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 |
| 1 | major deppression | dizzyness, nausea, numbness in my face. | F | 46 | 6 months | 2/28/2007 | 1 | insomnia | I felt like I was going crazy, couldn't think straight, very lethargic, shaking. | DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. I JUST ABOUT RUINED MY LIFE. It makes me feel better to know that it wasn't just me, it happened to thousands of people. Read up on this drug if you ever consider it. | F | 24 | 120 days | 10/25/2007 | 1 | depression | I ingested one low-dose Effexor pill. After a few minutes my body violently threw it up. | I guess my body thought it was poison. | F | 38 | 1 times | 3/31/2007 | 1 | depression | could'nt sleep much, mood swings,explotions,hurting myself like pulling hair out, punching myself, argumenitive, very hyper, | F | 15 | 8 months | 4/30/2007 | 1 | Ongoing Depression | Strange electrical brain zapping (I have taken recreational hallucinogenics before and the closest thing I can come to describe these zappings are like when you come down from LSD), extremely vivid dreams (they should rename this drug FX-er, as in special effects), and very bad night sweats, gradual memory loss that DOES NOT return....I had to spell check "memory" | I would not recommend this drug to anyone! I felt disassociated and numbed to the point where I had no ambition, no real personality. I actually quit smoking on this drug and when I went off it, was upset that my alter-effexor-ego had taken it upon herself to quit smoking. Very strange. It calmed me down alright, right to the point of non existence...I was a non entity, didn't care, didn't know that I even should care. To this day I have effexor flashbacks. I am losing weight now and because this stuff is stored in your fat cells (yes, also the ones around your brain) it is giving me withdrawal symptoms 1.5 years after going off it...and I was only on it a few months! I have "cured" my depression through detox and eating right and getting enough exercise....a toxic system is the major cause of depression but you won't hear your doctor say that...they want you on drugs, they are nothing but salepeople for the FDA. Side effects just mean more drug sales, I think they build them | F | 48 | 3 months | 2/14/2007 | 1 | For Menopausal symptoms | Extreme nausea; diaphoresis; tremors; muscle twitching; tachycardia with irregularity; migraine; hallucinations; anxiety; agitation; insomia; dilated pupils. | I only took one dose (lowest possible). Six hours after taking the medication I felt like I was on a bad acid trip. My migranie lasted for 26 hours (I have never had a migraine prior to this). Be cautious with this med. | F | 50 | 1 days | 4/20/2007 | 1 | migraines | horrible side effects: big weight gain, sweating all the time, loss of creativity, increased blood pressure, brain 'zapping' if i missed even one pill, swelling in feet + ankles, complete loss of sex drive | terrible, terrible drug. PLEASE do not take this unless you have tried everything else + are suicidal. have heard it's good for that. i took this to help with severe migraines. took me over a year to realize all the problems i was having were related to the drug. i lost all desire to do anything. went to work, came home, went to bed. lost my social life, creativity, sex drive. the worst part? getting off the drug. took MONTHS to wean myself off of it. the brain 'zapping' gets AWFUL. got to the point where i was counting out beads. literally down to 5 beads, then 4, then 3, etc. have been off it almost 1 year, still not back to normal. didn't lose all the weight, sex drive hasn't fully come back, creativity hasn't returned. screwed me up for life. if there was class action law suit against it, i would join in a heartbeat. | F | 43 | 1.5 years | 5/14/2007 | 1 | Depression and Anxiety | Severe headaches and nausea. Only took 2 pills of the starter pack and was in bed for 2 days straight with such pain in my head I couldnt lift it off the pillow, and I wasn't able to eat anything without wanting to vomit. I was yawning constantly!!! Every minute I was yawning, it was so bad I couldn't drive, and my neck muscles were aching from yawning!!! Horrible drug, didn't help me feel any better either. | Don't do it!!!! Don't take this pill, it should be banned. | F | 28 | 2 days | 6/18/2007 | 1 | anxiety/depression | high blood pressure and high pulse | Though the literature says these are rare side effects, it happens. Before starting Effexor, my BP was 120/80, pulse 75. While on 225 mg Effexor, BP averaged 140/80 and pulse ranged from 85 to 105--resting rate! Lost 7 lbs the 3 months I was on it; must have sped up my metabolism too. These numbers only added to my anxiety. | F | 51 | 3 months | 7/8/2007 | 1 | Depression | You name it! Going on the medication brought out intense anxiety (I had never really experienced anxiety before). Felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin; very agitated. When I tried to go off of the medication or if I skipped a dose accidentally, I had brain zaps, diarrhea, nausea, heart palpitations, sweating, blurred vision, and agitation. | I would NEVER recommend this drug to anyone!! I want off of this medication very badly, but am unable to deal w/ the w/drawals. I can get down from 150mgs to 37.5, but after that the agitation is just too much. It is so extreme that I get suicidal. However, on the med, I am fine. I am interested in talking to anyone who has been pregnant on this drug. I would like to start a family but am too afraid of what the drug will do to a baby. PLEASE let me know if you have been pregnant on this drug, the outcome, the dosage you were on, and the length of time on the drug. THANK YOU! | F | 29 | 10 years | 9/11/2007 | 1 | anxiety | dry mouth vivid dreams loss of libido and orgasm. muscle pain in legs more anxiety attacks then before the drug loss of interest in anything delayed reactions drooling | effeor is horrible when i started taking the drug i locked myself in the house and would not come