Drug Ratings for EFFEXOR XRAverage Rating: 3.1 (2037 Ratings)
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| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 4 | GAD/PD/SAD | Dry mouth, with added plus of metallic taste all the time. Sexual side effects. Insomnia, slight tremors, body zaps when loud noises come out of nowhere. Lethargic once in a while. | Effexor XR has helped wonderfully with my anxiety and panic attacks. I haven't had an attack in over a year. Before Effexor XR I was on Lexapro which left me feeling numb and I still had breakthrough panic. As with any SSRI/SNRI there are always going to be side effects but with Effexor I find there is way more good than bad. I have energy and I don't obsess over every little thing now (my husband's happy about that!). And I can go to a movie or a mall and not feel like I'm going to run screaming from the room. A good drug for me. | F | 40 | 1 years 225 1X D | 3/17/2011 | 1 | hot flashes | F | 48 | 4 years 75mg 1X D | 3/11/2011 History | 2 | Moderate depression and Anxiety | Nausea, headaches, and dry-mouth. Affected my vision, I was "seeing frames". Reduced sexual sensitivity and trouble reaching orgasm. Lot's of energy but foggy head. Couldn't sleep. Made me feel a little high. | Took it for three days then stopped because of the side affects. I have tried several other SSRI's and Wellbutrin. Never had a medication affect me that strongly in such a short period of time. The night after I stopped taking it I had very intense dreams, woke up in a cold sweat and had a terrible headache and upset stomach- Like a bad hangover, but I hadn't had a drop of alcohol-. Be careful it is a powerful one. | M | 28 | 3 days 37.5 MG 1X D | 3/10/2011 | 1 | depression | I tried to kill myself witch mad no sense since I LOVE MY LIFE! The effexor worked great at first and then slowly i started to sleep more and feel more and more depressed, I also started having weird behavior. I never tried to hurt myself before this drug. | F | 23 | 3 weeks 37.5mg 1X D | 3/9/2011 | 1 | Depression | Nausea, vomiting, flu like symptoms, panic attacks. Felt "poisoned." | Tried all the antidepressants, thought I would give this one a shot. Increased anxiety like mad! After trying 25 antidepressants, my doctor put me on 5 mcg's of Cytomel. After 15 years of depression, it went away in one day with Cytomel. It was like someone turned on the life switch. My thyroid tests were and are still normal.'I don't think big pharma has depression quite figured out yet. Try Cytomel!!! Read the testimonials on here, they are the same as mine. Start low and go slow (5 mcg's - 10 mcg's). No more than 10 mcg's per day.'You will feel like a dead plant come back to life! No generics! | M | 40 | 6 weeks 37.5 1X D | 3/6/2011 | 4 | Panic | slight weight gain, increased appetite, brain zaps when dose was missed. loss of sex drive | 3 years free of panic...then it wore off. have been on lexapro, paxil, zoloft, cymbalta. this worked best for me. going to look into pristiq. | F | 31 | 3 days 37.5 mg 1X D | 3/1/2011 | 5 | severe depression, anxiety, panic | Insomnia, nightmares if i miss a dose | This has been a miracle drug for me. I had cancer and couldnt quit thinking about dieing and my daughter being without a mother and my head felt just full of thought 24/7. I couldnt enjoy life for thinking about all the bad stuff that could happen. I was severly depressed, almost talked myself into leaving my family cause i didnt want them to get hurt if i died. I had every day anxiety, and panic attacks. I cried all the time, and wasnt the wife and mother that i wanted to be until i started this medication. It has cleared my mind, i can think positive for the first time in my life. I am a great mother, and my husband has seen a huge differance. I am so much happier, I plan to NEVER get off this med. I love it. It will be taken everyday with my bloodpressure pills for the rest of my life. It is a Godsend. | F | 26 | 3 months 75 1X D | 2/24/2011 | 4 | Anxiety, depression | decreased appetite, increased sex drive, night sweats, some irritability if a day was skipped | Over all like this one. Was on paxil - didn't work. Then Celexa - that worked but after 2 years - didn't help anymore. | F | 40 | 4 years 75 1X D | 2/23/2011 | 1 | Depression/Anxiety/ADD | Elevated AST and ALT Liver Enzymes; Lethargy; Apathy; Cognitve Impairment; Inability to focus; Tremendous difficulty for orgasm; You better get a script for Cialis, too. | If you have HepC, BE REAL CAREFUL. As I weaned myself off of Effexor, my AST and ALT declined from 10 to 15 times normal level to very close to normal levels. I weaned myself from 225mg down to 15 mg. I started this in December 2009, and did it very very slowly. At the very most, the reduction was 12 mg every two weeks. At times I ceased the plan--but not because I was having adverse effects. