety | No sex drive, hard to sleep, lack of concentration, dizziness, excessive sweating, frequent headaches, painful constipation and 25-30 lbs. of weight gain | Effexor made a big difference in my anxiety but it's not worth all the side effects. I am on day one of a slow exit and it's awful. It was super hard for me to get on Effexor too. Good luck to all of you. | F | 38 | 2 days 150 mg 1X day | 7/15/2010 | 3 | dry mouth. sometimes brain fog. | i've tried nearly every anti-depressant since being diagnosed. effexor is the one that has seemed to work the best, though it's not a miracle drug. it gets a bad rap for the withdrawal symptoms; i do notice the brain zaps and general feeling of malaise and depression when missing a dose. it's important to taper off if you need to switch to something, but it can be done! effexor has helped me with anxiety, as well. it's not perfect, but it has helped. | F | 23 | 3 years 112.5 1X day | 7/11/2010 | 2 | Generalized Anxiety Disorder | memory loss, apathy, loss of ability to focus, night sweats | Was on this starting age 15 and later Pristiq. I haven't been consistently on them for the 8 years but for most of the time- I've come off effexor twice and pristiq once. This medication was a total godsend when I first started it. It gave me self-confidence and fearlessness I never had before; it was WONDERFUL. But it's not suited for long-term use, and I went back to the way I was before- but worse. I've been off for two months now and I am definitely struggling to get through each day. I used to be an incredibly avid reader before I got on this. I was a great student, and graduated second in my class. I was in denial of the fact of how badly downhill my mind went on this after years of use because I depended on it so much. Eventually I decided I wanted to be capable of sitting down and reading for more than 15 minutes again, so I could go to graduate school. My doctor and I tapered very slowly when I came off the medication. That is the best (I'd even say ONLY, if you want to succeed) way to do it, but withdrawals are still awful. The physical side effects (INSANE NIGHT SWEATS was the worst for me. I drenched my bed repeatedly) are nothing compared to your mental state. panic attacks abound. I think it's likely the longer you are on it, and the more you are on, the worse your withdrawals are. I regret starting this medication except for the fact that I'd always wonder if I'd be better on it- the answer I got was "for a while." And maybe it gave me a n | F | 23 | 8 years 100mg 1X day | 7/11/2010 | 3 | Bipolar Depression | Nausea, Skin burning and needle like pokes all over. Dry mouth. Weakness. | After dealing with depression my whole life, I'm willing to give this a chance. I have a very sensitive stomach, so I've been taking a dose of pepto bismol 20 minutes before I take my effexor dose. I haven't noticed a change yet, but it is too early to tell. | F | 24 | 3 days 37.5mg 1X day | 6/28/2010 | 1 | Misdiagnosed Depression | Tiredness, Drowsiness, Depersonalization, Hated life, Distortions, Sensory Seizures, need I say more! | I was on this junk a year! I didn't even have depression, Anxiety is what I had! The Doctor put me on Effexor in 2002, and this is where my Benzo/SSRI Hell came in. He told me it's ok to cold turkey this poison after a year! I did, I flushed them, 2 days later, I slipped into hell, and that's an understatement... I then was rushed to the ER because I couldn't walk, see straight, burning up, Electric zaps, Seizures, it was hell! Then I was put on Ativan, I cold turkied that, added more hell... 7 months of hell, pure hell on earth! Depersonalization, Derealization bad! Anxiety increased, then put on Klonopin 7 years 3 mg, tapered/ c/o to Valium tapered, pure hell... EFFEXOR this quick fix leads to a quick end! Slam this poison off the shelves! Effexor started it all! | M | 30 | 1 years 75mg 1X day | 6/22/2010 | 1 | depression, anxiety | severe agitation, hopelessness | this made my blood pressure noticeably elevated to dangerous levels. after about 2 weeks of taking it i felt so anxious and agitated i checked into the mental ward with suicidal thoughts. they told me to stop taking it, and within a few days i started feeling less like i was going to explode. | F | 29 | 2 weeks unsure 1X day | 5/22/2010 | 1 | MY EYES ARE ON FIRE!!!!!!!! My eyes are killing me!!! I can not function. closing them does not help. Viseine, etc, no help at all!!! RLS, jaw clenching, energy, more sociable, constipation, awesome dreams. | I like how it helps my mood, but its side effects are killing me. Rather be where I was before i started taking this drug. | M | 35 | 2 days 75 mg 1X day | 5/18/2010 | 3 | depression | No side effects initially, expect definite decreased libido. Seemed to manage my depression effectively. Over the years I believe I have had weight gain along with this drug. | I do think this drug was effective for my depression for many years. However, several times I have decided to stop taking effexor and the side effects are disconcerting for me. Buzzing in my ears and some irritability - enough to put me back on the drug. Strongly recommend slowly weaning yourself off this drug with your doctor's assistance. | F | 55 | 7 years 150 mg 1X day | 5/16/2010 | 3 | Depression, Anxiety, ADD | Not many. I forgot to take it one day and I had a violent and scary dream that when I woke up, it took