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
 
 1  Adjustmnent Disorder Nausea, dizziness, loss of memory short and long term, slurred speech, numbness in fingers and extremities, ability to concentrate, dry mouth, increase in sex drive, MASSIVE withdrawal effects when missed dose,and when trying to get off of it, anxiety, intrusive suicidal thoughts, hopelessness, loss of inhibitions, electric zaps to whole body, muscle aches, headaches, dry heaving, light sensitivity, This is the worst drug ever, it made me worse, and now I cant stop taking it without SEVERE withdrawal side effects. I would not recommend this to anyone. F 40 9 months
2/24/2009
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 3  BPD, depression This is a great drug if you never ever go off it or miss a dose. Withdrwal is HELL. I wanted to kill myself. I also gained 10 lbs. The withdrawal and weight gain from this drug were awful . Ask for a different drug instead. I had to be hospitalized three times while on effexor. Be careful to make sure any other drugs you are taking do not counteract. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DANGEROUS DRUG. F 33 2 years
2/23/2009
 5  depression/anxiety attacks I got hives and fever blisters instead of anxiety attacks. Then hives at same time every day for no reason. I really like this drug but am trying to decide if I can put up with the itching. F 40 2 years
2/22/2009
 4  Post-Partum Depression/Anxiety Brain pains, weird dreams if taken before bed, restless sleep if taken before bed, loss of ALL sex drive! I have been taking Effexor XR for 14 months now and it has helped tremendously and has turned my world around. However the weaning of of them is HORRIBLE! You get flu like symptoms, headaches and nausea. F 24 14 months
2/19/2009
 3  Dysthymia, Major Depression Loss of concentration, muddled thoughts, dizzy/light headed after exercise or standing up suddenly. Also experienced nightmares, headaches and a slight weight loss during the first two months. Tried this after taking Prozac and Citalopram for a number of years. Started on 75mg and gradually increased to 225mg. Although it has seemed to lift my mood the initial side effects were severe and made life extremely difficult. Recently I have started feeling dizzy/light headed again and for this reason I am now considering changing to Nortriptyline. F 23 8 months
2/17/2009
 5  Major Depression and OCD/OCPD I have been on Effexor XR for 11 months. I am currently taking 300mg. Every time the does increased, for 1-4 days I had the shakes, trembeling, sudden crying, facial ticks, extreme edginess, anger, weird concentration, heart/chest pains. Then they would go and I'd feel good. I am wondering if the current dose is a little high for me because I find I have become really nonchalant and carefree socially - unlike I've ever been. My movement is a little "stupid" at times, much more expressive, a little overly-relaxed, and I say what is on my mind more often without thinking (unlike before). At times, its like feeling drunk, without being drunk, and people don't get my sudden "out-there", openness. I've lost my obessiveness. I suddenly allow people in my house and can relax (never did this before). I suddenly started having sex (after being celebate for 16 yrs) (TRUE! - DEPRESSING, I KNOW!), and suddenly don't get nervous around other people (like men, work collegues, etc). I hate and resent taking a drug to feel happy, I worry about long term side effects, but it made me able to deal with other (difficult) people in this world better without taking it out on myself. My depression is almost gone. My life has improved. Effexor has been good to me. In saying that, I also actively changed things in my life (changed jobs) and didn't just rely on the drug to get rid of the depression. The drug has helped though. F 34 11 months
2/15/2009
 3  Clinical Depression/Anxiety/Suicide **CONSTANT** • Dry Mouth and Throat (Thirsty) • Grinding / Clenching Teeth • Tinnitus • Vivid Dreams **FREQUENT** • Wind (Gas) / Irritable Bowls (Soft Stools) • Skin Eruptions • Apathy • Fatigue • Feeling 'Disconnected' / Dull / Flat **OCCASIONAL** • Night Sweats • Yawning / Drunk Feeling / Slurred Speech • Memory Loss / Confusion • Mood Swings (Worse with missed dose) • Insomnia / Broken Sleep (Experienced more at start) • Agitation (Worse with missed dose) • Nervousness • Obsessive **To name but a few LOL** I started on 75gms which had gradually increased to 225gms. Compared to my initial medication, Citalopram, Venlafaxine has been a huge improvement, but not a cure. This drug has not fully eliminated my depression and still have ups and downs but is nothing compared to when I was admitted to hospital about year ago when I hit rock bottom (I tried to take an overdose). I have had a fair amount of side effects with this drug but not to the extent where I would consider stopping it. Luckily I have been able to adapt. I have to take it first thing in the morning otherwise I have problems sleeping and if I forget to take a dose then I have incredible mood swings (a really unpleasant person). I have discovered this week NOT TO TAKE WITH sudafeds (decongestants) - I felt 'out of it' almost drunk feeling with bad concentration and slurred speech. F 28 3 months
2/14/2009
 3  depression, anxiety weight gain, sexual dysfunction, nausea My doctor said that Effexor would be the best drug for me since it is made to help depression and anxiety, both of which I have. It didn't help my anxiety at all but I definitely felt less depressed while on it. It almost made me feel like a care-free kid again. However, I gained 25 pounds on it and this just fueled my depression even more since I was close to being overweight before going on it. Going off it was hell too. I got the "brain zaps" that other people have mentioned. I also just felt like crap for days. I definitely don't think the good outweighs the bad. I wouldn't recommend it. M 21 3 months
