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 |
| 1 | depression | Extreme constipation, bloat, high blood pressure, lack of energy, horrible dreams, insomnia | It helped in controlling the depression but the side effects and the extreme dizziness, headache and nausea if I missed one single dose was making my life extremely stressful and miserable. | F | 49 | 10 months | 7/17/2004 | 5 | depression from pain | at first I was tired but got over that | F | 55 | 5 years | 7/12/2004 | 5 | fibromyalgia | I took minimal amounts i.e. 75 mg but if I missed one dose, I would experience a living nightmare with an intensity I never can recall. I also gained several pounds a month for a total of 14 within 5 months. This sucked. So I figured, I haven't felt any pain or muscle discomfort, so I'll go off it but gradually knowing my side effects. I asked my pcp for an original pack that had the 25 mg and that dosage helped me after a few days; made it much easier. For the first time I have to learn about losing weight. Furthermore, now my muscle discomfort is back so I need something else now. | Great immune booster for fibromyalgia and probably other immune based concerns. Restores a sense of well being and feeling grounded to any stressful day. | F | 43 | 5 months | 7/12/2004 | 2 | depression | wierd hot flushing of face and hands, complete loss of sex drive, pulsating feeling in the back of my head, lack of awareness, kind of zombie-like lack of interest in everything. | this was my first and only anti-depressant, i'd rather live with depression than live with no real feelings at all. | M | 27 | 3 months | 7/11/2004 | 5 | suicidal long term depression | Dizziness, palpitations, sweating, inability to achieve orgasm, extreme nausea, headaches | The nausea and the sexual dysfunction are very hard to live with. However, Effexor is the only antidepressant that has helped me and I can't function as a person without it. The first time I took it was the first time I felt hope that I could actually lead a normal life. | F | 22 | 1 years | 7/2/2004 | 3 | suicidal deppression severe anxiety | increased sex drive,nightmares,vivid dreams,night sweats,skipping periods for months at a time,dramatic mood swings,unfounded anger or sudden un provoked rage,numbness zombie like state when pill is not taken,dizziness,upset stomach,tremors,hallusinations,headaches,severe sensitivity to light,trouble concentrating,emotional highs and lows like a roller coaster from hell.weight gain and weight loss over the years. | This drug is like a narcotic once you put it into your system it will make you feel so much better and take the world off your shoulders by freeing you from everyday worries and letting you float through life without giving a damn about anything anymore,soon you will come to realize it has consumed who you are and all that you cared about before it will not matter anymore,I think that is the scariest thing about this drug it changes you and makes you stop caring and when you understand this it is to late because you are hooked I have attempted to stop so many times in the past 8 years with no success,this drug has made me happy and also made me wish for death,I worry about if I have enough pills to last me more often than I worry about my own children,I am terrified of running out because of the painful and terrifing withdraw I will have to live through if I run out,each year I take them makes it that much harder to think about stopping.If you put this drug into your system it will help you but,be warned the happiness it gives you does come with a very high price.Would I recommend them to you? Hell No! | F | 30 | 8 years | 7/2/2004 | 5 | depression/anxiety | sleeplessness if taken anytime in the afternoon, extremely decreased libido and difficulty achieving orgasms, mild headaches | I have been taking Effexor for years and have not been terribly bothered by the side effects until recently. I am newly married and my husband and I were chaste prior to the marriage; now that we have the | F | 28 | 3 years | 6/30/2004 | 1 | major depression | nausea, dizziness, headache, constant sleepiness at the beginning- those went away after a few weeks, but sexual side effects continued- if i ever missed a dose i would get dizzy and sick and i had electric shocks within a day- also messed up my concentration pretty badly, and i was pretty hyper | this drug seemed to work for about two weeks, but then completely stopped- quitting was a nightmare, it's been four months and i've finally stopped feeling side effects- since effexor and lexapro after that, i've been tentatively diagnosed with bipolar 2, except that it might have been caused by the effexor- i wouldn't recommend effexor to anybody | F | 15 | 2.5 months | 6/27/2004 | 3 | depression | anxiety attacks | F | 27 | | 6/25/2004 | 3 | depression (dysthymia) | night sweats, difficulty getting to sleep then difficulty staying asleep -- taking Ambien to sleep through the night -- at first my appetite disappeared almost completely (I'm talking piece of cheese, maybe, at lunch and dinner and I'd feel stuffed!), now it's somewhat better (loss of 15-20lbs since starting 6 months ago). | At first I was feeling okay, not so much suicidal ideation or lethargy, but I slowly sunk back to that place and I don't