EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR XR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
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/Depression | nausea, slight brain fog | Will be increasing dose next week. Felt better right off the bat. Nausea has been the biggest issue. Taken at night. I was initially scared to take it due to the reviews I've read but I'm glad I started and feel better already. | F | 41 | 7 days 37.5 1X day | 7/9/2014 | 5 | Depression, mood swings, fear | Only when missing dose my head started spinning but when i decided to get off of it after reading all scary reviews how tough it is i decided to try dosing it down fastest possible. I done my research and im lucky my fiance is a doctor and he has a lot of nutrition advisors so i didnt experiment nothing at all taking it from 150 to 75. The trick is to not imagine all this bad effects that happened to other people. Do some detox of your body start juicing all green veggies take vitamin B, D and cod liver oil i think this are most important, plus if you want your depression and anxiety to go away, fix your spine ! | F | 29 | 2 years 150 MG | 10/8/2014 | 5 | Depression | loss of libido.....constant brain fog......memory loss | I have been on Effexor XR about 14 years. After trying Paxil and Prozac and experiencing complete mental meltdowns after about one year of use. (My Doctor told me they sometimes just "quit" working) He advised me to take Effexor XR. I got my life back and became the person I was meant to be. I felt happy and content. The drug has continued to help me all these years even though I have memory problems, brain fog and loss of libido. I think it is a small price to pay for living well. That being said: I recently got mixed up on my meds and missed taking Effexor XR for 5 days. I fell into the pit of hell. The side effects were frightening. I was sure I was going to die, thought I had a brain tumor. I experienced: loud ear ringing, what felt like brain surges, confusion, unsteady gait, dizziness, nausea, and uncontrollable rage. I will take this medication for the rest of my life and will never miss another dose. | F | 72 | 14 days 150 mg 1X day | 10/24/2014 | 5 | Depression, Anxiety | None. | I'm still on it and feel a lot less depressed. I find waking up easier and I'm back to doing things I enjoy. | F | 24 | 2 weeks 75mg | 4/21/2015 | 5 | depression, mood swings, anxiety | At first I had a few side effects which have gone away completely. I remember I would have night sweats and trouble falling asleep. That didn't last too long and went away after about 2 months. | Effexor XR turned me from a total recluse scared of even being around people to a social butterfly. I had bad social anxiety and that pretty much all went away after starting Effexor. It help my severe mood swings and I was no longer crying randomly or going from happy to suicidal in ten minutes. I still had mild depression and motivation issues though and increasing the dose to the highest did nothing. I have to say Effexor XR has helped me out tremendously. | F | 23 | 1.5 years 150mg 1X day | 4/24/2015 | 5 | Chronic migraine | In the beginning heightened anxiety, stomach upset, drowsiness | This drug saved my life! For 9 months I had daily, constant migraine activity (lightheadedness, head pressure, felt like the floor would drop sometimes, visual disturbances). I was diagnosed with migraine by a neurologist and he prescribed this medication. I started "low and slow" because I was petrified from the reviews I read. After 2 or 3 weeks I started noticing improvement. God I'm so thankful for this drug!!! Been taking it for about 1.5 years. Pretty much brought me back to normal after about 6-7 months. | F | 42 | 1.5 years 75 1X day | 11/21/2015 | 5 | clinical depression/general anxiety | I have never had any negative side effects while taking Effexor. STOPPING it is kind of painful, especially if you do it cold turkey instead of weaning off of it. You get weird electrical like zaps all over and feel kind of goofy. | This medication saved my life. I've had to stop taking it a couple of times due to insurance issues but I would never do it voluntarily. When I stop taking it, not only do I have to go through the withdrawal, which is not fun, but my depression and anxiety increase 10-fold. | F | 55 | 10 years 225mg 1X day | 12/23/2015 | 5 | Prescribed for hot flashes | I haven't experienced any side effects. | I love Effexor XR! I call it my "happy pill". I've had mild depression off and on in the past and no other medications have helped me like Effexor XR has. And it does help diminish my hot flashes. | F | 50 | 2 years | 4/15/2009 | 5 | anxiety & depression | none that I