a long time to recover from it. | I really cannot say this drug helped much. I will say that it may be helping slightly control my temperment with me with my son. I have taken zoloft, wellbutrin in the past and this possibly was not a high enough dose for me. Since I have HBP anyways, I didn't want to make things worse by raising the dose. I am now tring prozac with better results. I am giving this drug a 3 to be fair but I cannot even tell I am taking anything. | F | 40 | 6 months 75mg 1X day | 5/15/2010 | 1 | Post Pardum Depression | So many side effects! Insomnia, from great sex drive to NO sex drive, weight gain, "brain freezes", increased impulsive behavior with no thought or care for the consequences, sleepy, anxiety, rapid heart rate. Withdraw - dizzy, moody, irritable, tearful, even more anxious, loss of interest, severe exhaustion, restless sleep, stomach pain etc etc... | If you are thinking about taking this drug, DO NOT DO IT!! Find another choice! This drug has absolutely no business being given to people. Your Dr. might tell you "if you start having suicidal thoughts come back in right away", but what he doesn't tell you is that you could also experience other symptoms such as self mutilation and the urge to do things that are totally out of character for you. Once my dr. put me on 150 mg, my behavior started to change. I started doing things totally out of character for me: self mutilating, stealing, causing problems in my marriage and eventually attempting suicide. I thought I was loosing my mind! Then I saw a psychiatrist and she started to wean me off (which was AWFUL), but as soon as I started coming off it, my behavior was back to normal and I could see how badly the Effexor was effecting me. This drug caused serious problems - I was arrested and have to suffer the consequences of that, I have scars all over me and my life is in shambles. | F | 28 | 2.5 years 300 mg 1X day | 5/12/2010 | 1 | Panic Attacks / Anxiety | After being on Wellbutrin SR 300 mg for about 15 yrs for axiety mainly I started having full blown panick attacks when I would drive (ie overpasses/intersections) stopped driving completely for nearly 3 years My husband would drive me to and from work or anywhere else I eithr wanted to go or had to go. Became pretty much a daily routine for us. One day I literally had a "melt down" at work crying uncontrolably and took a short leave of absence to find myself on Effexor (sustained release) 150 mg 5 mo later I decided to quit cold turkey mainly because I "just did not care about anyone or anything" period!!!That is not nor ever had be a characteristic of mine. I wanted to "feel" again, this is day 4 and all I can say is othr than being "zapped out" I actually cried yesterday for the first time in 4 months. I guess being off of effexor I am truely a HUMAN BEING AGAIN!!! Now if the damn zaps would leave me alone!! AND TAKE BACK THE 15 POUNDS IF | F | 45 | 5 months 150 1X day | 4/30/2010 | 1 | menopause/hot flashes | Nausea, vomiting (projectile - a first for me), tremors, heart/pulse racing, extreme body heat followed by chills, sweating, dizziness/feelings of vertigo, lethargy, feeling as though my insides were quivering/trembling, foggy-headedness | This drug was prescribed to me for hot flashes associated wtih menopause. The dose was very small but the reaction I had was anything but small. Because of the severity of reaction, I discontinued use after only one dose, but two days later I still feel very bad and the dizziness is worse than ever. I wish I had read up on this drug instead of relying solely on my doctor's advice. | F | 44 | 1 days 37mg 1X day | 4/27/2010 | 1 | anxiety/depression | effexor ruined my life. at first it was wonderfull, i wasn't depressed anymore, i started socializing again, and my anxiety attacks were few between. but it didn't take away just my depression, it took away all emotion. i was numb, hollow. when my doctor asked how it was going, i didnt complain, when you have no feeling left, you can't find anything to complain about. after a few more weeks, i began to thirst for emotion again. a funny thing happens when you're numb for a long enough time, you crave feeling something,anything. i was desperate. i decided to wean myself off the drug, but it was tourture, so i gave up soon and went back on. (when i tried to get off of it, i was flooded with emotions so strong i couldnt handle them)i soon found out that i could feel emotions while on the medication only if they were intense enough. in the end,being so desperate to feel something i commited crimes for the adrenaline rush and fear, i was arrested, served time and had a huge debt to pay | F | 23 | 2 months 15 1X day | 4/27/2010 | 1 | Depresstion | Server anxiety and insomnia | I would advise you not to take this find a differant anti depressent. I have been reserching effexor preople have been saying bad things about it. but all pills work differant on all people. I have friends who take this drug and are now exprience difficulty sleeping. I now have to take seires of drugs to feel normal. Like Temazepam, xanax, and suboxone and still sometimes have trouble. I actully turned to heroin to put me asleep and to make all my anxiety go away. and it worked great!!! but i stoped it got to expenceive and it wasnt the right thing to do. so in all cases try something differant PLEASE!!! | F | 18 | 2 years 150 1X day | 3/29/2010 |