Drug Ratings for EFFEXORAverage Rating: 3.0 (835 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Satisfaction from highest to lowest 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 | | | | |||
| 1 | depression | made me want to kill myself!!!! | This drug is VERY VERY hard to get off of! PLEASE do not take it! I have know 4 othes that had the EXACT same problems with the med! | F | 44 | 1 years | 7/4/2007 | 1 | Depression | Vomiting! Fatigue, about 3pm I'd hit a wall! Just feel absolutley worn out and start yawning like crazy. Then about 7pm I'd be FULL of energy and not able to sit still. | For the first 2 weeks couldn't hold a thing down, at first I thought I had the flu that was going around the office... But then I finally noticed a pattern, for the first ohhhh 10 hours of my day I'd like clock work start belching thirty minutes after eating. This would continue until my stomach was so upset that I'd have to throw up just to feel better, which I would. So as a result, I wasn't holding anything down until about 6pm and then I'd be fine after eating. When I finally realized that this coincided with taking my mediation in the morning and it tapering off during the day... it all made sense. I stopped taking Effexor after that. As far the depression, I felt no benefit. | F | 30 | 2 weeks | 6/2/2007 | 1 | dysthymia/depression | "brain zaps," "disorganized" thoughts, severe interference with menstrual cycle (no period-minor spotting while on the drug, 10 week period at discontinuation), stomach pain, severe nausea, vomiting, weight gain, insomnia (inability to stay asleep, sleep through the night), "dull" emotions, lack of concern about responsibilites, social withdrawel, lost all interest in hobbies, relationships, withdrawel upon cessation of medication | DO NOT take Effexor unless you are absolutely certain that your doctor will follow up on the prescription until at least a month or two after you have stopped taking it. The side effects are very severe, and the process of getting off the medication is painful and emotionally disturbing. This is supposed to be a last resort drug, but it was prescribed to me and to most patients with whom I have spoken without trying other drugs/therapy/lifestyle changes, and without full disclosure and explaination of the severity of the side effects. Doctors are also often reluctant to help a patient get off the medication, which makes the process even more difficult. | F | 23 | 4 years | 5/29/2007 | 1 | Despression, anxiety disorder | SEVERE sexual side effects, weight gain, emotional numbness, no libido, horrible withdrawl symptoms | I started taking this nine months ago ALONG WITH wellbutrin SR, and at first it was great, but now, nine months later, I'm desperately trying to get off of it. I unfortunately lost my medical insurance so I was FORCED to quit the medication cold turkey, and after reading everyone elses comments, I'm both relieved and horrified. Relieved because other people are having problems with it, and horrified that my doctor would prescribe it for me. I only have mild depression and anxiety, and some studies suggest that this drug isn't meant for people with mild symptoms. I get sick all the time, am constantly tired, and feel numb to the world around me. Not only that, but the withdrawl symptoms have ganged up with the side effects and won't go away. My boyfriend admits that I don't cry as much on the medication, but the symptoms I have now are worse than before I started the medication! Don't take this stuff. I'm 21 years old, and I have virtually NO sex life, and practically no SOCIAL life ei | F | 21 | 9 months | 5/24/2007 | 1 | depression | In five years I have gained 70 lbs and had zero sex drive. Due to circumstances, I‘m going "Cold Turkey" (where did THAT term come from) and the effects of withdrawal REALLY are uncomfortable: highly increased aversion to noise; nervous system jolted by pulses of electrical charges; lack of sleep. Coming off this drug is NOT easy for me; there are times I go out to the garage (so my wife and kids won't know) and break down and cry for about five minutes. Then I suck it up and get back to work fixing the house. At night, If I do get some sleep, the dreams leave me feeling overwhelmed with anxiety which I attempt to hide so my kids don’t feel their dad is doing a “Captain Queeg.” I don’t feel that the benefit of Effexor, is worth the downside. I give it a 1 because, I can’t dance to it. | M | 60 | 5 years | 5/16/2007 | 1 | PMDD, Depression | From withdrawal: nausea, anxiety , just felt twitchy all the time, bouts of crying, dizziness/vertigo, headache, eye problems (light sensitive, slow focusing). | Initially I had commented below that I was quitting Effexor. Now that I am finally through withdrawal I can't believe they give anyone this drug. I am glad it helped some but not me; I want to thank everyone who commented as it was a big part of my decision to get off this stuff. | F | 42 | 5 months | 5/16/2007 | 1 | depression | Withdrawal syndrome (dizzyness, hot and cold flashes, rapid cycling mood swings) | Here are some of the official adverse reactions reported for Effexor: photosensitivity reaction, suicide attempt, withdrawal syndrome, appendicitis, carcinoma, anaphylaxis, aortic aneurysm, cerebral ischemia, heart arrest, heart failure, myocardial infarct, rectal hemorrhage, weight gain, diabetes mellitus, akathisia, convulsion, CNS stimulation, seizure, dystonia, Gullain-Barre Syndrome, PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION, asthma, acne, amnesia, confusion, depersonalization, vertigo, incoordination, manic