EFFEXOR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 3.0 (925 Ratings)

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 ANTIDEPRESSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

EFFEXOR  (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE):  Venlafaxine is used to treat depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). It may improve your mood and energy level and may help restore your interest in daily living. It may also decrease fear, anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and the number of panic attacks. Venlafaxine is known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances (serotonin and norepinephrine) in the brain.   FDA Approval Date: 1993-12-28 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXORCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  Social anxiety, depression Almost impossible to have an orgasm This is the only one I felt the side effect of being incredibly sweaty with, and that's why I gave it up. I felt unnaturally sweaty for months afterward. It worked as well as the others, but the sweatiness made it impossible. I did not have withdrawal symptoms--just continued sweatiness. F 49 6 weeks
3/25/2008
 4  Deression, Worry/Anxiety mild side effects on 75mg while getting adjusted, severe side effects on 150mg including 20 pound weight gain, delayed orgasm, night tremors while sleeping, vivid dreams, fatigue, joint pains and body aches especially in legs I have been on and off effexor for about 5 years quitting mostly due to insurance reasons. After being back on 75 mg. for about 2 years I decided to talk to my doctor about increasing it to 150mg. That was the worst mistake I ever made. All the side effects mentioned began happening one by one. I recently went back to 75mg and I am doing great. If you are experincing long term side effects you are most likely on to high of a dose. 75mg has worked great for me although 150mg was a nightmare. M 31 2 years
3/21/2008
 3  depression Light headed and upset stomach I feel that the depression lifted but I have had problems with being out of breath. When walking, I have to stop to get air. Feel like I can get enough air into my lungs. I have stopped taking effexor to see if the drug is causing this and I am overwhelmed with the withdrawal. My head feels electric, my throat is tight, I am dizzy and cannot think straight. Does anyone know how long it takes to get it out of your system? F 46 6 months
3/19/2008
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 3  Hot Flashes I have weight gain, loss of libido and there's no spark in my life. What I don't know if these effects are Effexor or the Femara I take as it seems to have the same side effects. Now I'm worried about withdrawal symptoms. F 55 14 months
3/18/2008
 5  Major Depression and Anxiety, PTSD Fatigue in early afternoon, debilitating at times. This drug has saved my life. After many, many years of battling depression, anxiety and PTSD, I am feeling just about "right" now. Prozac sent me into manic state and then into depths of despair. Zoloft made me foggy with no relief from my difficulties. I am forever grateful for Effexor XR M 22 3 days
3/11/2008
 3  depression large appetite increase; large decrease in orgasmic ability I haven't been happy with Effexor overall, but mostly because I have to take three other meds to manage the side effects! (One for appetite control, one for anxiety, and one to go to sleep at night.) As for the last post about "didn't people listen to their doctor telling them to slowly taper off...?" Some of us were never told this, and were told by the doctor to cut the large dosage (375 mg) in half. The doctor then seemed surprised when a week later I was miserable, and said it must mean the new medication wasn't working. Some of us are more than willing to follow doctor's orders WHEN THEY'RE GIVEN! Overall, I wouldn't recommend this unless it's a last resort. F 49 2 years
3/10/2008
 1  depression night sweats, vivid dreams,nausea,30lb. Weight gain, zero metabolism. I wish i had never taken this drug! Seemed to work great the first couple of months unless god forbid i missed even one of my 150mg doses. Severe headache and nausea were soon to follow. The nite sweats made me feel like i was going through the change at 29. After a 30lb weight gain and trying to take it off with zero result(which was Never a problem before), i asked my dr. to stop taking it. That was two months ago and i can not get off this drug!! The withdraws are unlike anything i could ever try and explain. It has been the worst thing i have ever done to my body. F 29 7 months
3/10/2008
 1  sad seasonal disorder foggy lack of sex drive could not eat... horrible feeling i have been on for 10 days .have to get off can not eat,foggy,dizzy, no sex drive .how do i get it out of my system HELP M 41 10 days
3/5/2008
 3  Depression Insomnia, grinding teeth/jaw clenching & resulting TMJ headaches, yawning, no appetite (weight loss), increased OCD symptoms. I ended up getting a special NTI-device night guard for the jaw clenching to wear at night. BTW, great for TMJ sufferers! It helped the depression but the side-effects weren't worth it, especially the OCD, jaw clenching, and insomnia. Lexapro helped my depression just as well but side effects weren't quite as severe. F 33 6 months
3/3/2008
 5  Depression/ lifelong none I cannot understand why the litany of complaints from people who are withdrawing from effexor. Were these people not listening when the prescribing Doctor explained that one cannot withdraw cold turkey from Effexor! Or perhaps, they don't read labels. Caffine and alcohol can have some profound side effects when one withdraws cold turkey. I withdrew slowly as instructed by my doctor with no serious side effects. I took 75 mg. daily for 18 months. I felt so great that I decided I didn't need it anymore. Roughly seven months ago I stopped: gradually reducing the dosage slowly from 75 mg. to 37 1/2 (over the course of a month). Recently my depression has returned and I plan to resume this drug that gave me back my sanity. No drug works for everyone but this one works for me. F 58 18 months
