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 | Depression, General Anxiety Disorde | when ramping up, I experienced extreme nausea. Once up to 150mg, I found extreme insomnia, and began taking the medication in the morning and sleeping aids at night. After nine months on this medication I am now experiencing extreme headaches, a return of anxiety, irregular periods with excessive bleeding. If I ever forget a dose, within 12-15 hours of missed dose I feel extreme withdrawl symptoms like a very bad stomach flu, and am unable to function. (withdrawl symptoms include headache, bodyaches, vomitting, dizziness, exhaustion, confusion, and racing heartrate, just to name a few). | While this medication seemed to work great for the first six months, more than six months at the max dose seems incredibly unhealthy. I recommend a migration plan with your doctor and regular visits at least every 2-3 months while on this medication. | F | 33 | 9 months | 2/2/2007 | 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 | 3 | Depression | Faster heart rate | This drug didn't work very well for me as far as relieving symptoms of my depression. I didn't have a lot of side effects and had no bad symptoms while discontinuing use. Although I feel bad for those who have a lot of side effects, I wanted to write this to let people know who are considering this drug that not everyone has that problem. | F | 40 | 4 months | 10/9/2008 | 3 | major depressive disorder, anxiety | dry mouth, reduced tolerance to hot temps (not a good thing if you live in a hot climate), slight tremor. If I miss a dose, I get dizzy and have nightmares. | No sexual side effects. I'm not sure the other side effects are worth it. It took care of the major depression in that I can function, but I'm still anxious and weepy, and I'm not going to increase the dose. It's back to the doc now to see what else can be done. | F | 35 | 7 months | 7/18/2005 | 3 | Depression & Anxiety | None on 75mg, 150 caused sleeplessness, hot flushes and weightloss, 225 caused the same plus severe bruising - woke up one morning with my legs covered in unexplained bruises. | The drug initially worked for 2 weeks, then the benefits wore off, it worked again when increased but similarly wore off and now has no benefit at all and side effects like bruising and night sweats cause me more discomfort than there were benefits. | F | 20 | 8 months | 10/12/2006 | 3 | Generalized Anxiety | Not taking this yet | I started on wellbutrin xl for anxiety (uncontrollable thinking and worrying) and I took it for 18 days. For the first 14 days I kept telling myself that the crazy thoughts will pass after two weeks but they did not. By the 18th day I had such a panic attack driving home for work that I drove right to the doctor. He gave me effexor xr and I am to start it tonight. Does anyone else take it for anxiety? How long does it take to kick in? And also, does your sex drive decrease? Thanks | F | 36 | | 10/9/2006 | 3 | depression | I ran out of effexor and was unable to get more for 4 days. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN! At the risk of revealing too much about my misspent youth...the only comparison I can make is tripping...long and hard! | F | 53 | | 7/19/2005 | 3 | bulimia, social anxiety, depression | when i missed a dose: severe nausea, headaches, bizzare vivid violent bloody nightmares where i'd wake up drenched in sweat, excessive easy sweating for even the mildest excercise, increased hunger and i gained 15 pds in 8 months. | prozac and paxil didn't help. so my doc put me on effexor. i was on 150mg for 3 months for my bulimia/depression/anxiety. It didn't help and my doctor increased my dosage to 225. i've been on it for 8 months now. it's helped with the urge to binge purge and my anxiety/depression but i've gained 15 lbs!!i hate it! i'm terrifed of weight gain and though effexor has curbed my urges it's made me fat!!i can't take it anymore. i don't care that my doc says it can't be effexor cause in studies it's shown to actually have anorexic effects!i wish! | F | 25 | 8 months | 11/22/2004 | 3 | F | 21 | 5 days | 11/15/2004 | 3 | depression/anxiety | Slept really well for 3-4 hrs. then woke up constantly the rest of the night. Loved the effect it had with treating the mood swings and depression though. Stopped taking it because I thought that was the reason my face was breaking out, but not sure now if that was the case, so plan on taking again. | Wish I knew is anyone else had acne as a side effect? Doesn't seem like it's very common if that is the case. | F | 27 | 2 months | 12/14/2004 | 3 | Hot flashes/perimenopause | Dry mouth, difficulty achieving orgasm, sweats, tingling of hands and feet, vivid dreams, weight gain | This drug MAY have helped with my hot flashes by reducing the frequency. I was only taking 75mg a day. However, the side effects are not worth it. I am now reducing my dosage to 37.5 and tapering off to stop taking this drug. I am experiencing dizziness, extreme hunger, overwhelming tiredness and body aches. | F | 46 | 10 months | 12/19/2004 | 3 | Depression/Menopause/Severe Anxiety | Well, i started my first dose yesterday,(37.5 mg) and about an hour into it. . . i started feeling anxious, very nauseas, almost to the point of getting dry heaves, dizziness, nervousness, my pupils were dilated and i felt like i was speeding my ass off. These effects last all day long. Also, I have no appetite. Have to force feed myself. It was almost a horrible feeling. I also take Zanax in the evening to help me sleep, but it didn't seem to work well. I got a total of about 3-1/2 hours of sleep last night. Woke up wide away at 4:30 a.m. and i felt like a zombie. I'm on my second day, and can't wait to take my dose at 11:30. I just hope i don't feel like i did yesterday. Right now, i'm feeling really spaced out. I have slight paranoia, and have dull emotions. I am going to hang in there, give it time, and hope that these side effects go away. Stephanie | Too soon to tell about this drug. | F | 40 | 2 days | 8/18/2005 | 3 | bipolar | very tired, and always hungry | the first time i took effexor xr, i took it with migraine and acne medications. i was very energetic, and i lost 80 lbs. within 1 1/2 years. this time, i take it alone, and i am very tired, all the time. although it has fixed my deppression. i really do function a lot better on it, i