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 |
More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Fatigue/Depression | Was on for ~1 year. At a low dose of 37.5 mg, it helped reduce the number of crying apisodes associated with my depression, but I was always tired and could sleep at least 10-12 hrs a day, began to gain weight and it did not help my mood. MD upped the dose to 75 mg, but still did always tired, sleeping and more weight gain. If I missed a dose or was late, dizzy feelings and buzzes/sparks would begin. After increasing my dose again to 150 mg, I began to feel better emotionally, but weight gain continued. After less than one year I gained a total of 30 lbs. I finally told Dr. I wanted off of this drug, did the taper, and have been "Effexor Free" for 4 days now. I am left with the terrible dizziness and buzzes/sparks. I am taking Tylenol PM to get some decent sleep while these effects continue. Would never go on it again. The Pros are not worth the Cons aaociated with this drug. | F | 39 | 12 months | 6/21/2007 | 3 | Major Depression Disorder | Increased sexual desires. Insomnia. 5 pound weight gain. Suicidal thoughts for the first three months. | I've tried getting off this medicine, and all that's happened is I have extream with drawl to the point where I get just depressed as I was before, which was depressed enough to kill your self. Even if I forget to take it for one day, I'm extreamly depressed, cry, feel nautious all day, and have migraines. However, since I've taken Effexor the occasional seizures I've had have stopped, which is apparently a rare effect of this drug. | F | 17 | 4 years | 6/21/2007 | 1 | SUPER anxiety,(mild depression?) | Terrible insomnia,SUPER increased anxiety, i started having some wierd twitch in my shoulder,just like I randomly got tazered out of no-where, THEN i got really really depressed!!! | I was on for just over a month,was freakin out, didn't leave my house,went on Lorazepam to help the "anxiety" which Lexapro was SUPPOSED TO TREAT,said f*ck this,tapered off and was angry all the time. My doctor said i should up the dose to 150mg right before i stopped taking it,that was stupid as hell. This stuff JACKS you up, and just plain sucks. I wouldnt take one stinkin pill again for a brand new Porsche. When i was on it, i caught myself thinking about how I would "off" myself,..! That would have never crossed my mind before/after I was on this dangerous medication. If you have to take an anti-D, get one thats less harsh and doesn't have the short half life like this yak dung. Im takin a little Lorazepam(generic Ativan) in o.5's to squash the freak-outs and I'm sailin along, tryin to forget about that terrible "E-crack-xor XR." | M | 30 | 5 weeks | 6/21/2007 | 5 | depression | decrease in libido | M | 40 | 5 years | 6/22/2007 | 1 | depression | my blood pressure has gone up, have no bladder control, bad nightmares my husband has to shake me to wake me from these. Cramps in legs, muscle aches, headaches, dizziness.I cry all the time, never leave the house except for doctor appointments. | I ask my doctor to start weaning me off and she said I will never come off. As of yesterday I cut down from 300mg to 150mg, gonna try this for a week then go down to 75mg. I put my faith in God that he will help me get through the withdrawful of this drug. | F | 63 | 3 years | 6/23/2007 | 1 | Depression | WEIGHT GAIN 100+ LBS!!!, NIGHTMARES, NIGHT SWEATS, LOSS OF SEX DRIVE, I WOULD WAKE UP SCREAMING IN POOLS OF SWEAT. I WENT FROM 160 LBS TO 268 IS A MATTER OF 1 YEAR. I WAS TAKING 150MG A DAY. AND THEN THERE WAS THE WITHDRAWS IT IS TRUE YOU WILL HAVE THEM! | STAY AWAY THIS DRUG IS EVIL!!! | F | 37 | | 6/26/2007 | 5 | Depression/panic attacks | loss of sexual drive, slight brain zap | This drug has worked tremendously for me. At lower doses it did not really affect me. I had taken 75mg for 2 years but really noticed a difference when I increased to 225mg. Now on 300 and I feel the world better. | M | 25 | 6 years | 6/27/2007 | 3 | symptoms