EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR XR 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 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 |
More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | anxiety, insomnia, dysthymia | I've had trouble sleeping forever. Zoloft was a miracle for me for years, but then | Mood improved, but only when sleep not disrupted. Sleep disrupted approximately every other night while on this drug. | F | 33 | 3 months | 8/4/2004 | 1 | depression/anxiety | night sweats, complete and total deadening of sexual arousal/orgasm,bad withdrawal including sensory disturbances,agitation,etc | actually worked great for mood but not worth the disturbing effects. I think it's way too strong for the average | F | 45 | 7 weeks | 8/4/2004 | 1 | for fibromyalgia/sleep aid | Excessive sweating and strange dreams, hot flashes and chills | Not a drug for me | F | 53 | 3 weeks | 8/2/2004 | 3 | Depression | Sleepy all the time and have put on weight, but not sure if either of these can be directly connected to the drug. | F | 28 | 1 years | 8/1/2004 | 4 | Depression, Anxiety | I began at low doses and am now at 225 mg/day. Since about 150 mg/day, I have had all of the common side effects (dry mouth, tremor, insomnia, diziness, constipation, decreased sex drive), as well as intense night sweats and jaw clenching/teeth grinding. I have actually lost a little bit of weight but am now concerned about weight gain after reading everyone else's comments!!! | Effexor did nothing for me when i was on small doses, but since I have been at 150mg and higher, i have definitely noticed a difference. I do not cry as often and am more social and productive. It has really heightened my level of daily functioning, for which i am very grateful. However, I still have an occasional episode of hour-long sobbing, suicidal thoughts, and trembling. But... I do not think i will change medicines because it took me a long time to even find a medicine that made a difference and i also fear the intense withdrawl symptoms of this medicine! If i go for more than a day or two without taking it, i become dizzy, my vision suffers, and it is just an all-around really awful feeling!!! I have begun to accept that this is about as good as it's going to get (at least i think so)... however i do fear never being able to stop taking it. | F | 18 | 7 months | 7/30/2004 | 4 | Major Depression w/Mania & S.I. | I decided to stop taking it when I started feeling better and being the genious that I am, didnt figure out that the horrible horrible nightmares were due to quitting the Effexor XR cold turkey... Also, bad headaches, bitchiness, extreme sadness, etc. I'm back on the med. Realized it is whats making me feel some semblance of normalcy--but I have little to no sex drive and thats saying something cuz I think my husband is sooooo sexy--but I could care less about sex now. Follow Dr instructions -- do not quit suddenly, better to be weaned off it. | I feel normal now--I take it in combination w/Risperdal because it | F | 32 | 4 months | 7/29/2004 | 3 | depression | if i miss a day i get withdrawl symptoms: feelings of electric shock, confusion, unable to function | i feel that it worked at first but it wore off and the increased dosage just dumbs you down. i dont know if it was the drug but after increasing to 150 from 75 i did terribly in school and was more tired. just didnt care about certain things anymore | M | 20 | 1 years | 7/29/2004 | 1 | bipolar II, taken w/ lamictal | It is my first week off effexor after tapering off for the past 3 weeks. I feel nauseous, have the runs, am going from giddy/manic to teary/depressed. My eyesight is strange, feel like I am in tunnel and everything looks like it is wiggling (don't know how else to describe it). Don't feel safe driving with eyesight like this. Hope it goes away soon. My Dr. gave me this in conjunction with Lamictal (a mood stabilizer) but bipolar people aren't supposed to stay on antidepressants or we'll cycle. It sure is hard to get off of. Having nightmares now and sleeping through my alarm clock. | I gained about 15 pounds on this medicine over the past year and had night sweats and felt warmer than usual. | F | 31 | 1 years | 7/29/2004 | 5 | Anxiety and Depression | The only side effects I experienced were mild insomnia and extreme shakiness for the first 3 days. | I was never one to take any kind of drugs. I would only take aspirin as a last resort. But I have to say that taking the Effexor has made me feel so much better. I read all the side effects and was reluctant to start it, but knew that I needed to take something in order to function in life. I am currently on 75 mgs per day and it has made a huge difference. My advice to anyone considering taking the drug is don't stress out when reading the side effects. All drugs effect people differently. Give it a chance. It took about 14 days for the drug to kick in. The side effects did go away after about 4 days and when I increased my dose from 37.5 mgs to 75 mgs I didn't have any side effects. My Dr. prescribed xanax for me to take along with the effexor for the first week which actually eliminated the shakiness and nervousness immediately. I only had to take the