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 | GAD , depression & fatigue | extremly dry mouth about 2 weeks; sweating; constipation however was relieved by adding approx.34 fl. oz. of propel fitness water daily previously i was an easily bruised person however I have noticed the effexor xr has made my bruising increase; some small hand tremors in a.m. before next dose took effect however this is decreasing with time. REALLY KILLED MY SEX DRIVE!!! BUT I too have found a wonderful treatment for that; it is an herbal remedy by the name of yohimbe it has tripled my sexual urges yet orgasim is still harder but at least I get there! Desired weight lose almost immediately with no effort just did not want to hit the cookie jar every time i walked by it.Preety funny but sooooo true.I now have to remind myself to eat to keep up my energy. NO DOUBT THERE ARE BAD SIDE EFFECTS BUT IN MY CASE THE GOOD RESULTS OUTWEIGH THE BAD! i HAVE FINALLY FOUND THE PERSON THAT i HAD SLOWLY BEGAN TO LOSE SLOWLY DAY BY DAY ALMOST UNNOTICED AND WITH EACH DAY IT CONTINUES TO GET BETTER.I again want to live life rather than lay on the sofa and watch the world turn between my exhausting naps and dragging off to work on rotating shiftwork. | Now I must say that not all meds are appropriatte for all people, I had previously taken zoloft with great results but after a ten year haitus from it the second just didn't work.I too have tried paxil, serzone, prozac and wellbutrin BLAH! for me.DR.S are too busy to recognize the symptoms of depression because of our crappy insurance policies or some just want you to get oveer it. Alot of people are ashamed to say they are being treated for any kind of depression but you must remember something biological has gone awry with our brain chemicals,be it from trauma, past medications, post traumatic stress, shift work(when your brain doesn't know if it should be awake or asleep) or for any number of reasons, it is not just because you are sad, lonely, or lazy!! Find a GOOD doctor, mine had recognized my depression before I had he said he could not see the usual happy person that came to visit for thyroid problems so that day he gave me samples and dramatic changes have started to take place. Yes I have fear of long term side effects but I feel in my situation I would rather risk possible unknown side effects than to continue with the physical and emotional pain of depression.We need to be personally responsible for assessing the risk-benefit of any medications we take, make yourself as informed as possble. Just give it a try it will not take long to decide if it is the one for you, I must say that by the end of the first day I was ready to throw them in the trash, incrediable anxiety, but i forged on somehow and now I will not go without it!And for the last comment about the totally tanked sexual desire I found the yohimbe bark in the stacker2 xlc pack then i went to www.drugdigest.org and looked it up under herbs and guess what they used before viagra yep yohimbe and for me, a female, it has made me CRAZY FOR SEX WITH MY HUSBAND SO HE IS LOVING IT!!! pLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY IT BECAUSE EVEN HERBS CAN HAVE SIDE EFFECTS BUT LOOK AT THE POPULATION OF CHINA, THEY MUST REALLY KNOW THEIR HERBAL REMEDIES.mAKE YOUR DECISIONS WITH CARE BECAUSE WHAT IS GOOD FOR MY BODY MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR YOURS. One last thing I also take Provigil 200 mg a day and and .5mg of ativan to eaase me off to sleep but I seem to be able to accomplish the big tasks at home and at work but my concentration on small menial tasks has gone to space somewhere gotta get that back so i can get the bills paid and finish reading my novel not to mention be able to sit still through a 30 minute sit-com.HA!HA! Best wishes to you all and i truly hope you find the right combination for you and your life style! BEST OF LUCK TO YOOU ALL THERE ARE ANSWERS TO EVERYONES DILEMAS WE JUST HAVE TO PERSEVERE UNTIL WE FIND IT.DO NOT GIVE UP! | F | 37 | 2 months | 5/11/2005 | 5 | Generalized ANXIETY, DEPRESSION | major nausea and vomiting the first week and a half for me, extreme dizziness. ..had to stay off work for a week or so.. could definitely not drive in this state! have noticed a bit of sexual delay.. hopefully it will not last.. | i feel calm and well balanced.. i also feel productive and motivated to do things and participate in life!! yipee... better for me than paxill.. paxil had more sexual side effects. | F | 28 | 3 months | 5/4/2005 | 5 | Major depression | Started so long ago, I hardly remember. With 300 mg, insomnia. Sweating is worse. NO weight gain. Some libido decrease. Much better than constant bickering