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 |
| 4 | GAD | For first few days some trembling, insomnia, clenched jaw. For the duration of taking Loss of sex drive almost totally | I was so worked up and agitated by anxiety and later depression I was put on this drug at 75mg a day. It took a while before I started to feel better and still more work with my doctor and family for me to get better. When I came off I had savere side effects including dizziness virtigo suicidal thoughts being sick insomnia lasting about 1 - 2 weeks I really wanted it to end but when I came out the other side I was a much happier better person. If I had to go through it again to achieve the same results I would do | M | 25 | 6 months | 9/15/2006 | 2 | Dysthymia | Dizzness, low blood pressure, slepiness, anxiety | F | 37 | 5 years | 9/14/2006 | 3 | anxiety, depression | night sweats, crazy vivid dreams, inability to stay asleep, loss of appetite at first but it returned, turned off of meat for a while, now can't stand touching raw meat, feel almost disembodied when i miss a dose, must take dose in a.m. or cannot sleep even with my trazodone | F | 33 | 4 years | 9/9/2006 | 3 | Depression/anxiety | I've been on for seven years so I can't remember early side effects except for extreme drowsiness; now I get muscle spasms, severe nausea/headache if I miss a dose. Also experience either insomnia or oversleeping and always feel weak and tired. Gained about 50 lbs-which adds to depression. Take 225 mg/day. | Haven't worked in 5 years b/c of depression and panic, but this med hasn't helped me feel any more energetic or enthusiastic about going back. From reading other comments, what I thought was "me" or the "depression" seems to be from the meds. I've also become extremely ill if trying to lower dosage, so now I am terrified of going off and trying something else. It has been better than nothing, but only marginally. | M | 45 | 7 years | 9/6/2006 | 1 | depression, anxiety, panic attacks | pressure behind eyes, dry itchy eyes, high blood pressure, profuse sweating 24 hrs., insomnia, night mares, dry mouth, headaches, muscle twitching, joint pain, nausea, lack of sex drive, wieght gain, yawning, constipation, problems urinating, stomach cramps & diarrhea, difficulty focusing, inability to complete tasks, confusion, dilutions, severe emotional swings, downward swings stayed longer each time and severity increased with each cycle, felt happy on the outside and wanted to die on the inside as if I were two different people in the same body, crying spells, uncaring and unemotional very flat most of the time. | This drug literally ruined my life. I was never informed by my doctor about this drug and its side effects. I tried cold turkey to get off it and thought I was going to die. Finally insisted that my doctor ween me off of it. Still have some side effects from it even though it has been several months since I last took it. I only kept taking it because my doctor said it would get better over time. Being depressed was far better than being on this drug. | M | 44 | 8 months | 9/5/2006 | 4 | Depression/Post partum depression | Nausea, dizziness, tingling in feet, dry mouth. | I am still currently taking Effexor and it's working for me. When I miss a day or 2 I notice a change in my mood and attitude, as do people around me. However, nausea is getting the worst of me. I've been getting car sick all the time, and have been getting nauseous quite regularly for the last week or so. Dry mouth is also a problem and I have been getting too hot quite easily which also triggers my nausea. | F | 20 | 2 weeks | 8/29/2006 | 4 | Depression, anxiety | Sleepiness! I'm normally a non-sleeper, but was sleeping up to 12 hours a day while taking Effexor. Strangely, I don't feel fatigued, just sleep long and intensely, at the drop of a hat. I've had some very vivid, quite wonderful dreams on it as well. I wake up with a massively clenched jaw, which sometimes causes headaches, but am dealing ok with it. Night sweats, as well. | Depression and anxiety have eased up, still not feeling 100%. Still needing some time to get used to it, I guess. | F | 28 | 3 weeks | 8/27/2006 | 5 | Seasonal Affective Disorder | Initially - yawning and some nausea. Ongoing - dry mouth and night sweats. Dizziness/headache if I skip a dose, which I try extremely hard not to. | This drug could make my hair fall out and I'd still take it - just about anything is better than how I felt six months out of the year. Effexor gave me my life back. | F | 27 | 5 years | 8/26/2006 | 1 | deppression gad | where to begin? vivid dreams, I would characterize them as hallucinations because I did not sleep at all on this medication. I would close my eyes but deep sleep would never come. Instead there would be sparks in my eyes. I would just lie there and look at the flashing lights. Sounds crazy? It was. at times could not distinguish reality from fantasy. excessive talking. horrendous debilitating headaches, horrible self-loathing, mania, dramatic weight loss (20lbs in a month), terror--it was as if the devil himself showed up every night-no joke, every day I would weep for hours, I had terrible insomnia. racing thoughts..to escape I would drink. mind you, I am not a drinker. I became a completely different person on this drug, a person I did not like one bit. I was afraid that I had had a stroke or something, because I could barely think after awhile, and motor skills were obliterated. Honestly, I thought that there was some brain damage as a result of this medication because | please think twice about taking this medication. it nearly ruined my life. | F | 25 | 2 days | 8/24/2006 | 1 | deppression gad | where to begin? vivid dreams, at times could not distinguish reality from fantasy. excessive talking. horrendous debilitating headaches, horrible self-loathing, mania, dramatic weight loss (20lbs in a month), terror, every day I would weep for hours, I had terrible insomnia. racing thoughts..to escape I would drink. mind you, I am not a drinker. I became a completely different person on this drug, a person I did not like one bit. I was afraid that I had had a stroke or something, because I could barely think after awhile, and motor skills were obliterated. Honestly, I thought that there was some brain damage as a result of this medication. All of these side effects subsided, however, a couple of months after I was off the medication. | please think twice about taking this medication. it nearly ruined my life. | F | 25 | 2 days | 