EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR XR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date from oldest to newest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 |
RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
4 | depression,anxiety | None | When I started at 75mg nothing really changed,but then I went up to 150mg and I felt a boost in my energy,but then after about a month it started to wear off.Sothen I went up to 250mg and now my energys bach,and I dont seem to be as nervous and depressed as I was,I just hope it doesnt wear off this time. | F | 34 | 5 months | 4/13/2005 | 3 | Mild Depression | I initially started taking the medicine in the evening, but quickly realized that I got severe insomnia. Switching it to the morning has fixed that. Over time I have developed really, I mean REALLY vivid dreams. So vivid that I'm not sure if it an event really happened, or if I dreamt it. I've also developed terrible night sweats. I'm dripping, and my PJs and sheets are stuck to me. It's quite uncomfortable to wake up soaked, and my husband isn't too thrilled by it either. | F | 27 | 7 months | 4/14/2005 | 1 | depression | nightmares, peripheral electric feelings, nausa vomiting, headaches | cured depression while on it | F | 45 | | 4/14/2005 | 1 | misdiagnosed depresion | i took one extended release 12 hours later ended up in e.r with heartrate 180 and pounding.with every beat came a jolt of heat & electricity rushing thru head.i thought i would die that morning.i've had strange feelings in my head&body&unable to focus.i wake every morning w/a buzzing feeling in my head.i cant say this all came from the one pill i took,but i can say i havent been right since.if you have panic attacks DO NOT USE THIS MEDICINE.i was misdiagnosed with depression but was already having bad panic attacks.EFFEXOR took me to panic attack hell. | F | 30 | 1 days | 4/16/2005 | 4 | Depression and anxiety | all was fine (taking it for almost 3 months) but recently noticed I was gaining weight! (10 pounds) | otherwise changed my life but cannot live fat! (recovering bulimic) | F | 24 | 3 months | 4/20/2005 | 1 | Depression/bi-polar | No libido and was not helping with depression or bi-polar symptoms. I have been fighting all of this for over 40 years and this was the worst stuff I have ever been on. Withdrawl is horrible with panic attacks and that was after 2.5 months of tapering down from 300 mg to 37.5 at the end. I still am working out the withdraw have been off it now for 5 days. It sucks. | Try anything else you can, no one tells you about the horrific withdrawl problems. I have been on many different psych drugs for bi-polar for over 40 years and this was by far the worst drug I have ever taken. | M | 55 | | 4/20/2005 | 4 | Depression | When I've missed a dose at the designated time, I experience | Have been on Effexor for about 10 years after trying Zoloft and Prozac (briefly). Effexor XR worked fine for lifting depression but the problem is that, when it wears off (after about 24 hours), the | F | 40 | 10 years | 4/23/2005 | 4 | depression/bipolar | side effects from current withdrawal | worked fine for about a year and a half, then it just quit. | F | 49 | 2 years | 4/26/2005 | 1 | anxiety: divorce, money, work | Nausea, vomiting, excessive sleep, sweating, panic, ringing ears, pounding heartbeat, and I really thought at one point that I was going to have a seizure or suffer the fate of Karin Schivo (the vegetable from Florida). | Even if you are having a bad reaction to this drug, DO NOT stop taking it. The effects of the drug, in my experience, are much less worse than to just stop taking it cold turkey,,,,turn to your doctor and have him/her gradually reduce the dosage. If you feel sick and stop totally, as many of us do routinely with over the counter medications that we take. DON'T, you will likely be in for a LANDSLIDE WITH THIS PRESCIBTION DRUG......(PLEASE DON'T EVEN TRY THAT, HOWEVER MIGHT BETTER YOU THINK YOU WILL FEEL). I understand that most message boards of this sort are usually sought out by the persons most negatively affected by these products, but I am sure that it works for some , if not most who take these drugs. If you felt so great; why whould you post? Good luck to you all. Wish me luck too. Thanks. | F | 44 | 45 days | 4/27/2005 | 1 | anxiety: divorce, money, work | Nausea, vomiting, excessive sleep, sweating, panic, ringing ears, pounding heartbeat, and I really thought at one point that I was going to have a seizure or suffer the fate of Karin Schivo (the vegetable from Florida). | Even if you are having a bad reaction to this drug, DO NOT stop taking it. The effects of the drug, in my experience, are much less worse than to just stop taking it cold turkey,,,,turn to your doctor and have him/her gradually reduce the dosage. If you feel sick and stop totally, as many of us do routinely with over the counter medications that we take. DON'T, you will likely be in for a LANDSLIDE WITH THIS PRESCIBTION DRUG......