EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR XR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | anxiety/minor depression | increased appetite, weight gain, jitteriness, night sweats (would wake up literally soaked if I missed a dose), intense headache behind eye, horrible flu-like withdrawal effects. | Effexor worked fairly well for a while - basically it seemed to slightly take the edge off; I lashed out less when angry - but after a year or so I started getting a terrible pain behind one of my eyes. It was so severe that a catscan was ordered. Well, around this time I also became more and more jittery and my appetite was enormous, and this eventually made me want to cut back on the effexor, thinking maybe it wasn't working anymore. Once I was able to cut down (it literally took 3 months to wean off of, the withdrawal effects are horrible) the pain behind my eye and jitteriness and uncontrolled appetite went away. None of my doctors realized that effexor could be responsible for the pain I'd been experiencing, but it was clearly the case (as the eye pain and pressure incrementally lifted as I tapered off the medication). Trying to taper off effexor I felt like what I imagine a heroin addict must feel like - it was terrible. At peak, I was taking 112 mg a day. | F | 38 | 1.5 years | 7/29/2006 | 3 | chronic depression | constipation if i suddenly stopped taking it or missed a dose, i would become very depressed/down. | side-effexor is a very tough drug to come off of. although it worked well for the first year, after that, it stopped working. i had to switch to something else and i thought i might want to die coming off it. | F | 35 | 3 years | 7/30/2006 | 4 | depression/anxiety | intense dreams, reduced libido. While starting I was slightly dizzy for a couple of weeks and I had hand tremors. I misunderstood my doctor's instructions when I changed to Wellubutrin...I just quit and started the new med without tapering the Effexor. I was very shakey and weepy....wanted to cry about everything. | It was very effective between starting and stopping. I quit because of the sexual side effects. I did delay getting off Effexor because I knew it would be unpleasant...I had a taste of it when I forgot to take it once in a while. Effexor was very helpful in curbing my depression and anxiety..and my temper. | F | 47 | 6 years | 7/31/2006 | 3 | Depression and PTSD | First dosage (37.5): taste aversion, nausea, weight loss, loss of libido, inability to reach orgasm Subsequent dosages (75 and up): increased appetite, no sex drive, inability to reach orgasm, horrific, vivid nightmares, inability to sleep, nausea, light-headedness, headaches, extremely light mestrual cycle, inability to sit still, very fidgety, horrible heart palpitations, increased pulse | Overall mood was heightened upon initial use, and energy was increased. These quickly diminished, however, and I am just left with these aweful side effects. I don't know whether I should switch to another drug or continue with it. Time will tell. | F | 20 | 6 months | 8/1/2006 | 2 | Depression | loss of libido; dizziness; continued symptoms of depression and anxiety; chronic severe night sweats; evening nausea. | I'm in the very long and drawn out process of trying to get off of this drug. For the minimal benefits I experienced while taking it, the withdrawal symptoms are extreme. I'm tired but can't really sleep; sick to my stomach; have a range of lower GI problems; can't focus my eyes on books, t.v., etc. without vomiting or feeling like I'm going to vomit; can't drive because of same; have constant severe headache that won't go away; feel obsessive and compulsive (the latter was never previously a symptom of my depression); have extreme mood swings; I've started having orgasms in my sleep but have no conscious interest in sex whatsoever; tearfulness; increased sensitivity to cold. With the help of my psychiatrist I decided to taper off the drug at the beginning of the summer so that I would be stabilized by the start of the school year. I have to go back to teaching in three weeks and am very worried. I can't remember what physically normalcy feels like. I've taken Paxil and Zoloft, ea | F | 29 | 2.5 years | 8/3/2006 | 5 | Depression, Epilepsy | Night Sweats, Restless Legs | Take 150mg, and that, along with Provigil