with hubby and occasional temper tantrums where I threw and broke things :( | After being in a mental hospital for 3 days, was put on several different antidepressants which didn't work. Finally I was put on this and felt like my old self for the first time in 12 years. Was on 150mg until about 1 month ago. Had hysterectomy due to cervical cancer in Dec 04 and stopped taking my progesterone. Went back into severe depression. Now am on 300mg. Am definitely having difficulty sleeping but was able to wean off Xanax. Trying Neurontin for sleep now. Think the diagnosis of cancer plus going off my progesterone threw me into depression again. After reading other posts, will try taking in a divided dose or in the am to combat the insomnia. | F | 48 | 5 years | 4/29/2005 | 5 | major depression, general anxiety | once missed two days' dose--started to experience the famous | this is an excellent drug for some people. it is very effective in controlling my GAD, which had made life miserable for more than a decade and is now essentially in abeyance; it is very effective in maintaining me in a robust remission of major depression. i was depressed for almost two years during which i was quite disabled. i experienced slow, steady but ratcheting progress toward wellness on celexa. it was not clear that i would approach anything like comprehensive recovery. i was switched to effexor because i asked to be--it's effect on norepinephine in addition to serotonin made it of special interest to me. it was markedly more effective than celexa, quite quickly, within two days. i've been on it for a year and a half, and since i'm high risk for recurrence of depression, will probaly stay on it indefinitly. i appreciate the withdrawal problems, but at present find it to be an almost unalloyed good. | F | 48 | 18 months | 5/28/2005 | 5 | Panic/Anxiety Disorder | None. Side effects only occured when I tried to get off of the drug some years ago. ( | Had severe panic attacks that would last up to an hour at their height. Effexor has completely stopped my panic attacks and reoccurring thoughts. LOVE IT! However, remember: Everyone's chemical makeup is unique and will react differently. You can't anticipate side effects. It worked for me - however, getting off of it is not pleasant, for me. If I am on it for life, I am okay with that. Diabetics take insulin, I take Effexor. | F | 29 | 5 years | 5/28/2005 | 5 | major depression/ptsd/anxiety | constipation, vivid/lucid dreams, night sweats, insomnia, loss of sex drive, vision trailers, headaches | i've tried celexa, prozac, and now this, and honestly it's been the best yet. | F | 21 | 2 months | 5/25/2005 | 5 | depression (familial) | None except nausea, so I now take it right before bed. | It has changed my life--I am so much more energetic now! I feel like a huge cloud has been lifted. I thank God for my doctor who diagnosed my depression! | F | 48 | 18 months | 6/5/2005 | 5 | sleep problems during menopause | I'm only taking 37.5 per day so I don't seem to have problems like weight gain that I've read about. But everytime I try to stop taking it, I have trouble sleeping again. | F | 51 | 1 years | 6/8/2005 | 5 | major depression/anxiety/self harm | jaw-lock, muscle tightness, dehydration and dry mouth. After initial side effects of the 75mg dose wore off, moved to 150mg... experienced short term fx for a week each time I switched doses... long term side fx at 150 mg have been a lowered libido and some chronic muscle pain. Missing a single dose sends my brain into mini-seizures, or brain shivers, which produce migraine-like headaches... lasts until hours after I take the next dose. Have also had to supplement with Imipramine due to anxiety. (I've also noticed a weird increase in my blood sugar sensitivity, and find myself getting tired and much more irritable than usual if I skip a meal.) | It saved my life -- BUT -- if you have never taken street drugs before, I would NOT recommend this drug. It's potency and side effects can be a nasty surprise for anyone who is taking it for mild depression. THIS IS A LAST RESORT DRUG. It should not be tried before other anti-depressants have been tried. It's been working wonders for me so far, after two other kinds failed... but I was debating suicide at the time. Sexual dysfunction is always better than death, though, so it's been no contest for me. DON'T QUIT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE SIDE EFFECTS. The drug doesn't even start working for the first three weeks, so grit your teeth, put up with the nausea or premature ejaculation or whatever and let it do it's job. If the side effects are worse than the depression, you're on the wrong drug. Easy as that. And