just wish i didn't feel so drained. | F | 21 | 2 months | 10/12/2007 | 3 | anxiety (very weepy and worried) | insomnia, groggy feeling most of the day, blurred vision | I started on 37.5 mg and could feel a big difference very quickly. I didn't cry at all on this and I wasn't worried about much of anything. In those respects, this was great! I also felt really "slow"....like I had taken Nyquil or had a hangover. My vision became very blurry...I couldn't believe how much worse my vision became!! My appetite increased and I couldn't sleep at night. I took this low dose in the morning, thinking that surely it wouldn't affect my night time sleep, but sure enough, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning every night. This was the worst side effect I experienced. I know that some people take sleep aids to counteract this, but I just didn't want to get on those. I began to want to just sit around in the afternoons instead of being active like I usually was. Also, I was yawning like crazy. I don't know if this was a side effect of the drug or just of me not sleeping much at all!! Anyway, I took myself off of this dru | F | 33 | 1 months | 4/2/2006 | 3 | Depression, anxiety and insomnia | The side effects did not become apparent until I stopped the drug, and include nasal discharge, amenorrhea (my menstrual period stopped on Effexor ER and came back when I discontinued the drug), intense itching all over my body, increased skin sensitivity, increased sensitivity to sound (similar to a migrane, but without pain), stomach cramps, nausea, increased insomnia and vivid nightmares. Today is the fourth day with no meds and I still feel gasy as well. | The itching subsides after a few days. It was much, much worse three days ago. The side effects in coming off the meds last for a long time. I did not replace this drug with another drug, I just stopped all drugs. I find my mind shifting in a way I can only describe as similar to the body sensation I get when I travelled on a large cruise ship, when the ship would make a turn--it would make my whole body feel weird in the same way my mind feels now coming off this stuff. It's better if I rest or sit quietly. If I go outside into a crowded place with lots of noise, I feel overwhelmed by the noise and my temper flares up much more easily than it did before I took Effexor. Hopefully this sensitivity will subside as well, but it has been very intense for days now. I started with 37.5mg (starter pack) last summer and increased gradully to 150 mg per day. I did not get benefit from it until I was up to 150 mg per day, and then it seemed to help my depression, but not my anxiety. | F | 47 | 9 months | 4/25/2006 | 3 | depression; suicidal thoughts | Cravings, mania, sex drive THROUGH the roof | I was trying to lose weight before. But effexor made me crave sweets like never before. Thus I got fat. 10 lbs or so in a month. Not worth it. But it did save my life. I couldn't think suicidal thoughts because I was overtaken by sexual fantasies -every-minute-of-every-day- Anyway...i choose physical health over emotional health. Don't go with effexor if you're not willing to gain weight for euphoria. Withdrawal was hell: brain-zaps, vertigo, nausea and inability to read without vomitting. | F | 20 | 30 days | 2/28/2006 | 3 | Anxiety | While on Effexor XR I felt happy all the time and was generally in a good mood. Realizing that humans should have feelings of sadness, anger, depression...sometimes, I asked my doctor to take me off of the Effexor. I now have found better ways to deal with my anxiety in the forms of yoga, meditation, tai chi and relaxation methods. However, since being "weened" off by my doctor I have been extremely dizzy, tired, easily aggitated, and vertigo. I have tried drinking detox teas in order to speed up the recovery time. Does anyone have suggestions for the dizziness?! HELP! | F | 40 | 1 years | 4/7/2007 | 3 | severe depression | fatigue, extreme headache, yawning, no pep, can't go to sleep, hard to wake up, sweating, very thirsty, crave ice cream/sweets when I think of food, suicidal thoughts | I took the intro packet and it didn't make me feel spacey etc however, I slept and slept. At night I couldn't go to sleep but once I did, it was hard to wake up. Missed a lot of work because I couldn't get up. Talked to my doctor about this and she doubled my dose. We'll see how that goes. I sweat more than usual, it's embarassing. I find I forget to eat meals. When I do think about food, it seems I yearn for sweets. Depressive suicidal thoughts haven't gone away, but instead of it feeling like the pit of dispair, it's kind of like I'm okay with it. I'm thirsty alot. I missed a couple of doses and had a debilitating headache for two days. | F | 41 | 5 weeks | 11/4/2006 | 3 | situational depression | sleepy, weight gain, headaches | F | 33 | | 5/24/2006 | 3 | Depression, anxiety and insomnia | The side effects did not become apparent until I stopped the drug, and include nasal discharge, amenorrhea (my menstrual period stopped on Effexor ER and came back when I discontinued the drug), intense itching all over my body, increased skin sensitivity, increased sensitivity to sound (similar to a migrane, but without pain), stomach cramps, nausea, increased insomnia and vivid nightmares. Today is the fourth day with no meds and I still feel gasy as well. | The itching subsides after a few days. It was much, much worse three days ago. The side effects in coming off the meds last for a long time. I did not replace this drug with another drug, I just stopped all drugs. I find my mind shifting in a way I can only describe as similar to the body sensation I get when I travelled on a large cruise ship, when the ship would make a turn--it would make my whole body feel weird in the same way my mind feels now coming off this stuff. It's better if I rest or sit quietly. If I go outside into a crowded place with lots of noise, I feel overwhelmed by the noise and my temper flares up much more easily than it did before I took Effexor. Hopefully this sensitivity will subside as well, but it has been very intense for days now. I started with 37.5mg (starter pack) last summer and increased gradully to 150 mg per day. I did not get benefit from it until I was up to 150 mg per day, and then it seemed to help my depression, but not my anxiety. | F | 47 | 9 months | 4/25/2006 |