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG UNLESS IT IS THE ONLY A/D LEFT TO TRY. IT WILL TURN YOUR MIND INSIDE OUT AND SPIT YOU ON THE GROUND. | M | 50 | 4.5 years 1X D | 2/23/2011 | 1 | dysthymia; Borderline Personality | Weight doubled from 150 to 300 lbs. Freakish sweating. I was NEVER suicidal or self-harming until I took this drug. I was sober when I began taking this drug; I began drinking. Then they diagnosed me with Bipolar Disorder I mixed episode. Then also on Wellbutrin 225 mg and Abilify 30 mg. I AM NOT BIPOLAR. Currently off all meds except 37.5 mg Effexor XR and soon will go off of that. WITHDRAWAL HAS BEEN HELL. Effexor XR is a stimulant. So is Wellbutrin and also Abilify. If I really had Bipolar Disorder, why would the docs prescribe 3 stimulants. I am mad about this. | I had to go on disability. I lost 14 years of product adult working and living. Read "Prozac Backlash" It was written in the early 90's by a Harvard Medical Doctor. I wish I had read it before I took those meds. | F | 48 | 14 years 300 mg 1X D | 2/20/2011 | 1 | depression | It is my son who is on this drug. I think it causes his daily nausea, his vomiting, his sweating. He was a nice even-tempered thoughtful caring young college junior who got depressed. Now after 7 years on effexor he is the exact opposite--he is irritable, short-tempered, has free-floating anger and rage at everyone, even at animals. Nothing ever suits him and he blames everyone and thinks they pick on him. He can't sleep well or at the right time or he over-sleeps. He can't keep a job because he feels so ill. He is now using more alcohol, I think to try to feel better from the drug effects. He does not figure it out that the drug has made him this way, because he is so addicted to it. Now his doctor says he is bi-polar. I am sure it was the drug that made him bi-polar. It has such terrible side-effects. As a child and teenager up to age 20 he was never like this. I am convinced the effexor makes him this way. I am so sad for him and all the other people harmed. | This drug should be banned by the FDA. It does 100 times more harm than good and is causing serious disability in our young people. | M | 27 | 7 years 150 1X D | 2/19/2011 | 4 | Depression | Vivid and exhuasting dreams, require more sleep than usual, STRANGE INTENSE dreams, Other than that no bad side effects. I have more of a sex drive now (could be because depression lifted) | This drug has helped a lot with my depression! | F | 23 | 3 months 75 1X D | 2/15/2011 | 5 | serious depression + anxiety | some constipation and very brief period of occasional night terrors for about first 6 weeks, but since then, none | Initially tried Celexa, which only caused symptoms to worsen. Then tried Effexor at 150 mg/day, which helped almost immediately. Dr. later increased dose to 300 mg/day which, along with cognitive behavior therapy, helped me get back to healthy mental state within about 3 months from start of my symptoms and I have been doing well ever since. I have thought about trying dose reduction, but really don't want to risk withdrawal symptoms. Taking this drug is really no different than taking my daily cholesterol and blood pressure meds that I'll be taking for the rest of my life. Patients should realize that: 1) each person reacts differently to each anti-depressant, so unfortunately finding the right drug is a trial & error process and 2) drugs ALONE are not the answer to mental health issues - you have to be willing to work with a therapist to change your negative thoughts. | M | 62 | 10 years 300 1X D | 2/6/2011 | 5 | "Depression", PDD, PTSD. | After a lifetime of distress, I now feel more like a normal human being. | F | 61 | 3 years 150mg, 1X D | 1/31/2011 | 5 | cfs | dry mouth, night sweats, nervousness | I heard about this med after listening to a talk on CFS. I tried it and it has helped so much. I dont know where I would be without it. It clears the 'brain fog' completely, and gives me the strength to deal with everything in a positive light. I have tried to ween myself off this med (for 6 months) but I found that the benefits outweigh all else. At the end of the day---its about quality of life ! | M | 50 | 13 years 150 1X D | 1/23/2011 | 4 | Depression | At 37.5mg my depression is controlled. I will experience episodes of depression but it's manageable. When I increase the dose to 75mg I experience vivid dreams, interrupted sleep, anxiety, irritability and unwarranted anger. | For me, this medication manages my depression if I take it at a low dose. I have not gained/lost weight, but I am an endurance athlete. | F | 47 | 6 years 37.5 1X D | 1/22/2011 | 1 | PTSD | Horrible, visual interuptions, feeling like i was having electric shocks in my head which lasted a year after getting off, horrific nightmares,suicidial fantasys (i'd never been suicidal before!) night sweats-PJ's soaked through!, angry/violent outburst, took 3 years to get off it, terrible terrible withdrawals | I lost my job & 4 years of my life to this drug it should be illegal and I'd like compensation!!!! I still suffer from the nightmares although not as vivid, I think this drug does irriversable damage! | F | 37 | 4 years 300mg 1X D | 1/14/2011 | 2 | bipolar