reaction, pneumonia, deafness, glaucoma, anorgasmia, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, extrapyramidal symptoms (including tardive dyskinesia)... | M | 45 | 5 days | 5/15/2007 | 1 | anxiety | nausea,fatigue,confusion,heart palpitation,sleepiness,depersonalization,increased anxiety,sweating | You are not yourself.You are the shaking rabbit which doesn't know what's going on with him.Your heart wants to jump out from your chest. Anxiety is increased. I don't recommend this medicament for beginners, maybe for desperados, which unsuccessfully tried other ways to come out from the anxiety horror. | F | 30 | 3 weeks | 5/14/2007 | 1 | Chronic Back Pain | I have been taking Effexor XR 150 mg. for 2 yrs, it did help with back pain. It made me say yes to anything....there was not one thing I could not conquer for my friends and family. Although, my sex drive went down, at first my weight went down and then 15 pounds up. Then the drug conquered me, it controled me, if I missed one dose I could not function. My head hurt, body ached and I felt like I was 95 years old. The drug controled me. I was addicted, it was the worse thing that I have ever encountered in my life. I once had to go one weekend without any and I thought I was going to lose my mind, I suffered the worse withdrawls and never knew that was what I was going through. I am finally drug free....3 weeks and stilling feeling some effects. I have overcome the worse part brain zaps, body aches, lifeless, nausea, mean oh so mean. I am taking control of me again. There is a medicine for depression and chronic pain, THIS IS NOT THE ANSWER SO IF YOU JUST STARTED THEM GET wea | JUST SAY NO TO YOUR DR. about EFFEXOR no matter what he/she says | F | 45 | 2 years | 5/3/2007 | 1 | Dr. recommended for HBP | I had severe chronic coughing allday and night to the point I wound up with a prolapsed bladder(dropped)My sex drive went out the window. I think my husband I did it 12 times last year. He's hanging in there though.Horrible nightmares, my children being in positions where I could not save them. My Dr. had recommended this drug because they said my HBP was anxiety induced. I had profuse night sweats(had to change my night clothes twice a night to be able to sleep.My Dr. seemed to disregard my symptoms as related to the Effexor. | I should have read up on the withdrawal effects before quitting cold turkey.They say this is not a addiction drug. Well I have never taken drugs before but am smart enough to know that the severe shakes, sweats,vertigo, nausea, numbness on my lips and tinitis (ringing in the ears)diarreah, lack of appetite. I am on day four of quitting this drug and I feel like I could just die, I am not depressed or anything like that nor do I have suicidal tendencies. I am just sick and tired of being sick. Has anyone seen just how many items come up for Effexor withdrawal symptoms? The injury lawyers are out there, petitions.It amazes me that there are people giving this drug a 5 when it is ruining people's lives. There may come a time when you have to discontinue this drug. I pray no one has to go through these horrible withdrawal symptoms | F | 40 | 2 years | 5/2/2007 | 1 | Antipression | Did well (i thought) until I had several strokes from this medication. Yes! Really. I stopped this recently and am having horrible side effects from coming OFF. I've had the first anxiety attacks i've EVER had. They are awful. If you have problems with your vision AT ALL, when you first start this medication, IMMEDIATELY stop and don't let the doctor prescribe it. I had vision problems twice over a yr period. They only lasted about a half hour each. Then a yr 1/2 later had these strokes. It was vaso-constriction. This also caused me about 2 yrs of my life wanting to hide in my house. Without the meds, I feel like i'm free. I still take Zoloft, when I stopped all meds I found out I needed them. | This drug has bad side effects while you're on it and when you're withdrawing from it. This drug should be taken off the market. I've heard of other people my age, gender having strokes. Luckily, they're only temperary (hopefully) | F | 32 | 42 months | 4/20/2007 | 1 | Depression & Anxiety | Nausea, muscular pain, tension | Very hard to come off | F | 46 | 9 months | 4/2/2007 | 1 | chronic depression | The effectiveness of this drug drops off precipitously. Then when you try to go off it, you discover it is highly ADDICTIVE, with withdrawal effects that rival those of some street drugs. Already a person who tends to be underweight, it caused me to lose nearly 18 pounds, and devastated my immune system. | Wyeth-Ayerst, the maker of Effexor, has suppressed or deliberately misinterpreted the test data for this drug. Already 5 years ago British medical journals warned about the danger of DEATH from overdose. Now for that reason a public warning has been issued in British Columbia, Canada. It is UNSAFE at any dose! | M | 18 months | 2/28/2007 | 1 | anxiety, panic attacks, depression | 30 lb weight gain, hopeless feeling constantly, suicidal thoughts, desire to return to cutting, numb, horrible withdrawl when deciding to go off the medication including "brain shivers", dizziness to the point where I would fall down, extreme nausea, vomiting, etc. | I would never recommend this drug to anyone. I believe that it seriously affected me and I consider it to be one of the worst times in my life. I was not myself. I had no emotion and no will to be alive in general. Nothing made me happy and I feel I had very bad judgment on situations that I put myself in because of a lack of caring for myself. This situations/feelings are not usual for my character. I also began cutting again which hadn't happened since I was 16. The withdrawal effects are similar to those of heroine withdrawal (from what I've been told by doctors). I've known other people that had similar effects when on this drug as well. I would strongly advise against taking it. I am now 26, but took Effexor when I was 23. Please save yourself the torment and awful side effects and try something safer. | F | 23 | 9 months | 2/16/2007 | 1 | Depression | Severe weight gain. | F | 26 | 18 months | 2/16/2007 | 1 | depression/anxiety | 1st night woke up rushing, ears ringing, blocked ears, headache, anxious, racing thoughts. 