EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)

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 ANTIDEPRESSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

EFFEXOR XR  (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE):  Venlafaxine is used to treat depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). It may improve your mood and energy level and may help restore your interest in daily living. It may also decrease fear, anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and the number of panic attacks. Venlafaxine is known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances (serotonin and norepinephrine) in the brain.   FDA Approval Date: 1997-10-20 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XRCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 2  
1X day
7/18/2012
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 3  GAD / Mild Depression Day One - spacey, Day Two - nauseous, tight neck and head muscles, internal hot flushing accompanied by weakness and trembling, Day Three - nauseous, increased heart rate, warmer than usual, increased anxiety, Day Four - nauseous, digestive upsets, tight neck and jaw, prickling & tingling on skin, flushing, increased anxiety, experiencing zaps when falling asleep, woke in the middle of the night very hot, anxious, prickly, got scared, didn't take the med on Day 5, now decided I will try to tough it out, Day 6 - took it an hour ago, so far just tight neck and head muscles Too early to tell. I've read enough posts that I think I need to just get through the hell of the first two weeks and then move up to 75 mg and see what happens. Very anxious (duh!) about the whole process. F 51 5 days
37.5 1X day
7/16/2012
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 4  Major Depression Terrible night sweats (most nights), non-existent libido, concentration difficulties, unbearable discontinuation syndrome if I miss a tablet There's no doubt that Effexor XR saved my life, however long-term use is not the best. My moods are stable, but I'm now mildly and continuously depressed because of the two main side effects - lack of libido and bad night sweats. It's ruining my relationship, and so I'd really like to get off it but am terrified due to the side effects, and not knowing what I'll be like when I'm off it. I didn't have a choice but to resort to this drug, and I owe my life to it. It has made my life bearable, but introduced new problems which I never had before. F 23 9 years
150 mg 1X day
7/13/2012
 4  depression I have not suffered any side effects. Effexor XR has been very helpful to alleviate my depression. Lately, I have had brief bouts of mild depression, so my doctor added Welbutrin XL 300 mg. F 58 6 years
150 mg 2X day
7/13/2012
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 4  Bipoar Depression Appetite suppression, insomnia, increased blood pressure, mild to moderate stimulant-like effects Effexor has been doing a pretty good job of combatting my resistant depression, in combination with an SSRI. The insomnia, increased blood pressure and stimulant-like effects of this medicine are mostly when I first went on it and for a couple of weeks following dose increases. I was up to 300 mg for several weeks but found myself getting irritable and moody on that higher dose. Overall I am satisfied with this medication, although I wish it didn't raise my blood pressure etc. F 23 4 months
150 MG 1X day
7/4/2012
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 5  OCD & Anxiety I started taking Effexor for my intrustive thoughts (OCD) and generalized anxiety. After trying multiple medications this one seems to be the best so far!! Getting adjusted to the med wasn't easy, but my patience has paid off. It has helped significantly with my anxiety and intrusive obsessive thoughts. Obviously I still get bothered by them a couple times a day, but that's much better then every 4 or 5 mins. Unlike others I'm actually losing weight, which is great considering Celexa made me gain 20 lbs in just two months. I feel clear headed which hasnt happened with any of the SSRIs I've tried. Although when I first started this drug I often felt high or out of it. I was worried about sexual side effects, but it hasn't been that bad. I'm just not as horny as I was before, which isn't a bad thing. Don't let bad reviews keep you from trying SSRIs or SNRIs each person reacts differently and it usually takes a couple med changes to find the right one for you. It's truly saved my life, and made it comparable to life prior to my OCD onset. M 24 3 months
75
6/14/2012
 3  Panic Disorder, GAD Tinnitus, extreme constipation, apathy, fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, hair loss. I had to go up to 150mg to get rid of my daily panic attacks. The following are side effects I experienced from withdrawal: flu-like symptoms, crying, fatigue, brain zaps that would whoosh through my head and make my eyes roll back into their sockets, nausea. The drug worked, but the side effects both during and when I was weaning off are not worth it. There are other options out there. F 40 9 months
150 1X day
6/9/2012
 2  Depression Excessive sweating. No sex drive. Dissociation. The withdrawal symptoms are the worst! F 21 3 years
75 mg 1X day
5/13/2012
 4  Depression agitated Sexual anorgasmia impotence brain zaps M 46 1 years
450
5/8/2012
 5  depression None while on the drug. It made everything better. I was able to focus, depression was gone, and anxiety completely gone. But I gained 20 pounds in 6 months and decided to come off the drug. That is when all hell broke loose!!! The brain zaps were horrible, dizziness, and clouded thoughts almost made me go back.But a friend suggested Prozac to ease the withdrawals and it worked like a charm. My brain zaps went away. I took Prozac for one week and cycled off symptom free. Don't be a slave to the Effexor monster! F 31 6 months
75 mgs
5/5/2012
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 2  depression did not mix with other meds, weird feeling in head M 55 4 months
20 1X day
4/28/2012
 3  Depression Hair loss, night sweats, complexion break outs, hormonal changes, increased blood pressure & cholesterol This medication has worked for me better than any other, although it's not as effective as it once was & my highest dose has been 300mg. The one time I weaned off (tired of my side effects); I experienced horrific withdrawals! F 38 7 years
