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 | Anxiety | If missing the drug for just a few days l have severely awful dreams with night sweats that wake me up freezing, bad fuzzy head that feels like l have been at a computer for weeks or a hangover, irritable, bad temper, a little paranoid,aching muscles at night, mild headaches | I now realise why l need to continue taking them (75mg daily)as the anxiety soon comes back! The withdrawal syptoms are the worst though!!!! | F | 33 | 8 months | 4/6/2005 | 1 | anxiety brought by stress | dry mouth, decreased sex drive, weight gain, headache, dizziness | This drug is horrible and should be pulled from the market. After only one missed dose, I experienced vomiting, dizziness, cold sweats, and symptoms much like the flu. I am on 75mg per day and trying to get off, but it is a nightmare. My advice is not to take this medicine unless you plan on taking it for life!!! | F | 22 | 9 months | 4/6/2005 | 5 | GAD with depression | At the very beginning of each dose increment I felt tired, dizzy and naseaus. I now have been on 150mg for almost a year and have no side effects unless I miss a dose. | have severe flu like symptoms if I miss one dose but feel the best I have ever felt in over 10 years. | F | 30 | 1.5 years | 4/5/2005 | 4 | Major Depression | Tight jaw at night when trying to fall asleep, WEIRD and I mean really weird dreams (and vivid too) not necessarily bad dreams but sometimes they're bad. If I miss a dose the dreams get bad. Night sweats. I wake up in the middle of the night and have to tear my clothes off because I have completely soaked them in sweat. Dry mouth alot of the time but it's ok b/c I get my recommended water intake for the day. I also get these weird twitches. Also very occationally, with these 'twitches' I get this electrical sensation (with a shooting light when my eyes are closed)with a noise that sounds like a laser gun from a cartoon. | Despite this long list of side effects, I like effexor. It seems to work differently than the paxil or prozac that i've been on in the past. It doesn't make me numb like the others. Prozac made me completely unable to cry. My best friend could have died and I would not have cried. I didn't like that. It also allows me to have a sex life. My drive isn't as high as when I'm not on anything but it is much better than having no drive at all like I did on the other drugs. I missed taking it for 1 1/2 days and I wound up puking my guts out and had the most horrible headache I have ever had in my life. My head was throbbing. I'm not looking forward to getting off of this when I'm ready. It's gonna be hell. I did hear that taking Prozac while getting off of effexor makes it easier (something to do w/ the half-life of prozac) and I don't think prozac has withdrawal symptoms for most people. | F | 24 | 12 months | 4/4/2005 | 2 | Severe Depression | Continuous: Lack of sex drive or interest in relationship with wife, lethargy, tiredness, black rings around eyes, twitching/jerking of leg/arm mussles when trying to get to sleep, weird dreams, unsympathetic Depression like / or unresolved: introvertness, withdrawal to bed and hide, withdrawal from family life, inability to relax (need to be doing something - distraction), not hungry / lack of apetite etc.. If few hours late / withdrawal symtems: headaches, dizzyness, inability to think (fogg-like mental state), irritability, quickly angered, thirsty | The drug helps with reducing depression symptoms, but side effects during treatment and withdrawal are phenomynous! This drug should be banned, or come with serious warnings! | M | 32 | 5 years | 4/3/2005 | 2 | anxiety | head ache feeling very dizzy feeling not in realuty worst anxiety than before no appetite can not function proparly don't have a sex drive | i hope the side effects will go away i'm at the point where i'm afraid to go out do to getting an anxiety attack | F | 23 | 4 days | 4/2/2005 | 3 | Persistent cough due to anxiety | Just started it a few days ago. The dry cough I have had for one year stopped almost immediately and I felt more relaxed. Loss of appetite, dry mouth, tiredness. | I've tried several anti-depressants and hope this one will work out for me. | F | 46 | 3 days | 4/1/2005 | 3 | Persistent cough due to anxiety | Just started it a few days ago. The dry cough I have had for one year stopped almost immediately and I felt more relaxed. Loss of appetite, dry mouth, tiredness. | I've tried several anti-depressants and hope this one will work out for me. | F | 46 | 3 days | 4/1/2005 | 3 | Depression / Anxiety | For the first couple of weeks lost appetite, then the pendulum swung the other way, heavy night sweats, occasional trembles, tingling in head, libido nonexistent, sleeplessness. | The jury is still out on this one. The night sweats are incredible. Didn't know anyone could sweat like this. Some weight gain. I worry about the tingling / shakes which were the same symptoms of GAD with which I was diagnosed. It is infrequent and happens when I haven't eaten for several hours. Helps to