ii + depression/anxiety | intense increase in anxiety and agitation | seems that effexor caused an episode of hypomania with extreme anxiety resulting in increased depression; not a good mix for my condition; regime includes lithium (1500mg); lamictal (300mg); buspar (50mg); abilify (15mg) | M | 40 | 90 days 1X D | 1/12/2011 | 1 | depression/mood disorder | WORST WITHDRAWAL EVER. I've been on anti-depressants for at least 5years, and I've tried multiple ones but by far effexor was the worst. Yea it helped during the time I took it. But if I missed a dose I got those "brain zaps", and I just felt in a fog not myself at all. But when I came off it was the WORST experience I felt like I was in withdrawal from a hardcore drug. Brain zaps constantly, the shakes, sweating, nightmares, anxiety, muscle spasms, and crying spells. | Don't take effexor its not worth the risk of a horrible withdrawal. It has a half life of 5hours, that's why you feel so crummy after missing one dose. awful awful medication. | F | 18 | 1 years 350 1X D | 1/9/2011 | 5 | Major Depressive Episodes, Anxiety | If I miss a dose by even a few hours I get horrible lucid dreams. The worst of my life. And withdrawal effects sink in within hours. If I remember to take it at the same time everyday there are no side effects. It's a miracle drug. | This has given me my life back. After Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil, and a few others failed to help me Effexor finally did the trick. I had to be patient though. It took between 2-3 months for me to really feel close to "normal" again. It did not help me until I worked up to the full dose of 225 mg. So please be patient and give it a chance to work its magic. I have interest in things again, I don't sit in a corner and cry for no reason, and some of my social skills are coming back. I can actually enjoy some company. I don't have the urge to die anymore. I feel moderately content with my life right now which isn't great, but is a HUGE step up from the dark hole I was in. | F | 24 | 6 months 225 MG 1X D | 1/3/2011 | 4 | Depression/PTSD/Panic attacks | Horrible Nausea at first and when dosage was changed, tired, difficulty sleeping, libido is actually better than before. | I was in a really bad place. Nightmares every night and tired all day, almost to a state of paranoia. Tried other drugs but the effexor xr seems to be doing the trick. It is a slow process and I take mirtzaphine at night. But I also keep all my therapy sessions. The drugs can not do it alone. I have resolved myself that I will probably be on the this or something else the rest of my life. | F | 51 | 18 months 150 1X D | 12/29/2010 | 1 | Depression, anxiety | Lowered libido, dizziness, nausea, feeling as though I was outside of myself, strange appetite, headaches, restlessness (couldn't stop tapping my feet), possible vision changes? (severe difficulty driving at night), frequent yawning, bizarre dreams and nightmares, tiredness, difficulty concentrating | Effexor made me feel as though I was constantly drugged, as though I was outside of myself and looking in or in some twilight zone (very difficult to describe). I went off the medication cold turkey, and the withdrawal was brutal - I missed four days of school because I couldn't stand up for more than a few minutes at a time without feeling an intense dizziness, almost as though my brain was sloshing around in my head. I suffered from paranoia in which I thought people were going to come through the window and shoot me. I was able to finally make it to school on a combination of Dramamine, Motrin, and Xanax. I would not wish the withdrawal on anyone. | F | 17 | 1 months 37.5 1X D | 12/22/2010 | 3 | Depression, GAD, Panic attacks | Fuzzy head, dizzy, nausea, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, anhedonia, addiction, headaches | The drug seems to work somewhat for depression and anxiety but has left me feeling angry, anxious, lack of feeling, wired and fatigued while on the drug and depressed, anxious, nauseous, with trying to go off the drug. Was on Pristiq 50 mg for a while tried to get off and could not withdrawal without craving for the drug, so asked to go on low dose effexor xr to satisfy my craving. This drug is addictive and has bad withdrawal. It can work for some people, just don't believe that it is any safer than other addictive drugs, remember all newer drugs are not addictive like cigarettes weren't a long time ago. All psych drugs can form a dependence, best not to start on drugs if you can manage another way. | M | 43 | 2 weeks 37.5 1X D | 12/21/2010 | 2 | Depression/Anxiety | Sexual appetite depleted, mood swings, nausea, and slept all day. Helped w/ depression but not my anxiety too much. | After getting off XR--6 years later I am still experiencing some of the side effects. Mainly night terrors, hallucination, and dizzy spells after I awake from a night terror or bad dream. I can't recommend this drug. | M | 31 | 2 years 75mg 2X D | 12/14/2010 | 4 | Depression/ Anxiety | Weight loss. Dilated pupils. Tired