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 newest to oldest. 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 |
| 5 | Depression, anxiety, panic, BPD | For the first few years I had delayed orgasms. Total pain. That went away around year 8. I gained 75 pounds the first year I took it. Raised my BP, an now on BP meds. Withdrawal is severe. It starts around 36 hrs of a missed dose. The generic is expensive of you don't have Rx coverage. | This is the first of about 15 meds that worked for me. I actually felt good for the first time in almost a decade. The side effects suck, but I deal because it really works for me. Have tried 300mg in the past, but it brought my BP too high. Just started taking latuda to boost it. Have been on it for 18 years. My doctors can do what they want as long as they don't take my effexor away! | F | 37 | 10 years 225 | 4/2/2017 | 1 | Depression | side effects that I have experienced trying to STOP this medication by 10% per month: derealization, feeling like I am going insane, headaches, blurry vision, nausea, vertigo, severe mood swings, confusion, slowed thinking, easily overwhelmed by small familiar things, low tolerance to stress, rubbery arms, brain pressure, wild temperature fluctuations, brain fog, confusion, crying spells, irritability, extreme anxiety, inability to focus, feel like I have brain damage. | I would never recommend going on this drug, it is poisonous. I have tried stopping this medication numerous times as it never really worked to begin with and could no longer deal with the side effects of dulled emotions (pharmaceutical lobotomy), memory impairment, sexual side-effects. Going on this drug was the worst decision I ever made in my life and feel trapped to take it for the rest of my life as even reducing at 10% per month has caused numerous withdrawal symptoms. It will take me at least 10+ years to micro-dose off of this drug and suffer the above-mentioned symptoms for a decade of my life. This drug is poisonous. | F | 57 | 7 years 75 1X day | 3/28/2017 | 1 | depression | PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! It should be taken off the market! I took it for almost 8 years and it did help initially with my depression but after 5 years I lost interest in everything. I recently decided to talk to my doctor about it and was told the Effexor was no longer working for me. I was put on 20mg of Trintellix 2 months ago at which time I started to slowly wean off of the Effexor. THE WITHDRAWAL SIDE EFFECTS ARE HORRIBLE! I still have brain zaps, dizzines, crying spells and a very "short fuse" but the worst problem has been not being able to get enough air in my lungs...I CANNOT BREATHE! My doctor told me it was because of anxiety brought on by taking less of the Effexor (I am now down to taking 1/2 of 37.5mg a day) and about a week ago she temporarily put me on 1mg of Ativan 2x a day to help with this...it does help, but NOT MUCH. If I had known the withdrawals from this drug were this bad. I WOULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN IT. There are other antidepressants out there, PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ONE. It will eventually stop working and the withdrawal side effects are NOT worth it. | F | 46 | 8 years 150 mg | 3/21/2017 | 3 | depression, irritability, ruminatio | weight gain, hypertension, numbness, sleepiness, lack of energy/initiative/motivation, and decreased verbal ability. But that is worth it compared to the effects of missing a dose or two: brain zaps, dizziness upon standing/walking, vivid dreams & peeing the bed, irritability, anger, sadness, self-pity, resentment, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts. | I am trapped on this drug as I am afraid to go off it because no matter how inconvenient the side effects and withdrawal side effects are, there is no way I can live without this drug putting a floor underneath my primary problem, which is severe depression, irritability, unceasing grieving for dead parents & grandparents, and PTSD about physical and emotional abuse. I cannot function, keep my job, and maintain my life without something numbing and making me forget about all of that. | F | 50 | 8 years 300 1X day | 2/10/2017 | 1 | Depression, sadness | Losing strength out of my arms & hands & neck is stiff & after getting off them I got worse no pain but losing strength | Had I know I would not have ever took Effexor it has taken away my appetite & I have lost more weight no strength in my arms & hand back to sadness. | F | 56 | 1 days 37mg | 2/10/2017 | 5 | Irritable Bowl Syndrome IBS | After dealing with IBS for over 20 years, I finally was prescribed Effexor XR. No problems until my insurance had me go on a generic. It doesn't last as long and I can find myself with withdrawals with brain zaps and unable to function. Effexor manufactures its own generic, and that one seems to work best. I can't miss a day without going into withdraw. | It has helped me enormously. | F | 64 | 10 years | 2/9/2017 | 5 | Anxiety | Tiredness