Drug Ratings for EFFEXORAverage Rating: 3.0 (835 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added from most recent to oldest Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 3 | Went through a difficult time | Side effects were dizziness memory loss and fatigue. Withdrawal effects are horrible. There are side effects and withdrawal once you begin and stop taking this medication. I am 8 days off cold turkey. I have reason for doing it that way. My withdrawal is getting better with each day. This drug was not properly prescribed to me, after researching for several years and going against doctors orders I did what was right for me. Day 1 -7 are tough but I feel a little more alive with each passing day. I look forward to living a life where my brain doesn't feel like its floating or shivering. My doctor really pushed this drug on me. I'm not going to dwell on that. Please inform and research this drug before taking it as the doctor may not be so helpful or forth coming must be a kick back for them somewhere. Stay positive it's possible to get off and I would be more than willing to help anyone I could free themselves of effexor | F | 37 | 6 years 150 mg | 4/19/2013 | 5 | depression & anxiety | not as hungry | works great for me | F | 3 years 1X D | 3/24/2013 | 5 | anxiety and depression | no side effects | within a day or two, i felt grounded, my anxiety let up and I could think clearly, it also helped with the physical symptoms of anxiety such as racing thoughts, upset stomach. I am much more calm. Have to say that I also take ativan to compliment the Effexor. So far no complaints | F | 51 | 10 days 75mg 1X D | 1/16/2013 | 1 | Depressant | It made my heart beat erratic. I couldn't take any other medication with it such as cold medicine. It didn't help with sleep at all. I would give it a 2 on helping with depression but the withdrawals are hell and if you miss taking one while on them, you can have extreme dizziness. It also made me gain weight. It took several weeks for the dizziness to go away when I quit taking it and I was only on half of a 37.5 mg. The brain zaps are bad too. If you are really depressed to the point of being sucidal I would take this but otherwise I don't recommend it. | F | 58 | 6 months 37.5 2X D | 1/4/2013 | 1 | Depression | Initially felt better, but as dose increased became a zombie, plus nausea, light headedness, excessive sleeping. Went off after Qld public health abandoned me, have been mad since. Evil stuff, we really need to take its manufacturers to court and sue the pants off them. | M | 53 | 100 days 225 1X D | 11/1/2012 | 5 | anxiety and depression | concerns surround missing or being late with a dose. Causes severe light headedness, nausea and headaches | F | 51 | 6 years 225 1X D | 10/12/2012 | 5 | Depression | Burping, weight gain, loss of interest in sex | I started out on Effexor XR which was wonderful but when my employer changed their drug plan the name brand became too expensive and I switched to the generic. Effexor XR seemed more effective than the generic but still much better with the drug than without it. I used to cry at the drop of a hat, almost very day on the way to or on the way home from work. I rarely feel that way now. I am really shocked that so many people here took it upon themselves to discontinue the meds cold turkey. I was late taking my pill by several hours only once and the side effects were so bad that I made sure I didn't forget again. The brain zapping is hellish. However, if I take my pills on time I'm fine. I'm able to find reasons to get up in the morning and to try and appreciate life. | F | 47 | 8 years 75 2X D | 10/2/2012 | 1 | major depressive disorder | Inorgasmia. Maintaied a full erection but could not ejaculate no matter what I did. Read the package insert - 2% of users get this. I was one of them. | Besides the inability to reach orgasm, I felt on top of the world. I will never touch this drug ever again. | M | 46 | 7 days 20 2X D | 9/28/2012 | 5 | generalized anxiety | Yes, effexor has horrible withdrawals, been there and i abruptly stopped by myself. I was miserable, now a month and a half later...i want back on it. I would rather suffer the withdrawals than to live my life as i do know with this disease. Who cares about what you go through to get off of the drug, if it is needed and i hate myself without it...any measure is worth my life back. | F | 21 | 1 months 150 | 9/3/2012 | 1 | major depression | sleepy, nauseous, dizzy, weak, fatigue quickly, feel disoriented, seeing lights when my eyes are closed, brain zaps (loud noises inside the head) | discontinuing treatment under doctor care was a complete horror show. I almost lost it completely. | M | 56 | ? 