EFFEXOR Reviews

Mild anxiety, similar to a too much coffee high first few days of starting dosage 187.5. Mild numbness in hands and toes. All side effects subsided after a few days.

Felt increased mental clarity, less depressed about specific issues. At first, felt some improvement from initial boost of stimulation. Overall, felt it improved my focus and made me less zombie-like feeling, but that seemed to backfire. The effexor made me more alert and more mentally stimulated, but didn't improve my mood at all. Which left me feeling not tired, wide awake with no spirit and no ability to actually carry any tasks out... And that made extremely irritable and frustrated, and made me very distraught. But from what I understand, effexor can be quite helpful to people who also suffer from anxiety and don't like the more stimulating, possibly anxiety-producing anti-depressants.

Tough first two weeks. Shakes, dizziness and yawning. I still have extremely vivid dreams and am super sleepy most of the time. Don't miss or take more than a few hours late. You feel creepy. Some sexual side effects :( Booooooo.....

On the upside I feel human again and like people better. I don't have anxiety attacks and am able to deal with stressful situations. I'm not fixed but closer than I've ever been.

I have used effexor + Verapamil for treatment of headaches- the combination has helped. I've been on these drugs for over a year

Numbness in the left hand, Tremors, Crazy dreams, Some weight gain, Headaches, Jaw clenching, tired, gas,

I'm functioning so I can't complain but there's got to be something better then this. I felt sick before the drug now I feel worse. I may go off. Any suggestions out there?
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Night sweats, vivid dreams. Head and body

Has helped with feeling down, and depressed. After missing a dose or two I get bad shocks throughout my head and body, they happen every few seconds. They are bearable, but I have not tried to get off of them, yet.
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Very abnormal acne breakout, dry mouth, insomnia, tingling in left hand, fatigue, dizziness, weird dreams, tension, nervousness. Missed one pill and it caused flu like symtoms, fatigue, ringing in ears, saddness, irritability.

My doctor tells me the acne and tingling in hand are not caused from effexor, but I know it is. This has worked on my depression better than any other anti-depressant, and the side effects are worth it to not feel the depression. Don't miss any pills!
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While taking the medication I experienced a marked lack of emotion (positive and negative), complete lack of motivation, loss of sex drive, 50 pound weight gain. The withdrawal symptoms were MUCH WORSE--constant sensation of electrical pulsing in my brain.

A very bad experience for me--both the effects of the medication and the withdrawal.

Nausea, sleeplessness, and dilated pupils.

I started taking Effexor after my second son was born. I was crying every day for no apparent reason. I called my doctor and he put me on this medication. The next day, I didn't cry once. It worked REALLY well for the first couple of months, but dealing with chronic pain and daily migraines, has put me further into depression. I just got my does changed from 75mg to 150 mg yesterday, hopefully it helps.

I was constipated the whole 3 years, had bizarre, violent nightmares the whole time on this drug which made me doubt my own sanity, both symptoms stopped when I quit using the drug.

After 5 weeks without effexor I'm still experiencing flu like symptoms, body pains, headache; also crying for no reason; short term memory loss and trouble finding words;brain zaps were intense, also during the time I used Effexor. I worry that I've developed brain damage, as well FM, I'm in so much pain all the time now.

Constipation, headaches, migraines. Through a mishap in my mail-drug program during a holiday, I went cold turkey for 5 days. Brain shivers, fogginess, vivid nightmares, nausea, severe migraines and headaches, feeling as if I am on the verge of passing out.

If taken as prescribed, I did feel better and felt less anxious. After leaving my husband and finding another boyfriend, I find there is nothing wrong with my sex drive, it is actually better than ever. I think it's different for all people - I am scared to death about weening myself off of Effexor

dry mouth, no sex drive

my therapyst recommended ginkgo biloba to alliviate the no sex drive and it really worked. i take one a day with my effexor

Night Sweats, Jaw siezure, difficult ejaculation, dizzyness

It helped but the excessive night sweats and sex problems made it not worth it

sweating, dry mouth, loss of appetite, weight gain, vivid dreams, gas

I've been using effexor since September 2004 and I've seen a tremendous change in my personality. I enjoy being with family and friends again. My patience with people is better and I have not had an anxiety attack since I started taking effexor.

Not too bad. When I started taking it the side effects were nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, tired, waking up in sweats and headaches. They went away after a couple of weeks though.

increased sweating, vivid dreams, no sex drive, loss of desire to smoke, intense!! fatigue at first but gets better, nausea,

The side effects can be many, not just a few, but it works for me!! The withdrawals are very difficult, I stay home and smoke pot for a week whenever I start/ stop this medication. Would be dead now if not for effexor xr. All things are worse at higher doses, use the lowest dose that works and then later try taking it lower if you can. I was started on 150 because of such severe depression, could have slipped and killed myself at any moment... now take 75 and it works just fine without making me too complacent. I would live on it if not for the loss of sex drive, as is I go back on it for several weeks when true depression returns ( uncontollable crying, suicidal thoughts), so far have gone back on 3x in the last two years.

I first started taking effexor about 5 years ago. I took it for about 21/2 years and I never really noticed any side-effects except for a loss in my sex drive and lack of emotions. I finally decided to get off this drug and it was extremely difficult. I wound up going to Celexa for a about a year and a half until I finally got off that. Now, In Nov 2004, I went through another anxiety stage and wanted to be put back in Effexor. I've been taking 37.5 for 5 days and feel like hell. I've become more depressed on the drug then before. I can't sleep at night and feel like hell during the day. I've decided that I'm going to try and live my life on no drugs bc then you just become dependent on something. Us people with anxiety know that anything you put in your head stays.

Effexor isn't for everybody. It's like any other drug, might be the best thing for one person and hell for another. It worked for me the first time but not the second. Anybody who has anxiety and would like to speak, I'd be more then willing to listen ([email protected])

when i missed a dose i felt dizzy, disoriented, and sick to my stomach. I also got migranes

Perspiring, especially hands and feet, some nausea, waking at 2-3 a.m. and unable to sleep again for hours, but it helps!

Very concerned about discontinuing this. My son is home on his embarkation leave and I don't want to be so emotional that I make it harder for him, so if Effexor XR gets me through the next week, it's worth it. I'm not bursting into tears during the news any more, and seem to be more patient with husband and coworkers, so it is helping.

Brain zaps! On Effexor, if I missed even one dose I'd get these electrical-shock-like sensations in my head, affecting my eyes and my hearing. I'm trying to get off Effexor right now, and am experiencing these shocks constantly, even after SEVEN days off the drug. The shocks are painful and disturbing, and they just never stop. One shock every few seconds. Other people have described this strange side effect also, but doctors just write it off and call it

The withdrawals are worse than heroin withdrawals. Don't start this medication unless you plan on being on it forever, because the withdrawals are that bad.