2nd day spent all afternoon/evening and vomiting violently, couldn't keep anything down - must have vomitted about 15 times. | The violent vomitting suggests my body was rejecting it. However I did experience a dazed relief from my depression/anxiety despite the sickness. Psychiatrist advised me to cease treatment as my physical reaction was too adverse and I am going to try a different medication. Interestingly, day 3 WITHOUT effexor I felt positive, so it must have been doing something to my brain chemistry already. Must note however that a good friend of mine has taken it for 7 years and it's really helped him get his life back together (few side effects) and he feels balanced out. I really believe that due to the differences in our physical and chemical makeups, what works well for one person can be another person's poison. It's a case of trial and error. | F | 28 | 2 days | 2/15/2007 | 1 | Depression | Sexual, irritability, mood swings, and nausea | I took effexor for a few years and when I stopped I had withdraws. I was very sick for a week. At the urging of my doctor I am back on it. This time I am unable to climax during sex. I am 27 years old and female. Also I find myself crying for no reason and feeling very very sad. It is so much a problem that I am going to discontinue them. | F | 27 | 2 months | 2/14/2007 | 1 | bi/polar | manic and panic attacks! | totally wrong medication for me. almost got really crazy of it and had to go to the hospital while my head was upside down with manic thoughts and very dark thoughts. I would never take this medication again. | M | 32 | 24 days | 1/24/2007 | 1 | stress/dizziness | no sex, weakness in legs, nausea. | M | 62 | 60 days | 1/7/2007 | 1 | antisocial | no sleep, increased depression, suicidal thoughts, crying for no reason, no real emotions | I tried to commit suicide the second month of taking effexor. It is a very dangerous drug and your doctor will lie to you because the drug companies pay him to sell their drugs. | F | 20 | 2 months | 1/3/2007 | 1 | depression and panic attacks | self seperation, felt like I was living outside my normal self,blackout periods (time and memory loss), dry mouth, muscle cramps and convulsions, non-stop babbling, headaches, insomnia, increased irrotic sexual thoughts but no drive to perform. | Stay away, stay as far away from this drug as you possibly can! It never helped, it only hurt. | M | 31 | 5 months | 12/29/2006 | 1 | DEPRESSION | dizziness and nausea, insomnia and agitation, non-existent feelings, majorly increased states of depression, thoughts of suicide and sexual pervertions, nightmares,sweating, hallucinations, socially acted outside the box, extremely rude and crude, vision problems, high blood pressure, paranoid, hypertension, etc..... | Thank you, finally people are writing what actually happens when your on this crap. I thought I was becoming some sort of perv and was having a breakdown because of it. I finally broke down and told my wife who got me the help I needed. I'm ten months clean of this stuff now and much happier and healthier. No more drug theropy for me, you would be wise to do the same. | M | 33 | 1 years | 12/29/2006 | 1 | ANTI DEPRESSENT | DRY MOUTH, HAIR LOSS; | PEOPLE NEED TO BE INFORMED AS THE THE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMES... THEY ARE FIERCE | F | 73 | 1 years | 12/17/2006 | 1 | Post partum depression | no sleep, short tempered, dillusional, dry mouth, lack of interest, suicidal, sweating, amaris toward men and women I didn't even know, overly talkative, uncaring, bouts of crying for no apparent reason, headaches, muscle pain and cramping, vision problems, high blood pressure, weight gain, no libido, voices, blackouts, emotionless, unaccountable for my time and whereabouts, constantly scared to the point of paranoid. | The birth of a child is supposed to be the most beautiful time in a womans life, especially your first. I waited 32 years for my baby girl and this drug was supposed to help me enjoy it. I lost the first four months of my little girls life because of it and will never be able to get that time back, not to mention the memories that I don't have either. I was lucky enough to have a husband and wonderful inlaws who were always around, believed in me, stood beside me and helped me through this ordeal. I'm not sure what would have happened to my little girl if they were'nt constantly here when things went so terribly wrong. I would get up and not even check on her, then get dresed and leave the house and not come back for hours on end. Thank the Lord that my mother inlaw was staying with us. I'm off this medication now for just about three months and have sworn off others like it as well, my daughter, my husband and I are getting reaquainted with each other and our lives are