from Tamoxifen | Weight gain (40lbs over 5 years, but could be Tamoxifen too), loss of interest in sex. Brain shocks and dizziness if missed a dose. Withdrawals are HORRIBLE. | I started taking Effexor after I had breast cancer at age 33. Standard treatment after chemo/radiation is 5 years of Tamoxifen, which put me into early menopause...it was ugly! My oncologist put me on Effexor after I told him I couldn't stand myself and didn't know how anyone else could stand me either! Worked well for the 5 years I've been on it (except for weight gain and loss of interest in sex...my poor husband), but the withdrawals now are HELL. I was on 75mg daily, stepped down to 37.5mg for 4 days, then 37.5mg every other day for two pills. I have my last dose tonight. I've been dizzy, vomiting, have brain shocks, and feel like I have the flu. Wish I had known at the beginning that it would be so hard to stop...maybe there would have been another way to go. | F | 38 | 5 years | 6/27/2007 | 5 | Anxiety and insomnia | 75mgs has really helped, and I think it is a wonderful medication for me. I have had restless legs at night, but that goes away quite quickly, and I am not sure it is related. Have slept well since starting it. | I did not suffer from depression, so I can't comment, but it has done the trick without any negatives. | F | 56 | 5 months | 6/29/2007 | 5 | Depression | i yawnd a lot, was dissy, tearful, tired and had neusea for the first 7 to 14 day of being on the pills. During the time i have been on EFFEXOR XR (75mg) i have noticed decreased to no sex drive and i beleive i have had to fight against my weight the majority of the time. When i went on EFFEXOR XR i struggled to keep the weight on then i struggled to keep the wieght off for the remainder of the treatment time. I am coming off the medication now, the side effects include: dissyness, triedness, extreme excietment( beyound the norm.). | In the short term the medication helped me keep my husband, which i was very close to loosing from my abusive out spurts and my negitive out look on life (He was alway wrong even when he was right). In the long term, it has helped me find myself again and indoing this i am able to return to work after loosing my job. (long story, but i should have taken it to the unfair desmisal board). Fianlly and most importantly, i am strong enough to start trying for a child again after having several miscarragies (early in preg.). Although i am having side effects coming off the medication i am glad i did something about my problem. BUT I WILL SAY THIS: "REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE GOING ON THE MEDICATION AND GOING OFF IT. MAKE SURE THERE IS NOT ANY OTHER WAY OF HELPING YOURSELF BEFORE GOING ON ANY ANTI-DEPRESSANT AS ITDOES MESS WITH YOUR BODY AND YOU CAN'T JUST DECIDE TO GO OFF THEM OR HAVE A FAMILY OR ANYTHING THAT REQUEST YOU TO BE OFF THEM". "GOOD LUCK IN YOUR | F | 27 | 7 months | 6/30/2007 | 5 | Fibromyalgia, Depression | First few weeks sleepy, constipation, shivers. Causes strange dreams! | Fibromyalgia disappeared after first week which was a huge improvement for me. Anxiety and depression decreased greatly as well, but I feel less motivated. Started on low dose and increased to 75mg. I was fearful of this med. because I am very sensitive to medication but I have had no other problems while on it. | F | 49 | 3 months | 7/1/2007 | 4 | severe depression & anxiety | none really, thankfully.. after reading other peoples experiences, i was scared, but now I'm not too worried. | I have headaches, but I had those before taking Effexor XR...same thing with fatigue. My doctor told me to up my dose on the 3rd day, which I did, and I still feel fine..so far. | F | 30 | 4 days | 7/1/2007 | 3 | Major Depression | Headache, tremors in hands, gas, constipation, not able to have orgasam, night sweats and sleeplessness, anger thoughts of death. | I have raised my dosage 3 times, each is a little better for a while then needs to be raised again. When it stops working I feel worse than before