1X D | 7/28/2012 | 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 D | 7/21/2012 | 5 | anxiety, agitation, depression | Dry mouth weight gain | F | 36 | 1 months 150mg | 6/28/2012 | 2 | emotional breakdown | complete numbing of clitoris and reduced sensitivity in entire vaginal area during intercourse. About a quarter of my physical sensation during sex has returned after a few months. this has destroyed my partner's confidence and causing huge problems in our relationship. | i believe at this dosage, effexor worked to treat my suicidal thinking and massive depression. However, i have to get off it before i lose the love of my life. i will go back to zoloft which had no serious negative side effects for me. | F | 41 | 6 months 150 1X D | 5/24/2012 | 1 | chronic pain | Intense anxiety-like symptoms. Racy heartbeat, strange feeling in chest, clammy hands. Felt sort of like being on a roller coaster, even when I wasn't. | Normally I give meds a longer time to work, but after a week I just said "what the heck am I doing to myself?" and stopped taking it. | F | 38 | 7 days 37.5 1X D | 4/2/2012 | 1 | Mild Anxiety/depression | I went from a slightly anxious but normal person to a paranoid psychotic in about a week after taking effexor. I would not wish this drug on my worst enemy. Within a week of taking it I was contemplating suicide (took a bottle of pills to work just in case I couldn't bear it) and was so paranoid that I was convinced that my wife would turn into a deamon and kill me. I was hospitalized four times. Once I got off of all the anti-depression medicines (I now take a mild dose of ativan) I was fine. It's four years later and I'm fit as a fiddle, but my effexor experience was awful. | I hesitate to say that nobody should take effexor because I'm not a doctor, but I do think that the risks are so high, that it would have to be for someone who is suffering horribly and nothing else is working. I would never take it again under any circumstance. | M | 53 | 10 days not sure 2X D | 3/29/2012 | 4 | Anxiety/Depression | After 16 months on this med, the only side effect is the typical sweating at night. If you truly need antidepressants, that is nothing to complain about. At 300 mg for the last 3 months, libido is greatly increased, the the satisfaction sure is. | The time it has taken for this med to work for me has been gradual over the 16 months I have taken it. But with increasing the dose gradually, which I wasn't sure I wanted to do in the beginning ( kind of sensitive to it at first), This is the best antidepressant I have taken. It is very good at handling my intense anxiety much of the time. I still use Seroquel at times, but exercising each day makes all the difference in that. Further time will yield more info. I will post then. | M | 53 | 16 months 150 bid. 2X D | 2/26/2012 | 2 | hot flashes | F | 43 | 6 months 30 | 2/24/2012 | 2 | Depression | Unpleasant dreams about the past. At least Celexa gave me very detailed and imaginative dreams. | Supposed to help hot flashes....they are worse! | F | 56 | 3 months 225 mg 1X D | 2/18/2012 | 4 | bipolar disorder/major depression | At first I had nausea but in a dew days it was gone. I don't know if my memory/poor concentration is due to other meds I take. I have no side effects otherwise to remark about. | I have been very resistant to psych meds but in the hospital I had a great response to Effexor so I'm trying it again. I have severe, incapacitating pain from degenerative disks and no thyroid since birth so I have a lot to deal with. But its now day 14 and (holding my breath) For a week I haven't been dwelling on sad/negative thoughts and today my pain level is reduced; I mean a real difference. I feel very hopeful & positive about this medication & my future. Also it doesn't interfere with my thyroid medicine. Effexor also helped my son a lot during a depressive phase last year. I give it a big thumbs up so far. | F | 55 | 2 weeks 150 mg 2X D | 2/2/2012 | 3 | Anxiety | mild nausea, stomach pain at first then it went away, vivid dreams and nightmares, shakiness, dry mouth - but mild. | I took 1/4 tablet of 25 mg Effexor, which I know is extremely small, but I have a sensitive metabolism (& always take tiny doses at first). I then increased to 1/2 a tab after one week - VERY slowly. I think it's important to mention this as so many people do not need to be taking such high "standard" doses - especially at first. Doctors overprescribe dose and then have to spend months undoing side effects - it's SO much better to start low and work your way up. What do you have to lose? Drugs are never one size fits all, and lower doses often work best for some. Some people only need 1 motrin for a headache, some people are drunk after one beer. Start small and work your way up - this might be a solution for you. at 12 mg my anxiety was helped somewhat. | F | 40 | 10 days 12.5 mg 1X D | 1/30/2012 | 3 | depression | Dry Mouth, nasty taste on my tongue, other than that...nothing yet. | 35 | 1 days 37.5 1X D | 1/26/2012 | 3 | depression and anxiety | flushing, hot flashes, sweating, dry mouth, horrible heartburn, constipation. sleeplessness for the first month but sleeping fine now. irritable for the first couple weeks but better now. Brain snaps, but I had those on Prozac too. Already gained weight taking Prozac for 7 years, hope I don't gain more. One interesting development since quitting Prozac is that my migraines are much better. I don't know if this was from going off Prozac or starting Effexor, but it is a bonus! | My depression seems better and my anxiety has improved as well. The side effects are a little irritating and I hope eventually they will go away. I already had heartburn, but now it is worse and prilosec barely touches it. I stopped taking HRT this past summer so not sure if the flushing and hot flashes are a combination of both hormones and Effexor or just the Effexor. They seemed to be much worse when I started the drug. I am going to give it a little longer because it does seem to be helping my depression and the side effects are mostly just an annoyance. | F | 53 | 2.5 months 150 1X D | 1/23/2012 | 2 | deppression,anxiety | Energy levels raised, irritability | F | 20 | 3 months 150 | 1/17/2012 | 2 | depression | 1--very dry mouth. My tongue looked unhealthy. 2--extremely bitter and metallic taste in mouth. I did not want to talk to anyone at work because I thought my breath had to smell horrible, too 3--only wanted to eat things that masked the taste, and this turned out to be sugar/sweets 4--retaining fluids. I noticed it in my breasts first, as they became huge | I have been on Prozac for many years with no noticeable side effects. It matches my chemistry. I am the type of patient for whom it was developed. I am also on low Buspar. I was not interested in replacing Prozac with Effexor, as I was doing just fine...depression managed for over many years. But, I recently developed severe sciatica, and I have arthritis in one hip. I am very active and fit at age 61 . The pain was somewhat managed with physical therapy and yoga, but my doctor said that Effexor had a positive side effect in pain management. I decided the taste alone was more than I could tolerate. I stopped 6 days ago, and went back on Prozac instead. Yesterday, I no longer had that horrible taste in my mouth for the first time, but it still feels dry. Dropping fluids like crazy and back to normal there. And, I am back to my normally healthful eating patterns. The worst parts of eliminating Effexor are the depression and nightmares…and I mean nightmares. Nearly non-stop when I sleep. Action-packed and exhausting. I do not recall having these nightmares until I cut out the Effexor. I am accepting of the depression. I know it will go away as I am able to get the Prozac back into my system. I believe I gave the Effexor a fair trial, but it simply does not match my chemistry. | F | 61 | 3 weeks 150 1X D | 1/1/2012 | 2 | adjunct to Wellbutrin | Dizziness, nausea, gas, diarrhea, thought of eating absolutely repulsive | Nothing other than side effects. I needed an addition to the Wellbutrin for my treatment-resistant depression. I realize it's really too soon to really evaluate anything, but do these side effects go away? I don't really need to be constantly be farting at the office, thank