finally st | F | 32 | 4 months | 12/11/2006 | 1 | stress and depression | complete lack of sleep way beyond insomnia utter depervation, unable to determine reality from illusion, constant babbling I would talk for hours on end to anyone about anything, talking to myself, I would stop people on the streets to talk or go on chat lines because I had this thirst to constantly talk, utter loss for morality, no common sense, physical bodily pain, severe headaches, thoughts of suicide, nausea, paranoia, memory loss, crying and no emotions what so ever. | I went on this medication to feel better, what happened made me more depressed than ever, I attempted suicide twice and would pick fights with my wife and friends for no reason what so ever, some were physical others were emotionally scarring. The problem was I didn't even realize what was happening to me or who I was hurting, my wife and friends came to my rescue and helped get me out of this nightmare. I have since turned to holistic methods of dealing with my problems. I almost lost everything, my wife, friends and my business. This drug is a menace to society and should be banned by the FDA immediately and those involved with putting it on the market should be thrown in jail. | M | 45 | 5 months | 12/11/2006 | 1 | anxiety, stress, mild depression | Brain zaps, severe mood swings, confusion and misperception of reality, time warp type of blackouts, emotionlessness, uncaring, moments of great sadness and pain, nausea, dry mouth, muscle cramping, suicidal thoughts, constantly conversing but no one was there, inappropriate and abnormal behavior both social and moral, irritated eyes with light sensativity, complete lack of focus. | I lost my job, my girlfriend and many good friends because of this medication, never again. If your even contemplating taking it, forget it!!! | M | 41 | 5 months | 12/6/2006 | 1 | Depression | I took this pill when I was 18 after fighting off doctors and psychologists for 7 years about getting on anti-depressants. I had plenty of out of body experiences after taking this drug. I would be laying in bed lethargic and feel that I was floating and looking down on my body. I was an emotional wreck, constantly crying, irritated with my family, and down about having to drop out of college due to an illness. The reason I got on this was because I was so depressed about leaving school that I didn't get out of bed for 2 weeks straight. After getting on this pill, it didn't help with anything. I just felt worse. | Once I told my doctor about how I felt, he quickly changed my meds to Wellbutrin SR (I owe my life to this stuff...). He told me there had been reportings of the same thing that happened. Unfortunately a few of my friends had to experience this pill as well. Without having told them about my experience, they told me what happened to them. They reported the same experience as I. There was a report on MSN yesterday about patients taking Effexor are more likely to committ suicide than not taking it. I believe that. | F | 22 | 3 weeks | 12/6/2006 | 1 | depression | no sleep, delusions of grandure, nightmares, blackouts, sexual thoughts but still no sex drive, pressure behind my eyes and light sensitivity, more depressed on it than off it, voices, constant crying, total confusion and lack of reality experiences | Never again!!!!!!!!! | M | 39 | 10 months | 12/4/2006 | 1 | depression | weight gain, severe sweating, vivid dreams, restlessness | I was intitially very pleased with effexor. In the begng I thought it was a huge help in allowing me to manage my depression. My only complaints were that if I did not take the meds by 4pm I would be extremely nauseated and would have "body shocks." I also found that I had no drive on the medction as if I did not care, but I also wasnt as sad so I still felt content with the drug despite the other frustrations. During my 4th month on effxor I began severly sweating, it was terribly embarrising. I never wanted to go out with my friends, b/c if we would walk anywhere for even 5 min, the temp difference of outside to inside would make me sweat profusely. The effexor made it very easy to sleep, and I did alot of that, sometimes missing important events, which is completely out of character. Eventually I was sick of the nausea from a late on a dose, the weird and troubling dreams, the embarrising sweating, and missed my old self that worked hard and was always prepared. I tried | F | 21 | 18 months | 12/3/2006 | 1 | depression | weight gain, severe sweating, vivid dreams, restlessness | I was intitially very pleased with effexor. In the begng I thought it was a huge help in allowing me to manage my depression. My only complaints were that if I did not take the meds by 4pm I would be extremely nauseated and would have "body shocks." I also found that I had no drive on the medction as if I did not care, but I also wasnt as sad so I still felt content with the drug despite the other frustrations. During my 4th month on effxor I began severly sweating, it was terribly embarrising. I never wanted to go out with my friends, b/c if we would walk anywhere for even 5 min, the temp difference of outside to inside would make me sweat profusely. The effexor made it very easy to sleep, and I did alot of that, sometimes missing important events, which is completely out of character. Eventually I was sick of the nausea from a late on a dose, the weird and troubling dreams, the embarrising sweating, and missed my old self that worked hard and was always prepared. I tried | F | 21 | 18 months | 12/3/2006 | 1 | depression, anxiety, stress | memory loss, delusions, insomnia, decreased sexual drive, episodes of confussion, inability to focus, split personality traits, completely emotionless, deep mood swings, blackout periods, night mares, hallucinations, exessive talking, weight gain, acted out in irratic behavioral episodes very unlike my normal way of being before effexor which was probably attributable to the split personality traits I was portraying. | Absolute worst period of my life. Thi product should be removed permanently from the market. | M | 40 | 6 months | 12/1/2006 | 1 | depression | muscle spasms, horrible dreams when I was able to sleep, difficulty distinguishing reality and fiction, blackouts and memory loss, muscle tremors, long periods of weeping, swaeting and hot flashes, vision problems, talked constantly and flirted especially to strangers, I felt like an trapped animal ready to attack all the time, emmense sadness, thoughts of suicide, thought of hurting others, strange voices. | Though I am a devoted Christian, I think I would rather kill myself than live through this time in my life ever again. My husband and I are seperated because of this tiny pill, 150 mg a day was all it took. He is trying hard to understand that this medication was the source of my behavior. God have mercy on us, effexor destroyed 14 years of happiness and two beautiful children. | F | 37 | 1 years | 12/1/2006 | 1 | Depression | Dizziness, Dry Mouth, Impotence - Difficulty getting and maintaining an erection, Took forever to ejaculate. | My doctor put me on Effexor (75 Mg) for 3 weeks as I was in depression. However, the side effects of this drug made things worst. I was in depression because of my illness - Chronic Prostatitis. Prostatitis itself is extremely painful, depressing and long illness of male urinary system. When I took Effexor (and wasn't aware of the side effects) I got sh*t scared, as I couldn't get an erection. I thought I have developed an ED !! Thank god my Prostatits got cured in the same week and I stopped taking Effexor. I would not recommend this drug to anyone. | M | 27 | 16 days | 11/26/2006 | 1 | anxiety disorder | Addiction | F | 39 | 4 times | 10/26/2006 | 1 | depression, anxiety, panic attacks | pressure behind eyes, dry itchy eyes, high blood pressure, profuse sweating 24 hrs., insomnia, night mares, dry mouth, headaches, muscle twitching, joint pain, nausea, lack of sex drive, wieght gain, yawning, constipation, problems urinating, stomach cramps & diarrhea, difficulty focusing, inability to complete tasks, confusion, dilutions, severe emotional swings, downward swings stayed longer each time and severity increased with each cycle, felt happy on the outside and wanted to die on the inside as if I were two different people in the same body, crying spells, uncaring and unemotional very flat most of the time. | This drug literally ruined my life. I was never informed by my doctor about this drug and its side effects. I tried cold turkey to get off it and thought I was going to die. Finally insisted that my doctor ween me off of it. Still have some side effects from it even though it has been several months since I last took it. I only kept taking it because my doctor said it would get better over time. Being depressed was far better than being on this drug. | M | 44 | 8 months | 9/5/2006 | 1 | deppression gad | where to begin? vivid dreams, I would characterize them as hallucinations because I did not sleep at all on this medication. I would close my eyes but deep sleep would never come. Instead there would be sparks in my eyes. I would just lie there and look at the flashing lights. Sounds crazy? It was. at times could not distinguish reality from fantasy. excessive talking. horrendous debilitating headaches, horrible self-loathing, mania, dramatic weight loss (20lbs in a month), terror--it was as if the devil himself showed up every night-no joke, every day I would weep for hours, I had terrible insomnia. racing thoughts..to escape I would drink. mind you, I am not a drinker. I became a completely different person on this drug, a person I did not like one bit. I was afraid that I had had a stroke or something, because I could barely think after awhile, and motor skills were obliterated. Honestly, I thought that there was some brain damage as a result of this medication because | please think twice about taking this medication. it nearly ruined my life. | F | 25 | 2 days | 8/24/2006 | 1 | deppression gad | where to begin? vivid dreams, at times could not distinguish reality from fantasy. excessive talking. horrendous debilitating headaches, horrible self-loathing, mania, dramatic weight loss (20lbs in a month), terror, every day I would weep for hours, I had terrible insomnia. racing thoughts..to escape I would drink. mind you, I am not a drinker. I became a completely different person on this drug, a person I did not like one bit. I was afraid that I had had a stroke or something, because I could barely think after awhile, and motor skills were obliterated. Honestly, I thought that there was some brain damage as a result of this medication. All of these side effects subsided, however, a couple of months after I was off the medication. | please think twice about taking this medication. it nearly ruined my life. | F | 25 | 2 days | 8/24/2006 | 1 | Anxiety/irritable bowel | Sweating, would jump and "clench up" in my sleep, vivid dreams , However they pale in comparison to getting off this med.I am doing so under my dr. care. Now its insomnia( it's 2:30 am now I have to be at work at 6:00am) , I am very mean and impatient, ( usually take everything in stride) I am actually scaring my wife of 26 years. Will this withdrawl ever end ? | I am using xanax as a buffer,, it helps somewhat. | M | 46 | 5 months | 8/7/2006 | 1 | Plastic surgeon botched face lift | Plastic surgeon botched my face lift and wanted to sedate me out of wanting to sue him so he sent me to pain management. I was given a cocktail of Effexor, xanax and vicodin. I got cold sweats, brain zaps, insomnia and loss of all desire to move off of my couch. I had to take the Xanax to go to sleep and to help stop thinking of killing myself. Stomach pain and brain zaps occurred if I missed a dose for just a few hours. I started to panic if I got low on effexor in the pill bottle. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. My fits of rage has alienated most of my family and all my friends. I became a complete asshole with no desire to socialize. After ten years on my sofa, I had complete muscle atrophy. I could not walk and did not care that I didn’t care anymore. I could only think of ways to die painlessly. | I can only hope that a truck hits the man who invented this and that his body will fly into the doctor that addicted me to it and kills him too. I quit cold turkey two months ago after being diagnosed with cancer. My son convinced me that I would need my energy to fight this and survive chemotherapy. He committed me to a convent in order to survive the withdraws of effexor. I still have some leftover effects however they are starting to go away. My family likes me again and so do some of my friends. Somebody must do something about this to help other people. It is too late for me, I am terminal but am in less pain now then while on this drug. It cost me the last ten years of my life. | F | 72 | 10 years | 8/6/2006 | 1 | Clinical depression | After two months and 15 extra pounds, I now have a high blood pressure reading for the first time in my life and also a high pulse rate. What I thought were rather late in life hot flashes are sweats from the medicine. I actually carry a fan in my purse at all times. My hair on the back of my neck often gets wet! Night sweats as well; wake up all clammy and have to put on a fresh night gown. NO MORE! My body is telling me to STOP. | I have been on 225 mg. of Effexor as well as 150 mg Wellbutrin and 300 mg Wellbutrin XL. And now with these side effects from the Effexor, it is time to reevaluate. I can't even reach the psychiatrist who prescribed the Effexor, but my Internest said to drop one 75 mg Effexor and monitor my blood pressure. After reading everyone else' feedback...I am going to get off it no matter what it takes. I wish all of you well! | F | 63 | 2 months | 7/5/2006 | 1 | seizure, depression, anxiety | Continual and severe insomnia, extreme fatigue, confusion, stomache pain - constipation - gas, dry mouth | This medication has helped with some of my seizure symptoms, but there must be another way to achieve this without the above side effects that are causing so much discomfort; the trade-off with effexor is not worth it for me. This med. is not for everyone. | F | 50 | 10 months | 7/1/2006 | 1 | hysterectomy | unbelievable how bad this experience was. I was very even keel when taking however gained 30 pounds in under a year (I am only 5'2") so I knew I had to stop taking before I blew up. The gradual "coming off" was the most awful experience in my life. Loss of memory, blurry vision, shakes, night sweats, "brain crashing" all of it, this went on for a month and to this day 7 months later I believe my poor vision (now wear bifocals) and stomach problems all stem from this horrific drug. Do your research and make sure your doctor knows this drug thoroughly, do not get it from an ob/gyn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | I would NEVER EVER recommend to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | F | 36 | 11 months | 6/28/2006 | 1 | Anxious depression | This drug made me crazy. Yes, I was crazy before, but not like I was on Effexor. I became agitated. I screamed and cussed at the sixth-grade kids I was teaching. Seriously. Both going on and coming off the drug were traumatic experiences. | I guess I was just incompatible with this drug. | F | 26 | 2 weeks | 6/26/2006 | 1 | Depression | After second dose, felt horrid...Rapid heart rate, confusion, hallucinations, passed out in front of husband and children. Needed stitches in chin. Tried Zoloft and has worked great. Effexor was horrible drug for me. Couldn't believe the "wild caged animal feeling" it gave me. Worst night of my life! Thought I might actually have a heart attack at age 27! | Start it slooooow and watch for side effects. Probably like any other drug it can work for some people. Worst thing I ever did was take it though. | F | 39 | 2 days | 6/22/2006 | 1 | Anxiety | Weight gain, lethargy, agitation and no libido. | This drug is awful!! I began taking Effexor as a replacement for Zoloft, which made me a zombie. Effexor was no better than Zoloft and had the added side effect of agitation. Trying to wean off of Effexor was a NIGHTMARE! I had pain all over my body and suicidal thoughts, for the first time in my life. The daily withdrawl was worse than any panic attack. It took more than 4 months to completely get off of this drug. A more serious warning of the withdrawl symptoms needs to be made. | F | 43 | 6 months | 6/17/2006 | 1 | panic attacks | profuse sweating, weight gain, fatigue, nightmares | I took it for 19 days. Dose 37.5 for 1 week then up to 75mg. could not