DUH- withdrawal is gonna suck. The problem is, most doctors friends & family have NO idea HOW BAD withdrwal symptoms are. Meth was no problem to quit. Effexor... well, we'll see... | F | 24 | 1.5 years | 3/1/2007 | 5 | anxiety and severe depression | No side effects unless too high a dose then I am a zombie | I have been depressed and anxious all of my life. I had to start at a high dose of Effexor XR due to being emotionally abused on a job in 1997, where I was forced to have a breakdown at work. Later I was forced to quit that job and my back collapsed. As the time has passed Effexor XR has kept me alive for this long time because I have been able to keep myself productive and caring for my 3 boys...my oldest has paranoid schizophrenia and my middle son is severely autistic. Both are teens. | F | 49 | 9 years | 3/16/2007 | 5 | IBS | I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My GI Doctor put me on 75mg once a day to help increase my pain threshold. After about 4 years, he increased it to 75mg twice a day. Now it not only helps me deal with my IBS pain, but it provides me with a sense of clalm. It really makes life and all the curve balls it can throw at you, a little bit easier to deal with. | I don't like to be without it. When I miss a dose, I feel like things are overwhelming. Once, the doctor mistakenly gave me regular Effexor (not XR) and its calming effects did not last as long. I could tell the difference. I lost my temper. I felt shakey. Then I figured out, it was the medication. I would urge everyone to check their prescriptions to make sure they are correct before taking them. | F | 35 | 5 years | 3/30/2007 | 5 | Depression Disorder | Initially I felt like my jaw was rigid...strange but true. Not much else other than that. | I was on this for 7 years and it worked great for me. I had episodes of depression over my lifetime and finally went on this med. I started to wean off it for financial reasons recently and then was tired a lot. Had a family history and thought that maybe I should try something else and asked to be switched to Wellbutrin after weaning off Effexor once I had insurance back. DID NOT WORK...Misunderstood that the family member was on Wellbutrin AND Effexor. I was on Wellbutrin for 1 month and CRASHED hard. Can't eat, sleep or work. Have added the Effexor back as a small dose until I get to Psych Dr to get regulated. If this works for you DO NOT GO OFF OF IT. For me, I misunderstood needing an increase for it not working. I am in a living hell and waiting for the next few hours until I get to someone who knows what they are doing. Do not think that counseling is the answer. If you have a chemcial imbalance and this works for you STICK WITH IT. I will never go off again and am just hoping I did not screw myself up and I don't respond to it it as well. I had been depression free since I started it and can't believe I was dumb enough to try to go off of it. If this helps just one person that is thinking of going off of it, it is worth posting. Don't feel bad about taking it or worry about the long term effects, it is better than dealing with the nightmare of depression. | F | 37 | 7 years | 3/1/2005 | 5 | bipolar/severe depression | i have taken the drug ecstacy maybe 6 times in my life (went on effexor 2 yrs after last time) & taking effexor at 75mgs & up produces mock-ecstacy effects including: dilated pupils, dry mouth, overwhelming feeling of well being, constant yawning/ear popping (also w/ paxil) some nausea, light buzz of a headache, some restlessness. This feeling has been confirmed by only those who i know who have taken ecstacy previously in their lives; weird pharmacokinetics. No probs with memory or orgasm, except i just dont feel like having sex. I never saw that as a side effect, and it hasnt subsided, so im fine with it; less distracted that way :) | I have bipolar (dont know what type) with frequent severe depressive episodes, general anxiety, and adult ADD (what a fun person i am). I bite my cuticles & the skin around my fingers until it bleeds, my fingers are constantly red, swollen, bleeding, & scarred from constant chewing/iiritation. My doctor says that is OCD but i don't think so, i do it when im scared or nervous but not all the time. nonetheless, i love this drug. i guarantee anyone that if i had not ever been placed on this drug, i would have committed suicide, thats how bad it was. Ive tried to take paxil, buspar, zoloft, prozac, even haldol at one point & geodon (the drug they gave to the creators of alice in wonderland). Geodon and haldol, since they are used as antipsychotics, helped me too, but i was in an emotional coma (literally) on them. With effexor, everything seems better