EFFEXOR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (925 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. 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 |
More on EFFEXOR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | anxiety and depression | Only negative side effect is when I attempt to quit taking it or miss a dose by a full day or more I get a head "buzz". So severe when attempting to stop medication that I would have to be secluded from others for several weeks to get off of medicine | Positive side affects, did not change my sex drive like other anti-depressants. | F | 43 | 4 years | 10/19/2007 | 5 | bi-polar & anxiety | headaches, sexual side effects, weight loss | The drug is working great for me - instead of hiding in the corner when I`m in a social situation, I`ve become the life of the party. Overall, I feel a lot happier and more at ease. On the plus side, I walk around all day feeling like I`m on the verge of having an orgasm. On the down side, sex is about the only thing I can think about and it takes at least twice as long to actually climax. I have also noticed a decrease in appetite and I`ve lost about 15 pounds thus far. | F | 30 | 2 months | 10/17/2007 | 5 | anxiety, anger | palpatations (went away), ringing in ears (mild) | This stuff is great, tried Prozac, Lexapro, others - this works in a way the others don't. Beware of weirdos posting that want to "scare you" into not taking any medications for your health and well being (Tom Cruise - you know who I mean!!!). Most people who post are doing it because they have a negative outlook and want attention anyway - I want to give hope to at least one person who came here looking for something good to read about this medication! | F | 50 | 6 months | 10/16/2007 | 1 | anxiety | nausea, vommiting, diahrea, head spins, brain zaps, sweating, | F | 31 | 7 months | 10/16/2007 | 3 | Bi Polar Manic Depressive AADD | ZERO libido, weight gain, extreme numbness, tingling, headaches, don't give a hoot attitude,hallucinations while driving, loss of peripheral vision, night sweats, inability to complete a task(could be the AADD)no desire to keep housework done, reduced energy level | Forgot to take one night and had EXTREME psychotic episode and was nearly hospitalized before realizing cause and taking med. I could not distinguish reality. Couldn't get away from voices in my head. I never took hallucinogenics in my youth and if Effexor withdrawal is what it's like I feel sorry for those who did. Bad juju. Research before assuming your doctor is right about everything. I'm stuck now for FEAR of the withdrawal symptoms. One missed pill and awoke in the middle of the night in extreme terror and delusion. If I wouldn't have been experienced enough to know that it was a drug reaction I could have easily killed my husband from the voices in my head. I locked myself in the bathroom until my dosage kicked in. This is a good chemical for certain conditions and personalities, but after a life of manic episodes, I'd rather have the mania. | F | 50 | 1.5 years | 10/9/2007 | 5 | Hair loss! | F | 65 | 9 days | 10/5/2007 | 3 | depression | serious weight gain, blurry vision at times, at times my mind will totally go blank, twitching, now serious joint pain | 4 months ago i started taking half dosage because of the weight gain. all i wanted to do was eat and especially if i missed a dosage the best thing for me was to eat even more to balance the chemistry out. i am weening myself off it. i have been losing weight from going from 150 mg a night to 75 mg a night and i found it best to take it before going to bed, but i've noticed lately my hips and legs have been killing me. unbearable pain. the only thing i can think of is that i'm losing weight, that there is that much less of me the drug has to go through that its going to target weak points in my body. | M | 28 | 2 years | 10/1/2007 | 3 | Deppression & Anxiety | Upset stomach, headaches, foggy feeling. Also noticed uncontrolable yawning & very vivid dreams. | Effexor has been working for me side effects aren't so bad unless I am late taking the pill. | F | 23 | 2 years | 9/27/2007 | 5 | Major depression anxiety disorder | taken in the morning at 8. Caused slight nasuea and uncontrollable yawning in the afternoon. This has gone over though. | Effexor has worked for me - after trying cymbalta cipramil ciprlex tripilene aropax over the past ten years i have finally found one that workd FOR ME. That is the keyword - it is no use damning one pill to another person - each individual reacts differently to anti-depressants. You need to find the on that works for you. Dont scare people from taking their meds. If they have a good psychiatrist and psychologist (this combination is VERY important) then they will find one that works with the least or atleast liveable side effects. A bit of nasuea and yawning is far better than the suicidal thoughts and uhappiness i was living with everyday! | F | 32 | 3 months | 9/26/2007 | 4 | depression | sexual, delayed ejaculation | it manages my depression well | M | 53 | 2 days | 9/24/2007 | 2 | Depression | First few days I could not stop yawning, felt like pulling an all nighter working loaded with tons of caffeine - jittery yet tired. Nautious at first but subsided after a few days (did take with food). Dry mouth. Subtle hissing or ringing in ears. Increased sweating but not horrible. Blood pressure higher - heart racing. Lack of appetite, especially don't want carbs. The worst was feeling more and more anti-social the first two weeks to the point that I didn't want to get out of bed and face the world - however it was not clear if this was the depression getting worse or the Effexor making it worse. Dr. says two weeks is not enough to impact the brain but I honestly feel like the drug did something worse to me. | This was the second time on effexor - the first time was four years ago during a major depression and I felt the drug controlled the depression fine (although felt wired). However, this time my depression was milder but seems like the side effects are by far worse and my body was super sensitive this round. After two+ weeks on 37.5/daily, I never really felt any relief