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  depression/panic attacks I immediately had severe nausea, and headaches. Doctor told me to stick w/ it. The more I tok, the worst I felt. This went on for three weeks----thought of suicide everyday while on this drug. As soon Ias I switched to paxil, the nausea and cramping went away. I now feel great and will never take effexor again. This stuff can make your depression worse! BE CAREFUL F 36 3 weeks
5/18/2005
 1  depression suicidal I crashed on this. Was depressed before I got on it, but suicidal afterwards. I have two other friends who experienced the same thing. I got off it within a month. 38 1 months
5/18/2005
 1  depression terrifying, extremely vivid nightmares, getting up and tearing things off walls, walking around, etc in my sleep I was terrified to sleep on this drug... I didn't feel like I was even sleeping, never felt rested the next day... dreams were violent and scary... felt like I couldn't wake up to get out of them. F 22 6 months
5/21/2005
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 5  major depression/ptsd/anxiety constipation, vivid/lucid dreams, night sweats, insomnia, loss of sex drive, vision trailers, headaches i've tried celexa, prozac, and now this, and honestly it's been the best yet. F 21 2 months
5/25/2005
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 4  social phobia Sleepiness Dizziness Constipation Raised blood pressure Fatigue Hot and Sweating Female sexual dysfunction Raised blood cholesterol I have been taking effexor xr for an extented period of time. My cholesterol level has increased to the point of asking to be taken off the medication. F 60 10 years
5/25/2005
 1  depression It made me crazy.I felt weird on this medicine and wanted to die.I took an overdose of water pills just to see what would happen to me.The pills should be taken off the market. F 55 60 days
5/27/2005
 5  major depression, general anxiety once missed two days' dose--started to experience the famous this is an excellent drug for some people. it is very effective in controlling my GAD, which had made life miserable for more than a decade and is now essentially in abeyance; it is very effective in maintaining me in a robust remission of major depression. i was depressed for almost two years during which i was quite disabled. i experienced slow, steady but ratcheting progress toward wellness on celexa. it was not clear that i would approach anything like comprehensive recovery. i was switched to effexor because i asked to be--it's effect on norepinephine in addition to serotonin made it of special interest to me. it was markedly more effective than celexa, quite quickly, within two days. i've been on it for a year and a half, and since i'm high risk for recurrence of depression, will probaly stay on it indefinitly. i appreciate the withdrawal problems, but at present find it to be an almost unalloyed good. F 48 18 months
5/28/2005
 5  Panic/Anxiety Disorder None. Side effects only occured when I tried to get off of the drug some years ago. ( Had severe panic attacks that would last up to an hour at their height. Effexor has completely stopped my panic attacks and reoccurring thoughts. LOVE IT! However, remember: Everyone's chemical makeup is unique and will react differently. You can't anticipate side effects. It worked for me - however, getting off of it is not pleasant, for me. If I am on it for life, I am okay with that. Diabetics take insulin, I take Effexor. F 29 5 years
5/28/2005
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 4  Long term anxiety and depression Intensified anxiety. Terrible hostile thoughts (short term) and felt could lose control. Sinister & negative outlook,seems to take you lower before bouncing back up. Yawning, constipation (short term). Have gone back on Eff after 6 month break.Initial withdrawal done slowly was fine, however gradually spiralled down without it. The initial side effects are terrifying but thankfully past experience told me to F 43 3 years
5/29/2005
 2  Anxiety;night terrors This drug works great as long as you don't plan on getting off of it...EVER. As soon as you try, you experience nothing like you have ever felt before. The tremmors in my opinion were the worse thing. I think I will stick with being scared in cars and the night terrors. This is an extremly addictive drug and I feel like an addict trying to get off of it. They can keep it. Oh yea, and sex? HA! forget it. F 36 1 years
5/31/2005
 5  depression (familial) None except nausea, so I now take it right before bed. It has changed my life--I am so much more energetic now! I feel like a huge cloud has been lifted. I thank God for my doctor who diagnosed my depression! F 48 18 months
6/5/2005
 3  depression Broke out in a terrible rash, started on my back and went all over my body. Completely killed my libido, no desires in that area whatsoever. It was great while I was able to take it. I felt so much better, I started enjoying life again, it was like my brain M 39 2 months
6/7/2005
