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 |
| 3 | anxiety and depression | fuzzy brain, no sex drive, slight tremor in hands and jaw, huge dilated pupils | I've only been on them for a week and a half so they haven't really kicked in- but I am experiencing the side effects. My life sucks right now... still anxious, still depressed plus I have all these side effects. I just wish it would kick in already. | F | 19 | 12 days | 3/20/2008 | 3 | anxiety | jittery, world swirling around me, eyes can't focus, increased feelings of nervousness, insomnia, out of it, heart palps, diarhea, stomach pains | Only been on if for two days but have tried other meds and never felt side effects like this. Doesn't seem like its worth it reading all of this. I guess if your problems are severe and it works for you than good but for mild problems of anxiety i wouldn't recommend it | F | 26 | 2 days | 3/6/2008 | 3 | anxiety w/depression | I don't remember the initial side effects. Long-term effects: weight gain, lethargy, decreased sex drive and finally severe hives. Weaning off: mania, insomnia, spectacular mood swings, lack of focus, potential for suicidal thoughts. | This drug was a dream come true at first. However, over time, the side effects outweighed the benefits, switching to Prozac. I've wanted off for years, but withdrawal symptoms were too severe. I've had unexplained hives for 2 yrs. Doc didn't believe my hunch that there was a link to effexor. My new doc is weaning me very carefully and the hives are subsiding but still having horrible emotional problems coming down. Even before the hives, the exhaustion, weight gain and lack of sex drive put a lot of pressure on my marriage. Lethargy so bad that I needed 10 hrs sleep/night & a nap every day. Hard to hold down a job and have a healthy marriage w/kids. Overall, great for short-term use, but wean carefully -- it will likely cause suicidal thoughts as you come off! | F | 40 | 9 years | 2/20/2008 | 3 | long term depression | vivid dreams,thirsty, feeling hot, and when increasing dose - arthritic pain in joints (has anyone else had this). Now on 225mg per day - lot of aches in joints, back, feet etc - is this related to Effexor or just something else? | I took it for about 8 months 18 months ago - have been taking it this time about 8 months. | F | 50 | 8 months | 2/23/2008 | 3 | depression | extreme weight loss,(from 131 to 118 in 2wks) loss of appietite, dry mouth, vivid dreams (they are cool though), blurred vision, extreme extreme leg tremors at night (they keep me up), loss of concentration, continual fatigue, headaches, constapation | My doctors prescribed me this medication for my depression and anxiety. The thing is, this is the first time I've ever taken any kind of anti-depressant, and this was the first thing she recommended. And after reading everyones comments, I almost wish I knew better. But it has helped some what. It has given me the strength to leave me abusive boyfriend (stay with him for almost 2yrs) and thats probably the only benefit so far. When something upsets me, it like upsets me to the 3rd degree. Ive been on it for about 3weeks and I know that it can take up to 2months for the full effect so Im going to wait to out. Because my depression had me on the brink of suicdie | F | 19 | 3 weeks | 3/8/2008 | 3 | depresion | head buzzing, balance effected, feeling of being sucked through a vortex, weight gain, loss of sex drive | I was place on this med "temporarily"(HA!),due to having my ovaries out. This is not so easy! Coming off of this med feels worse than before I started taking it!!! My husband & kids I believe are afraid of me, never knowing when I will explode next! The "weaning" process is a joke...I went from 75mg to 37.5mg (not so bad), but when you are to start skipping days, that is when you find out they have made this drug so that you give up and want to stay on it! I have constant head buzzing, and my balance at times is like a drunk! The mood swings are horrible. My body aches all over. This medication was meant for permanent use, because if you were depressed before you took it look out for after! If you have not started to take this medication DON'T!!!! | F | 36 | 3 years | 3/2/2008 | 3 | depression | meds relieved my depression but then I began to experience: forgetfulness joint pain sleepy/tired easily confused | meds did relieve my depression but trying to come off of this medication is horrific. I wish I had been told about this particular side effect before I started taking it. | F | 54 | 2 years | 11/28/2008 | 3 | Depression | increased sweating, dry mouth, twitching, 'brain zaps', inability to orgasm, worsening of anxiety eventually, insomnia | I was on 225, I kinda crashed when I went to 150 (with psychiatrist approval); I went back to 225 but have, by counting granules, gotten to 187.5. Benefit: Lifted me out of most of the depression, numbness was nothing next to Zoloft (fluoxetine). Bad stuff: Dry mouth, sweats and twitching are all mild enough to put up with. Brain zaps are also okay because they're rare and mild unless I miss a dose. After a year, I noticed my anxious habits (nail biting etc) were getting out of control and I was more anxious than I had been before, and it took ages to get to sleep. Sex drive wasn't too dented; without getting too graphic, I would be aroused enough for sex, but orgasms are veeery difficult. Advice: Go on it for less than a year, and when you go off, go very slowly & monitor whether you're getting miserable again (diary is good). | F | 20 | 16 months | 4/28/2008 | 3 | panic disorder, major depression | i am now on 300 mg. extremely tired, hot flashes, and sweating all night. can not miss one dose, or i have extreme side effects, disoriented, crazy sleep and feeling like i can't wake up, tingling fingers.... | i am so relieved to not have panic attacks any more, but i am not comfortable with all the side effects. instead of feeling controlled by anxiety, i now feel controlled by effexor. | F | 30 | 10 months | 11/11/2008 | 3 | depression | have not started taking it yet. | I have been taking 20mg of Celexa for the past month and only have been feeling better about 50% of the time. I completely lost my sex drive so my doctor switched me to Effexor XR today. I start 37.5mg tomorrow and then up to 75 in a week. After reading all of these comments I am a little nervous about it, but I am going to try it because I really want feel better ALL the time. I don't have insurance and I am a little worried about the cost, can anyone help me with a place I can get a good deal? Thanks. | F | 23 | 0 days | 4/18/2008 | 3 | Mental and Physical breakdown | I have been on this drug for 2 years and am now trying to get off of it. Unfortunately, it's becoming harder with each passing day to not take a pill due to the side effects. I am always dizzy, to the point where I throw up several times a day. I get these shocks in my brain that cause numbness in the lower part of my face and lips. I can't sleep and when I do I sweat and have strange dreams. My memory is shot. I can't seem to recall things I have done the previous hour. My anxiety and panic has been agrivated and returns without warning. My weight gain was horrible. I went from 140 to 200 in a very short period of time and I wasnt even eating. I seem to shake uncontrollably and I am so restless that sitting still is not an option. I use to enjoy going to movies, now I hate it because I cannot sit still. | This drug did it's job to help me recover from my breakdown, but Trying to ween myself off of this drug has seemed to cause more to be depressed about. I am afraid to drive because of the dizziness. I can't walk a straight line. I have no memory . I just want off the drug and it feels like I will never be able to do so. This alone causes major depression. | F | 37 | 2 years | 4/14/2008 | 3 | perimenopause depression | High Blood Pressue - which I believed caused my Central Retinal Vein Occlusion | The doctors should keep a real close eye on your blood pressure, I love my doctor, but he did not do that. I have now lost most of my vision in my left eye. As soon as I stopped the Effexor XR my blood pressure dropped back to normal. | F | 52 | 300 days | 4/18/2008 | 3 | Anxiety | weight loss(which I dont mind), headaches, tired all the time, extreme withdrawels if missing dose, yawning, body aches, you name it I got it. | I was put on this for anxiety, and it is also for depression. I'm happy, all the time but it hasn't helped anxiety at all. It hasn't effected me sexually, but if I miss a dose it's best to stay as far away from me as possible, it's extreme and I wasn't this way before the meds. After reading all of the comments left on here I think I may just come off of it and find something a little less insane that might actually help my problem. | F | 20 | 2.5 months | 4/18/2008 | 3 | anxiety,tired, follow up from mono | dry mouth, tired, loss of weight, 5 pounds so far, have been on for over a month | started out on 37.5 moved up to 75, now the doctor put me on 150 today, dont know if i want to take it, very iffy about it all. I stopped taking it for one day when i was on 37.5, HORRIBLE side effects, and all I had was 75's so I took one to just calm me down, it worked, so please if you want off of your effexor talk to your dr. and wean off it! | F | 22 | 2 months | 10/11/2004 | 3 | depression/anxiety | Initially sick all of the time. Now on it for three years and have gained 25 pounds. Decreased sex drive. Emotionally much better and able to function but getting depressed about the side effects. | It has helped me to be a better parent but the side effects are getting to hard to handle. I am afraid of withdrawl. | F | 42 | 3 days | 9/26/2004 | 3 | depression/anxiety | Sleepiness, horrible headaches, nausea, extremely dry mouth, periods of alternating hunger and no desire for food. | I have been taking effexor XR for about 5 days....I know that it has not kicked in yet but I need to know if this is normal I started taking wellbutrin and I hated the way it made me feel, like I was on drugs..it was a euphoric feeling even at the 1st dose. Then I was put on lexapro...which packed 50 lbs on my body I went from being a nice size 6-8 to a hefty 14!!, which made me more depressed!! Then I switched to Zoloft and I still felt depressed and anxious after being on 200 mg for over 5 monthsand no weight loss after vigorous excersise and dieting so finally my doctor put me on Effexor XR, I was told to stop taking my 200mg zoloft and immediately start 37.5 mg of effexor xr, I feel as though I am still experiencing withdrawl symptoms from the zoloft, is that possible?? I have horrible headaches, dry mouth, extreme tiredness!! Will these symptoms go away I start 75mg of effexor xr in a few days, I hope this works and these side effects go away, I am desperately seeking a medicine that will work for me!! | F | 24 | 5 days | 9/20/2004 | 3 | depression and anxiety | severe dry mouth, night sweats, wierd and vivid dreams, some weight gain, feeling stupid-slow mental process, no short term memory, difficulty finding words, despondant, not really caring, mood swings | not sure if i would recommend this pill. it helped at first. now I'mon 300 mg, which I take in the morning, and I don't know if I like it anymore. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference, but that could be because I don't are anymore. the nigt sweats are horrible. i'm also have photosensitivity in that my eyes don't adjust to bright lite well. I ate the feeling stupid part too. | F | 28 | 8 months | 8/25/2004 | 3 | depression | nausea at first and clenching teeth,if i am a couple of hours late taking a dose i feel terrible ,sick,faint,shakey,really awful | F | 34 | 14 months | 8/24/2004 | 3 | depression and anxiety | small rash and loss of appetite. | Felt a bit of a boost for a couple of days but it seems to have stopped,but Ive only been on it for a couple of weeks now. | F | 34 | 2 weeks | 11/2/2004 | 3 | i was in deep depression | When i started taking the drug, i was tired,very groggy, bumping into walls, dry in the mouth.That lasted about a week. | Effexor did help, i was so depressed for months, then 2 weeks into taking the drug, i started to function again.I believe if i had of gone to counselling during the first few months on this drug, i then could of weaned off six months later.I was on this drug for three years as i couldnt stand the side effects when trying to come off.Also just having a few wines at a dinner or an odd occasional drink,would send me off the planet.I have now been off this drug for four months and i feel better then i have ever felt, as i think going from 75 mg to 150mg i still had moments of depression, and i wanted to cope with that, as that is a normal thing to feel at times.Saying that i was on the drug for a marriage breakdown, so i would advise other people to get doctors advice first before coming off.Over the 3 years i was taking effexor i gained 20 kilos, i went fom 60kilos to 81kilos, the first 10mths, is when i noticed the weight piling on, and i didnt eat anymore then usual, i ate healthy foods, my colesteral went from 4 to 6, so this was also a major decision for coming off the drug.The side effects were horrific, the first day of missing a tablet, i was dizzy nauseous,had a weird pulse through my body, as if your heartbeat would miss a beat, then go thump.Had terrifying nightmares,night sweats, and brain saps where it sounded like a loud swish go through your head, this was constant for about 7 to 10 days.The first 4 days being the worst, and having to take time off work as there was no way i could of coped with these feelings, but laying down and trying to get through the best way.I did go cold turkey as i had tryed the weaning before hand, for a fortnight and feelings were just as bad, so im glad i went cold turkey and just got the drug out of my system.If i knew now what that drug was about, i wouldnt of gone on it, as i have since heard other drugs arn't as severe. | F | 38 | 3 years | 11/13/2004 |