tolerate side effects. lowered dose back to 37.5 for the last 5 days then quit. I am on day 55 of no Effexor and still experiences some withdrawal symptoms. Head swooshing, brain zaps and headaches. DON'T TAKE THIS STUFF!!! | F | 45 | 19 days | 6/11/2006 | 1 | Depression and anxiety | Nausea, weight gain (50 pounds), brain zaps, dizziness, sustained hypertension, tingling arm, headaches | This should no longer be a drug of choice. It may work, but there has to be a better solution. This drug is addictive. It is very difficult to get off. | F | 46 | 6 years | 6/10/2006 | 1 | depression | THIS IS A DRUG SENT DIRECTLY FROM HELL.I NEVER FELT SO HORRIBLE IN MY LIFE. I SLEPT FOR HOURS, AND WHEN I WAS AWAKE I FELT LIKE CRAP. | COMING OFF THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE, I WAS IN THE ER TWICE, CERTAIN I HAD A BRAIN TUMOR. THE HEACHACHE LASTED FOR 3 WEEKS STRAIGHT. I WAS SO DIZZY, I COULDN'T DRIVE. I WAS NAUSATED. MY HEART RATE WAS 120 JUST LAYING ON THE COUCH. I WAS PRETTY SURE I WAS DYING. I PRAYED IT WOULD HAPPEN SOON. THE WITHDRAWAL PERIOD LASTED A GOOD 3 MONTHS. | F | 26 | 8 months | 4/28/2006 | 1 | Depression and anxiety | Memory loss, dry mouth | I see lots of "5" ratings for this drug from people who claim that Effexor has changed their life for the better. That may be true, but before you go on this ADDICTIVE drug, please do the following : Type "Effexor withdrawal" into Google, and follow some of the links. I believe you will find that the benefits of Effexor do not outweigh the risks, by far. Unless you plan to stay on this drug FOR LIFE, you will experience horrific side effects when coming off - NO MATTER IF YOU TAPER OR NOT. The people who claim the side effects last only a few days have never gone off the drug for more than a few days. | M | 41 | 2 years | 2/28/2006 | 1 | Depression | decreased sex drive. withdrawl side effects - electric 'jolt' sensation in head, dizziness, vivid nightmares | I was prescribed Effexor during a situational depression - that I now realize was a mistake on my doctor's part. 3 years later I'm still taking this drug because of the horrible withdrawl symptoms. I'm finally tapering off with 37.5ml every other day. So far, so good. I want to be off this medication for good. | 24 | 3 years | 2/15/2006 | 1 | major depression | I take 300mgs of effexor. I soon began having problems with orgasm, mental fog, forgetfullness, yawning, fatigue and falling asleep. My pdoc added 300 mgs of Wellbutrin to help. It helped a little but not enough so he added 300 mgs of Provigil. Soon, I began to realize I was no longer cold natured. I am always hot and begin sweating after very little physical activity. I attributed this to premenapause and my sleep apnea, which had been under control for 2 years with CPAP. Next, I began having severe symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome. My legs twitch and jerk all night in spite of the fact that my sleep doctor gave me Mirapex to help. I also began talking in my sleep. I still don't remember many dreams. Next, I began having brain zaps that radiate into my hands. These begin about mid afternoon. I told my pdoc that it felt like withdrawal symptoms so he had me split my dose, taking 150 a.m. and 150 p.m. For about a month the brain zaps stopped but now they are back. | In addition to all the other negative side effects, I am having ringing in my ears that just doesn't stop. I am religious about my meds---7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Although I haven't consulted my pdoc, last night I began weaning. I opened my 150 mg capsule and poured out a few grains. I plan to continue this weaning VERY slowly over a few months because I can't live like this. I will tell my pdoc when I go on Feb. 22 but I can't wait that long. | F | 47 | 1 years | 1/27/2006 | 1 | major depression | I take 300mgs of effexor. I soon began having problems with orgasm, mental fog, forgetfullness, yawning, fatigue and falling asleep. My pdoc added 300 mgs of Wellbutrin to help. It helped a little but not enough so he added 300 mgs of Provigil. Soon, I began to realize I was no longer cold natured. I am always hot and begin sweating after very little physical activity. I attributed this to premenapause and my sleep apnea, which had been under control for 2 years with CPAP. Next, I began having severe symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome. My legs twitch and jerk all night in spite of the fact that my sleep doctor gave me Mirapex to help. I also began talking in my sleep. I still don't remember many dreams. Next, I began having brain zaps that radiate into my hands. These begin about mid afternoon. I told my pdoc that it felt like withdrawal symptoms so he had me split my dose, taking 150 a.m. and 150 p.m. For about a month the brain zaps stopped but now they are back. Now, | F | 47 | 1 years | 1/27/2006 | 1 | panic attacks/irritability | obsessive skin picking, unsociable/reclusive, sleepy, cold sweats at night, freezing cold during day, hungry, no libido, daydreaming, not taking care of self,home/responsibilities, constipation, irregular heartbeat. | I quit 37.5mgs/2x day after 2 weeks of HELL, took ONE 20mg PROZAC & ALL SIDE EFFECTS/WITHDRAWL SYMPTOMS STOPPED WITHIN AN *HOUR*. I'm continuing with Prozac. The ONLY positive things Effexor did was completely eliminate my panic attacks/irritability - but, it wasn't worth it, obviously. My 49yr old bf is physically ADDICTED to Effexor - his life is RUINED - he's completely reclusive, not going to work on a regular basis, tired all the