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 | Anxiety/Panic | No side effects whatsoever | I have been on Effexor XR twice before. Both times it significantly reduced my anxiety within a week. Going off Effexor wasn't that bad as long as you go off slowly. Recently I restarted taking Effexor XR due to a return of anxiety. It is working as it always has. Prior to restarting Effexor XR I tried both Lexapro and Zoloft. Both of those medications made me sick as a dog. I am so happy that I respond so well to Effexor XR. It makes me feel normal again. | M | 47 | 4 years 37.5 mg 2X day | 6/19/2010 | 5 | allergy and sleep agent | extreme drowsiness | i started taking this for allergies, but during the day i couldn't stay awake. when i started suffering from insomnia, i took this and have not experienced insomnia since. | M | 37 | | 1/4/2001 | 5 | Anxiety & Depression | Mild constipation, difficulty maintaining an erection and delayed orgasm. Coping with these side effects is nothing compared to coping with severe depression. | I've tried many other medications and this is the only one that has ever worked. The main issue I have is that over a period of several months, it loses its effectiveness. I often wonder whether these medications "pooping out" for about 30% of people is a clue to the underlying biological cause of depression. Ultimately, I'd like to find others that work so I can switch between them when one stops working. However, I'm yet to find another one that works. | M | 33 | 10 years 150mg 1X day | 2/14/2010 | 5 | Depression, GAD, social anxiety | Increased sweating | I am a psychiatry resident, and I just want to say that all ratings from people who have taken any SSRI (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, Luvox) or SNRI (Effexor, Cymbalta, Pristiq) for less than one month should be completely disregarded. In fact, this site should probably remove them. These meds take at least 3-4 weeks to work like they are supposed to. And yes, people get GI side effects and headaches (since serotonin is mostly in the nervous and GI systems), but these are typically worst on days 3-7 from starting or with a dosage increase, and they do get better. Increased sweating has been my biggest problem with Effexor XR. I have tried switching to Prozac twice (currently I'm on 40 mg of Prozac). The sweating is better for the most part, but I think Effexor was really helping to control my irritable bowel symptoms because it's kind of out of control at the moment (it makes sense due to Effexor's norepinephrine reuptake inhibition, which is the mechanism of the older tricyclic antidepressant nortriptyline that is often used for IBS and other chronic pain syndromes). I've been on varying dosages of Effexor (150, 225, 300 mg). I was doing really well on 150 mg for the past year but again I wanted to sweat less. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back on Effexor despite the sweating. There are really no magic pills; generally patients need to weigh the benefits and the side effects (which generally improve or disappear). | M | 27 | 2.5 years 150 mg 1X day | 4/25/2013 | 5 | adult ADD, anxiety | withdrawl seems to be rough | killed my ADD and my anxiety. i'm happy nearly every day and my entire life has changed. after hearing the horror stories about withdrawl and feeling a little of it, i'm not looking forward to the day i take myself off effexor. | M | 23 | 16 months | 1/8/2006 | 5 | Major Recurring Depression | Strong headaches for 1-2 months; Interest in sex decreased significantly (50-60%); After 18 months, BP climbed to 170/110. | Effexor XR almost certainly saved my life. It lifted me out of a very dark depression & my life was close to normal again. The most beneficial dosage was 300 mg/day. After 18 months, my BP began to climb & Dr. switched me to Lexapro. I weened off over a 6-week period & did not experience withdrawal symptoms. I may try it again in the future. | M | 45 | 18 months | 11/26/2005 | 5 | OCD, Anxiety Depression | Definitely hurts sex drive, first few days makes my concentration weird and fuzzy almost, can cause some nausea and tends to make me extremely tired/sleepy... | I can say with 100% certainty that Effexor XR has saved my life more than once. I have terrible OCD/Anxiety with some bad depression and Effexor handles both nicely. Anyone who tells you Effexor is not addicting though is lying...I can say Effexor is an addicting drug more so than even benzos, and that is a bold statement. It's more psychologically addicting. I've done both over the years and while I could get away from benzos, the psychological/physical need for Effexor hangs around, I'm certain my brain requires Effexor to function properly now....So be warned that Effexor is a drug you might become addicted to, I know I am. | M | 35 | 8 years 150-300mg 1X day | 12/2/2017 | 5 | Panic Disorder with agoraphobia | At first nausea, but that subsided. Also, a small increase in anxiety when starting the med. | The only antidepressant that has helped me. I take it with Valium and propranolol, and got my life back! Best of all, I experienced no sexual side effects from this drug, as opposed to the others I've tried. | M | 26 | 7 years 150 mg 1X day | 1/25/2013 | 5 | grief then because i liked it | low libido,dry mouth, | initially took this for grief,after stopping it i noticed my behavior was more agressive,impatient,negative attitude. told doc i wanted it again. it produces a kindler and gentler me which i prefer. however,if i miss a dose or stop, my evil twin emerges and it is not pretty. can not stop taking it now as my behavior will spiral into a very negative,uncontrolled state. i am afraid to stop taking it. i also tend to procrastinate which i never did before. it is excellent for changing self defeating behavior. | M | 51 | 6 years 300 1X day | 8/30/2011 | 5 | Anxiety / Depression | only side effects i go through is if i forget to take the daily dose . go off with the fairies - light & dizzy & cannot concentrate at all & get BAD BAD Withdrawals. | Was second in charge