8/24/2006 | 4 | chronic depression and anxiety | Sweating, increased appetite and weight gain (boo-o! Wasn't expecting that!), a little nausea. Jittery, jumpy, and wake with a start. Weird dreams--think I'm awake and the dreams were real even after I AM awake. I can wake up, go back to sleep, and continue the dream two or three times in a night. Thank goodness, the dreams aren't nightmares. Also, hear sounds day and night,like a pebble being dropped into water--a soft, hollow sound. Don't think it's my ears because the sounds are a few feet away, accross a room, etc. I have tinnitus, so I know what noises in the ear are like. Other: loud pops, bangs, and mixing cement-type sounds. Never had this before Effexor. HAS ANYONE OUT THERE EVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH EFFEXOR??? | Tried everything, even combinations of A/Ds. Nothing worked and my choices were running out. Finally, Effexor came along but it didn't seem to help. Dose was eventually increased to 225 mg. Slowy but surely, it becan to work. Seemed to get better each week, and now pretty good! Hope the crazy thing with my dreams clears up as well as the strange noises. | F | 60 | 4 months | 8/21/2006 | 5 | 9 months | No side effects experienced. No withdrawral problems either. Did not go 'cold turkey' but started slowly leaving out one tablet in four for a few days then cutting out the others. | F | 40 | | 8/20/2006 | 5 | 9 months | No side effects experienced. No withdrawral problems either. Did not go 'cold turkey' but started slowly leaving out one tablet in four for a few days then cutting out the others. | F | 40 | | 8/20/2006 | 5 | OCD | missing a dose can give you a good headache, but it really is a wonderful drug. My OCD was horrible before I started taking this drug, and when I started coming off of it there were no visible changes as the dosage went lower and lower. I stopped taking it a week ago, and my OCD is creeping back in. I restarted the lowest dosage today and just taking it helped me relax, knowing my OCD would be pinned again soon. Withdrawel side effects can be bad for some, and nothing for others. I personally lost some appetite, and in the mornings I would cry worrying about things. I didn't like how ranky and agitated became some days, but who knows if that was from th effexor or getting little sleep from working, lol. All in all I would reccommend Effexor. It's amazing if it works for you, but like I said it doesn't work on some people. | F | 20 | 4 years | 8/11/2006 | 5 | Depression | Dry mouth, initial weight loss. Both disappeared after about a week. No side effects after that. | My doctor wanted to slowly increase dose. I refused and kept it at 35 mg. Symptoms of depression disappeared after about a month and I feel great and completely back to normal. I've missed doses a few times and other than dizziness, have had no other problems. I'm hoping that when I stop taking it, withdrawal won't be too bad. Every person is different, so maybe my lack of side effects might mean that my withdrawal will be minor. I hope! | F | 40 | 6 months | 8/8/2006 | 4 | In the beginning I lost my appetite, but it is now back. I have not gained any more weight, but I can't seem to get any off. If I skip a dose, I get those crazy brain zaps. Also, my memory sucks! I have a hard time focusing, it could be that I have so much to do, but I really think the brain fog and memory issues are from the Effexor. It is not bad enough to stop taking it. | I am so much happier. I wish I could have started this a few years ago. I feel like myself again. I don't feel like people are staring at me and judging me. I don't feel so anxious, and I can sleep through the night. I am more pleasant with my kids and my husband. Things that used to bug me, don't bug me. I feel like me only better. I really love this medication. It has given me my life back. | F | 32 | 6 months | 8/7/2006 | 1 | Anxiety/irritable bowel | Sweating, would jump and "clench up" in my sleep, vivid dreams , However they pale in comparison to getting off this med.I am doing so under my dr. care. Now its insomnia( it's 2:30 am now I have to be at work at 6:00am) , I am very mean and impatient, ( usually take everything in stride) I am actually scaring my wife of 26 years. Will this withdrawl ever end ? | I am using xanax as a buffer,, it helps somewhat. | M | 46 | 5 months | 8/7/2006 | 1 | Plastic surgeon botched face lift | Plastic surgeon botched my face lift and wanted to sedate me out of wanting to sue him so he sent me to pain management. I was given a cocktail of Effexor, xanax and vicodin. I got cold sweats, brain zaps, insomnia and loss of all desire to move off of my couch. I had to take the Xanax to go to sleep and to help stop thinking of killing myself. Stomach pain and brain zaps occurred if I missed a dose for just a few hours. I started to panic if I got low on effexor in the pill bottle. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. My fits of rage has alienated most of my family and all my friends. I became a complete asshole with no desire to socialize. After ten years on my sofa, I had complete muscle atrophy. I could not walk and did not care that I didn’t care anymore. I could only think of ways to die painlessly. | I can only hope that a truck hits the man who invented this and that his body will fly into the doctor that addicted me to it and kills him too. I quit cold turkey two months ago after being diagnosed with cancer. My son convinced me that I would need my energy to fight this and survive chemotherapy. He committed me to a convent in order to survive the withdraws of effexor. I still have some leftover effects however they are starting to go away. My family likes me again and so do some of my friends. Somebody must do something about this to help other people. It is too late for me, I am terminal but am in less pain now then while on this drug. It cost me the last ten years of my life. | F | 72 | 10 years | 8/6/2006 | 5 | medium depression | nightly vivid depressing boring dreams tremors shakes upset gi tract when missing dose or trying to withdraw | this medicine is very effective but very addictive. withdrawl is a very serious issue for many including me. the medicine worked for me by keeping me in a calm, alert, but unemotional state at all times | M | 58 | 3 years | 7/29/2006 | 4 | Depression | sweatinmg....lots and lots of sweating | I came off Effexor once and it was really, really nasty. I've since be put back on it, along with other ADs. | M | 53 | 6 years | 7/26/2006 |