time, has no interest in sex, inability to sleep, losing too much weight, breathing problems, nausea, headaches, body aches, odd behavior...it eliminated his irritability that he started taking it for, but, again, it isn't worth it, obviously. | F | 41 | 14 days | 1/22/2006 | 1 | Depression/BP2 (misdiagnosis) | Lethergy, irritability and anger. GETTING OFF OF THIS MEDICATION IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE! | As I said, my withdrawl was one of the worst experiences of my life, I thought I was going to die for nearly a week. I am currently on Seroquel (150 at night for sleeping) and 400MG of Lamictal which I am certain does nothing... I went off the Effexor and crashed hard which leads me to believe that the Lamictal is worthless. My Doc is an idiot! | F | 35 | 2 years | 1/16/2006 | 1 | anxiety | EXTREME fatigue all the time. Lethargic. Weight gain 20 lbs very quickly. It made me spacey AND it made me break out as I increased the dose. TOTALLY SUCKS! | Didn't work for me, but it does WONDERS for my best friend. Just keep trying till you find something that works for you. | F | 25 | 365 days | 1/6/2006 | 1 | Depression | At 10 MG, side effects were minimal, except for the lack of libido and ability to have an orgasm. However, one month after raising to 20 MG, I have HORRIBLE side effects. It started with fainting and dizziness, then moved to progressively worse memory and concentration problems, difficulty finding the right words, slurred speach and tremor. The symptoms, sans the tremor, would come and go. The doctors didn't know what was going on because the manufacturer only tested at 10 MG and these side effects *aren't* listed in the literature. They were suggesting brain scans, and I feared I had a brain tumor! | Be careful about going past 15 MG and be wary of bad withdrawal symptoms. When tapering off, even slowly, I was so tired I to slept 12-15 hours a day, less each day, and was tired by 3 PM. | F | 38 | 70 days | 12/16/2005 | 1 | Depression | thirst, nausea, headaches, migraines, vivid dreams / nightmares, night sweats, insomnia, seeing things out of the corners of my eyes, brain shivers, intermittent short term memory loss, mild case of dyslexia every now and then, lethargy, no sex drive or pleasure, weight gain - 50lbs over 8 months -I seemed to gain no matter how much or little I ate. Blood pressure increase. Bloody stool for about a week in the beginning, and then none. Made me want to drink or is it just me? | WITHDRAWAL: Started tapering off 2.5 months ago from 225mg. After getting to 75mg, had to go back up to 112.5mg. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS. Withdrawal symptoms included: more severe migraines, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pains, agitation, insomnia, brain shivers, dizziness, weird dreams, blurred vision, sleepy during certain hours of the day, fatigue/exhaustion for no reason. Sometimes irritable, sometimes want to cry. So much more - I am so tired of remembering. The smell of alcohol is nauseating now. I have missed over 6 weeks of work since I started tapering off. Please notice everything that happens to you that is unusual that you question. It is not your imagination - it is the stupid drug. Doctors need to educate themselves more about the effects of this drug on their patients, and Wyeth (the manufacturer) needs to be sued for not releasing adequate information upon releasing the drug onto the market. It may help you short term, but unless you plan on being a | F | 31 | 9 months | 12/6/2005 | 1 | situationl discouragmnt (job loss) | significant tingling at every pressure point when lying down; voice weakness; severe insomnia; delayed or non-existent orgasm; | This was a VERY bad drug for me. After I got off the drug, I successfully used a small amount (and short time) of Xanax. I believe that DEPRESSION/DISCOURAGEMENT IS BEING WAY, WAY OVERSOLD. I haven't taken any psych meds for a while now, and don't plan to! No one even mentions the possibility that reaction times and judgment are adversely impaired--yes, I'm talking about the increased risk of falls and motor vehicle deaths and injuries. Read about the Australian attitudes regarding psych meds for the elderly Stephen Lord, et al. Falls in the Elderly University of New South Wales--check it out on amazon. First thing they do is get the elderly OFF of all psych meds! | M | 55 | 21 days | 12/6/2005 | 1 | Depression | Dizziness, nausea, acid reflux, inability to sleep | In trying to stop taking effexor (because it didn't help with my depression at all), I have been subject to horrible, excruciating side effects. Extreme dizziness, nausea, acid reflux leading to an inability to sleep and vomiting. I don't want to keep taking it, because it doesn't help, and makes me sick in new ways, but I can't stop taking it, because it makes me even sicker. Don't get stuck in this vicious cycle. | F | 25 | 2 months | 11/27/2005 | 1 | Sadness/Depression | Extreme insomnia and agitation. Feeling like I can't lie still in bed. | Who knows why I took this medicine? TERRIBLE. I had heard that the side effects were awful and said so to my doctor but he pushed it on me. For one week, I debated taking the first 37.5 mg capsule and finally did last night at 8:00 p.m. It's now 5:15 a.m. and I've gotten not one wink of sleep. Forget it. Instead, I will go to counseling to talk about all the loss and tragedy in my life rather than endure this hell. I have one question. Why is this drug still on the market? Thank you everyone for your posts. | F | 59 | 1 days | 11/18/2005 |