and brighter; there's a good spin on the world. not that i don't get sad, but i am more rational with respect to how i feel and how i react to my feelings. I'm able to calm myself down and justify my feelings without them getting all out of control. I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a nutcase, but i felt like a normal person for the first time. it shocked me to believe that there are people out there who do not have access to these meds & have to deal with the kinds of feeling I had to deal with. I am now able to think before i feel. I am more able to cope with my impulses and negative thoughts. The kinds of doors, with respect to ability, that this drug has opened for me are just phenomenal. The effexor is the only thing which has helped for my fingers, although they are not cured. Also taking effexor for ADD, which has helped tremendously in combination with Adderall. Withdrawal is a bitch; i accidentally had to when i couldnt obtain a prescription. Within 10 days of coming off of it, i was in bed crying, a hermit, wouldnt leave the house, everything just seemed so horrible; life wasnt worth living for anything. Unfortunatley, i could easily see someone like me committing suicide after coming off of it cold turkey. its like hitting an emotional brick wall at 60mph. But otherwise, its what has kept me alive. | F | 23 | 1 years | 3/8/2005 | 5 | OCD and Major depression | Sleepiness the first month. Also a positive side effect for me is it has stopped my stress incontinence both times I have taken it. | I started Effexor XR three years ago in conjunction with the 40 milligrams of Paxil I have been taking for some years. I slowly tapered off it a year ago with no problems. The depression returned with a vengeance this December and I went back on the 150 Milligrams I was taking before. It took about 4 weeks to fully take effect and I am now back to my normal self. I consider the drug a life saver for me. Along with the Paxil it gives me the feeling of being a normal person. | F | 66 | 3 years | 2/25/2008 | 5 | Severe Depression | Blurry vision for a few days, drowsiness until I started taking it at night, difficulty having orgasm, which lessened over time. | F | 53 | 8 years | 2/19/2005 | 5 | major depressive disorder | none | I tried combinations of Paxil, Buspar, Neurontin before being treated with Effexor XR. It worked for me. Now I am supposed to start tapering down. I hear that the withdrawal is HELL. I will accept and deal with it. I am prepared for the flu symptoms. The flu symptoms are worth the ability Effexor gave me to get stable enough to get the cognitive mental health therapy I needed. | F | 42 | 7 years | 2/24/2005 | 5 | Depression | Difficulty in acheiving orgasim,some memory loss, some sleepiness | This drug has helped me maintain a stability with my emotions.I would recomend it to anyone.I have in the past weaned myself off and there are side effects that last up to two months.With out the drug ,it is like having PMS. When I went back on I felt the relief within days.The only reason I would switch to a new drug is because of the sexual side effects. | F | 43 | 2 days | 2/15/2005 | 5 | Depression | For about two weeks I experienced light-headedness, slight nausea, restlessness, short term memory loss, loss of appetite, and sweaty/clammy palms. This sounds worse than it really was but then all these side effects went away almost overnight. | This is the first anti-depressant I have taken and I felt it working the first day. Before taking this drug I was constantly depressed, weepy, and did not have a will to really do anything. I was not capable of coping with everyday life issues and could not really hide it from family, friends, co-workers anymore. It was shocking to realize I had come this far with depression for it to affect every part of my life. I started taking 37.5 mg for one week, then took 75 mg for two months. In that two month time my outlook changed completely for the better and I actually feel normal again. My doctor recently increased my dose to 150 mg and I am feeling great. It is not the kind of feeling where I feel drugged or altered. It is just that the foggy heaviness is gone and I feel clear-headed again. Everyone around me has noticed a change. I know each patient has a different reaction and I feel blessed to find a drug on my first try that has balanced me out. Effexor XR has been an absolute life saver for me. | F | 32 | 3 months | 2/9/2005 | 5 | general anxiety disorder | increased nervousness in the beginning. dry mouth, sweating, weight gain, lack of sex drive. | effexor xr has been a good drug to help me with my panic disorder. | F | 27 | 3 years | 3/23/2005 | 5 | F | | 1/30/2005 |