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 |
| 2 | depression, PMDD | TIRED TIRED TIRED, headache, increased anxiety | I tried taking this medication, but I was SO tired all the time, I was sleeping 12+ hours a day. It DID decrease my appetite, but I couldn't deal with the sleep stuff. after going up to 125mg the headaches and fatigue were so bad I weaned off. I did not have ANY negative side effects coming off, may be due to the short time I was on it... | F | 33 | 6 weeks | 11/2/2007 | 2 | Hot Flashes | Was given to help with mild hot flashes....was given more as a comfort drug. Had been taking 75mg daily with only side effect being no sex drive. Was on it for 4 years and I decided it was time to stop, so I just stopped taking it back in April 07....and it has been hell ever since. I had no idea of the withdrawal sysmptoms until I finally put two and two together a couple of months ago and found this web site. Sick at stomach, get angry at the drop of hat, tired, depressed (which was never a problem before I started with this drug), head "zaps" still, etc. This has lead to my husband leaving in June, demmoted at work in August (due to "getting upset" at work) and now after 7 months the new problem that has been developing is thyroid issues. Finally had a scan done and one side is now 10 times bigger than the other, neck is swollen all the time, hard time swallowing, and needing to cough all the time. The problem I am having is that my primary care dr is the one | I may have benefits for some, but should be used only as a last resort. The withdrawal can take a major part of your life away and create medical issues. | F | 53 | 4 years | 11/30/2007 | 2 | PTSD, major depression, anxiety | increased sleepiness, intense weight gain | it helped with my depression and some with my anxiety, but i gained 35 lbs!! never felt satisfied after eating. i have a history of eating disoders, so this did NOT help with that. Recently switched to Wellbutrin XL... | F | 21 | 4 months | 11/27/2007 | 1 | Anxiety, depression, perimenopause | Dull headaches above eyes, migraines, ear and neck pain, arthritis pain, vision problems, sinus problems, watery eyes, strange feeling in head (hollow), problems concentrating, fatigue. | I have been on Effexor about 4-5 months. I was switched from Lexapro 20 mg which I did very well on for about 4 years, however it was not completely calming my heart pounding and feelings of generalized anxiety (which I believe are caused from a combination of perimenopause and increased life stress the past few years). I have been tested for all sorts of heart problems and none exist. I tapered off the Lexapro and began taking Effexor 37.5 and felt horrible for a few weeks until my doseage was upped to 75 which I am still taking. I felt better but then started having really bad side effects. I am going to my Dr. next week to be taken off of this med. It makes me feel horrible - constant headaches and sinus problems and joint pain. Since I do not have many meds left and I have both 37.5 and 75, from now until next week when I see the Dr. I will be altering between the two doseages. I do not know if I will go back on the Lexapro (which I felt much happier on and no side effects e | F | 44 | 5 months | 11/27/2007 | 1 | menoposal - hot flashes, insomnia | Fatigue, tired, inablilty to think clearly, depressed, prolactin levels went sky high. | Severe withdrawal symptoms, feeling like you are not in your own body, fatigueness, dizzy, not being able to think clearly. When my OBGYN stated to ween me off, she suggested I take a full strength (75)one night and the next night a half strenth (37.5) for one week, then a full strenght one night then half for two nights and then all the way down to nothing, and right now I am at the 37.5 for one night and then half of that for 4 nights in a row. I feel so weird.... I would not recommend this to my worst enemy...horrible drug. | F | 50 | 8 months | 11/23/2007 | 1 | anxiety/depression | There was an adjustment period where i felt disoriented. From my experience, getting on it is fine BUT getting off is was one of the most traumatizing experience. I was on no other meds and took effexor xr for 3 yrs. I weaned off slowly for 2 weeks also and it didn't help at all. I slept for like 20 hrs a day. My eyes became hyper sensitive to light and had a hard time opening my eyes for more than a few mins without strain and migraines. I had the body zaps. The physical trauma lasted 2.5 weeks. I became crazy moody and felt out of control