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 Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females). 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 | Major Depression | In the beginning not any to comment about. I have been taking 300mg per day for 12 months. Cannot recall when they hit but it is like I am at the movies when I am asleep, I dream true to life. No sex drive. My coordination is out, as in I come home from work with bruises anywhere. I wake up feeling tired, I put that down to being at the movies all night (dreaming). I also yawn heaps. | This medication has worked wonders for me. The side effects are worth putting up with to be able to get back into the work force, socialise and enjoy life again | F | 55 | 18 months | 1/22/2007 | 5 | Anxiety | If two or more doses were missed I would get the awful and very weird electric shocks/buzzing/tingling feeling going in my head and eyes. I had no emotional withdrawal symptoms, though, which was great. | Effexor XR took my panic attacks and whooped them! From the moment I started it I had no attacks. NO attacks! It was rather amazing. I wasn't officially diagnosed with depression at the time that I started taking the Effexor but I have tendencies towards depression and it helped that also. I felt like everything was Ok again. I was pretty calm about everyday stresses and took a crisis very well. I hated coming off of it, because I did it cold turkey and had the crazy withdrawal symptoms, so I won't do that again. I've been off of it for about 2 years because I'm doing ok, but if I need something for my anxiety again I'll definately take the Effexor. | F | 35 | 3 years | 7/17/2006 | 5 | Depression | On 300mg: crazy dreams, periods of night sweats, constipation, decreased short term memory, decreased attentiveness. Withdrawl over 12 weeks: diarrehea (slowly settling down), headaches immediately after dose decrease, for a few days (gone now). Nails have gone hard. Minor emotional periods (sad, angry) for only a few days each. Been 3 weeks off and have had pretty bad joint pain for last week. | Yes I had some minor side effects but my quality of life was vastly improved while I was on this medication. I was very happy in how it dealt with my depression. Without taking it I would have not been able to achieve the things I have personally or professionally. | F | 29 | 7 years | 3/28/2007 | 5 | Severe depression, anxiety | The only side effect I have is occasional tremors, mostly in my hands. This occurs almost exclusively when I am over-tired. | Effexor gave me back my life. I had been on just about every antidepressant out there and none worked. I couldn't leave my house due to anxiety and sometimes couldn't even leave my bedroom. I wouldn't bathe, brush my teeth or wash my hair. I thought about suicide nearly every day. I wasn't living; I was just existing. | F | 49 | 4 years | 4/26/2007 | 5 | major depressive disorder- unipolar | echymosis, sweating and possibly a bowel condition as yet unidentified as a side effect | although effexor xr has helped me a great deal, I have not been able to discontinue it and have been on a steadily rsing dose since 1997 and am now taking 450mg daily. | F | 51 | 7 years | 9/12/2004 | 5 | Severe Anxiety/Depression | Eyes dialated, Sweating, Nausea, Insomnia, Loss of Appetite, Weight loss-40 lbs in less than 2 months, Tremors. | I almost lost everyone in my life that I loved and cared for simply because I let the pain of depression eat away at me and my relationships with others. This medicine's side effects are not as bad as living a life filled with doubt. I can still have emotions and feelings but not in the roller coaster effect that I once lived with. Therapy along side of this medication have not only changed my life but saved it. However missing a dose can bring on a huge change immediately...along with severe nausea, sweating and dizziness. | F | 24 | 2 months | 8/30/2004 | 5 | severe depression | When I first began the medication, I was very dizzy and sick to my stomach. This lasted for one week. These side effects subsided and I've been successfully taking the medication for six months. I believe that this medication saved my life. | F | 47 | 6 months | 9/14/2004 | 5 | Combo anxiety/depression | increased sweating, slight reduction of libido | After two apathy-producing, weight-gaining rounds of Zoloft, I was intoduced to Effexor. I felt immediate relief from anxiety without sedation. This med lets me feel like me and function like normal. I started at 150mg. and increased to 300mg a year ago. Have not needed a dosage increase since. | F | 42 | 2 years | 9/14/2004 | 5 | Panic Disorder | Occasional night sweats and increased sweating. Lightheadedness, if I forgot to take it. | Effexor