225 1X day
4/17/2012
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 1  depression This was the most horrendous experience. If I had not had experience handling anxiety I would have definitely killed myself. I woke up shaking and I looked in the mirror and my eyes were terrifying like filled with terror and I couldn't change it. It was utterly utterly horrible. Never take this horrific drug. F 34 1 days
30 mg 1X day
3/22/2012
 5  anxiety and ocd difficulty losing weight, more frequent breakouts, some sexual side effects I give this drug a 5, not because it is perfect but because it has radically changed my life for the better. I've tried various antidepressants over the years and other drugs and I always come back to effexor. It really reduces my anxiety dramatically with minimal side effects. I do have to watch what I eat when I'm on it but I haven't gained massive amounts of weight like I did on other drugs. I've also had to go off and on it a few times (when getting pregnant, etc.) and though it is hard to come down off from it, it's not that big of a deal if you just reduce it slowly, take benedryl the last few days and sleep a lot. Any side effects are really not a big deal in light of how much it helps me in my life. I have no idea how people with anxiety survived before these drugs were invented. Effexor has dramatically changed my life for the better. F 37 10 years
75 mg 1X day
3/21/2012
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 1  Anxiety/Mood imbalance Dizziness/heart palpitation, nausea if dose missed or late weight gain sweating anger/edginess loss of motivation i would strongly suggest not taking effexor. I was put on it for anxiety. mood and while it seemed to help at first it eventually made me more irritable. the worst thing for me was the weight gain. the doctor said it was weight neutral...yet on my first followup visit her first question was whether i had gained weight..obviously she knew this was a possibility...i had gained like 10-15 lbs without changing anything in regards to my diet. i had always been slender and with a little diet and exercise could maintain a good figure...the weight slowly crept up to the point where i blew up out of nowhere...went from a size 4 dress to like an 8 or a 10 VERY fast! i got a trainer, joined weight watchers, cut calories and the weight would not come off...it was so embarrassing to have this unexplained weight gain to my family and finance -they saw how dedicated i was to exercise and diet yet i looked so fat and gross in my clothes...talk about depressed...this made me DEPRESSED...my doctor told me to "stay active" and "eat lean protein" really? duh? finally i quit effexor almost cold turkey...i am getting married and cannot afford to be on this drug and have this disgusting weight gain...3 weeks off and already my body is showing signs of getting back to its old self..if body image is important to you-STAY AWAY! i wish someone had told me or i knew this or i never would have started this terrible god awful drug. fight through the withdrawals and take vitamins and y F 32 7 months
75 1X day
3/5/2012
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 1  Neuropathy Major diareha for 15 days non-stop. So bad I had to go to hospital and get fluids through an IV. Irregular hearbeat, shortness of breath and I lost 31pds in 2 weeks. This has not helped my pain in any way. Only added to many more doctor bills I already have :( F 33 21 days
37.5 1X day
3/5/2012
 3  depression This medicine had an odd effect on me. I started noticing dust and had an uncontrolable urge to clean dust from everything. I am not joking. This was the medicine because it was not my normal behavior. It also made my neck stiff and painful. A while after I quit taking this medicine, my infatuation with dust disapeared. I know this medicine has helped a lot of people. F 40 3 months
1X day
3/3/2012
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 5  Depression Constipation, fatigue. I was previously on Serzone for several years which worked great for me but was considered risky due to concerns about liver damage. Doc put me on 75mg of Effexor XR. Took that for 9 years and then I started having insomnia which was has been the major side effect of the depression that I experienced. Bumped my dosage up to 150mg and I started sleeping better but I got major constipation, more fatigue and just not functioning very well. Its been very difficult to stay focused at work and I'm constantly falling asleep. May be time to try a different drug. I look forward to retiring in a few years and stopping my meds and working through the issues without having to keep down a stressful job at the same time. M 54 10 years
150mg 1X day
2/23/2012
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 2  adjunct to Wellbutrin This is an update to my previous post, but still have no appetite and have lost 12 pounds. I have been on 150mg for two days so we'll see how that goes. I take it in the morning, but have trouble sleeping (although that could be the Lamictal I take at night). Muscles ache like crazy, headaches, can't seem to keep on task at work. I hope that's temporary because I can deal with everything else I had been off Effexor for two weeks when my cat accidentally knocked my bottle down my drain and my insurance wouldn't override and give me two weeks' worth. The withdrawal was such intense hell that I hope my doc knows what he's doing when the time comes for me to come off. Yes, the stories are true - withdrawal is hell and if you can, take time off work while you do it. I won't have that option. F 48 30 days
75 mg 1X day
2/19/2012
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 5  Effexor XR If I miss a dose, I get very dizzy. Besides that, no other issues. Effexor XR has saved my life. I am so grateful to be taking this drug. Prior to taking Effexor XR, I took Remeron for 7 years. However, Remeron stopped working after 7 years. I am hoping that this drug does not stop working for my major depression. I have been free of depression for over 5 years now. I took Effexor XR while being pregnant, and my daughter is perfectly healthy and almost 4 years old. Effexor XR has been a blessing in my life. F 39 6 days
150 mg 1X day
2/16/2012
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