emotionally for the next 2 months. My mood is stable now but it was a frightening experience i never want to experience again. They don't list this on the side effects list!!!! | F | 33 | 3 years | 11/4/2007 | 1 | Bulimia | INSOMNIA, Nausea, Dizzieness, Confusion, Hallucinations, Constipation, Cramps, Muscle Tightness, Rapid Heart Rate, Chest Pains, Sweating, Shakes, Chills, Tiredness, Withdrawn, Hives, Headaches, Anxious, Brain Zaps, Irritability... The list goes on and on folks! | I am so angry! I feel like my doctor took something from me. Like I have to take this crap just to feel normal. I was only supposed to be on it a year and now I can't function without it. Talk about life not being fair. Any suggestion on how to ween my self off this properly please send me a message. | F | 24 | 2.5 years | 11/4/2007 | 1 | Depression | Initial neck pain and lack of appetite. After several months, began having auditory hallucinations. Psych reduced dosage and voices continued. Have been off Effexor XR for 4 years and still have voices and Paranoia. | Relieved depression greatly, but if you may be Bi-polar, ask alot of questions before taking this med. It is not worth the voices. Am now on Risperdal to fix the side effects that Effexor unleashed. Not as bad a Prozac, but it is not worth the chance of hallucinating! | F | 26 | 1 years | 11/16/2007 | 1 | depression | strange "shock" effect which would startle me; excessive sweating on mild exertion; rapid cycling through levels of depression; no relief of overall depression; increased anxiety; suicidal ideation, (where none existed before); increased physical pain; visual distortions | I believe that there is an inherent chemical problem with this drug. I have never felt such frightening side effects from ANY other drug I have ever taken in my life. And withdrawing from this drug is even worse! Confusion, severe anxiety, feelings bordering on pain and abject hopelessness. Wyeth needs to take another look at this drug. Should be prescribed with great care. Dosage should be kept down to a minimum. Doctors who prescribe it need to monitor their patients very carefully. May be fine for some people, but having taken other antidepressants in the past, I find Effexor XR by far the least effective, and the most dangerous. | F | 58 | 6 months | 11/15/2007 | 1 | Depression | Hi, I have been on effexor for years now. I had never really experienced anything on them other then the "normal" side effects. I see now that I am not the only one that can't get out of bed. Recently they have been adjusting my effexor all the way up too 300mg where I was hearing voices and seeing things. The piercing noises in my head were enough to drive anyone crazy. I went back down to 150mg where I figured things were normal, but I guess the "normal" side effects really aren't that normal. I went out almost two weeks ago with my sister and we did consume some alcohol throughout the evening. I was pretty excited because I haven't been out in some time. When I proceeded to the dancefloor, well.... that is all I remember. I passed out! I woke up in the hospital not knowing what in the world happend. I found out later I hit my head on the wall and now I get to see a neurologist because the doctors think I had a seizure from mixing my meds and the alcohol. My docto | Drug company's should never be allowed to sell products like this. | F | 35 | 5 days | 11/12/2007 | 1 | panic and anxiety | shocks, forgetfullness, carelessness, weightgain, I could go on and on. I am addicted to this drug and with numerous attempts, i can not get off of it | I would not suggest this medicine to the devil | F | 24 | 3 years | 12/12/2007 | 1 | anxiety/panic/depression | constipation, drastic mood swings | 100% helped my anxiety and panic....didnt do much for the depression. This drug is the devil. Ever try getting off of it?? You would think you were going through heroin withdrawals. Im lucky I didnt die b/c I just stopped cold turkey one day and the brain zaps puking and overall feeling you get is like no other. I will never touch an antidepressant again. Just to think that I went through all that physical and mental anguish to get off a drug....it could not be safe to take on a daily basis | F | 26 | 3 years | 12/13/2007 | 1 | depression | "Terror-mares" that were so real and seemed to last from the time I fell asleep to the time I woke. Dizziness, high blood pressure, numbness in my right hand, extreme sensitivity to hot and cold, agitation, very emotional, could not concentrate on