and weight gain and dizziness | It works wonders for me but if I miss a single dose I feel awful. | F | 22 | 7 months 75mg | 1/31/2017 | 1 | Anxiety / depression | Weight gain ; difficulty in curbing urge to drink alcohol after 1 drink | Stopping this drug after six years has been tortuous . Beginning my eighth week now Effexor free and I have had to fight hard to survive the disabling withdrawal effects . Mindfulness has helped so much . | F | 66 | 1 years 150mg | 1/5/2017 | 4 | Panic Disorder/Anxiety/Depression | Destroyed sex drive and erections. I could still get them but they were weak and short lasting. Miss a dose I got very weak, gained weight on it. Oddly I felt energized and sleepy at the same time on this drug. | I'm down to 75mg xr after weaning down over a year. The longer you take to come down the better off you'll be with Effexor, don't try and drop it overnight. Most say it gets the worst when coming off completely, which is why I'm reluctant. The drug worked though, it helped me in all areas, ADHD, Deprssion, Anxiety, OCD...I'd go back up on it again cause I felt so much better and in control while on it. | M | 34 | 5 years 300mg XR 1X day | 12/28/2016 | 4 | Dysthymia | NO libido, cold sweats at night, RLS/joint pain. The side effects from missing even one dose are absolute hell (headache, anxiety, severe nausea. Imagine you are dying from the flu) | In terms of treating my dysthymic depression, it worked beautifully for approx. 4-5 years. I could deal with the side effects if it meant I could be a functional human being. However, over time, it just stopped having the same positive impact. The benefits did not outweigh the cold sweats, or nighttime pains. I think my body had just had enough, which makes sense at about the five year mark. In order to come off the drug and try something new, I admitted myself - and was in the hospital for about two weeks, because I KNEW it would be awful. And it absolutely was. I am taking EMSAM now, in patch form, combined with ECT, and am starting maybe to see some results (about a month in). Cold sweats are GONE, and I didn't realize how badly they were impacting me until I no longer had to deal with them. It's magical. Overall, Effexor XR is great if you can tolerate the potentially nasty side effects (and if your SO is sympathetic to you completely non existent sex drive) | F | 25 | 5 years 150mg | 12/22/2016 | 1 | Nausea, headaches, lethargic, depression, blurred vision, loss of appetite, hair loss and general weakness. | I was on the instant release. Side effects did not go away or lessen after 60 days. Lost a lot of weight. Was a very bad experience. | F | 60 | 60 days 37.5 mg 1X day | 11/26/2016 | 4 | Gerneralized Anxiety Disorder | None while taking Effexor... Taper off slowly because the withdrawals are horrible, but I was able to do it over two months by slowly decreasing the dose. Finally getting off of it completely was the worst with brain zaps and dizziness but finally managed by taking my dose every other day for a couple weeks and then every few days until I felt well enough to stop. | Dialectical Behavioral Therapy works way better than taking drugs, in my experience, because it teaches you the tools to take control of your life and your mind. Some people benefit from both but I would suggest trying DBT!! It's amazing. Good luck, hope this helps. Let's stop embracing fear and the pharmaceutical companies. You're in control, just have to find your way. | M | 27 | 8 years 300 | 11/17/2016 | 4 | Depression anxiety | Sexual side effects worst. How do u counteract it? | Definitely works for me. | M | 51 | 10 years 150 | 11/16/2016 | 4 | Body Dysmorphic Disorder | Fatigue, AWFUL withdrawal not even 36 hours after missed dose (severe headache, severe nausea, severe fatigue, brain zaps, vertigo, confusion, dizziness... honestly feels like I'm dying of a horrible flu) | This was the first antidepressant that ever worked on me. I spent a good year of my life happier than I have ever been. Antidepressants I tried before this included Zoloft (which gave me heart palpitations... terrifying), Prozac, and Wellbutrin. My main reason for starting meds was BDD, but I also had been diagnosed with chronic depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD. It ended up helping a lot with the depression aspect rather than BDD, but it did get rid of the obsessive thoughts and actions that came with BDD. Still have a distorted body image, though, but I was a lot less depressed about thinking I am deformed if that makes any sense. It's been a year, though. I believe that I may be going through a relapse. My dosage will be raised as soon as I next visit my psychiatrist, but I will update this as soon as I notice anything. | F | 18 | 1 years 75 1X day | 11/4/2016 | 1 | Anxiety | I've a tried a few other drugs over the years ( Paxil, lexapro) but don't recall any having the immediate horrible side effects of Effexor. I was totally exhausted constantly, dry mouth, no appetite, felt like a drugged numb zombie. Did