you very much. Eating has also turned out to be absolutely disgusting. Even a half-box of Pop-Tarts doesn't do anything for me. I have a full order of fettecine alfredo I ordered and couldn't eat. Wasted my money unless I can eat it tomorrow. Did nothing for panic/anxiety so far, had to take one benzo per day. Like I said, I'm not really giving this a fully fair rating but I want to know if these side effects go away. I'm supposed to increase my dose to 75mg in a few days so I wouldn't mind knowing. | F | 48 | 4 days 37.5 1X D | 12/31/2011 | 1 | major depressive disorder | i took this drug a few yrs ago and it didnt work so my dumb doctor put me on prestiq that didnt work so now im back on effexor and this time i got the craziest side effects, no thrive to do anything at all, vivid nightmares, insomnia horribly, chews lips/cheeks/grinds teeth constantly, i went from no libido to now it wont stop running , horrible ezcema ,ear aches ,jaw pain ,irratable,major depression, the list can go on,,, | this medication is useless i feel worse on this then on anything else | F | 29 | 4 years 150 1X D | 12/23/2011 | 4 | Anxiety/panic attacks | At the begining: night sweats, increased appetite; on-going: weight gain, acne | For me, Effexor was great. My life had become very small and I was barely functioning when I went on Effexor. For the first time in years, I felt "normal" - I could live my life without being scared of something happening. After two years, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on things. I was sick of the weight that I'd gained and the acne problems I was having. I have been tepering off Effexor for just over 11 months. I have experienced side effects, but nothing overly major. After each reduction in my dose the side effects would be on and off for two weeks at the most then go away. Once I was comfortable at the new dose level, I'd decrease it again. Once I got to the 37.5 mg a day, the side effects at each reduction have been worse (to reduce 37.5mg, you need to open the pill and count out the little white balls to create your own dose - a pain in the butt, but worth it). Once I was down to about 20mg a day, I have steadily decreased the dose every day by less than 1mg a day. The withdrawal effects are pretty brutal, but nothing I can't handle and not nearly as bad as what I read online. I'm happy to have taken Effexor to stop the vicious cycle I was in. It's been a bit of a rough road to get off it, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel and I'm looking forward to getting there. | F | 27 | 3 years 150mg 1X D | 12/22/2011 | 1 | Counteract effects of wellbutrin | Extreme weight gain. Now have been diagnosed with fatty liver disease. Doctor says both of these are caused by this drug. Now am going through trying to get off of this after 10 years. Recommend having serious discussion with your doctor before starting this med to discuss side effects. | F | 42 | 10 days | 12/18/2011 | 4 | Dry Mouth and Decreased Libido for first 2 weeks..then nothing but teeth grinding occasionally. This drug rocks! Took away all my anxiety and most of my depression. | Feel kinda dazed a lot and emotionless...I don't care as much good or bad as I used to. But I'd rather not feel anything, than have severe anxiety. | M | 32 | 5 months 150 1X D | 12/9/2011 | 2 | anxiety, panic disorder, depression | Nausea, bad vivid dreams, NO libido, no interest in social activities, loss of appetite, MAYBE stronger panic attacks but not sure | F | 25 | 1 years 225 mg | 12/2/2011 | 5 | Depression | Initially sweating like a piggy day and night but days sweats disappeared after 4 weeks. Agonizing Clitoral priapism, Hair loss, deep sleep and long detailed wild dreaming. Constipation and flatulence. | The side effects of Effexor suck and I have to deal with them everyday but the benefits of it make it worth it. This has really helped me manage my depression which had become unbearable. In the past I had problems with opiate addiction and Effexor seemed to really "click" with my brain the same way opiates did and the good feeling from Effexor is similar to the good feelings from opiates. I had always had a lot of pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia even though my doctor had never wanted to officially diagnose me with it and Effexor improved them as well. The side