 3  depression Broke out in a terrible rash, started on my back and went all over my body. Completely killed my libido, no desires in that area whatsoever. It was great while I was able to take it. I felt so much better, I started enjoying life again, it was like my brain M 39 2 months
6/7/2005
 5  sleep problems during menopause I'm only taking 37.5 per day so I don't seem to have problems like weight gain that I've read about. But everytime I try to stop taking it, I have trouble sleeping again. F 51 1 years
6/8/2005
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 5  depression no side effects I have been on effexor since it first came on the market. When XR came on the market I transfered to it. I cannot find any long term research on this drug. ASnyone out there who has been on it as long as I have + 10 years? F 60 10 years
6/12/2005
 1  Major Depression Hypertension. Extreme anxiety attacks lasting for 3 full days and nights - after only 3 x 75mg tablets of effexor xr I have been on Avanza (60mg) for about 18 months, and the doctor recently recommended adding 75mg of Efexor in the morning, and reducing the Avanza to 30mg at night. First day (Wednesday) was fine, second day (Thursday) i started getting anxiety attacks every couple of hours, leading up to around lunchtime when i found myself to be extremely agitated and in a permanent state of anxiety, the likes of which i have never experienced before - shakes, very panicky, extremely agitated and nervous, etc. Friday i was in two minds about taking the pill, but did it anyway, and the anxiety just didn't stop. I have not taken the effexor since Friday morning, it is now Monday and i am JUST starting to lose the anxiousness, not to mention the feeling of total exhaustion and loss of sleep. It was that bad that i basically have hidden all weekend, didn't answer the phone and was very apprehensive about even going downstairs to do the washing. At least i finally managed to get some sleep last night, with the help of 2 stillnox tablets. For me this drug has been shit and i will never take it again. The side effects are easily found on the net, so if you are a first timer, be wary of the side effects. M 43 3 days
6/12/2005
 3  Social Anxiety Night sweats and I start sweating a lot with minimal activity. Semen in urine, hard to retain erection, low libido which makes my wife wonder why any man would be given this medication as that alone could cause depression to a guy. I have tried to get off this medication several times, but the side effects are so bad I couldn't handle it. I am down to the lowest dosage, but would like to get stop taking it. If anyone has successfully stopped taking this medication please send me and email with how you did it and the symptoms. M 36 3 years
6/13/2005
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 5  IBS caused by Anxiety/depression It was tough to get started, and took almost three weeks for the severe stomach pain to go away, and then it did, completely. It makes me sleep very deeply, which I never did before and I've gone from being awake at 6:00a.m. to happier sleeping until 9:00a.m (in my case this is a good thing). I am also must less preoccupied with sex. I didn't think this was an issue for me at all until I found what it's probably like for normal people. I have no performance problems at all, in fact I think my wife is enjoying our sex life more than ever before. But I am not constantly horny, which I was. I am enjoying sex much more. I am more patient with everyone and much more able to focus on my work. The major side effect for me is that I sleep deeply. Saved my life. I was in a downward spiral and feeling like an old man. Sad, and in pretty much constant pain from various things. I was down to eating plain meals of only easy to digest food. I didn't go out much. Now I'm like a normal person again. Since I've been on this treatment I've come to understand that I was probably suffering from severe anxiety for the last 20 years, with depression and physical symptoms of the anxiety setting in since I was about 40. Now I have the outlook I did when I was 25 (if not the energy). I look forward to all the things I can do in life. Effexor has turned off the background of worry that was always dripping in my head. M 47 16 months
6/14/2005
 5  Depression Insomnia, dizzyness, upset stomach After I had taken It for a month I was too dependant on it and I missed 3 days worth of pills. Me not taking those pills for three days resulted in vomiting, extreme dizzyness, nervousness, shaking, and bad dreams. F 17 3 months
6/21/2005
 5  Depression/anxiety Nausia, constant sweating, constipation The best antidepressent for me. Like everyone else the withdrawal feels like a nightmare. Went off once cold turkey and thought I was in another planet. Went into a real high for a week as if I were on cocaine - felt fabultous - then started to crash. Ended up driving to a client literally bouncing off the walls. Horrid. Missed a dose a couple times and my whole body felt like it was shutting down - bowls went out of control and had dry heaves . Took a dose and was F 44 8 years
6/21/2005

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