2/13/2009
 1  anxiety, ocd & to balance 2nd RX Severe hot flashes all day & night. Weight gain, enough worth mentioning. Please read about it's withdraw effects and research why this drug has been banned form several countries. Effexor was given to me to combat the se's (side effects) of another med I was taking for OCD. The Effexor continued as each time I tried to come off I feel very sick, and crazy!If Effexor helps your symptoms it may be worth taking but you must keep taking it, forever. The withdraw effects are killer and I would do anything to keep another person from going through what I did. I stopped after linking the hot flashes to the Efx in seeing another doctor who helped people "come off" of Effexor. I followed a very long weening schedule that took 3 months & still the withdraw effects were intolerable & could have cost me my family.I was full of anger, rage & sadness. I was stuck,the SE's were to much to stand but the withdraw was even worse (that's why the 3 years). This drug has been banned from many countries, question that! BEFORE you take Effexor please drill your Dr. on the withdraw effects and see if there is an alt. drug for your condition. I have hear that comin F 34 3 years
2/10/2009
 1  depression headaches, migraines, lethargy, confusion, low-body temperature When I started taking Effexor XR, headaches were not listed as one of the side effects. Now, I think they are. One week after starting it, I got a painful headache that persisted until I stopped taking the drug. Because it was not a legitimate side effect, my doctor refused to acknowledge the connection, which I suppose is a comment on my doctor, not the drug. I was perpetually confused, tired, lethargic. F 49 1.5 years
2/9/2009
 1  depression anxiety panic attacks loss of bladder control,huge diminish in sex drive,difficult to orgasm,emotionless,felt like a robot,could sleep forever. Both my boyfriend and I were taking Effexor XR and were experiencing very similar side effects but had no idea until we finally started talking about what was happening to us. We each thought it was "just me". After reading the comments from others we felt a relief to know we were not alone. Neither of us were told of the side effects while taking the drug nor WARNED of how SEVERE the withdrawl would be when trying to slowly cut back. The past few days have been an absolute HELL!!! I have been experiencing brain shivers to the point of feeling like I'm going to seizure. Bouts of weepng,overwhelming rush of mixed emotions and SERIOUS paranoia. Last night I felt like I has electric shock going through my entire body, especially my extremities. Uncontrollable muscle spasms and blurting out of random thoughts today. THIS IS THE WORST MEDICATION I HAVE EVER TAKEN IN MY LIFE!!!!! Patients need to be warned and given the opportunity to consider other options for depression reli F 37 10 months
2/6/2009
 4  For Episodic Depression Nausea first week; now take 1/2 hour after breakfast. Other side effects are some shakiness and anxiety. To counteract the anxiety I take 0.5 mgs. Xanax several times a day. It works well for me. F 69 6 weeks
2/5/2009
 4  Clinical Depression Dryness of mouth, wierd very intense dreams, nausea after eating, decreased appetite, headaches, heavy sweating, unable to get a good night sleep I wake up very often during the night and have to have a nap at least once during the day. It seems to have worked, I have stopped crying for no reason and my mood swings have decreased. Although i have experienced lots of side effects, I am just starting to take the pills and have not yet reached the full dosage. I do not always experience all of these symptoms, they appear randomly and not all at once. I would recommend this to anyone that truly needs help. F 18 3 weeks
2/4/2009
 3  anxiety, panic and agoraphobia well i have been taking it for two days, and yes i know that i need a few more days for the medication to work but so far I feel like a zombie it's a feeling like Iam here but Iam not {delerazation} feeling. I still have my panic and agoraphobia I have to take clonazepam with it. Like I said so far Iam not feeling the greatest I have been sitting home for two days just trying to adjust to this medication originally I was on clonazepam and I felt great than my doctor decreased my clonazepam and gave me zoloft, celexa luvox and so on none of them worked Iam hoping that this will. F 26 2 days
2/4/2009
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 5   I had some pretty crazy dreams while on Effexor XR but nothing more than strange. My blood pressure did go up while on effexor and had to adjust my blood pressure medication. Effexor is like any drug. It will work well for some and not so well for others. The highest dose of Effexor that I took was 150mg. It did a great job! It got me through a really tough time in my life. While on Effexor I saw a therapist and she helped me work though my problems. After being on Effexor for a year I decided to wean slowly work towards being Effexor free. I would reduce my dosage by 37.5mg every month. With each lowering of the dosage I would experience a what I thought was the return of the anxiety. But it wasn't the return of the anxiety, just some withdrawal symptoms. By the end of each successive month of withdrawal I felt good again. In the final month of withdrawal when I went from 37.5mg to 0mg I did experience some brain zapps. The zapps were a little scary at first, but I just kept reminding myself that it was just withdrawal and that calmed me back down. It took about 3 months of no Effexor before the brain zapps went away. My advice, us M 42 1 years