(PLEASE DON'T EVEN TRY THAT, HOWEVER MIGHT BETTER YOU THINK YOU WILL FEEL). I understand that most message boards of this sort are usually sought out by the persons most negatively affected by these products, but I am sure that it works for some , if not most who take these drugs. If you felt so great; why whould you post? Good luck to you all. Wish me luck too. Thanks. | F | 44 | 45 days | 4/28/2005 | 5 | Major depression | Started so long ago, I hardly remember. With 300 mg, insomnia. Sweating is worse. NO weight gain. Some libido decrease. Much better than constant bickering with hubby and occasional temper tantrums where I threw and broke things :( | After being in a mental hospital for 3 days, was put on several different antidepressants which didn't work. Finally I was put on this and felt like my old self for the first time in 12 years. Was on 150mg until about 1 month ago. Had hysterectomy due to cervical cancer in Dec 04 and stopped taking my progesterone. Went back into severe depression. Now am on 300mg. Am definitely having difficulty sleeping but was able to wean off Xanax. Trying Neurontin for sleep now. Think the diagnosis of cancer plus going off my progesterone threw me into depression again. After reading other posts, will try taking in a divided dose or in the am to combat the insomnia. | F | 48 | 5 years | 4/29/2005 | 1 | | 4/29/2005 | 1 | anxiety, insomnia | Tried to take a 37.5mg on the first night. Woke up an hour later with my heart racing and could not go back to sleep. Dry mouth, dry stool. After about 4 hours I took a Xanax just to get some sleep. Im going to rethink using this drug. Maybe just Xanax, relaxation techniques and therapy would a better route. | Really think about these kinds of drugs before you take them. Weigh the pros & cons. If you know what is causing your anxiety or depression, consider therapy to eliminate the source. | M | 34 | 1 days | 4/29/2005 | 5 | Generalized ANXIETY, DEPRESSION | major nausea and vomiting the first week and a half for me, extreme dizziness. ..had to stay off work for a week or so.. could definitely not drive in this state! have noticed a bit of sexual delay.. hopefully it will not last.. | i feel calm and well balanced.. i also feel productive and motivated to do things and participate in life!! yipee... better for me than paxill.. paxil had more sexual side effects. | F | 28 | 3 months | 5/4/2005 | 3 | depression/anxiety | sleepiness in the day, clenched jaw, weird heavy menstrual cycle, spitting up lots of blood(from lungs?) increased urination | Well, this drug has helped with my depression and especially the anxiety and panic stuff...but I have been experiencing some strange dreams and sometimes, I don't feel like the same person! I was taking prozac but I found the effexor much more effective at relieving the depression stuff.Scared to come off of this stuff because I have read about the weird withdrawal , but it seems to be doing it's job for now so I think I'll stay on for as long as I have to.Good luck to all. | F | 34 | 4 months | 5/9/2005 | 3 | Depression | Initially experienced loss of appetite & weight loss. I also experienced an initial period of emotional numbness by which I mean I didn't feel I was experiencing my emotions normally no matter what it was I was feeling. Now I find I have extremely vivid & bizarre dreams- some good, some bad. Sweating has definitely increased as well as heat sensitivity. I also found that after the initial period of appetite & weight loss, my appetite went back to normal & I have since gained quite a bit of weight. | I haven't experienced any sexual side effects which is a plus but I am really not happy about the weight gain. I feel as though I have reached a plateau in my progress. For a while I felt as though things were really improving, but recently it things seem almost like they were before I started. | F | 25 | 9 days | 5/10/2005 | 3 | Depression | Initially experienced loss of appetite & weight loss. I also experienced an initial period of emotional numbness by which I mean I didn't feel I was experiencing my emotions normally no matter what it was I was feeling. Now I find I have extremely vivid & bizarre dreams- some good, some bad. Sweating has definitely increased as well as heat sensitivity. I also found that after the initial period of appetite & weight loss, my appetite went back to normal & I have since gained quite a bit of weight. | I haven't experienced any sexual side effects which is a plus but I am really not happy about the weight gain. I feel as though I have reached a plateau in my progress. For a while I felt as though things were really improving, but recently it things seem almost like they were before I started. | F | 25 | 9 months | 5/10/2005 | 3 | Depression | Initially experienced loss of appetite & weight loss. I also experienced an initial period of emotional numbness by which I mean I didn't feel I was experiencing my emotions normally no matter what it was I was feeling. Now I find I have extremely vivid & bizarre dreams- some good, some bad. Sweating has definitely