effects are pretty lousy ones but to finally be pain free and feeling very happy make them tolerable. Even though I had been off opiates for 2 years I still had a longing and craving for them and that went away completely with the Effexor as well. | F | 35 | 4 months 300mg 1X D | 11/21/2011 | 1 | Depression | This drug caused Cervical Dystonia (a neurological condition of the neck) as well as drowsiness, so I stopped taking it. | Due to the aforementioned side effects, I stopped taking the drug. I heard that it is hard to come off of as well. | M | 49 | 1 days 25 MG 1X D | 10/25/2011 | 1 | Depression & Anxiety | Insomnia, weird dreams, tingling in the side of my head, horrible sweating, irritability, | The medication was a nightmare to come off of. I wouldn't recommend this medicine to anyone. This was the worst time of my life. I honestly thought I was loosing my mind on this med. | F | 33 | 365 days 75mg 1X D | 10/18/2011 | 1 | (Mis-)diagnosed depression... | Became a "crazy all-season" SWEAT FACTORY; had VIVID DREAMS but not necessarily worrying dreams (nothing violent thank goodness); LOWER LIBIDO for first year, LOWER SEXUAL FUNCTION for first year (i.e. taking a looooong time to orgasm...so bad that couldn't orgasm through previously awesome oral sex/ BJ from wife); this DIFFICULT SEXUAL EPISODE was followed by "normal" sexual activity after that...but once I DROPPED the Effexor I was able to orgasm as I could not remember EVER having done before...and ORAL was once again FANTASTIC and FAST...not a bad thing always!! | I JUST came off generic Effexor after 8 years of so. I believe I was misdiagnosed with depression by primary physician when REALLY I have AD/HD (attentive type - i.e. ADD). After a couple of false starts on dropping Effexor, I finally worked down reducing my dose by 3/4 to a half of prescribed dose by dividing my pills...finally getting down to 1/8th of dose before dropping it entirely. | M | 36 | 8 years 75mg 2X D | 9/26/2011 | 4 | Cyclothymia | On Effexor XR (32.5 mg) I had awful mood swings- mostly uncontrollable anger. I was also constipated, and if I took the XR after 3pm I wouldn't be able to sleep. However, I switched to 25mg Effexor (not extended release), and it works wonderfully. I sleep fine, no mood swings, no GI problems. I feel like my old self! The only side effect I have is teeth/jaw clenching after taking the pill. | If Effexor XR doesn't work, try the plain old Effexor! It was life changing. I was terrified of this drug (I'm allergic to zoloft, wellbutrin, and celexa) but gave it a shot. | F | 22 | 1 months 25mg 1X D | 9/21/2011 | 3 | major depression and anxiety | In first few weeks I noticed my depression was getting better, but over time still have no desire to get out of this house. I have major issue with sweating, sleeping, and weight gain. I have decided to contact my doctor to change to something else. | F | 42 | 5 months 150 1X D | 6/5/2011 | 1 | anxiety | I feel nausea, head is pounding, spacey, couldn't go to work, felt like I need to vomit, coughing, panic, feel eyes are wide open starring, couldn't fall asleep when I finally did I woke up feeling more nausea and spacey ringing in the ears. When I tried to fall asleep it was sort of like anesthesia but never falling asleep | Called the pharmacy and he confirmed side effect, called doctor and she said I was having a panic attack which is why the meds were prescribed. This was worse than the original incident of distorted vision which lasted less than 5 minutes. I was to start on a low dose and then in a week double the dose, There was no calming effect from this drug. I cannot take it any more. | F | 57 | 1 days 37.5 mg 1X D | 5/19/2011 | 1 | depression, GAD, panic attacks | This crap made me feel like I was on speed! eyes felt popped open, irritability, shakiness, extreme heartburn, felt like My chest & neck were wrapped in an ace bandage, brain zaps, shortness of breath, & so many more side effects. | I took only 2 doses of this at its lowest dose & I ended up in the damn ER! I felt like I had been poisoned. I don't recommend this drug to anyone unless you have a death wish! | F | 23 | 1 days 1X D | 5/17/2011 | 5 | Anxiety | Eye twitching, No libido | This has been a miracle drug for me. I'm low dose. The first three weeks I had a metallicaly taste, paranoia, forgetfullness. After that I'm