recall. XR is best. | I love this medication! My social anxiety and life-long depression no longer hold me back from life :) It also really helped my bladder's constant pain & spasming. | F | 47 | 10 years | 5/3/2009 | 5 | depression/gad | sleepy/headaches,DO NOT MISS A DOSE or brain zaps. Nausea when first started it/feeling like im on some wacky drug that dialtes my pupils. Sometimes i feel a bit angry for no reason | This drug basically saved my sanity. Have had eating disorder for 6 years/ moderate depression/sever anxiety. Depression disappeared after about 2 weeks. I came off this drug after a year and after 3 months anxiety came back with flying colors depression after 5 months of being off it.So im back on it again feeling great. I also was taking 10 mg of ambien.Since being back on effexor i was able to switch to 5mg since it has calmed me down. I love effexor and never want ot be off it again | F | 25 | 2 years | 4/19/2009 | 5 | severe anxiety | Initially severe constipation and decreased appetite. | My anxiety was so severe I developed severe gastritis and spent 8 months vomiting everyday. This drug has changed my life and saved my stomach. I suffered for years and I feel like a whole new person. The side effects lasted a short time and I have not had any problems with it since. I highly recommend this to anyone who is suffering like I was. It's a life saver. | F | 3 years | 4/24/2009 | 5 | Depression, anxiety | Night sweats, weight gain, drowsiness | I took Effexor XR (75 mg) for a little over a year, and decided that the all-day drowsiness was not worth it. I changed to Wellbutrin, and that was a BIG mistake. I instantly reverted back to my depressive state, and was completely unhappy. I went back on XR, and was relieved almost instantaneously. My husband and I are wanting to get pregnant, so my doctor recommended I get on Zoloft. It worked better than the Wellbutrin, but I felt fuzzy-headed and not myself. I went back on the XR, because it worked so well and determined that the benefits to me were worth the risk. It is the only drug that works for me. I now take it at night, and that has helped me sleep and has lessened the drowsiness during the day. | F | 29 | 2 years | 5/29/2009 | 5 | severe depression | night sweats, vivid dreams, talking/yelling in sleep, insomnia, headache, nervousness | I have suffered, and I mean suffered from depression my entire life. I am now 46 and happy to report I have not been depressed for about two years. I have tried prozac, wellbutrin, paxil and serzone. I tried Effexor (not XR) 18 years ago and felt wonderful after the first week. Couldn't continue due to severe constipation. After many years of trying other meds finally found out about Effexor XR. It has been the drug I have been searching for. Even though I have insomnia (so I take it in the morning and take trazadone for sleeping), nightmare when I miss a dose (my family always knows when I miss a day for I am sure to talk and occasionally scream in my sleep), I also feel very shaky and unable to concentrate and will cry for no reason the day after missing a dose, but I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. I have been taking it for 8 years now and would put up with almost anything to keep this desire to wake up and live! There was a time I would have rather been dead. For me XR is more effective with way less side effects. Don't care what long term effects may be. At least I enjoyed life while on it. Glory to God! | F | 46 | 8 years | 6/3/2009 | 5 | depression/anxiety | first week : nausea, tired, migraine, lost libido. After in the first month : weight lost (yes!) more alert, still libido slow. Also ecchymoses on my legs when I change the dose | Im very happy with effexor, I was depressed since my husband died 3 years ago. I've tried celexa, remeron, wellbutrin ... I have 3 children and I need to be alert and patient and effexor give me what I need to be a good mother again. I don't just survive now I live, just a little problem with libido ... I have a new boyfriend but I think it will be manageable. The best FOR ME. Thanks! | F | 29 | 3 months | 6/7/2008 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder-Morbid Depression | Stomach Pain in the first two weeks. This was mitigated by taking the Effexor with an acid reducer such as Tagamet. | Effexor is a unique antidepressant medication. It is not an SSRI and it is not a tricyclic, it's a little of both. For my depression I have tried Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro and Welbutrin. Effexor was the only one to ever work. It saved my life. I would urge all readers of this site to consider two things before a patient opinion influences your decision about