all the time! - Sleep a lot. Probably sleep away half my life :( Helped with my random deep depressions that I would previously have, but seemed to cause a more prolonged mild depression. Don't think it helped with anxiety at all, in fact it may have caused me to have more social anxiety. Took me many years to realize this but I have great difficulty concentrating & loss of motivation ever since being on this drug. I used to be a lot more physically active, I used to always turn my homework in on time and be on time to things. Straight A student. Now I am the opposite, I sleep all the time, have no energy to work out, I procrastinate, struggle focusing on my reading for class. Also - when I first started taking this medication I noticed I had difficulty having an orgasm for the first few months, but this went away later on. It may be more difficult for me to have one, but I am now able to. | F | 25 | 6 years 150mg 1X D | 12/13/2010 | 2 | migraines, anxiety and depression | Mainly, insomnia, and migraine headaches got worse! | Initially, it really helped with my depression but as time went on, had trouble staying asleep--averaged 5-6 hrs./night and I need at least 8-9 hours of sleep! Also, as time went on, I would wake up in the morning (after 5-6 hrs. of sleep) with a migraine coming on and pain in the back of my head/neck like someone had hit me with a frying pan! I even tried cutting back (1/2 of 37.5 mg) but that did not work either. It took about 10-12 days after I quit taking it before I started feeling better with my head and sleeping 8-9 hours. | F | 60 | 6 weeks 37.5 mg 1X D | 12/6/2010 | 1 | Depression and OCD | I tried to overdose on 1375mg of this drug. | F | 16 | 1X D | 12/5/2010 | 4 | counter acts tamoxifen for breast c | none a little weight gain | stoped hot flashes from tomoxifen an anti breast cancer drug | F | 50 | 6 months 75 1X D | 11/29/2010 | 4 | Suicidal Depression/Anxiety | At first I had some nausea, excellent wet dreams, insomnia, dilated pupils. | I guess I can't complain. The drug has indeed lifted my depression when Lexapro started failing. I don't really enjoy my life though. I feel like I could do anything and it wouldn't really matter. The drug has a pretty big zombie effect on me more so than others I've taken. Maybe I'm on too high a dosage. But I have to say I like it since it pretty much saved me from committing suicide. It's just gonna be hard to reclaim my life and emotions. | M | 28 | 5 weeks 300mg 1X D | 11/26/2010 | 1 | more depressed and aggitated. All I wanted to do was sleep and I had to have help taking care of my children because I was too tired to. =( | 2nd worst med I've ever tried. Topamax was the worst. | F | 33 | 2 weeks 37.5 1X D | 11/23/2010 | 5 | Major Depression/Anxiety | Initially erectile dysfuncion, used Viagra, then didn't need it anymore. ED went away after a few months. Through the entire time I was on Effexor skipping a dose was a real problem-- disjointed thoughts, anger, truly strange dreams. | I switched to Effexor XR after a couple of years on Paxil. Paxil saved my life from obsessive suicidal thoughts, but after a couple of years I started abusing my son's Ritalin (he has ADHD). My doctor switched me to Effexor XR. It worked beautifully. I was on for about 5 years and felt so good I titrated off it with help from Prozac. I've been off Effexor (and all anti-depressants) for almost a year with no negative effects. I feel like the Paxil, the Effexor and staying busy, focused and positive "changed my mind" from tending to depression, drug/alcohol abuse and anxiety to health. | M | 48 | 5 years 225 MG 1X D | 11/22/2010 | 4 | PPD, GAD | First week was a little rough. Felt jittery and nauseous. Occasional night sweats. SLEEPY, but had difficult time falling asleep at night. Increased appetite. Short term memory wasn't very good while on it. | Effexor absolutely worked for me. I started to feel relief from my PPD in 1 week while on it. Then my anxiety went away, been dealing with that all my life. I felt great! At times even euphoric. I still felt emotion, I could laugh and cry when appropriate. No change in my libido(yay!). If it weren't for the side effects I would probably stay on it. The side effects are not cool. WEIGHT GAIN, hungry ALL the time! SLEEPY, but had a hard time getting to sleep at night. Short term memory loss, felt ditzy at times. It was mostly the weight gain that made me quit taking it. I worked out 5-6 days a week but could not control my cravings and continued to gain weight. I tapered VERY slowly. I opened the pills and would slowly increase the amount of the little balls that I would take out. I had ZERO withdrawal symptoms. I would recommend Effexor to others and would consider going on it again if I were going through a rough time (although as briefly as possible). | F | 33 | 1 years 75mg 1X D | 11/19/2010 | 4 | Anxiety Disorder | First 2 weeks: Nausea, drowsiness, loss of appetite, weight loss, night sweats, heart palpitations. These actually go away after awhile. After a few months: brusing, increased risk of bleeding, decreased clotting time, bleeding gums, decreased sexual interest, breakthrough menstral bleeding. Was on 150mg at one point, but wasn't able to have emotions (never really happy & could not cry when appropriate) so dose reduced to 75mg. Do not skip doses, or stop taking "cold turkey" or will get withdrawal effects: feeling of electric shock or zapping through nerves, sweating, heart palpitaions, crying spells, difficulty sleeping. | Works well for anxiety & preventing panic attacks... but takes a few week to get full benefits of medication Go up slowing on dose to reduce side effects and go back down in dose slowly when going off to prevent withdrawal. If your emotions are too flat (never happy or sad when appropriate) your dose is too high. Take with food to reduce nausea. I don't take anymore b/c I don't need right now, but would consider it during times of stress. | F | 29 | 6 years 75mg 1X D | 11/15/2010 | 1 | anxiety slight depresstion social a | After a few hours of taking effexr xr generic form became very disoreinted cconfused dizzy swimmy headed. Felt like I was not in my head very odd strange undesciable feeling. By next morning was having seizures had never had seizures prior to this. Could not walk on my own and it was a blessing that I was at home and not out in public alone somewhere. Single mother of 4 teenage kids scared my kids to death. I took effexor a few yrs back but didn't remember how it effected me untill my ex husband reminded me that it done the same thing last time. | I don't recommend anyone try this medication, after only one dose I experienced what could have been life threating effects. I'm on day 2 of not taking it and am still loopy feeling. Seizures have slowed down. Extreme hot flashes then cold chills. My brain is still swimmy and my dr says that this can continue for an unkown amount of time even though I only took one dose.everybodys body reacts differently to this med and it stays in some peoples system longer than others. I am now being ordered by my dr to be under "watch" by family or friends untill this passes or go into the hospital. It scares me to think how bad this could have turned out if I had continued to take this medication one day longer. It may work for some but make sure you do your research before taking. More bad effects with this medicine than good. | F | 35 | 1 days 75mg 1X D | 11/11/2010 | 2 | Major Depressive Disorder | I have MDD and have had depression for over 20 years. I have also had severe anxiety and agoraphobia in the past. I have had Effexor a few years ago and remembered that I had a terrible time coming off it. But this time around because I've had one of my worst meltdowns ever my doctor has prescribed it again even though I expressed concerns about the effects of the eventual withdrawal. I have beern on it for four days so far this time around and I feel very strange, like the world around me is unfamiliar and strange and frightening. I got in the car to go to work this morning and ended up having a panick attack. I drive around the block a few times and in the end came back home and called in sick. I work in a high pressure where I need to constantly think outside the box and I'm worried that I'll start freaking out and failing. I also cannot reach orgasm on this med. | I really hope I can overcome these feelings of strangeness and unfamiliarity of my suroundings and my fear of going back to work. This is my fifth day off sick and this drug is giving me a haunting fear of going back. | F | 36 | 75 1X D | 11/7/2010 | 5 | Depression, Anxiety | At first, nausea and headaches similar to what I experienced with Zoloft and Celexa in the past. After a couple weeks, nothing. | This drug made a huge difference for me. I gradually have worked up to 225 mg (37.5 mg for 6 days, 75 mg for about a month, 150 mg for a couple weeks, and now 225 mg the last three weeks). People complain a lot about withdrawal on this med, but a lot of them don't taper like they should. A lot of family practice docs don't have enough experience with antidepressants to know exactly how quickly to taper the dose. At first this was a concern for me too, but my psychiatrist assured me that by tapering correctly, most people avoid major withdrawal symptoms. I'm a second year medical student, so I think I a reasonable amount of knowledge to know that he isn't just trying to make me feel better for the time being. Anxiety ruled my life before Effexor, and my latest episode of depression was the worst of many. I was having almost constant GI problems, which have been attributed to my mental health struggles. I came closer than ever to killing myself. THANKS TO EFFEXOR I feel like I have my life back again. | M | 24 | 3 months 225 mg 1X D | 11/3/2010 | 2 | Mild Anxiety | Profuse sweating, which was unbearable at times. It is very hard to discontinue this drug, even if weaning slowly off. Nausea, head feels funny, bad overall feeling. I will not go on antidepressants again. | F | 50 | 3 months 37.5 - 75 1X D | 10/28/2010 | 