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 | depression | I've been sweating a lot, constipated...and I eat a lot of fiber, my vision has gotten a little blurry at times. | My mood swings have evened out and I am not crying all the time for no good reason. I find myself able to deal with my kids without losing my temper (that's the best thing) I'm on 225 mg now and got the sweats and constipation after raising it from 150. I feel much better now. I forgot to take a dose one morning and at about 7pm I started to get a bit dizzy and nauseous...couldn't figure out what it was until I realized what I had fogotten to take! Don't want to run out of this stuff! I've tried lexapro which helped a little, wellbutrin and I got hives, and zoloft stopped working for me after a year. | F | 41 | 2 months | 10/16/2005 | 3 | Clinical Depression 10+ years | Foggy mental issues. Recalling simple names and events can be a challenge. Overall it has helped stablize my depression, but my foggy brain issues are very bothersome. | F | 40 | 2 years | 10/16/2005 | 4 | depression/anxiety | Side effects were minimal; occasional dry mouth, headache, weird dreams. Overall, nothing significant. | Withdrawing from Effexor has been difficult. Fortunately, because I've withdrawn from Paxil and Zoloft in the past, I knew what was happening to me. The most prominent withdrawal symptom was the feeling of electric jolts going through my extremities, particularly my arms and fingers and occasionally, my lips, and of course, the notorious "brain shivers", anxiety, and dizzziness. On the worst day I felt as though I were going to vomit and would break out in cold sweats. I spent two weeks taking one capsule every other day until I ran out. The first three days without Effexor was the most trying, but each day became a little better than the one before. | M | 50 | 1.5 years | 10/15/2005 | 3 | anxiety saddness and depression | Diminished Libido, Yawning,I used to like having feelings, and I am now sort of numb when I should be elated or sad | I think that it works but sometimes I wonder about what i am giving up . | M | 59 | 7 months | 10/15/2005 | 4 | Depression | Significant fatigue, trouble staying asleep at night, vivid dreams, some dizziness and numbness, decreased libido, difficulty reaching orgasm, moderate weight loss and decreased appetite. Sleep problems are alleviated somewhat if I take the medicine in the morning; otherwise, I'll go to bed and wake up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. | The side effects, though no fun to live with, are a price I'm glad to pay for being able to live a normal life. I'm tired most of the time, but that's much better than depressed. When something goes wrong, I don't break out in tears and I feel like I can handle it. I take 150 mg, and am a fairly small person. An earlier drug, Lexipro, was no help at all. | F | 24 | 2 years | 10/9/2005 | 5 | Depression | Effexor worked very well for me, although I did have some weight gain. My issue though is going off of it. I lowered my dose for up to six weeks. It's been a little over two weeks off the drug and I am in such a bad mood: very impatient, still tired and overall cranky. Not sure if this will pass, I really want it to. Has anyone had this happen to them? Thanx. | Effexor worked very well for me. Helped me control my emotions. Some weight gain and very tired though. | F | 38 | 4 years | 10/7/2005 | 1 | Depression | This drug did help my depression. At first my mouth and nose were so dry-my nose was actually painful with breathing. After a loading dose my dose was 300 mg a day. I experienced two years of chronic constipation-developing hemmorhoids as a result, dry mouth (which improved over time) and a painfully dry nose. I’ve developed scabs in my nose that would not go away; when I touch them I get a pain going down the inner front side of my neck and into my ear. My nose bleeds almost daily. I went from all my life needing 8 hours of sleep to getting by with 2-4 hours. I was wide awake until 2-3 AM every night. After two years, finally I came to the conclusion this drug was the primary reason for causing so many problems was having: I just wanted to sit around and do nothing-then felt depressed because I never got aythng accomplished. As a result of being so sedentary I have lost so much flexibility and have gained 20 pounds. I got to the point I couldn't exercise at all-even walki | Withdraw was just horrible and lasted a little longer than a week. I tapered down easily from 300 mg to 75 mg and then to 1/2 a capsule per day which I took every other day for a short while and then just stopped. I did this without my doctor. I don’t even know how to describe physical sensations and rushing noises in my head. I also had sudden episodes of dizziness, clamminess alternating with sweats, feeling cold and feeling like I had a fever. I startled (jumped) at noises, had difficulty with bright light, actual unsteadiness, some body aching, terrible tiredness. My concentration was very difficult, I couldn’t come up with words I wanted to say, I had instant forgetfulness-when talking, I would cry and become so emotinal just instantly over anything that was touching. I felt itchy. I couldn't sleep well. I did not have nausea or vomiting. | F | 57 | 2 days | 10/7/2005 | 3 | depression | Sharp zinging in head (front to back or back to front on upper right side); periodic double vision, periodic ringing in my ears, weight gain, eventual sluggish thinking and forgetfulness, first migraine of my life at 45, reduced interest in sex, ... | I used Effexor XR 75 mg for a little over two years. It worked great in many ways. It allowed me to handle life again. It made me feel normal again. I felt able to feel a range of emotions without the extremes. Yet, as time went on, I began to have more sluggish thinking that was getting in the way of my effectiveness at work. Bummer! There were enough negatives piling up that I moved to Lexapro for a few months and now am weaning myself off of everything. I may decide the side effects of Effexor are worth it again, if I begin to totally fall apart. But I'm willing to try life without the meds for a while. Need to