is terrible to get off of - but does its job for controlling panic and anxiety. Wonderful drug! | F | 28 | 3 years | 9/15/2004 | 5 | Anxiety and Depression | The only side effects I experienced were mild insomnia and extreme shakiness for the first 3 days. | I was never one to take any kind of drugs. I would only take aspirin as a last resort. But I have to say that taking the Effexor has made me feel so much better. I read all the side effects and was reluctant to start it, but knew that I needed to take something in order to function in life. I am currently on 75 mgs per day and it has made a huge difference. My advice to anyone considering taking the drug is don't stress out when reading the side effects. All drugs effect people differently. Give it a chance. It took about 14 days for the drug to kick in. The side effects did go away after about 4 days and when I increased my dose from 37.5 mgs to 75 mgs I didn't have any side effects. My Dr. prescribed xanax for me to take along with the effexor for the first week which actually eliminated the shakiness and nervousness immediately. I only had to take the xanax for the first three days on the Effexor. I suggest that if you decide to take the Effexor, having the xanax on hand for the first few days will help. I have not had to increase my dosage as of yet. I'm hoping to be able to stay on the 75 mgs for as long as possible. Reading about the withdrawals is a little scarey, but like I said, all people are affected differently by different drugs, so I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it. Effexor has made a huge difference in my life and when and if I have to come off it, if I experience any withdrawals, well, so be it. It would be a small price to pay for being able to enjoy life. | F | 40 | 5 weeks | 7/27/2004 | 5 | panic attacks and depression | i gained 40lbs in a very short period of time,night sweats,muscle spasms every night but i no longer have any panic attacks and the anger and rage i use to have, my mood is alot better | F | 32 | 9 months | 5/17/2004 | 5 | major depression | major lack of energy, lowered libido, 25 lb weight gain, ravenously hungry at times but not all the time, when dozing off to sleep, my leg, arm or shoulder & arm will feel like a small electrical jolt shoots through one of them and will actually jerk and sometimes wake me up. The electrical jolt is actually rather pleasant. | How do I know whether the lower libido is a side effect of the drug or a side effect of getting old. All I know is that I used to want sex all day long when with my husband but now, I think about it but am just too tired to initiate anything. I know I have to be on this drug or I have dreams that couldn't be described as nightmares but I wake up feeling really scared and hopeless and see no reason to live. It's a very dark place and if I have to I will take drugs the rest of my life to prevent this dark place. | F | 54 | 2 years | 5/19/2004 | 5 | Depression | Absolute living hell!!!!!!!! I weaned down from 300mg daily over a period of 8 weeks. It has been nearly a week and I am struggling. I have constant diahorrea and headaches. It feels like an alien (or at times many aliens) are living in my head. I have a loss of appetite and stomach cramps. I feel confusion, disorientation and light headedness for most of the day. It is a relief to lie down at night. It is impossible to describe to anyone who has not been through it the sheer hell of this kind of withdrawl. I have had zero sex drive whilst being on the drug although I had a very low drive prior to going on the drug which was part of my history of depression anyway. | I have 2 children and it is my responsibilities towards them which keep me going throughout this hell. It would be so easy to go back on the medication but I feel that this hell surely will end soon and I am willing to fight it out. Reading everyone else's responses has reassured me that these side effects are consistent with the drug and has given me that added strength to battle through the hell. I have to tell myself how depressed I was prior to taking it and remind myself of how much progress I have made since taking effexor-er. Hopefully 2-3 weeks of hell is a small price to pay for the positive benefits I have had whilst being on the drug. | F | 44 | 2 days | 6/26/2004 | 5 | Severe depression & anxiety | I took 150 mg of Effexor XR for almost two years. I had blurry vision from time to time. My sex drive was still there, but the sensations were less. Effexor XR helped me put my life back on track. Mixing it with alcohol makes it less effective. I had withdrawal effects the days after partying, which included extreme tiredness, irritability, diahrrea, not being able to work (I would go to