that I started a bit later, appear to have given my regular epilepy meds a push to stop my seizures, that were previously at 4-5 a day. I do sweat like a pig at night, am very flat emiotionally and have zero sex drive, which is good, because it also keeps my johnson from working very well. May sound like a crappy drug, but I'll take the side effects for no seizures any day. | M | 39 | 6 months | 8/4/2006 | 1 | Major Depressive Disorder | This withdrawal is terrible. This is the 5th time im trying to get off it went down from 225-75. Im in great difficulty but have decided to be resilient. I am extremely worried about lasting side effects. | Anyone feel free to contact me about this It can really help having someone who understands what is going on. [email protected] | M | 20 | 2 years | 8/4/2006 | 4 | Mostly Anxiety; little depression | At the very beginning of taking Effexor XR (75 mg) I had more energy, sweaty palms, jittery legs, hot flashes. After about two weeks, the side effects settled down and I thought I was doing alright. | But then I felt almost the same as I did before Effexor XR. I started thinking maybe I had to increase my dose but then about a month and half before I went to see my psychiatrist, I started excercising a lot and now I feel great. I'm not going to change a thing but I think it was a combination of the Effexor XR, the summer starting, taking walks during my work days, and generally excercising more. I haven't had this much confidence and self esteem in so long. I can finally talk to my best friends like I used to and I can't tell you how good that makes me feel!!! I feel like myself again, and I'll tell ya, it's been close to 10 years!! | F | 29 | 4 months | 8/8/2006 | 3 | depression | The intial dry mouth and headache went away in a few days. But my blood pressure (which had always been lo or lo normal) rose to 148/80 so I had to discontinue. Oh, and did I mention the vivid dreams and nightmares. Like Stephen Spielburg had moved into my head! | F | 47 | 6 weeks | 8/9/2006 | 3 | depression | headache, sugar cravings, nightmares, elevated blood pressure, dry mouth, nausea at the beginning and at every dosage increase - 2 or 3 days of vomitting. | The vivid dreams were interesting. The nausea was not. I finally had to discontinue the drug because it seemed to seriously raise my blood pressure. I'm not sure if it helped my depression or not. Didn't end it but might have blunted it somewhat. No sexual side effects for me. But the 40 lbs I put on while taking it affected my attitude about sex... | F | 42 | 6 months | 8/9/2006 | 1 | severe depression | no sex drive, weight gain, memory loss, difficulty concentration, feeling the drug in the brain, don't give a damn about anything, feeling the dependency on this drug, like it thinks for me - terrible feeling, acting slow | Side effects are not worth it. Effexor if #1 THE MOST ADDICTIVE DRUG,(Paxil is #2). Be carefull before taking it. | F | 25 | 2 weeks | 8/9/2006 | 1 | GAD | Insomnia, loss of appetite (I'm all but a skeleton now), decreased sex drive, delayed ejaculation, sweating, dizziness, lack of concentration - just felt drugged. | Absolutely useless. Was on Paxil for 5 years and am going back. Sexual dysfunction is worse on Paxil but at least you get your life back. | M | 34 | 7 weeks | 8/10/2006 | 5 | M | 2 years | 8/11/2006 | 3 | Post Partum Depression | Horrible night sweats, slight weight gain, headaches, small memory loss, inability to think of certain words. | I was put on Effexor XR 9 months after my baby girl was born. I have been on Effexor for almost a year and a half now and have had only minor side effects. I take 150mg daily. Don't ever forget to take your pill. I skipped one day a few days ago and felt completely strange. I was so dizzy I could barely walk, was nauseus, the whol nine yards. I am seriosuly considering getting off of this drug since I think my post partum has subsided by now, but am seriously scared about the side effects from coming off the med. | F | 28 | 1.5 years | 8/11/2006 | 5 | reactive depression due to a trauma | First day I was shakey and had such a dry mouth, disrupted sleep and loss of labido also occured in following weeks. It also forced me to drink lots of water throughout the day but thats a plus. | After a few weeks everything levelled out except the