a medication. The first is that if you are having unbearable side effects, call your doctor immediately and get off that medication. It's not right for you. Second, given that this is a patient-driven site, it makes sense that most of the comments will be negative. People who are suffering are the ones surfing the net to find help. The bad experiences described on this site are, no doubt, real, but the sample is skewed. I have also had bad experiences with medications, but taking meds to improve your life is both a commitment and a process. You must be your own advocate and don't stick with a med if it doesn't help | F | 37 | 18 months | 7/23/2008 | 5 | Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks | At first: ringing of the ears, nausea, excitability. Later: constipation and (still) mouth sores. | I was afraid of this drug at first due to the negative Internet publicity but I was in a very bad place in my life and tried other things that did not work. I am now back to my old, positive, outgoing, funny self and feel energized and upbeat and happy to be alive every single day. I have patched up a relationship that was falling apart and am able to focus more at work and accomplish a lot more every day. I am so happy I got through the first few weeks and gave it a chance. If you are having side-effects early on that are not life-threatening, please try to give the drug some time as many or all side effects may dissapear. I am still concerned about ever quitting and withdrawal effects but that is common with most drugs (legal and not) and is a risk worth taking to me to be where I am today. It is important to note I am on the extended release and have not and do not want to try the regular. Thank you Effexor XR! | F | 31 | 4.5 months | 8/21/2008 | 5 | anxiety/depression | Sweating, vivid dreams, gnashing my teeth at night, dizziness. Nothing out of the range of what I could tolerate. | Based on internet commentary, I knew of the possible side effects of withdrawal, and did so slowly and under the care of my doctor. On the first phase, going from 112.5 mg to 75 mg, I experienced some bizarre symptoms--an awful taste in my mouth, which felt dry at times alternating with periods of hypersalivation (drooling!). I was dizzy and experienced vivid (but not terrifying) dreams. For a day or so I was extremely fatigued (could barely lift a blowdryer to dry my hair) and sad. But it only lasted a day or two, and I could literally feel the veil being rent when it cleared up--my vision seemed sharper, like someone had focused my lenses. Going from 75mg to 35 mg. was fine. Stepping off totally was not without symptoms--bouts of dizziness (like my brain couldn't catch up with my movements), sadness alternating with laughter, vivid dreams, and, strangest of all, I could literally hear my eyeballs moving--sounded like a loud zipper or whooshing noise when I looked around. But again, i | F | 45 | 4 years | 9/10/2008 | 5 | Depression/mood swings | None that I noticed | For me, Effexor XR has been great! I feel like a new person, like a "normal" person again. I have more energy, have not been in the horrible moods I'd been getting in that almost ruined my marriage. My husband thinks I'm cured. I hope it keeps working. I am taking 150mg. I'm actually amazed at the difference I see in myself. I do worry about weaning off of it if it ever comes to that but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. | F | 43 | 2 months | 9/12/2008 | 5 | Depression & Anxiety | At first- nausea. After a few months, the only side effect I had was just being more tired throughout the day-- which was nice because I would sleep a lot better through the night. | Wonderful antidepressant-- had tried several others. I felt more emotionally 'balanced'. No more suicidal thoughts, no more crying several times throughout the day. The only reason I am currently not on this drug at the time is that I had to cut some expenses. Will hopefully return to Effexor XR soon. | F | 26 | 3 years | 6/24/2009 | 5 | Low BP/OA/panic/anxiety/depression | NEG: 7 -10 days-profuse sweating; periodic brain zaps POS: Stabilized BP, increased energy, better sleep, helped depression, panic attacks and anxiety | This has been my wonder drug for everything except pain! BP was running 80s/40s, cardio tried EVERYTHING, to no avail. Internist precr this for other symptoms and had great side effect...BP 107/60s! Had tried numerous SSRIs, which I couldn't tolerate...rage, tremors, flushing, irreg heartbeat, etc. Tolerated this SNRI VERY WELL. Had taken 150mg x 2yrs, became preg, quit cold turkey w/NO side effects other than mildly incr depression. 2yrs later, on it again, STILL love it! | F | 42 | 3.5 years | 8/7/2009 |