2 | anxiety panic attacks agoraphobia | irritability, severe weight gain, insomnia, really bad withdrawal symptoms from missed doses | I wanted to tell other people that I think there is a way to get off this drug. I'll tell you what I am doing that seems to lessen the withdrawal effect. First get a notepad because you are going to want to write everything down because you will be decreasing your dosages. Your effexor XR capsule will have little white beads inside of it. Depending on your dosage, that is how many beads are in it. My dose is 75 mg, so I have 75 little white beads in it. Step 2 is to get a small dark colored bowl and a pencil. Next wiggle "cap" off the capsule. This is the shorter end of the capsule. Once you have it off then set it to the side. Now you will see that there are the tiny little white beads inside. Do not dump the entire content of beads into the dark colored bowl! (I use the dark colored bowl since it's easier to spot and count the beads). Now while holding the capsule, tip it slightly to loosen the beads up and grab your pencil. With the pencil tip, easily scrape the beads out one at a time if you can. Always check your bowl and COUNT the white beads because you need to be exact. EVERY DAY YOU WILL REDUCE YOUR DOSAGE BY 5 WHITE BEADS! DON'T REDUCE BY ANYMORE THAN THAT OR YOU WILL DEFINITELY EXPERIENCE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS! Once you remove 5 beads from the capsule, screw the top "cap" on snug. You will have to wiggle it back on. Discard the beads preferably in an old medicine bottle with a child-proof cap. Take the capsule with at least a bottle of water to wa | F | 31 | 10 years 75 mg 1X D | 10/26/2010 | 5 | Psychosis | No side effects at all. | Lifesaver drug. | M | 23 | 2 weeks 150mg 1X D | 10/24/2010 | 3 | depression, bullimia | crazy dreams, sweating, weight loss | I can trully say it worked when I was on it. Actually went out and had fun, looked good and felt ok. It was the getting off that is scary. Tried once and was hospitalized for dehydration. Second day with no pills vomiting, diareah, had dreams of dying, sweating buckets, dizzy as hell. Second time around I was prepaired, loaths of white bread and gatorade withsome ignatia for 4 days. Stayed in bed for 3 days sweating and dizzy...But got off it! | F | 27 | 2 years 150 1X D | 10/20/2010 | 3 | Anxiety, Depression | Weight gain (12kgs), Constipation, Fatigue, Hair Loss (permanent), Bleeding (nose). Side effects became noticeable after 2 years and worsened after 4 years. | Worked perfect on anxiety. Also noticed personality "change" (more outgoing, calm etc.). I quit after 4 years due to the side effects. After 10 months without any medication, anxiety and mild depression is back. | M | 37 | 4 years 150mg 1X D | 10/20/2010 | 5 | depression | Reduced sex drive, insomnia, | Saved my life after 20 years on Prozac; went to generic Prosac didn't work, tried lexapro, very depressed. Tried Effexor XR and depression gone (only normal ups and downs). Needed some more help Doctor added Wellbutrin last year. Now very normal. | F | 66 | 10 years 300 1X D | 10/14/2010 | 4 | depression | extreme constipation, dry mouth | Effexor XR has been extremely good at treating my depression, and I will be eternally grateful for that. I would not be alive without it. | F | 54 | 5 years 150 mg 1X D | 10/13/2010 | 1 | Hot Flashes | heart attack,Random high BP spikes, brain zaps as they are called when I was due for a dose, loss of orgasm, feeling of addiction when due for a dose | I believe this med gave me a heart attack at 50. Starting taking this as off-label treatment for hot flashes during menopause. Thought it was a God send- it worked so well. But then started needing more & more to keep the hot flashes at bay. Started feeling addicted & needing it when it was time for a dose. Lost ability to orgasm & started feeling just weird. Randomly took my BP several times at drugstores & it was sky high (my BP had alwyas been low), but couldn't get the same results at my doc's office- thought the BP machines were broken. Mainly due to the orgasm problem decided to withdraw slowly- had read the w/draw horror stories online. Felt w/draw symptoms but figured I'd hang in there & deal with it. That's when I had the heart attack. No fam history of heart disease,don't have high chol/lipids, not overweight, casual smoker. Had a thrombus, no hardening of the arteries, etc. i believe the Effexor caused some kind of BP spike which created a spasm or vascular constriction or something resulting in a thrombus. The docs say it was because I smoked. Supposedly smoking 1 cigarette can give you a heart attack. I don't buy it. The effexor did it. | F | 51 | 1 years 75- 150mg 2X D | 10/12/2010 | 1 | WEIGHT GAIN. I am 30 and have been the same size since I was 18, I gained 20 pounds when I started Effexor. SEVERE WITHDRAWAL- I tapered down from 275 mg but when I go below 75 I get extremely disoriented. | Please use this as a last resort. The withdrawal is not worth it. | F | 30 | 6 months 275 1X D | 9/21/2010 | 4 | Depression | Decreased libido/hard to orgasm. If I forgot to take it, I would get sluggish, foggy-minded, strange 'brain zap' sensations, happiness felt 'fake'. | Coming off if it was extremely difficult, but it did get me back to normal and able to get in charge of life again. | F | 24 | 3 years 1X D | 9/15/2010 | 2 | PTSD/Depression | Felt less in despair, but felt disconnected. Had trouble sleeping on med and had to take a sleeping aid. | F | 30 | 9 months ? 