not want to deal with people at work for fear of how I'd act. I did not feel like myself at all. Dr said to stop taking it. Awful experience. | F | 42 | 3 days 37.5 mg | 10/18/2016 | 3 | Major Depression, Bipolar | Where do I start??? My psychiatrist started me on 150 MG of this back in 2013 after a suicide attempt landed me in a psych ward. I've been on antidepressants since I was 13 & trust me, this drug works! And it started working pretty fast for me. It still works after all this time. But...I feel as though I've sold my soul to the devil with this drug. See, my psychiatrist back in 2013 failed to mention to me that if I ever try to come off this drug, I might literally die. I've dealt with withdrawal symptoms from MANY other antidepressants including Zoloft & Seroquel. Those symptoms were a walk in the park compared to Effexor withdrawal! Long story short, I lost my job & lost my health insurance so I could no longer see my psychiatrist without paying cash for the visit. I begged & pleaded with her office to give me a refill & I will pay for it by borrowing cash. She refused. I was forced into withdrawal & it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had painful brain zaps, diarrhea, the 1st migrane of my life, I was throwing up....but that wasn't the worst! I had homocidal thoughts! I felt like a shaking, sweating, monster! I couldn't even focus my eyes on anything so driving became a hassel. I was SO angry which isn't like me at all. And I couldn't stop crying. I ended up in the ER again. Awful! I am completely TERRIFIED of ever losing this drug & going through that again. | After feeling those horrific withdrawal symptoms last year, I had my now dr switch me to the lowest dose in the hopes that I can maybe come off it easier after suffering hallucinations. I attempted to take out a few beads of my capsules daily for 2 weeks, when the withdrawal symptoms came back & made me feel homocidal again. I don't know how I will ever be "normal" without this drug. Some other side effects I have are I can't orgasm like I used to. That & I feel like I could laugh at a funeral all the time. | F | 39 | 3 years 37.5 MG | 10/11/2016 | 5 | Dysthymia/Social phobia | Increased sweating, initial fatigue, insomnia, decreased alertness, weight loss (9 lbs) | Effexor XR saved my life. I can function normally and went back to work full time. It is a miracle drug for my social anxiety and I am way more sociable. My mood increased after 1 month and it keeps going up everyday. I can enjoy activities I like again and my motivation is better. I am more active and go to the gym. My self confidence is way higher, but I can even become arrogant, so I have to work on that. I take along with Wellbutrin SR 150 mg 2x daily, Vyvanse 60 mg and Lamictal 50 mg. Thats a good combo for me. | M | 37 | 7 weeks 150 mg 1X day | 8/30/2016 | 3 | Depression | Very low libido, overeating, weight gain, hair thinning. | Very hard drug to come off of | F | 27 | 10 years 150 | 8/21/2016 | 2 | Major Depression, General Anxiety | Drowsy throughout the day, sleeping for a long time, weird dreams, heart palpitations, minor muscle spasms, lower libido, skipped periods often, heavy periods when I did get them, migraines, feeling slightly more aggressive, lowered mental capacity. | It at least did something, but the amount of side effects speaks for itself. It helped anxiety slightly, but made my depression worse in my eyes. Despite the slight amount of energy I had, I felt even less motivation to direct it towards anything productive. My inability to think correctly lead me to get frustrated when I tried to get work done, and also lead me to being more rash with decision making. Sleeping more did not affect my sleep schedule. In other words; I was up for less hours at a time. Weird dreams is honestly the only good thing about this drug for me. The amount of side effects sure made life even less fun than it already was. Quitting this drug was horrible. Constantly felt like I was about to faint, felt like my brain was being zapped with an electrical discharge. These were strong feelings, even though I was gradually reducing the amount. I heard taking an SSRI while weaning off helped, since withdrawal from SSRIs is not nearly as bad, but I didn't have that since it was my decision to quit. This is surprisingly strong stuff. My brain chemistry still feels different, and I wonder if I'll ever fully recover from this. This was my second in line for antidepressants, and if your doctor recommends this so soon, reject it. Try something else before you risk taking this. Getting someone addicted to this so they have to keep buying it is dangerous. It does actually affect your behaviour though, so it may be worth trying if everything else won't work. | F | 17 | 7 months 150mg 1X day | 8/11/2016 | 3 | Depression with anxiety | Headache, light headed, memory issues | Helped with depression some. I stopped crying. Didn't help as much with anxiety. The memory issues were disturbing! | F | 46 | 2 months 37.5 | 7/14/2016 |