2/2/2009
 5  Generalized Anxiety Disorder During the first few months, the most noticeable side effects were having vivid or intense dreams, all night long. This wasn't such a bad thing, the dreams were usually enjoyable (i.e. not nightmares), but are now also accompanied by night sweats. This probably happens a couple times a week now. I currently take 75 mg per day right before bedtime - so I wonder if that has anything to do with the dreams. But, it has dramatically changed my mood for the better, and I rarely feel anxious. It is so great to feel 'normal' and enjoy life again! F 27 4 months
2/2/2009
 1  Depression, Anxiety While on 225mg, i was experiencing muscle twitching,(eyes& around mouth area)leg jerks and other movements that were involantory, weight gain and if i did not take it soon after i woke- brain 'zaps' and a feeling like there was water sloshing around my head. Also 'sausage fingers', derealisation and weird expierences at night time like someone was sitting on me and i was paralysed. I stopped taking this med, the s/effects got worse before they eventually stopped, after 2 mths. I still get an odd twitch. Why do drs/psychs give out this med at high doses without telling patients all this- about side effexor? I do suffer from depression & anxiety badly, but came off this med myself as i didnt feel any different on it than i do off all anti-d's, and the s/effects were too much to bear. I have not self harmed since i came off it, while on it i had strong urges to that i gave into a few times. I have not told my drs about coming off it, as they never listen anyway! I am much happier without this in my system. F 38 1 years
1/29/2009
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 2  Depression BAD: SERIOUS CONSTIPATION. My intestines seemed like they completely shut down. Even high doses of laxatives barely helped. SERIOUS INSOMNIA. I could never sleep because my doctor wouldn't give me more than 10 mg of Ambien. The Seroquel worked, but then it made me too fatigued and other weird, bad symptoms. SERIOUS LACK OF APPETITE. Food just didn't interest me (i.e., it made me anorexic). ONLY GOOD THING WAS IT RELIEVED MY ANXIETY (must be the Norepinephrine) and thus, OCD a bit. As they say, the WITHDRAWLS ARE BAD. Plan on taking a vacation to get off this stuff. The fatigue was so bad coming off, I'd sleep the entire day. I felt so "drugged" that I couldn't get up. That last two weeks! I also had bad arthritic-like pain (toxins from being constipated?), serious cravings for carbs and chocolate. Then, came the "zaps". My eyes keep twitching and I feel odd. But at least, I can have a BM, thank god. F 41 2 months
1/23/2009
 1  mild panic attacks-7 in total took 37.5 mgs for 2 weeks, stopped without any effects for 2 weeks. Went back to my docs who uped my dose to double that a day and took it for about 5 weeks. Now i stopped completely after meds were done and the withdrawls r HORRENDOUS!!!!! The brain shocks r insane and making me sick !! How can doctors prescribe this to me.. I was perfectly fine b 4 this and now going on 4 dayz it seems there is no end to this feeling. Never was one to take meds for ANYTHING and all i did was tell my doctor i had been having some panic attacks and this is what i get. I asked about the side affects as well and NOTHING he said was even remotely close to what this feels like! I quit abruptly which is not recommended but i dont want or need any more drugs frying my brain.. EFFEXOR IS DANGEROUS !!! Seriously contemplate if your situation is that bad to take this and do research it because if i new what i was getting myself into I WOULD HAVE NEVER EVER TAKEN THIS POISON!!!!! POISON!!!!! How long would it THESE PILLS ARE POISON!! RESEARCH THIS DRUG AND SIDE EFFECTS AS WELL AS WITHDRWALS SYMPTOMS AND HOW LONG IT TAKES TO LEAVE YOUR SYSTEM B 4 U EVER DECIDE TO SWALLOW THEM. I HAVE A 20 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WHO IS WONDERING WHY MOMMY IS SICK??? NOT ONE TO TAKE DRUGS FOR ANYTHING AND NEVER WILL AGAIN!! I HATE DOCTORS WHO R SO QUICK TO JUST PRESCRIBE U SOMETHING TO GET U OUTTA THERE FACE! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! :@ F 28 5 weeks
1/21/2009
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 5  Depression/GAD/panic disorder Nothing unbearable until I forget a dose, or are even an hour late taking it. Of all the antidepressants I've been prescribed, this one works best, hands down. I am in control of my emotions, and I think I see things the way they actually are, rather than skewed by depression and anxiety. However, I've experienced several instances when I forgot to take my EffexorXR when I went to bed (which is when I take it with vitamins)--and by the time I woke up in the morning, I was already well into withdrawals. The longer I'm asleep, the wilder the dreams--like one continuous dream that gets more detailed and upsetting. Wake up feeling like I've sustained a beating and feel like a bad case of the flu is coming on. And, those "zaps"....electric shocks that make me feel like my brain quivers in the forward position for a few seconds longer than my skull does when I turn my head. This can all be reversed in about three hours by taking an EffexorXR (150). But, I can feel horribly sick, even just a couple hours late. I understand the XR part of this medicine (exten F 53 5 years
1/17/2009
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