increased as well as heat sensitivity. I also found that after the initial period of appetite & weight loss, my appetite went back to normal & I have since gained quite a bit of weight. | I haven't experienced any sexual side effects which is a plus but I am really not happy about the weight gain. I feel as though I have reached a plateau in my progress. For a while I felt as though things were really improving, but recently it things seem almost like they were before I started. | F | 25 | 9 months | 5/10/2005 | 5 | GAD , depression & fatigue | extremly dry mouth about 2 weeks; sweating; constipation however was relieved by adding approx.34 fl. oz. of propel fitness water daily previously i was an easily bruised person however I have noticed the effexor xr has made my bruising increase; some small hand tremors in a.m. before next dose took effect however this is decreasing with time. REALLY KILLED MY SEX DRIVE!!! BUT I too have found a wonderful treatment for that; it is an herbal remedy by the name of yohimbe it has tripled my sexual urges yet orgasim is still harder but at least I get there! Desired weight lose almost immediately with no effort just did not want to hit the cookie jar every time i walked by it.Preety funny but sooooo true.I now have to remind myself to eat to keep up my energy. NO DOUBT THERE ARE BAD SIDE EFFECTS BUT IN MY CASE THE GOOD RESULTS OUTWEIGH THE BAD! i HAVE FINALLY FOUND THE PERSON THAT i HAD SLOWLY BEGAN TO LOSE SLOWLY DAY BY DAY ALMOST UNNOTICED AND WITH EACH DAY IT CONTINUES TO GET BETTER.I again want to live life rather than lay on the sofa and watch the world turn between my exhausting naps and dragging off to work on rotating shiftwork. | Now I must say that not all meds are appropriatte for all people, I had previously taken zoloft with great results but after a ten year haitus from it the second just didn't work.I too have tried paxil, serzone, prozac and wellbutrin BLAH! for me.DR.S are too busy to recognize the symptoms of depression because of our crappy insurance policies or some just want you to get oveer it. Alot of people are ashamed to say they are being treated for any kind of depression but you must remember something biological has gone awry with our brain chemicals,be it from trauma, past medications, post traumatic stress, shift work(when your brain doesn't know if it should be awake or asleep) or for any number of reasons, it is not just because you are sad, lonely, or lazy!! Find a GOOD doctor, mine had recognized my depression before I had he said he could not see the usual happy person that came to visit for thyroid problems so that day he gave me samples and dramatic changes have started to take place. Yes I have fear of long term side effects but I feel in my situation I would rather risk possible unknown side effects than to continue with the physical and emotional pain of depression.We need to be personally responsible for assessing the risk-benefit of any medications we take, make yourself as informed as possble. Just give it a try it will not take long to decide if it is the one for you, I must say that by the end of the first day I was ready to throw them in the trash, incrediable anxiety, but i forged on somehow and now I will not go without it!And for the last comment about the totally tanked sexual desire I found the yohimbe bark in the stacker2 xlc pack then i went to www.drugdigest.org and looked it up under herbs and guess what they used before viagra yep yohimbe and for me, a female, it has made me CRAZY FOR SEX WITH MY HUSBAND SO HE IS LOVING IT!!! pLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY IT BECAUSE EVEN HERBS CAN HAVE SIDE EFFECTS BUT LOOK AT THE POPULATION OF CHINA, THEY MUST REALLY KNOW THEIR HERBAL REMEDIES.mAKE YOUR DECISIONS WITH CARE BECAUSE WHAT IS GOOD FOR MY BODY MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR YOURS. One last thing I also take Provigil 200 mg a day and and .5mg of ativan to eaase me off to sleep but I seem to be able to accomplish the big tasks at home and at work but my concentration on small menial tasks has gone to space somewhere gotta get that back so i can get the bills paid and finish reading my novel not to mention be able to sit still through a 30 minute sit-com.HA!HA! Best wishes to you all and i truly hope you find the right combination for you and your life style! BEST OF LUCK TO YOOU ALL THERE ARE ANSWERS TO EVERYONES DILEMAS WE JUST HAVE TO PERSEVERE UNTIL WE FIND IT.DO NOT GIVE UP! | F | 37 | 2 months | 5/11/2005 | 4 | depression, anxiety | Extreme sleepiness, delayed orgasm, elevated blood pressure. | When I miss a dose, I feel very dizzy and nauseous. If I miss 2 days in a row, it's even worse. I have actually left work early because of missing a dose. In addition to that, Effexor makes me want to sleep all day. I take it before bed, and the next morning I feel too sleepy to get up. The depression is non-existent now and my anxiety is minimal. It's worth the side effects I experience-- except when I miss a dose. | F | 34 | 18 months | 5/15/2005 |