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
 
 2  fibro myalgia twitching. dizziness. inability to achieve orgasm and feeling disconnected with libido/passion unexpectedly very moody, almost bipolar (and i have no history of this). finally gave up on the drug and it took weeks to feel human again. I never would have taken it if I knew how awful it felt when i stopped. Felt disconnected / disassociated during let-down. Beware- some doctors like mine are very uninformed about the negative side of using this drug. F 32 3 weeks
9/13/2004
 5  depression nausa.sweats,headaches,being thirsty, weight loss, being sleepy every side effect went away after several weeks except for being thirsty and the weight loss is now more gradual. I weighted 255 when I started on Effexor now I weigh 206. I hope to get down to 175 eventally. I am 51 yrs. old and have been on Effexor since lasr October. F 51 330 days
9/6/2004
 1  GAD trouble swallowing and breathing, trembling fingers, bad nausea, dizzyness when moving, floating on a cload, no erections and numb glans, very thursty, headaches I felt like I got poisoned. M 48 1 days
8/29/2004
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 1  depression After 2 months of coming off this medication, I am still having the terrible effects of this drug, dizzyness, eratic heart beat, nervousness, moodinesss, sleepless nights, etc...... It should banned F 49 10 months
8/25/2004
 3  fibromyalgia after 14 years on the same drug..it did manage to keep some sort of pain level in check...but not any more. Now the side effects wiening off of it are horrifying. Only to mention a few..mood swings, violent outbreaks, dizziness, anxiety, weepiness, etc...i will never go back on this drug once I get it out of my system...good luck F 50 14 years
8/24/2004
 3  depression, anxiety gastrointestinal (initially), severly depressed libido, emotional flatness, memory/confusion problems did help with the anxiety at high dosages (225 mg) but side effects were worse M 60 7 months
8/21/2004
 2  anxiety panic Feeling of being brugged, taken with food, but was vommiting, increased agistation F 34 1 days
8/19/2004
 4  Depression Sexual side effects, for males it takes longer to reach orgasm, but they are much more intense. Insomnia, at 300mg/day I have to take serax to get to sleep. Acute withdrawl symptoms: Severe overexcitement, insomnia, feeling like the flu. It works wonderfully well. I take max dose of Welbutrin and max dose of Effexor as well. For the first time in 30 years I'm not depressed and go out and live life. M 55 1 years
8/13/2004
 5  depression F 31 14 months
8/11/2004
 4  depression/anxiety not sure if side affects or just me. ran out for about 5 days, went back to the way I was overeating, crying,fedup with everything,but it showed me that it does work,and I will need to ease off slower not cold turkey. realizing that the side affects are better than the way I was. F 45 6 months
8/11/2004
 1  depression Loss of libido, inability to orgasm, twitchiness, odd pains, dizziness, mostly mild... BUT It has been 12 years since I stopped taking 225mg/day. 12 YEARS!!! And I still getting symptoms! Nearly every day I wake up with the dizziness; it's kind of like every time I move my head, it takes my brain a second to catch up. Sometimes I nearly fall from it. Still have difficult sleeping sometimes. I have recently tried taking St. John's Wort and the dizziness seems to be less. My point here is how LONG do these symptoms last?? F 45 10 months
8/11/2004
 1  depression The side effects prior to withdrawal were memory loss and feeling disconnected. The side effect with the withdrawal are worse than anything I could have ever imagined! I have NEVER been addicted to anything. This has been the worst experience of my life. I have electric shock, hallucinations, cold chills, cold sweats, hot flashes, and I cannot sleep. I have been off of the drug for 7 days now after slowing reducing the amount I was taking. I am wondering if I will ever get back to normal again. I would NEVER suggest this drug for anyone. It is a CRIME that it is still on the market. I simply do not understand this. I though the FDA better protected citizens of the USA. If it is suggested that you take it, run and run fast! F 44 6 months
8/10/2004
 4  Chronic Reoccurring Depression Loss of sex drive, impotence. The only antidepressant that has worked for me. M 53 4 years
8/9/2004
 1  anxiety attacks Dry mouth, dizzyness. Vagueness and feeling distant from the world. Mind not as sharp as usual. Genital numbness, erection like a lump of rubber and inability to reach orgasm. Even a month after stopping taking it, the effects are still with me. It has COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN MY SEX LIFE. No erection worth mentioning. I feel more anxious (and now depressed) than before I started taking it. A drug from hell. M 42 40 days
8/5/2004
 5  depression none worth mentioning it saved my life.....after taking it for 5 days I walked into my doctors office saying....is this how F 33 7 years
8/4/2004
 4  pts and depression 30 pounds weight gain- unable to lose even with 1200 calories dailyan and 30 -45 minutes exercise 5 times a week, muscle aches, fatigue,and decrease in sexual desire, and high blood pressure. It helps my depression alot, but I wonder which is worse, the depression or the cure. I hope I don't have trouble with a lower dose or getting off the medication as I read some others did/ I wish they would put more information in their prescription insert about possible weight gain and possible trouble getting off the drug. F 62 4 days
7/29/2004
 3  Bipolar II, some anxiety insomnia, profuse sweating, nearly impossible to get and maintain erections, trouble reaching orgasm, tiredness, headaches, constant tremor I can't be absolutely sure that effexor caused all of the side effects, as I am concurrently taking wellbutrin and depakote. Many side effects that I've seen listed seem to be the same for two or more of the drugs. Effexor has worked fairly well for me, but lately has been losing effectiveness. About a month ago I increased the dose by 50mg (to 250mg/day), and have not slept through the night since then. I'm nervous about quitting the drugs, because my depression was very severe, but I've been on various drugs for over a decade, and I'm getting very tired of the side effects. I don't even know if I need the drugs anymore. There's no way to determine if my brain chemistry has corrected itself, or if the drugs are still necessary. I'm going to quit the drugs, but I expect it will be a months-long process. M 31 5 years
7/29/2004
 2  mild depression diarrhea,yawning,fogginess headache F 45 2 days
7/27/2004
 2  Depression - out of work Satisfied with initial depression reduction - reduced the 'would my family be better without me' thoughts... but getting off has been very problematic - and now I read hpw many others have had side effects that I'd not noticed were connected. I was on 1 ,then 2, then 3 - 75mg per day (total 225mg)at first ... now - 2 years later - I'm trying to get off ... first was down to 75 for many months ... not perfect - not bad. So tried 37.5 - but DR screwed up - ordered plain - not XR ... and ringing in head has been constant - even though I'm now on 37.5 XR for 2 weeks ... I just bull thru the ringing - tho' it's really loud tonoght - that's why I came looking for tips... I've also jumped up 15 lbs over the past year - and my cholosterol is up somewhat ... both never a problem. 5'11 M 58 2 years
7/24/2004
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 2  anxiety and depression I have been taking effexor for 3 months now. Have put on 20LBs despite intense exercise and dieting. I experience intense headaches, nausea, lack of energy. I am also having trouble raising my heart rate durring exercise bouts. I am indifferent to things which used to concern me. I am still very nervous, anxious, and depressed. However, I just dont really care how people percieve me anymore. This medicine has not taken away my innitial concerns and I am looking for a new medicine from my doctor in two days. I have had a better ability to concentrate, however, I am still anxious, worried and depressed. I have cried more on this drug than before I took it. I think I need to find a better match for me because I have no sex drive, a very unstable appetitie, and an unexplained weight gain. I have made great progress in my therapy, but nothing worth the side effects. I want to go off of it but i am scared to because of reading about all the horrors of discontinuing or skipped days. I dont recommend this product F 23 3 months
7/21/2004
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