dry mouth and being on Effexor (75mg) once a day has given me an immense sense of function back. I'm also 3 months pregnant and was wondering if any other women have gone through a pregnancy on Effexor? My Dr wants me to stay on the medication the entire pregnancy but I cant help wondering if i'm doing or going to do any damage to the unborn baby so if anyone has any feedback for me dont hesitate to drop me a line. Thanx. | F | 29 | 2 months | 8/12/2006 | 5 | depression and anxiety | well ive taken this medicine for ten years my sexual drive has come back, i do have hand tremors and night sweats. I take 150 mgs. I was suicidal when i began taken this medicine, it has calmed me and got rid of any such thoughts. | If the medicine is the right one for you, you will know, if it is not, your doctor may need to try others, I got bounced around for 3 years until i finally found the right one which is effexor xr. If you take this at night, before bed, alot of symptoms will go away. | F | 38 | 10 years | 8/14/2006 | 3 | DEPRESSION | I HAD TO TAKE EFFEXOR BECAUSE OF MY DEPRESSION. ME BEING I DUMB THOUGHT I DIDNT NEED THE MEDS ANYMORE AND MY DOCTOR AGREED TO WEEN ME OFF. I DIDNT LIKE THE FEELING. I WAS ON 150 MG. I THEN WENT ON 75MG FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS THEN 37.5MG . BUT THE WHOLE TIME I FELT DIZZY AND IT FELT LIKE I HAD ELECTRICAL SHOCKS GOING THROUGH MY HANDS,ARMS AND HEAD. IT FELT LIKE MY HEAD WAS PULSING. I FELT SICK ALOT TOO, I JUST WANTED TO HUG THE GROUND. WELL I WAS WRONG AND I COULDNT GO OFF THE MEDS . A WEEK AFTER TOTALLY STOPPING, ALL THE SIGNS WERE BACK THAT I NEEDED ON IT .TWO MONTHS LATER I WAS BACK ON EFFEXOR XR. IM TRYING TO FIND AN ALTURNATIVE. ANY IDEAS? IVE TAKEN WELLBUTRIN . I WAS ALLERGIC TO IT AND PROZAC I GOT AMMUNE TO IT.. THANKS FOR LISTENING. | F | 32 | 2 years | 8/14/2006 | 4 | social anxiety and depression | fatigue, prolonged orgasm, memory problems, disorientation, gas, frequent urination, excellent relaxation, calmness, very chilled out | The first day I sweated a lot and thought I was going to catch on fire. The next day I felt manic but still very overheated, especially when outside (I garden a lot). My libido has decreased a lot and have delayed orgasm, but this is getting better. I am only on 37.5mg/day and notice a significant decrease in the drug's effect (I go back to the dr. this week and probably need an increase in dose). The main side effects this entire week are feeling very tired/sleepy/lethargic, bad gas/bloating, increase blood pressure (from 120/80 to now 160 or 180/67, but pulse good), sweating a lot in afternoon, forgetfulness (I just put my daughter in her crib without a diaper on and now have to change her bed linens!), and feeling like in a trance (everything moves slowly around me), some itching. Overall, my muscles feel relaxed for the first time in over 20+ years. This is the first antidepressant/antianxiety that has not "flipped me out" and made me aggressive/worse. I am going t | M | 40 | 8 days | 8/15/2006 | 2 | Depression, chronic | GI problems: nausea, diarrhea and/or frequent bowel movements. Feel like everything I eat goes right through me. Have lost weight. Feel I've lost my mental sharpness, short-term memory loss (but could be age-related, too), slower to process things mentally, feel like my demeanor is flat or depressed mostly. | When I see my psychiatrist for med checks and tell her I still feel depressed and unable to find pleasure in many things I used to, she just wants to keep raising the dose. At 225mg/day now, for past 3mos. No improvement. GI problems worse, feel depressed still. Sex drive good but always has been. I do drink alcohol. | F | 43 | 4 years | 8/17/2006 | 1 | depression | I gained a tremendous amount of weight and my legs/ankles swelled to the point I could not get my shoes on. I also had a bad shortness of breath. My regular MD told me to tell my psychiatrist to take me off effexor immediately as it was causing all the fluid retention-turned out I had an enlarged heart also. Regular MD said doctors give effexor to cancer patients to help them gain weight. I don't think it is weight they gain - it is fluid. Very dangerous. | Effexor made me gain between 40-50# which didn't help my depression. Made me feel worse about myself and my life. | F | 63 | 8 days | 8/17/2006 |