simple tasks, hallucinations, sweating, and extreme nausea. I was only on it for five weeks, and would rather die than ever take it again. This is evil stuff, and I would strongly caution anyone contemplating taking it to look for an alternative. The withdrawal was sheer hell and took two weeks. | Should be illegal. | F | 53 | 5 weeks | 12/13/2007 | 1 | OCD/Anxiety/Depression | Severe depression, insomnia, require massive ammounts of sleep, inability to organize thoughts, panic attacks, thoughts of helplessness | It regressed me back to a state that I started taking this type of medication for in the first place, but I think it's even worse now. I've taken it for seven months during my first semester in college. It has ruined my college experience, turned me into another person, and I haven't been able to get off of the medication because of the withdrawals until Christmas, a time when I shouldn't have to suffer. If I miss even a day of medication, my symptoms increase. This medication is very dangerous and should only be used if you have monthly visits with a psychatrist. | F | 18 | | 12/6/2007 | 1 | Moderate depression | Bruising, twitching (that became stronger), finally serotonin syndrome, aphasic seizures | I have seizure disorder and my psychiatrist should never have put me on it. He tapered me up by 37.5mg, till I was taking 300mg. after three months. Mild to moderate twitching and easy bruising, some weight gain. Then he raised the dose by a whole 150mg. Serotonin syndrome and aphasic seizures. | F | 60 | 6 months | 12/4/2007 | 1 | chronic depression | makes me terribly sleepy, no sex drive, non-orgasmic. | Effexor XR has worked well as far as helping with depression -- but if I miss even one dose I begin having horrible grief-like feelings. I tried to get off it a few years ago, tapering down to 37.5 mg. When I stopped it entirely I felt horrible -- dizzy, sad, irritable -- but worst was the fits of rage that would happen out of the blue -- I'd be watching myself screaming at someone, wondering what on earth I was doing. That happened three times, and the effects of those three times will be with me the rest of my life. The rage was about things that I normally would find annoying, but only momentarily. I quit trying to get off it, but am about to try again after another 3 years on the drug. My psychiatrist says I will be able to get off it by taking another SSRI as I taper off, but I am pretty scared. When you tell someone you were screaming at them because you're withdrawing from an antidepressant, the response is like, "yeah, right. sure." When it happened, it was so fast, | F | 58 | 5 years | 12/20/2007 | 1 | Anxiety | Weight gain >60lbs, seizures, muscle tension, internal bleeding, high blood pressure, worsened anxiety, long-term withdrawal symptoms, took SIX MONTHS to taper. | ********* WORST DRUG EVER!!! NEVER TAKE IT!!!************ | F | 34 | 2 years | 12/28/2007 | 1 | depression | Sleepy, constipated, unable to orgasm, felt "out of body" most of the time. Some improvement in mood but not worth it, at all. Withdrawal is difficult and unpleasant. | Would not recommend this drug to anyone. | F | 48 | 2 months | 12/28/2007 | 1 | menstrual irregularities | Eventually put in total arm braces and this KNOWN side effect of Effexor (myalgia) was misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia. I eventually had ALL the symptoms of Fibromyalgia while taking EFFEXOR and was convinced I had it and would never get better. | When I realized, myself, that the EFFEXOR was causing my illness, under my Dr.'s advice, I stopped it cold turkey. If the drug was not bad enough, the cessation was hell. I lost touch with reality, quit a job I loved, was thrown into bankruptcy. I am convinced Wyeth knows this can happen and has effectively hidden it to continue profits. Today I am off ALL drugs, do not have Fibromyalgia and think Wyeth Labs should be held accountable for the hell this drug has put good people through. | F | 54 | 2 days | 12/30/2007 | 1 | Anxiety and Depression | I experienced twitchiness late at night an inability to sleep, my neck would spasm and i would toss and turn after waking up at 3 am every night, and wouldnt be able to get back to sleep until i had worn myself out. In a normal setting, my fingers would twitch, i would have racing thoughts, talk about a mile a minute (and im a quiet person), and i would jiggle my legs comepletely unable to sit still. | It didnt work for me, but that doesnt eman it doesnt work. | F | 19 | 2 months | 2/19/2008 |