xanax for the first three days on the Effexor. I suggest that if you decide to take the Effexor, having the xanax on hand for the first few days will help. I have not had to increase my dosage as of yet. I'm hoping to be able to stay on the 75 mgs for as long as possible. Reading about the withdrawals is a little scarey, but like I said, all people are affected differently by different drugs, so I will cross that bridge if and when I get to it. Effexor has made a huge difference in my life and when and if I have to come off it, if I experience any withdrawals, well, so be it. It would be a small price to pay for being able to enjoy life. | F | 40 | 5 weeks | 7/27/2004 | 3 | Depression | Complete loss of interest in sex, weight gain, inability to feel full, extremely bad withdrawal symptoms | I definitely had less depression and anxiety, but I felt so neutral I didn't really care about anything. Also, I never felt full when I ate, and now that I'm off, I'm having difficulty losing the weight. | F | 33 | 3 months | 7/27/2004 | 4 | axiety, panic disorder | The first time in 6/02, I had tightness in my chest and felt sick, and nervousness, once the meds kicked in nothing really. I was on it for 6 mo then off a year, went back on 3 months ago and now am getting off, hate the withdrawels but I have High Blood pressure, my doc cut my dose, I decieded on my own to try and get off cause I know that will come next anyhow, now I am having dizzyness, heart palpatations, and really tired. | For the most part it works, at least for me, the withdrawels suck, but that is a given with many drugs, I wish I could stay on it but my blood pressure is to high. Oh well........... | M | 28 | 3 days | 7/26/2004 | 3 | depression, anxiety, suicidal | At the begining the anxiety got even worse, I couldn't concentrate and had to quit my job due to panic attacks. At the end of the second week I ran out of 37,5 mgs for 2 days(since I was using a sample and had no money to get the prescription) and I ended up having panic attacks over panic attacks wanting to kill myself real bad. It had the same effect when I raised the dose to 75mg HELL. I now take 150mg daily and except for the diahrea, the extreme sweating and the shivers, I'm not bad. I'm feeling more energenic, motivated and less anxious... | F | 24 | 2 months | 7/21/2004 | 3 | Depression/Anxiety | I think I experienced all the side effects. I gained weight, lost all libido, had other sexual dysfunctions including painful ejaculation! THAT sucked. | The drug is subtle, my experience was that I didn't feel elated (I actually did feel that way on Paxil) but when I stopped taking it, I got hit with huge depression/teariness. | M | 38 | 30 days | 7/18/2004 | 5 | anxiety | Less sexual drive, dry mouth, sweating...but it's worth it. | Started with 37.5, then to 75, now 150. Been on Effexor for over three years. Cannot imagine having a good life without Effexor. | 3 years | 7/17/2004 | 1 | anxiety, depression | WEIGHT GAIN, massive headaches, night sweats, constipation, increased appetite, craving for sweets, heart palpitations, nightmares, dizziness, zombie like approach to life--no longer sad, anxious, or angry but it was because I didn't care about anything (my dog could've died & I wouldn't have had any emotion!), emotionally flat--no good emotions, no bad emotions, | Now trying to get off of it & withdrawal effects are bad enough to make me either want to die orjust give in & stay on it forever (wouldn't that make the pharmaceuticals happy?!) I WANT MY LIFE BACK! | F | 29 | 18 months | 7/17/2004 | 1 | moderate long-term depresion | extreme fatigue, numbness, weakness, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, nausea, loss of appetite, slurred speech, could feel heart pounding though pulse rate not increased, hot flashes and sweating to the point of feeling I was going to pass out, | No way am I going to continue taking this! I am even less functional and less able to take care of my daughter due to the side effects than I was due to the depression! | F | 41 | 2 days | 7/16/2004 | 4 | post natal depression | n/a | F | 3 days | 7/14/2004 | 4 | depression | When I first started taking it I had dry mouth but found that gum worked well for that. The worst has been the withdrawal effects. I was gradually weaned off by my doctor over a period of two months. It has been a week since I finished my last pill and am still experiencing dizziness, nausea, and headaches. I have to admit that the withdrawal effects aren't as bad as they used to be. | Effexor XR worked well for me and the worst part has been trying to get off of them. For anyone trying to get off and struggling with the withdrawal effects, hang in there. The effects subside with each day, but I'm getting the feeling that it takes a few weeks to clear up. | F | 23 | 3 years | 7/13/2004 | 1 | Depression, anxiety | Extreme nausea, vomiting, extreme headache...all leading to weakness. | Horrible, horrible drug. While on it, I began to become a non functioning humanbeing. Had no desire to go, do anything. | F | 46 | 3 weeks | 7/13/2004 | 4 | severe clinical depression and anxi | Increased sexual desire, sweating | It's a great med. It has helped me a lot. | F | 48 | 6 months | 7/10/2004 |