2/29/2008
 1  anxiety, deppression frequent urination, trembling insides, feel like I am in a fog, dazed. Jaw is tight and sore. Feels like my legs are crawling, and as tired as I am after a full day with a 2, a 3, and a 12 year old, I can't sleep. I hate this drug, I started it last night, and I should have known something was wrong with it when the doctor also prescribed sleepng pills. I feel worse than I have in 3 years having anxiety than ever. I am going to stop taking this, today will be my last dose. The doctor said give it two weeks, but I can't afford to be dozing on the couch when my 2 and 3 year olds are crusing around my home. I read all of this column and I think that it may help some people, and I envy that, but I guess it just does not agree with others. Before I have to experience the withdrawls symptoms I am going to stop taking this. F 32 2 days
2/29/2008
 4  anxiety Initially I had nervous feelings, uncontrollable yawning, lack of sex drive, teeth grinding, and a 30 pound weight gain over one year. I was taking 150 mg. This cured my anxiety and 'torture by replay' that kept me up most nights, but I am now trying to ween myself off. I felt like I wasn't myself and becoming depressed about the weight. I'm down to 37mg. The dizzy brainy zaps are miserable. I'm afraid to drive my children during this time, but I'm determined to get off. The weight gain has contributed to seriously high blood pressure and random black outs. I need something for anxiety, but this might not be the best option for me. F 39 1 days
2/26/2008
 4  depression It was extremely hard to have an orgasm. F 23 8 months
2/22/2008
 4  Panic Attacks and Anxiety Loss of sexual interest, loss of the feeling of love, excessive yawning with weird tightness in back of throat which made me feel like I had to swallow to make it go away (tightness gone after first week), first week had difficulty sleeping, but got better. Dreams every night. I love it. I do not even have an inkling for a panic attack or any anxiety. It has made me so happy and for the first time I can leave the house without my anxiety medication!! The loss of love kinda stinks, but I feel that I am slowly regaining all the good feelings. It is definitely worth putting up with the side effects for the benefits. F 20 2 months
2/18/2008
 4  depression extreme fatigue, zero interest in sex. It's been eleven years and I don't know how to get off of this drug. Even missing one dose for more than a couple of hours makes me dizzy and jittery. It cured the depression, but I sleep all of the time and my husband misses me. F 55 11 years
2/18/2008
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 3  severe depressive disorder, anxiety moderate weight gain, numbing of emotions, always exhausted, no desire to leave the house, nausea. Twitching, high blood pressure At first Effexor was amazing. It really helped me and the side effects were not noticeable. But after a while my psychiatrist had to keep increasing the dosage for it to work. As this happened my side effects increased. It didn't really bother me that much because I felt so much better. I wasn't so down. But if I ever forgot to take one dose I felt really out of it and unable to do anything. For several years I kept taking the medicine and my depression was relatively repressed. But I had another depressive episode and am now taking both effexor and prozac as well as a low dose of tramadol for sleep. F 19 5 years
2/15/2008
 1  Depression Reduced libido, severe withdrawal if a dose was missed, hypomania. This drug really ruined my life. I suffered from hypomania due to this drug. I was not able to self-assess the situation and ended up acting inappropriately and out-of-character over a prolonged period. It was only when a friend went on the same drug and I recognized the extreme personality change in her, that I eventually put together the connection. It was too late and too much damage had been done. It was very difficult to recognize the signs. Don't shrug off the possibility that this is not happening to you. Be very introspective and ask the people who know you best if you seem to be acting differently. M 39 1.5 years
2/13/2008
 4  Anxiety Delayed ejaculation, reduced sexual drive, sensitivity to light, 20lb weigh gain, eyesight deterioration (reading), reaction to drinking caffeine/alcohol (sensation in legs) Worked well for me. Within 6 months of starting the medication, went up on dose from 37.5mg to 262.5mg (7 units). Within the last one year have been gradually working my way downwards and now I am on 37.5 mg since last one week. Hope to go off it within 60 days. The key is to taper it down gradually,say, i unit every 2 months once you feel all is under control. M 45 3 years
2/12/2008
 3  Panic Attacks Anxiety, insomnia, weight gain dizziness It worked well when I first started taking it but after 8 years & many trips to the doctor for symptoms that I thought that were due to perimenopause. I now see that all the symptoms I have been experiencing for quite some time are from this medication. F 52 8 years
2/12/2008
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 5  Depression loss of libido, difficulty ejaculating, increased restless leg, vivid but not unpleasant dreams and some sleep disturbaces (either too much or too little). Loss of appetite and increased desire to smoke cigarettes. Effexor works wonderfully for me. I've been on it for 5 months (150mg a day) and my mood has really improved. I'm almost never bored and have regained an enthusiasm for my various hobbies and activities. I'm relaxed and focused and always have something to do whereas before I would be bored and listless much of the time. The side effects are no big deal. I forsee taking Effexor for quite a while. M 29 5 months
2/6/2008

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