doing great. Lots of energy, sleeping well, exercising, lost all the weight I put on, things arent a hastle and I have no fears or anxieties. My eye twitches whenever I hear loud noises or theres anything unpleasant going on, I can live with that and the little libido I had is gone, also not a concern. I'm also a bit careless but then I dont care so it's all good. I have no intentions of getting off of this drug or upping the dosage. I'm very happy and uncharacteristically outgoing. Everyone is different when it comes to how something works. | F | 30 | 65 days low 1X D | 5/16/2011 | 1 | Depression/anxiety | Increased anxiety. Terrible migraines and vomiting. Unbelievable overheating, sweating and fainting. feeling suicidal, complete loss of libido, extreme tiredness | I usually ignore the more common side effects, dry mouth, stomach problems etc as just run of the mill, something we folk just have to put up with when taking these kind of meds. I have tried quite a few different meds, they start out ok, slowly stop having an effect, dose is gradually increased over time till I'm changed to a new med. Effexor has been the same pattern it has now stopped working, my doctor wont remove me off this drug. so I will remove myself. Counting out the little white beads and reducing it by 37.5mg per week, which should take 8 weeks by my calculations. The side effects whilst on it has been horrific, it has affected my work and generally my quality of life with my family. I have never had any side effects to such an extreme on any other crazy meds before. Side effects whilst coming off - unkown at this point! | F | 43 | 1 years 150mg 2X D | 5/13/2011 | 4 | Anxiety/Depression | For the first few months, I would wake up very sweaty, but that has ceased. I really can't say anything else is very prominent as far as side effects. | The most prominent effect of this med is the ability it has improved my ability, perspective, on being able to better slow my mind so I am able to better analyze what I have done something, or am doing at the present time. I am increasing the dosage again after being at 75mgs for months. It did not stop working!!! And I could care less what a pain it is to stop taking!!! | M | 53 | 8 months 50 1X D | 5/4/2011 | 1 | depression | extreme weight gain, worsen depression, suicidal thoughts and terrible withdrawal | When I first started the drug it took my appetite away, but eventually I got some of my appetite back, but even with less of an appetite I gained 15 lbs in two months of taking this stuff, including extreme water weight gain. I decided to come off because it was making my depression worse and I didn't need to gain anymore weight, and the withdrawals from this stuff is a nightmare and I was only on it five months, at only 37.5mg. I have been officially off it for about three weeks and I'm still have brain shocks and diarrhea. NEVER again will I take this poison. | F | 38 | 5 months 1X D | 4/12/2011 | 4 | Depression | None I know of | This med did not work at twice my current dose. Side effects at 150mg per day were flu like and not effective for depression. Lower dose is much better. I have missed doses and have felt none of the effects people complain about here. Cry babies or pharm workers. It's a good drug. | M | 48 | 4 months 37.5mg 2X D | 4/9/2011 | 1 | chronic pain, depression, anxiety | INFLAMMATION: SKIN, EZCEMA, CYSTITIS BLADDER, RESPIRATORY, ALLERGIES. KELOID SCARRING, SKIN PURPURA, PETECHIA. BLOOD NOT CLOTTING. SKIN BECAME LOOSE, SAGGING, VERY DRY. | SIDE EFFECTS WERE VAGUE & CAME ON SLOWLY. FELT I HAD AGED 20 YEARS. | F | 60 | 10 years 300 mg 1X D | 3/21/2011 | 1 | treat migraine & chronic depression | awful withdrawal symptoms after a missed dose; upon trying to quit this drug under a doctor's supervision, same withdrawal symptoms. They continue long after cessation of this drug's use-- for months, in my case (for some people, years). My withdrawal (discontinuation) symptoms are neurological (painful and severely troubling sensations in brain) and others are emotional-- hopelessness, rage, aggression, anxiety, crying. | DO NOT accept a prescription for this drug without being willing to take the risk of serious and protracted withdrawal (discontinuation) effects. Many, many doctors are ignorant about this issue and will assure you it is safe. Research "effexor