1X D | 9/13/2010 | 4 | anxiety disorder | Dry mouth, extreme thirst, and increased sex drive. If you miss a dose: migraine-like symptoms, nausea | I've been taking different amounts of effexor for about 3yrs. It has really helped my anxiety. Before I took it I couldn't even leave the house! Now, I can function quite normally. | F | 20 | 3 years 225mg 1X D | 9/12/2010 | 2 | Awful Drug! Helped for a while however only caused more problems I cant control_ Weight Gain, Brain Shivers, Anxitey, Extreme Fatigue | F | 21 | 1 years 150 1X D | 9/12/2010 | 2 | depression, anxiety | headaches, profuse sweating, dehydration, exhaustion, irritability, apathy, inability to concentrate, memory problems, stiffness, apathy. | When I first started taking this drug, I felt relief after having been on Pristiq for several months, which was causing hair loss-balding, nausea, insonmia, balance problems, and blurred vision. Two weeks later, I began experiencing extreme headaches like never before. I knew that sweating was a side effect of Effexor, so I attributed the headaches to dehydration, caused by the sweating; drinking more and more water helped only minimally. Next came the extreme fatigue. Though I have experienced problems with energy that came with the depression, this is something else. I find it difficult to get out of bed and necessary to nap for two or more hours during the day and all day on the weekends. I can still sleep through the night; in fact I think I could sleep all day and all night if I were allowed to. I am struggling to make it through an 8 hour work day because of this fatigue. I feel foggy in my mind, apathetic, am experiencing stiffness in my muscles and joints and recently have become very irritable. All in all, I would say these things are worse than the depression I was experiencing before I ever went on medications two years ago. Between Lexapro (didn't help), Pristiq (miserable side effects, depression returned) and Effexor - I can't seem to get it right. I am not looking forward to the horrible withdrawl symptoms I have seen described. :( | F | 29 | 3 months 150mg 1X D | 9/8/2010 | 4 | depression | Irritability | This is a great drug with minimal side effects. I am able to socialize with people without any anxiety. I am less self-conscious to the point where I could care less and am comfortable in any social environment. As for the depression, it is gone and i'm able to function as a happy human being. Only problem is this med makes me slightly irritable to sounds, sudden talking or disturbances ever so slight as they may be while I'm trying to work. There's a little bit more lack of concentration on my part which can be mistaken for short attention span because this drug puts me in a state of La La land and it's hard to snap out of it bc it's such a nice place. | M | 26 | 3 years 75 and 32 1X D | 9/6/2010 | 3 | MDD. | Dilated pupils, loss of appetite, weight loss, foggy memory, confusion, fast heart rate, night sweats, jitters. | Sure Effexor xr did help with my depression, within a few months or so I wasn't depressed at all, but I stayed on it for so long because I was scared of the withdrawls and was trying to finish school before I had to go through all of that. Now I'm tapering off 37.5 every 2-4 weeks. So far I've had side effects like fever, nausea, dizzy, fatigue, feeling cold and stomach aches. There is also some good side effects too though, I'm more hungry and I can concentrate a bit better. It definitely cured what I was going through at the time, but getting off it is worse then I was in the first place...and is for most people too. | F | 18 | 2 years 225mg 1X D | 9/4/2010 | 3 | Gen Diagnoses: Anxiety & Depression | Lost 20lbs. in 2 months. Tingling in hands like being shocked by those trick pens. Vivid dreams that were always violent. Kicked, punched, screamed and cursed. Needed to take stool softener daily. Around my cycle I would get very weak and become out of breath just walking. All body fluids pretty much died up. Sweat heavily for no reason. | Even with all the side effects that I mentioned, I thought the benefit outweighed the issues. Before taking this medication I would have at least one week during the month where I wouldn't want to go to work or couldn't do my job b/c I couldn't concentrate. I'm a web developer and it would feel like I'm looking at code for the very first time. Not a good thing when you have a schedule and you lose a week b/c you can't get your brain to work. Not only that, but my emotions were hard to control. When I started the effexor I didn't experience the