from the depression and in fact feel worse off - so am going to stop. I am now aware of possible withdrawal symptoms from reading all the *helpful* comments from others but feel it is worth the risk at this point. | F | 41 | 2 weeks | 9/24/2007 | 3 | depression and anxiety | vivid dreams/nightmares, weight gain, bad reactions to alcohol | I feel alot more upbeat and positive on effexor than on lexapro which I was taking previously - lexapro had a very sedating effect on me - felt deadend - However still feel sluggish on this drug and not altogether motivated - take a nap every afternoon for between 1-2 hrs | F | 43 | 4 months | 9/23/2007 | 5 | Depresson/anxiety | crazy vivid dreams, headache, upset stomach, sleepiness | I tried Paxil and Wellbutrin, and they both did nothing for me. I took Effexor for 2 years and it saved my life. With the help of my doctor, I very slowly weaned myself off. The withdrawl was hard, but doing it slowly helped alot. I had some "brain shakes" and dizziness, but nothing too terrible. You cannot stop this drug cold turkey! After being off for 2 years, have just recently started taking it again. I am looking forward to feeling "normal" again. I do have trouble sleeping and take Remeron for that | M | 25 | 2 years | 9/19/2007 | 5 | Anxiety/Depression/PTSD | First few weeks, nausea, itching. Now (after 2 yrs) excessive sweating, night sweats, occasional itching, EXTREMELY vivid dreams. When I miss a dosage, I tend to get overly manic, irritable and over-sensitive. | EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY! Don't discount the benefits this drug may have for you, because of someone else's reaction to it. But do take into consideration the withdrawal effects that are being discussed. Doctor's are still telling people that it is NOT addictive. But it seems that that may not be the case. Even had I known about the addictive qualities of this drug, I would still have taken it for the benefits it brings me. I am no longer hiding in my apartment, afraid to leave my home, afraid to socialize. I no longer suffer from despair and despondency, and have found myself smiling and HAPPY for the first time in over 25 years. I've suffered from severe clinical depression and have had suicidal tendencies since I was 13-14 years old - I never thought that a pill would be able to fix that. I was extremely resistant to meds as my mother (bi-polar) had committed suicide while taking Elavil. But my current therapist convinced me to give one more drug a try, and I have been | F | 38 | 2.5 years | 9/17/2007 | 4 | major depression/anxiety disorder | initally, the side effects were very strong as my body was getting used to it. (dizziness, out of body feelings, detached) ongoing side effects: severe sweating at night, dry mouth, sexual effects...didn't decrease sex drive but takes twice as long or more to climax. | A life saver for me after having tried paxil, zoloft, trazodone, etc...this was the ONLY thing that leveled me out; however over these 2 years I've had to increase from 75mgs to 300mgs in order to keep stable. Just today was put on Zyprexa in addition to effexor b/c I'm at a plateau w/ effexor and having really bad episodes of depression again... | F | 30 | 2 days | 9/17/2007 | 3 | depression and anxiety | foggy thinking; sleepy; nausea; severe clenching of jaw while sleeping to the point I now have TMJ disorder | I really like the way Effexor made me feel. I was only taking a low dose (18 mg. 1/2 of a 37.5 mg. tablet). They don't make Effexor tablets anymore. The TMJ disorder is so bad that I quit taking Effexor. | F | 57 | 3 times | 9/17/2007 | 3 | depression | constipation | has some effect on depression but not enough | M | 60 | 10 years | 9/14/2007 | 3 | Bi-polar, borderline personality | Dry mouth, fuzzy headed, agitation, jittery, libido decreased | I'm still new on the drug (about 3 weeks roughly). It was sort of like an appetite suppressant for a while. And now for some reason, I always feel like I'm on the verge of an orgasm (physically). It's starting to become very agitating while doing every day normal activities. I haven't seen anyone else have this side effect, and it's irritating. I'm still on the fence about the drug and have a Dr's apt on Wed, I'm considering asking him to switch. I'm also taking Trazadone at night to help me sleep. I love the Trazadone. | F | 31 | 3 weeks | 9/10/2007 | 3 | Anxiety, Depression | -When Starting medication: dizziness, nausea, feeling 'out of it'. -After taking medication for a while: no noticeable side effects -After being on medication for over 4 years: Acne,Extreme fatigue, lack of motivation, nausea, dizziness, forgetfullness, trouble speaking, agitated/fidgety, irritability, increased appetite | I think effexor may be very effective for SHORT TERM USE. It was indeed effective for me when I began taking it. After being on it for a few years and discovering the withdrawal symptoms if I missed a dose I figured I would be on this medication for life. But recently (now that I have been feeling 'normal' about life for years thanks to effexor) I am noticing side effects. At first I thought all these side effects were seperate issues. It never occured to me they could be from my precious effexor. I looked up Acne and Effexor on Google and it led me to this page and others. After reading other people's experiences I realize that my time with Effexor should be up (well it probably should have stopped 2 years ago). The side effects have outweighed the benefits and it's time for a change (hopefully no medication but we'll see how that goes!) I sure am glad I got one Effexor when I did! But I think it should only be used for approximately 2.5 years. | F | 26 | 6 years | 9/8/2007 | 3 | Depression | Nausea, dizziness when sitting up quickly, confused, vivid dreams | I don't feel depressed anymore but I am not really sure what I feel. I dont necessarily feel happy either... I feel motivated again. I worked out for the first time in a year yesterday, and have been spending less time by myself. I had a dream that my doctor told me that she would stop prescribing me effexor and I begged her not to...And they say its not addictive... | F | 21 | 8 days | 9/5/2007 |