I started. If I don't take a dose I am dizzy and feel very confused, and have bad short term memory. | F | 25 | 3 months | 7/2/2007 | 4 | Anxiety disorder and depression | No libido, very delayed orgasm, agitation, sleep disturbance - difficulty getting to sleep and very restless sleep, hot flushes/sweating, dilated pupils. | I am on only 75mg for panic and anxiety, which has been very effective in stopping panic/anxiety attacks. I find that if I miss a day or two it takes me a week or so to get back to no panic and get rid of the weird, dissociative feelings. Lower dose has definitely been better for anxiety. Have previously been on 375mg for severe depression and anxiety, but was too agitated to continue. Hideous withdrawal! I needed to take a week off of work to withdraw. | F | 25 | 2 months | 7/3/2007 | 3 | Bipolar | Headaches | Effexor worked for me for a long time, but the withdrawal from this drug is horrible. I tried 3 times before I was finally able to completely wean off of it. I had brain zaps, nausea, crying jags, dizziness, and couldn't even walk straight. | F | 31 | 8 years | 7/3/2007 | 3 | Depression | headache, nausea for the first few weeks, lightheadedness, dizziness, dry mouth, lots of crying, insommnia, then would sleep for 16+ hours and would wake up exhausted, no energy, loss of appetite, lost about 15 pounds (from 107lbs to 93), felt spaced out, forgetfulness, and horrible nightmares, yawning, and felt spaced out all the time. Also, this med. is addictive. If you forget a dose you get horrible headaches, nausea, dizziness to a point where its hard to stand or walk, and you can feel the blood pulsing through your head, chest, etc. | I was taking Effexor with Lithium for my bi-polar. I didn't like the side effects I had so I switched to Cymbalta. | F | 18 | 2 years | 7/3/2007 | 5 | Anxiety | Initial side effects were relatively minor, dry mouth, vivid dreams, feeling lethargic but after a month or so it was like I had been a bird in a cage and someone let me out. I would not have been able to be as successful and confident in my career and travel the way I do had I not started taking something. I suffered for almost 20 years trying natural herbal remedies that just weren't capable of working like Effexor does. | I took 75mg Effexor XR for the first couple of years and then increased it to 150mg which I've been on for the last 4 years or so. It has been very successful for me and have no desire to stop. Unfortunately the reality is that all drugs have risks and side effects and you have to determine if the results are worth it to you. | F | 42 | 6 years | 7/4/2007 | 2 | Depression | Head pain that moved around my head and wouldn't respond to ibuprofen (not a normal headache kind of pain and it would sometimes last all day); nausea; blurred vision, constipation, even vomited a few times. | Thank you to the person who posted the "removing beads" method to get off this medication without withdrawal. I started by removing 4, then I decided to try 10 more per day, now I'm taking out 20 at a time. I'm opening my capsule and removing about 104 beads tonight. I should be off this stuff in about 12-15 more days. I'd rather go with an SSRI than this stuff if these side effects are what I'm supposed to put up with! I'm not nearly as depressed as I was, but that might have more to do with an awesome support network of family and friends and good counseling than the medication... | F | 39 | 7 weeks | 7/5/2007 | 1 | anxiety and menopause | rapid heartbeat,sore neck,anemia,fatigue,jitteriness,dizzy,sleep sweats,hot flashes,vivid dreams,weakness in legs.weight gain,chills,muscle spasms,very dry mouth,trouble sleeping. | I WISH I HAD NEVER TAKEN IT. SIDE AFFECTS ARE HELL TO TRY AND LIVE WITH!!!! | F | 55 | 6 months | 7/6/2007 | 5 | Depression, Anxiety | Other than being sleepy more than ususal, I've had no side effects. Being sleepy has been a good thing though, cause now I don't stay up as late (1-2am) before the next work day. | A lifesaver. | F | 57 | 2 months | 7/7/2007 |