think it's really working at all. I don't even know what to expect when they say | F | 20 | 7 months | 6/8/2004 | 4 | depression | nausea-perspiring-loss of appetite | feel better -taking 75 -have also been for counselling-both go hand in hand | F | 41 | 14 days | 6/6/2004 | 4 | depression | drowsiness, lack of mental | I took Effexor for about 7 years. I had the kind of depression where I was mad all the time. (How come no one ever talks about that?) I tried Effexor after a year on Paxil (tried EffexorXR once, but it didn't work) and I was pretty happy with it, except for the side effects- (drowsiness, lack of mental sharpness). I would lose my train of thought in the middle of a sentence, and it was embarrassing, but better than killing myself. I took an extremely low dose (75 mg per day) and it worked well until this past year. I have increased the dosage 2X, but still feel depressed. My Dr. gave me the option of increasing dosage or trying something else. He encouraged me to try Wellbutrin XL. Right now, I am dealing with the withdrawal, which for me are | F | 48 | 7 years | 6/4/2004 | 3 | depression | When I was still on effexor, I loved it. Minimal side effects. But trying to get off effexor (trying to get pregnant) is making me lose my mind. I have completely followed the doc's instructions, lowering doses in 37.5 mg increments every two weeks. I have now had nearly two months of non-stop vertigo, upset stomach, dizziness, nightmares, loss of balance, and nausea. It's hard to concentrate, and I'm irritable all the time. I will never start taking this drug again, if only to avoid this. | F | 37 | 2 years | 6/2/2004 | 1 | Chronic Depression | I've taken it off and on for about 3 years now. I stopped it when I found out I was pregnant and didn't take it until I had a severe case of postpartum depression. I am now stopping it because I've run out of medication and work has switched my insurance company/doctors, so I've decided to stop again. Everytime I've decided to stop, it's been at least a week of HORRIBLE WITHDRAWAL EFFECTS: dizziness, numbness in my face, and my heart feels like it's skipping. Avoid this medication... it is addicting for the mere fact that you hate dealing with the withdrawal symptoms! | F | 29 | 3 years | 6/2/2004 | 3 | depression | Completely lost of sex desire. Suicidal ideations returned. Unbarable night sweat. Short term memory lost. Electrical shock in my hands. Cannot miss a dose. | From 150 mg, I am on my way to stop the medication. It takes time! In order to quit smoking, my doctor prescribed me Wellbutrin, but I haven't started yet. I wait until the daily dose become 37 mg. Effexor helped me at the beginning. | F | 46 | 3 years | 6/1/2004 | 5 | GAD & moderate depression | Dry mouth; dilated pupils & eye pain on higher doses (over 150mg) | Effexor works great for me...I know this because after a year of taking it, I felt better, and didn't feel I needed it any longer. I gradually decreased my dosage and eventually stopped taking it. After two weeks of not taking it, I was EXTREMELY depressed & gaining weight!!!! One week later, I could not stand the way I felt, so I began taking it again, and within a couple of days, felt wonderful. I have been told that although not every medication will work for everyone, if a medication is RIGHT for YOU, then you have little to no side-effects & positive results. Prior to taking the Effexor XR, I had tried Paxil, which did nothing for me. | F | 34 | 1 years | 5/29/2004 | 3 | anxiety | WEIGHT GAIN, electric shocks, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, agitation, WEIGHT GAIN | Difficulty quitting, nightmares & tremors. Had to reduce dosage to 37.5 daily for two weeks, then every other day, then every three days. Has been one week without and still have nausea, fatigue, vertigo-like sensation when turning head and body aches. But nightmares have ended. | F | 42 | 1 years | 5/24/2004 | 5 | Vestibular Migraines | Dry Mouth, trembling, heart palpations, extreme sweating | F | 25 | 1 years | 5/20/2004 | 5 | depression | dry mouth! I am so thristy all the time. Dry skin. sometimes tired, some wieght gain. | Overall, this medication helped to save my life by stablizing my mood. I was depressed for weeks , months, and years on end. Since i was 5 or 6 I had been depressed. Effexor was the only medication that I tried that really helped. Now I am 27, recently graduated from college, and am getting married next year. Truly, a success story. | F | 27 | 6 years | 5/12/2004 | 4 | depression/selfmutilation | TREMENDOUS WEIGHT GAIN. Gained 50+lbs in 7-8 months. Have also had extreme difficulty in losing weight. Severe night sweats and hot flashes and lethargy. | I have missed one or two dosages before but have not experienced the withdrawl symptoms that others have. I was on other antidepressants - zoloft and welbutrin - and was taking the maximum dosages without any results. Currently I take 225mg of effexor a day and 300mg during my period, and it has worked well. While it hasn't gotten entirely rid of my depression, it has enabled me to feel again and has helped in better dealing with life. I am going to try and wean myself off it this summer but am nervous because of hearing of all the bad withdrawl symptoms. | F | 19 | 2 years | 5/11/2004 |