snack. It's not the sugar low or not having eaten feeling that you'd normally expect. This is like Parkinsons disease! I am on 225 dosage now. 150 in the morning and 75 at noon as the whole dose in the morning was wearing off by early afternoon. Sleeplessness is a big problem so I am taking Zyprexa at night. | M | 35 | 8 weeks | 3/31/2005 | 1 | anxiety, PTSD, borderline schizoid | It's like you're on speed! They have me on effexor and zanax for my above stated problems--and it wierds me out....I tried to tell my Dr. about my problems--but he just wants to keep raising my dosage--so I only take the first perscribed dose because I am afraid he's going to end up killing me! I also have mitral valve prolapse regurgitation since birth which makes my speed trips worse! I really wish I had a Dr. who knows what he's doin--cuz mine's a quack! | F | 24 | 2 months | 3/30/2005 | 1 | Clinical Depression | SEVERE WITHDRAWAL PROBLEMS - Brain shivers, flu-like symptoms, nausea, irritability, vivid dreams, lack of libido, a sense of | It took me TWO attempts over the course of 10 months to finally wean off this drug. DO NOT STOP TAKING IT ABRUPTLY. It must be gradually weaned out of your system. I read several reports about the addictive qualities and | F | 42 | 2 years | 3/30/2005 | 1 | Clinical Depression | HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (STROKE STAGE). IF YOU EXPERIENCE HEADACHES WHILE TAKING THIS DRUG, HAVE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKED IMMEDIATELY!!!! | Can also cause menstrual cycle problems including fibroid tumors. Make sure you read all the warnings for this drug!!!! | F | 42 | 2 years | 3/30/2005 | 5 | anxiety | increased sex drive | The first week I was on this my anxiety greatly increased and then after that it went away. I got off of 37.5 mg after 6 months without much withdrawal. | F | 38 | 6 months | 3/21/2005 | 1 | GAD | Weight gain, Hives, Night sweats, Heart palpitations!!, Crazy dreams, confusion, dry eyes, Complete loss of libido | Would not recommend this drug to anyone. I've never had any heart problems in my life but I started having heart palpitations and out of breath. Yesterday I walked up 3 flights of stairs and could barely catch my breath. Very embarrassing! I'm quiting cold turkey today- I'll deal with the withdrawal symptoms, I'm not going to poision my body another day!!! Oh, I have zero sexual desire, in fact I am repulsed by the thought of having sex. My poor husband:-( I HATE EFFEXOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | F | 30 | 1.5 months | 3/3/2005 | 5 | anxiety,undiagnosed depression | night sweats,vivid repetitive dreams | some of these dreams are coming true,very weird about 3 in the past week | F | 40 | 1 years | 2/24/2005 | 5 | Familial clinical depression | 1 Full Month - severe shortness of breath, acute nausea if exposed to sun over 30 seconds, dry rectum (yes it was horrible), dry mouth, sleep disruption due to dreams. Have to take it in the a.m. or unable to get out of bed | Within 3 days my whole world changed. The cloud that hovered over my day-to-day life for years was lifted. I didn't feel the need to abuse alcohol (or speed) ever again. I WOULD GO THROUGH ALL THOSE HORRIBLE SIDE AFFECTS AGAIN IF I HAD TO. This drug saved my life. I have only missed my 150mg a day dose twice, and the withdrawl is bad. Be very very careful. I have no need to get off it. But if you do, SLOWLY reduce dosage over about 6 weeks, not 2 weeks like drs. say. | F | 46 | 6 years | 2/20/2005 | 4 | anxiety | Sexual side effects at higher dosages (harder to achieve orgasm & stay erect), vivid dreams, nightmares, insomnia, trails in vision. | My dosage has ranged from 37.5 mg/day up to 225 mg/day currently. Had significant improvement even with 37.5 but each increased dosage has been noticeably more effective. Side effects haven't been too severe for me, and mostly happen for a few days after I change dosage level, or when I miss a dose. Overall it has worked very well for me, made it a lot easier to function normally day to day. But easing off it needs to be done SLOWLY, it can be really awful if done suddenly (went cold turkey from just 75mg/day and I had AWFUL nightmares for days, felt trapped and couldn't wake up etc.) | M | 23 | 9 months | 2/20/2005 | 1 | depression | wieght gain (30 lbs in 3 months) nightmares, memory loss, mania, dry mouthh, | This drug has done nothing positive for me. I am trying to get off of it. | F | 26 | 5 months | 2/20/2005 | 3 | depression, problems w/ other meds | apathy toward previous exercise program, increased pulse & BP, severe sleep problems when I miss a dose, weight gain due to Effexor or another med | Currently combined w/ Desiparamine. Some other meds (e.g. Buspar, Paxil) caused unacceptable personality changes. | M | 57 | 8 years | 2/19/2005 | 4 | Moderate Depression/Anxiety | Dry mouth, frequent urination, odd sexual disfunctions e.g. mixture of semen and urine when going to washroom | Even though the side effects suck, the medication overall has helped my life quite a bit. | M | 20 | 4 years | 2/18/2005 |