withdrawal" on Google so that you can see what actual consumers of Effexor have experienced both on and off the drug, including loss of employment (from frequent absences due to Effexor) and permanent injury and loss. | F | 55 | 9 years 150mg 1X D | 3/20/2011 | 3 | masturbated every hour all day and | dry ejactulate | M | 34 | 6 years 250 1X D | 3/17/2011 | 1 | anxiety | 30 minutes after taking I felt like I was going to throw up,15 minutes later I did.After that it was all down hill.Very dizzy and felt like I couldnt walk,RLS,jaw clenching,my eyes feel like they are open very wide,increased anxiety,numb sensation in toes,I cant think straight,when I try to say something my words get jumbled up,and emoitionless | This is only the first day I have only taken 1 pill and I took it at 7 am and its 4pm and I still feel weird.I hate this feeling and I want oit to go away NOW!I really hope I feel better soon!Ive taken all kinds of different antidepressants and I have never felt this before. I am not going to continue this horrible drug. | F | 28 | 1 days 37.5 1X D | 3/10/2011 | 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 D | 2/10/2011 | 4 | depression/anxiety | little libido | I actually felt quite normal and life was ok but I missed feeling sexual so I cut back to 75 mg but was then sleeping more and less interested in life, so I thought I could deal with depression just not anxiety so I went off it slowly while taking buspar and natural seritonin enhansors. But I wasn't consistant and eventually crashed and was suicidal so ended up in hospital. They put me on Remeron which has no sexual side effect but I have been on it for 5 weeks plus the busparine for anxiety and I don't like how I feel and mornings are difficult to get up and do anything. Am going back to the doctor and get on effexor again. | M | 65 | 3 years 150 1X D | 2/1/2011 | 5 | anxiety | tiredness in the morning | F | 40 | 1 days 150mg 1X D | 1/11/2011 | 4 | Depression and anxiety | Sweating | F | 51 | 5 years 75 mg 2X D | 1/8/2011 | 4 | Depression | Sweating, weight gain | This drug is a miracle drug. Although it gives me sweats at night and my sleeping is already not the greatest, I have come out of my depression | F | 33 | 4 days 225 1X D | 1/7/2011 | 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 D | 1/6/2011 | 1 | anxiety and depresssion | The fourth day I started to feel a little dizzy and out of sorts, difficulty concentrating and a headache in the front of my head that felt like my brain was on fire. Later that evening the headache increased and I started feeling extremely anxious and confused. I decided to go to bed and sleep it off, within minutes of laying down I got an extreme hotflash, nausea, extreme diziness, my chest felt tight and I started having trouble breathing. I told my husband to call 911, when the paramedics arrived about 5-10 minutes later I felt very nauseous, dizzy, and I suddenly had trouble speaking clearly. By the time I got in the ambulance I sounded like I had, had a stroke. I was in the emergency room until the next morning.I was told to immediately stop all the medication. My speech was severly delayed for a week, in addition to anxiety and headaches. I was off work for a week.All this after just 4 DAYS on the medication. | This medication is SCARY! My doctor has now refused to prescribe me any other antidepressants. I would rather be depressed and anxious than use this medication again. It's been 4 weeks and I still get headaches everyday, which I never had before, and oddily I now have an overwhelming urge to drink alchohol, which is VERY unlike me. This medicine is poison. | F | 39 | 4 days 37.5 mg 1X D | 12/27/2010 | 3 | Depression | quick withrawal symptoms that made me feel spaced out... | F | 47 | 4 years 75 1X D | 12/7/2010 | 1 | Depression and anxiety | Coldness, insomnia, hallucinations, dizziness, nausea, non-stop yawning, diarrhea | One dose was enough. I have never felt so awful in my life. I have had a thyroid problem since early this year and my doctor prescribed me Effexor yesterday to deal with the related depression. I took it around noon and had an upset stomach all day and chills, but it wasn't until bed when the worst symptoms started. Every time I would close my eyes, I would start seeing patterns like I was looking into a kaleidoscope, and upon opening