out i was scared to be alone i would have dry mouth all the time witch led to more panic attacts i missed 3 weeks of work and six months of my life as a normal person i did not want to do anything it lead to a breakup bettween me and my boyfreind of 5 years because i was not me anymore i was a crazy person i finally just stop taking it cold turkey and went through withdrawl i have trouble taking anything but tylenol now because i dont know if its going to make me feel funny its been 3 years nowi have overcome anxiety on my own and me and that same boyfrind are getting married dont take this drug it almost ruiend my life a | F | 28 | 6.5 months | 7/15/2007 | 1 | Bipolar II | Nausea, upset stomach, stomach pain, dizziness, complete withdrawal symptoms | This is the worst drug on the planet. Not only did it not work for me, it is responsible for sending me into 2 manic fits and the end result being my hospitalization. They pulled me cold turkey off it and I went through withdrawals. Full on anxiety attacks, brain shivers, cried all day and couldn't get off the couch for fear, messed my pants, and just felt like dying. Only thing that fixed it was taking Effexor again...now I am being weaned off it. Beware this drug! | F | 22 | 3 weeks | 8/7/2007 | 1 | Depression, panic, anxiety | Vivid dreams, grinding teeth, change in vision, very jumpy (not good when driving),not caring about anything, feel like I can't hold my head up, lower back muscles twitch, terrible insomnia....and about 15 more. | Thank God for this site!I have a Dr. Apt. tomorrow and I want off of this med. (I must admit the withdraw terrifies me)I have so many of the symptoms listed I can't believe it. I'd told my Dr. about many of them. He just writes and smirks. He thinks I read too much. Well I told him these things before I read this. I just spent a week in a Psych. ward. The Dr. there upped my dose of effexor xr. In the week and a half that I've been home I've thought about dying more than ever. I just thought all of the symptoms were "in my head" or I had MS or something. Now I can relax a little. It's the med. that's supposed to be making me feel better that's making me feel worse! | F | 44 | 6 months | 8/21/2007 | 1 | for the CHANGE !!!!! | no side effectd that i can remember - but tru to get off the stuff- BAD !!!!! i have been going thru withdrawls for 3 months now - very hard to get off !!!!!!!!! | F | 42 | 1.5 years | 6/13/2007 | 1 | Anxiety and panic attacks | Dizziness, nausea, brain shock sensations, weight gain, muscle twitching and jerking, horrible dreams. | I was prescribed this two years ago and doctors did not understand the difficulties of getting off this drug then. My doctor thought all I had to do was reverse the starter pak and be done in a week. The true horror was trying to get off this medication and the withdrawal. My once productive life was reduced to counting the tiny beads out of a capsule trying to appease my body, but yet still work towards getting off this stuff over weeks. I was so dizzy and nauseated I could barely stand from the withdrawal. The drug clears your body rather quickly, it's that you have to retrain your brain to function without it. I dont even like to think back on it and the time this drug took from my life once it had a hold on me. It was the worst time of my life. A horrible, horrible drug. | F | 46 | 6 months | 5/14/2007 | 1 | depression | Withdrawal symptoms: vertigo, rapid cycling mood swings, hot and cold flashes, anger | I took this years ago when it first came out. One day I ran out of pills, and the withdrawal was overwhelming. This drug is highly addictive, and has known adverse effects such as carcinoma and serotonin syndrome. VERY DANGEROUS NEUROTOXIN!!! | F | 31 | 3 months | 5/15/2007 | 1 | OCD & panic disorder | While taking the effexor: brain 'zaps', inability to become angry, complacent, stomach pain. | I couldn't stand the brain zaps; I told my doctor about them, she claims she's never heard of it and said I should come off the medication if it got worse. Stopped taking it a week ago and I have been so sick. How can they prescribe a medication like this without warning people what will happen when they stop taking it? The brain zaps have gotten so much worse, I have a constant swooshing sound in my head. Dizzy, nauseous, vomiting, diarrhea, extreme pain in my limbs, numbness in mouth, lips and extremities, headaches, stomach aches, mood swings, crying out of the blue and blurred vision are all symptoms I attribute to stopping this medication. Every day gets better though and I'm looking forward to being done with this drug once and for all. | F | 34 | 3 weeks | 5/5/2007 | 1 | depression/anxiety | weight gain, loss of sex drive | Very hard to go off, terrible withdrawls | F | 29 | 2 days | 5/15/2007 | 1 | Depression/Bulimia | headaches, brain zaps, rapid weight gain, suicidal behavior; withdrawal: headaches, zaps, tremors, cystic acne, shortness of breath, elevated heart rate | I felt great once the initial side effects wore off and it started working. I was truly happy and stopped purging and maintained a healthy diet of 1400 cals with exercise for about 6 weeks. Despite the diet and exercise, I gained 21 lbs in those 6 weeks. Suddenly without any explanation I became more depressed than I ever felt before I took the drug and began feeling suicidal to the point of throwing away all of my possessions and selling my car. I have never felt so low. I stopped taking it immediately and the withdrawal has been horrid. I am a marathon runner and I suddenly couldn't make it more than 5 miles from a raised heart rate and shortness of breath. My skin has broken out in cysts and the weight I gained won't budge. I hope there's some relief from this soon. I wish I'd never taken it. | F | 24 | 2 months | 7/24/2007 | 1 | depression | Horrible. Awful. Exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, distress, sweats, uncontrollable itching. I hate it. Please, don't ever start taking it~ | F | 24 | 6 months | 5/10/2007 |