of big motor company for 23 years when i got anxienty / depression . eventually couldn't function etc & ended in a heap . was on & off many different types of drugs & then 2 years later ended up in mental hospital . they took me off everything & started me on EFFEXOR XR. within a month i was starting feeling a lot better & then started working a part time job about 2 years later which i still do today. If it wasn't for Efexor Xr i wouldn't be here today . i have tried many times to slowly come off it with no success. For quality of life & my family i have decided to stay on it . I was in a bad place for about 5 years all up & i never want to go back there. EFFEXOR XR is good shit as far as i am concerned | M | 45 | 5 years 300 1X day | 9/2/2011 | 5 | Depression and Anxiety | None | Its the best, works so well for me | M | 22 | 3 years 150 1X day | 10/30/2011 | 5 | Major Depression | NONE | This stuff ROCKS!Effexor XR has literally saved my life!I highly recommend it! | M | 53 | 7 years 300mg 1X day | 2/6/2012 | 5 | Depression and Anxiety | Too much Effexor and I become too talkative. Too little and I revert to a depressed mindset and get dizzy. To stop taking this drug I have to reduce the dosage gradually over a couple of weeks, otherwise I get dizzy. With effexor my concentration is about 80% of when I am not on it. No other side effects. | This drug has improved my life remarkably. It has almost eliminated my depression, and greatly reduced anxiety, permitting me to function much better. It has helped me more than therapy has. | M | 57 | 6 years 300 1X day | 12/19/2011 | 5 | Depression | Constipation, fatigue. | I was previously on Serzone for several years which worked great for me but was considered risky due to concerns about liver damage. Doc put me on 75mg of Effexor XR. Took that for 9 years and then I started having insomnia which was has been the major side effect of the depression that I experienced. Bumped my dosage up to 150mg and I started sleeping better but I got major constipation, more fatigue and just not functioning very well. Its been very difficult to stay focused at work and I'm constantly falling asleep. May be time to try a different drug. I look forward to retiring in a few years and stopping my meds and working through the issues without having to keep down a stressful job at the same time. | M | 54 | 10 years 150mg 1X day | 2/23/2012 | 5 | OCD & Anxiety | I started taking Effexor for my intrustive thoughts (OCD) and generalized anxiety. After trying multiple medications this one seems to be the best so far!! Getting adjusted to the med wasn't easy, but my patience has paid off. It has helped significantly with my anxiety and intrusive obsessive thoughts. Obviously I still get bothered by them a couple times a day, but that's much better then every 4 or 5 mins. Unlike others I'm actually losing weight, which is great considering Celexa made me gain 20 lbs in just two months. I feel clear headed which hasnt happened with any of the SSRIs I've tried. Although when I first started this drug I often felt high or out of it. I was worried about sexual side effects, but it hasn't been that bad. I'm just not as horny as I was before, which isn't a bad thing. Don't let bad reviews keep you from trying SSRIs or SNRIs each person reacts differently and it usually takes a couple med changes to find the right one for you. It's truly saved my life, and made it comparable to life prior to my OCD onset. | M | 24 | 3 months 75 | 6/14/2012 | 5 | depression | initially: inability to have orgasm, profuse sweating, muscle twitching. vivid dreams | I have had great success with EXR. Initially had the side effects indicated but they gradually subsided and were virtually gone after 6-9 months. The worst was the sweating and the orgasm problem, but the depression was COMPLETELY gone. On days when I forget to take it, there is not much that I notice until I go to sleep when I have the most incredible, long lasting (continue even after I wake and fall back asleep). They arent nightmares, more like technicolor incredibly detailed novels. I've been on 150mg for the whole time and doctor has advised to stay on it long term since it works. | M | 47 | 1.5 years | 12/13/2006 | 5 | Depression & SAD | Loss of libido. Partial ED. Delayed, or no orgasm. 30 pound weight gain. Constipation one week, diarrhea the next. | Worked my way up to 225mg but no improvement from 150, so went cold turkey back to 150 with no withdrawals. Effexor XR seems to isolate me from reality. Machine-like emotionally, I would say. If I was told that someone in my family had died, I’d just say that’s too bad and not shed a tear. I know that sounds callous, but compared to the deep clinical depression I suffered through for years along with SAD, this is quite acceptable. Not perfect by any means, but an improvement. Still no enjoyment in the old hobbies. But I’m not angry and difficult to be around anymore. I know, neither is a vacuum cleaner, yes? Arm twitching/jerking prior to sleep. Some weeks I have constipation, others diarrhea. Also periods of ED and delayed, or no orgasm. Also, tremendous craving for ice cream and candy resulting in a 30 pound weight gain in three months! But these are not bad at all. A small price to pay, I feel. I would be absolutely sure this is the last drug | M | 60 | 3 months | 10/31/2006 | 5 | anxity depression | happines | this drug is very good and killed my anxity completly i do feel a little down at times but not half as bad as before my joint muscle pain dizzines and constant feeling that i am going to die or faint are gone and i can finaly functioning like a normal person. | M | 22 | 3 months | 10/31/2006 | 5 | Depression | erectile disfunction, sweating, sleepiness | After being stupid and letting my prescription run out while my doctor was on vacation, I found that Orudis KT helps reduce the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms. I hope this information will help someone. | M | 44 | 6 years | 10/27/2006 | 5 | Anxiety | Killed it! | M | 29 | 1 years | 2/24/2007 |