them, would see the room swirling in front of me. It was like an awful acid trip. I managed to fall asleep, but then woke up in the middle of the night wanting to end my life! Seriously.. be careful before you take this. I don't think I need this drug on any level, I think doctors have prescribed it too readily in the past. Please be careful. | F | 25 | 1 days 37.5mg 1X D | 12/2/2010 | 1 | Depression | Headaches, "brain zaps", constant fatigue, no sex drive, memory problems, irritibility, poor concentration, night sweats, bizarre dreams, gastrointestinal problems, weight gain, increased appetite, heart palpitations and heat intolerance. | Effexor...so glad I FINALLY quit taking it. This was possibly the worst medication I have ever been on. It worked well in the beginning but within the first few months I began suffering some terrible side effects. Because of this drug my GI system is extremely screwed up and still a year later after discontinuing the drug, my memory is awful and I still suffer constant fatigue. I would NEVER take this again nor would I suggest anyone ever take it. It made me gain weight and with my eating disorder that caused a lot of dress for me. The "brain zaps" were the worst of all the symptoms though...I don't know if I could even describe how miserable those would make me. I felt stupid, slow and irritable frequently when on this medication. I would have fits of rage and got into many verbal fights with my family and ex-boyfriend because I would become very moody and manic. Let's not forget to mention that I have no sex drive what-so-ever with this drug and to this very day I still struggle with it because the effects of this medication have seemed to have screwed me over forever. Even though it has left me with some damage (to my brain, sex drive and GI system), I am happy to say getting off this medication made me a much happier person than I was when I was on it! | F | 19 | 2.5 years Unknown 1X D | 11/28/2010 History | 4 | depression/anxiety | I took effexor XR once before for almost a year and had no side effects, I had to stop cold turkey due to lose of insurance and could not afford it. However I guess I was lucky because i didn't really have any withdrawl. I have recently started taking Effexor again the org.(not XR) and I am having all kinds of side effects this time. I have tightness in my muscles, clinched jaw, nausea, loss of appitite, headache, feeling very fidgety, dry mouth, sleepiness, constipation. I don't want to quit taken it, since it worked so good before. I figure if the side effects do not improve after a month I will talk with my doctor. | I loved it in the past, it did wonders for me. I don't know if I am gonna be able to stay on it this time, due to the side effects, I'm really hoping they will go away. But even if I can't take it this time and I need something different I still would recommend it. At least to try it...you never know if it's for you til you try. Trial and error. | F | 35 | 5 days 75MG 1X D | 10/27/2010 | 1 | Anxiety | When I took this medicine so long ago it was terrible from the get-go! Right away I became aware of a squeezing pressure in both lobes of my brain. If that was not bad enough, nausea, bad dreams, hallucinations, feeling non-human, feeling like I was in a video game, severe fatigue, depression and living from pill to pill. God forbid if I went somewhere and forgot to take my dose. It would completely disable me into a crying heap.It felt that I was addicted to it just to avoid the withdrawals that happened pill to pill. Well 10 years later, I don't take any medicine and am a happy normal functioning person. Just remember, this drug may help some people; but if you become one of the ones not doing well on it...Get off it as soon as you see these problems. EVERY ONE NEEDS TO REMEMBER THAT ANXIETY & DEPRESSION ARE NORMAL AT TIMES AND IT POINTS OUT SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO RESOLVE. DO NOT LOOK FOR A MIRACLE PILL FOR EVERYTHING. JUST IMPROVE YOUR DIET, EXERCISE, RELATIONSH | F | 26 | 2 years 2X D | 10/22/2010 | 1 | Depression | I could not get past the severe dizziness and hallucinations. I felt very sick to my stomach for two days straight and vomited through out most of the day. I would not recommend this drug, however this is only my experience. | F | 25 | 2 days 1X D | 10/15/2010 |