determine if side effects are from the meds or perimenopause or just me. Doctor and psychiatrist are supportive of this exploration, keeping them in the loop as needed. | F | 45 | 2 years | 10/2/2005 | 3 | depression | Sharp zinging in head (front to back or back to front on upper right side); serious night sweats (drenched when wake up), periodic double vision, periodic ringing in my ears, definite weight gain and reduced interest in sex. I could deal with all of those but when I had my first migraine of my life at 45 and began to develop sluggish thinking and forgetfulness, I got scared. Time to explore what's up. | I used Effexor XR 75 mg for a little over two years. It worked great in many ways. It allowed me to handle life again. It made me feel normal again. I felt able to feel a range of emotions without the extremes. Yet, as time went on, I began to have more sluggish thinking that was getting in the way of my effectiveness at work. Bummer! There were enough negatives piling up that I moved to Lexapro for a few months and now am weaning myself off of everything. I may decide the side effects of Effexor are worth it again, if I begin to totally fall apart. But I'm willing to try life without the meds for a while. Need to determine if side effects are from the meds or perimenopause or just me. Primary care physician and psychiatrist are supportive of this exploration, keeping them in the loop as needed. | F | 45 | 2 years | 10/2/2005 | 4 | depression | digestion problems | This has changed my life. Instead of living my life in what feels like a room with 4 walls closing in, it feels like i am standing on top of a mountain- i can see for miles and i can also see the future and look forward to it. Only problem is that i cannot seem to be able to come off the drug- the withdrawal symptoms for me are terrifying. I have come to the conclusion that if it only takes one tablet a day to help me feel the way i do and to approach life in such a positive manner- i don't mind taking it for the rest of my life if necessary | M | 27 | 4 years | 9/28/2005 | 3 | Depression/ Anxiety Disorder | Insomnia...can sleep for maybe 3 hours at a time. Delayed orgasm. Decreased sexual drive. Very VIVID nightmares and dreams. Accelerated heartrate. Dry mouth constantly | I don't even know if its working cause I have no one around me to let me know if I have changed. I still get shaky and weirded out in public. I have been on and off meds for almost 10 years now. So I just try what they ask me to....and hopefully I will get lucky sometime soon. | F | 29 | 27 days | 9/27/2005 | 5 | Anxiety/Depression | Difficulty reaching orgasm | I had been on Paxil for 5 years when I switched doctors and the new doctor recommended Effexor. On Effexor I feel in control of my emotions; no more ups and downs. I feel like I am really myself and very please with the results. I hope to decrease my dosage and try life medication free for the first time in over 7 years soon. | F | 23 | 2.5 years | 9/26/2005 | 4 | depression | memory problems, constipation, unable to enjoy the taste of food, therefore never being hungry, losing weight, headaches, lack of strength. | In spite of the above coments, it has helped me. | F | 50 | 189 days | 9/26/2005 | 3 | Adult ADD | I missed a couple doses during a move to another state, and experienced marked effects, incl. 'brain zaps', mental fogginess and general malaise. However, benefits FOR ME outweighed these annoyances, and I have had decent results, re: improved concentration and focus. | While I have thankfully not experienced sexual side effects, elevated blood pressure or depression while taking Effexor, and am tolerating it well, I know it is a serious medication worth considering thoughtfully. Please take heed of the horror stories from other users and do not simply focus on my generally rosy review, before beginning a program for yourself. Caveat emptor. | M | 36 | 10 months | 9/26/2005 | 4 | Clinical Depression | In the beginning, I was very dizzy and unsteady on my feet, but that went away in about 2 weeks. I have lost weight :) and have had a HUGE increase in sexual drive. | F | 36 | 2 months | 9/6/2005 | 3 | depression | extremely tight jaw and sore stiff neck muscles, grind teeth at night now... increased anger... vivid dreams...increased sex drive ...crave sugar all the time..wieght loss..about 4 lbs in 2 1/2 wks | i felt better on the 37.5 mg dose. then the 70 mg. | F | 25 | 17 days | 9/5/2005 | 5 | Depression | Drastic increase in sex drive, occasional lethargy, excessive yawning | Its great! Not a "noticable" change in the sense that Im still me, but the thoughts of worthless/ uselessness have ceased, as has the crying. Its really not something I even realized untill someone asked how it was working. Most of the side effects are more annoying than anything else (yawning!) however, the increase in sex drive was VERY drastic, to the point where it has caused a small bit of tension at times (w/ my fiance). | F | 21 | 2.5 months | 9/2/2005 | 5 | depression/generalized anxiety | delayed ejaculation; some anxiety on tapered discontinuation, but this went away within a month | Took at 300mg per day for moderate anxiety/depression. Worked very well to reduce symptoms. I was on it for 2.5 years, then tapered off over 6 weeks, and then was off it for 8 months, but my symptoms returned, so I restarted recently and felt better within 6 weeks. | M | 28 | 2.5 years | 8/23/2005 | 5 | Depression | First 3 days: excessive energy and couldn't sit still. decreased appetite and elevated heart rate. After 3 days: symptoms tapered off and I had no side effects. | It has been wonderful. After about a year I started experiencing withdrawl if I missed doses but that's gone away. I can not say enough wonderful things about what this has done for me. I feel NORMAL again. The initial side effects were nothing worrisome and the excess energy allowed me to get some extra stuff done! | F | 19 | 1.5 years | 8/16/2005 | 4 | Depression and Anxiety | Trouble sleeping, shakey hands, and headaches. | Have to be very careful when you stop taking this drug or miss a dose, the side effects can be quite extremem. | F | 33 | 6 months | 8/16/2005 |