work, but was not as productive), depression, and panic attacks. | I did a lot of research about the withdrawal effects and was afraid to taper off. However, I am tapering off effexor xr very successfully, 37.5 per week. I am exercising, eating better, not drinking alcohol, and I am dealing with issues by facing them rather than escaping from them. It is imperative that when tapering off of effexor xr to have a solid support system. People who you can trust and talk to when you feel depressed and anxious. The important thing is to taper slowly and to exercise, eat right, and stay away from alcohol. You can do it. Hang in there and taper off slowly. It is working for me. I am down to 75 mg and will be down to 37.5 in a few days and then down to 0 mg the following week. | F | 42 | 2 years | 3/28/2004 | 5 | Social Anxiety/Depression | There are only two side effects I've encountered when on the medication. The first one was only for the first two days on a dose of 150mg. About a half hour/hour after taking my first dose I became extremly nausious and almost vomited. This went away quickly. The other side effect is sexual. I have no sexual urges at all. I have been on this medication for almost a year now and it has not gotten better whatsoever. The good obviously outway the bad or I wouldn't still be on it. I'm not saying that sex wasn't a part of my life before, but I can walk into a room of friends and have a conversation with them without freaking out. I am not a hermit anymore. I have a life. It's a huge improvement. I would recommend this medication to anyone that has problems like mine. | F | 23 | 1 years | 3/22/2004 | 5 | Depression & Anxiety | During the first 2 weeks of taking it, my contacts felt like they didn't fit and I had blurred vision. The only side effect now is lack of orgasm, but I still have the desire for sex. | This drug is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I had experienced depression and severe anxiety attacks since the age of 12. I didn't seek treatment until I was 34! I tried Celexa and Lexapro and had horrible side effects (headaches, dizziness and extreme tiredness)Then I tried Effexor and it has given me my life back. I feel like a black cloud has been lifted off of me. I would have never attempted to go to a sporting event, concert or any place where there were crowds until now! I am truly enjoying my life for the first time in 24 years!! | F | 36 | 8 months | 4/22/2004 | 5 | depression, gad | rise in blood pressure | Changed my life for the better | F | 52 | 3 years | 4/23/2004 | 5 | major depression, generalized anxie | night sweats, fatigue, modest weight gain | I'd tried many other AD meds in the past (SSRI's, tricyclics, Wellbutrin), none of which helped and caused many side effects. EffexorXR at 75 mg has really made a big difference in my outlook. I'm d/c now in springtime (my depression is always worse in winter) by incremental withdrawal of 3 beads daily from the capsule. While I've gotten some return of depression and irritability, I'm able to exercise more and am taking off the few pounds gained. I'm nearly drug-free (10 days to go of a 2-month taper) and am glad I've gone down so gradually. | F | 52 | 2.5 years | 4/28/2004 | 5 | depression | dry mouth, other then that nothing else | F | 40 | 3 years | 5/8/2004 | 5 | clinical depression | Weight gain...@ 30 lbs. If I forget to take my pills (I take 600 mg/day), the withdrawal symtoms begin that same night with horrible, vivid nightmares...and an extremely wierd expanding-contracting feeling accompanied by psychadelic, kalidescope-like images-quite colorful and interesting if you can view it for it what it is...without being totally freaked by it...which I was the first few times it happened... | This drug has helped so much--for a long time (two-three years), I tried several different drugs...the depression was bad...I had always been very UP...very outgoing...very HAPPY...an unexpected hysterectomy (e.g., no more hormones) sent me spiraling into depression...I felt this constant greyness...encompassed by a life-sucking cloud that left me anti-social, so depressed that I wouldn't get out of bed...called in sick for days...couldn't talk to people I didn't know, and had a very difficult time talking to people I DID know. I developed a kind of stutter when I found myself forced to deal with people. My husband stuck it out with me...and my doctor kept working with me and we tried everything...the effexor xr has helped and over the last three years, the dosage has increased to 600 mg...a very large dose, but I can function and I can concentrate...and I am living life again...I am trying to deal with the weight gain now that I am a functioning human being again... | F | 48 | 3 years | 6/13/2004 |