issue with concentration anymore and my moods were more level. With all this being said, my husband and others that I trust were seeing behaviors that I couldn't see. I'm the type of person who wants to correct any annoying behaviors and it wasn't that I didn't want to see what they were seeing, I couldn't. Well, it got to the point where I am today. I saw a Psychiatrist b/c I felt that I needed to adjust my medicine levels to fix what was happening. She conducted her assessment and determined that I should come off of all medicines and fix a sleep disorder issue that I have and then I would be able to determine if medication was necessary. I mentioned all this in case someone may have a similar situation and not think of it until they read this. I know these ratings and comments are very helpful and so I wanted to do my part. | F | 43 | 2 years 275mg 1X D | 9/1/2010 | 5 | Chronic Pain | Decreased libido | I have a chronic pain problem, the cause couldn't be found, and nothing helped. My dr. thinks I might have low levels of seratonin, so he prescribed Effexor XR. It took awhile for the Effexor to take effect, but the pain is 100% gone. I have tried going off of the Effexor XR, but after about 4 months, the pain comes back. This is a lifesaver for me. | F | 51 | 10 years 75mg 1X D | 8/30/2010 | 5 | F | 58 | 1 years 150mg 1X D | 8/24/2010 | 1 | ptsd | pancreatitis ovarian cysts horrid periods increased sex drive in the beginning which changed to numb sex organs for years now high libido went to no libido too gerd severe body pain infections of sinus kidney became very ill after a few years on it my mind started to go nuts paranoid memory was shot could not focus brain fog was severe ability think was gone. This drug has a honeymoon period where you feel great almost high or stoned then it turns on you after awhile making you sick and crazy. | extreme personality change ruined my life and lost everything I own I blame this drug withdrawal can last for years still suffering it is a drug from hell whoever made it needs to pay | F | 55 | 7 years 150 1X D | 8/22/2010 | 5 | depression/PTSD | frequent urination, weight loss, loss of appetite | I have no desire to eat a large amount of food, which isn't a bad thing. It took about a week for me to feel a difference. I feel like myself again. I was really moody all the time before taking this drug. My depression went away almost completely. I no longer get really angry and it seems like I have a longer "fuse". My husband even noticed that I seemed more happy and complained less. This drug is wonderful. I take the generic version, however the doctor said that may be why I get pains in my stomach, so I am switching to the name brand in two weeks. | F | 30 | 3 weeks 75 MG 1X D | 8/17/2010 | 4 | Depression | I experienced memory loss in terms of little things e.g. going upstairs to get 3 things and only remembering 2 etc. This also made me a bit 'ditzier' than I thought I was. I experience cold sweats most nights while I'm sleeping. I also am experiencing withdrawal after an accidental period of double dosage followed by halving the dose again to the prescribed amount. | I was previously crying everyday often multiple times for no reason, after 2 days of the 37.5mg dosage this stopped and even when I tried I could not cry, it was like the water turned off even if I was genuinely sad. As I was still sad but not crying I moved up to 75mg as I had still only left the house for work and university I eventually moved to 150mg which has dramatically improved my life which I am actually living again like a normal person. The last time I went to the chemist with a new prescription they told me to take 2 capsules a day of the 150mg which I did. I did not notice any changes but since returning to the chemist they informed me that was wrong and I am only supposed to be taking 1per day. It has been 2 days since halving my dosage and I am currently nauseous, incredibly shaky and dizzy and had to call in sick to work. After reading these comments and experiencing this 'withdrawal' I am scared about the day when I will have to stop taking this medication. Also there was a period of 3 days where I missed my pills and by the end of the 3 days I was crying over nothing again. | F | 19 | 1.5 years 150mg 1X D | 8/17/2010 | 1 | anxiety | As far as I am concerned, this drug is poison. It made me nauseous, dry mouth with horrible taste (I even scheduled an additional teeth cleaning with my dentist.) When I tried to discontinue it, the nausea got worse. I also talked to a nurse at my doctor's office who said that she had a terrible time come off of it and had bad headaches too. I realize that this medication may work for some people. However, I don't EVER want to even look at the name of this again. It did me no good (how can you get less stressed if you walk around feeling sick to your stomach constantly?) I will NEVER go on this med or anything like it again. | F | 60 | 2 months 37.5 - 75 1X D | 8/14/2010 | 5 | depression | F | 59 | 300 mg 1X D | 8/12/2010 History |