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 |
| 5 | migraine vertigo | Ridiculous weight gain (40 pounds for someone who has never, ever had a problem with weight control and is now on a diet for the first time in my life!), and increased sweating (probably from being so much heavier, especially around the middle), other side effects were transient including dry mouth, yawning, vivid dreams, teeth clenching. | My life was saved by this drug. Without it I have vertigo so severe that I can't stand up most days. It has been a blessing for me in that regard, so I can't complain about the horrible weight gain I guess. I started out underweight, and now I'm overweight. | F | 39 | 6 years 75 mg 2X day | 2/14/2012 | 1 | Depression | Crazy nightmares, night sweets, irritable and emotional. I cannot get off this drug - I've tried everything - weaning off, stopping cold (don't ever do this...It's HELL...dizziness, nausea, anger, cold/hot sweats, vomitting) and adding other anti-depressants. I want to get off Effexor XR and I can't - I'll be on it forever. It also does not help me. | Please talk to your doctor about the withdrawl side effects before you start. | F | 26 | 6 years 150MG 1X day | 2/13/2012 | 5 | Major Depression | NONE | This stuff ROCKS!Effexor XR has literally saved my life!I highly recommend it! | M | 53 | 7 years 300mg 1X day | 2/6/2012 | 2 | Anxiety and depression | This drug ruined my personality and made me emotionally apathetic and disconnected. Side effects include significant weight gain, gas, severe sweating, headache, risk taking behaviours, sleep disturbance and significant memory loss (i cant remember much while taking it, like the 2 years were a patchily recalled dream) and upon discontinuation, severe withdrawals, physical and mental. Required meticulous tapering and psychological support to get off the drug. Am now drug free for 15 months and no longer suffer the original illness. As an RN, I would only recommend this drug to mature adult individuals with severe illness and no other option. St johns wort is a good alternative. | F | 25 | 2 years 75Mg | 1/23/2012 | 3 | anxiety | the medication worked well but if I missed a dose by several hours I experienced an odd dizziness as though my brain was loose inside my skull. Quitting was brutal -- took many months of weaning off the drug to limit the dizzy/brain spin and overall feeling of ick. | Much too difficult to get OFF of the drug. I would not recommend this to anyone. Though it worked well for the anxiety and depression, it was NOT WORTH the side effects. | F | 48 | 4 years 30MG 1X day | 1/8/2012 | 5 | depression | Sweating any time of day, especially when nervous. Horrible sweating at the gym. NIGHT SWEATS!!! I've actually cut my dosage in half, hoping to lessen the night sweats. It's only been about 10 days, and the night sweats are less severe and the headaches are gone, but I'm not sure if that is due to cutting down or that menstruation ended about 5 days ago. | I've read online a long list of complaints of side effects from patients who are taking or who have taken Effexor. I am blessed that the only side effect I have is night sweats, though it's so bad that I've changed my clothes up to 4 times during one night and I'm cutting my dosage without my doctor's permission. Night sweats literally ruin your night's rest. | F | 45 | 3 years 100 2X day | 1/7/2012 | 3 | Major clinical depression | Weight gain, extreme thirst, severe sleepiness/fatigue, lack of energy, emotional apathy | M | 42 | 10 years 300 mg/day | 1/5/2012 | 1 | Fibromyalgia | weight gain, hair loss, tingling in extremities, upset stomach, vision problems, brain zaps | decided to stop it about 2 years after starting as I did not feel the benefits (helped me sleep) were worth the side effects. I was unable to wean off it as I would get too sick to work, so would go back on it. I tried repeatedly, slower each time. Finally was unable to work for another reason, but that gave me the opportunity to get off this stuff. Withdrawal is horrific, but I am glad to be rid of it! | F | 57 | 10 years 75 mg 1X day | 1/5/2012 | 5 | Depression and Anxiety | Too much Effexor and I become too talkative. Too little and I revert to a depressed mindset and get dizzy. To stop taking this drug I have to reduce the dosage gradually over a couple of weeks, otherwise I get dizzy. With effexor my concentration is about 80% of when I am not on it. No other side effects. | This drug has improved my life remarkably. It has almost eliminated my depression, and greatly reduced anxiety, permitting me to function much better. It has helped me more than therapy has. | M | 57 | 6 years 300 1X day | 12/19/2011 | 4 | anxiety, panic attacks | NO side effects while taking this drug. however, if i forget to take it, i get very bad withdrawal: dizzy, chills, stomach problems, weird dreams, nausea, etc. but once i start taking it again, the symptoms go away. | this is the only medicine that has ever helped my panic attacks. i have been on a zillion medicines and none of them ever helped and i suffered for years. effexor has helped so much and i probably would not be where i am today without it. the only problem is that when i forget to take it or run out of my medicine, i get really bad withdrawal.... sicker than a dog. i think it would be difficult to come off of this medication, but i havent had any side effects while on it. | F | 29 | 11 years 300 mg 1X day | 12/10/2011 | 5 | Major depressive disorder | Weight loss (10-15 lbs from normal weight), night sweats, vivid dreams, nightmares, interrupted sleep cycles, occasional inability to reach orgasm. | Although I had a lot of side effects, I rate this drug very highly because it has nearly cured my depression. I have tried Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac and none of these worked for me. | F | 30 | 4 years 150 mg 1X day | 12/7/2011 | 1 | Depression | Cloudy thinking,memory loss, headache,stiff neck. Withdrawal symptoms were horrible with electrical shocking episodes,painful muscles,weakness, etc. for over six months after tapering off. Lost 40 lbs during withdrawal period. | Physical withdrawals felt similar to withdrawal from narcotics except for horrible electric shock sensations like touching an electric fence. Homicidal and suicidal urges and extreme anger with mood changes from depression to mania. Withdrawal lasted for months not weeks like my Dr said. | M | 59 | 4 years 1X day | 12/7/2011 | 1 | migraine, severe anxiety | severe upset stomach, dilated pupils, jaw & hand tremors, INCREDIBLY severe migraine (which spiraled for 5+ days), drowsiness, which might have been migraine related | Horrible medication, in my brief experience! I have been on a litany of meds (trying to get migraine relief) & I would never take this one again. Hated the side effects-wouldn't wish them on anyone. The migraine this medication caused, which Dr prescribed this med hoping to help, was unreal. I was bedridden for 4 days. I will never take this again. At least it was 'cheap.' {{Dr thought this rx would raise serotonin levels & in effect help with migraine treatment}} | F | 38 | 1 days 75mg 1X day | 12/4/2011 | 4 | Depression | weight gain (though ten years is a long time), gas, fatigue after taking the pill, headache/nausea/vomiting if dose missed by a few hours | Effexor rocked my world for 8 years until my pharmacist switched me to the generic. It took a friend to point out all the changes that had occured since then - change in sleep patterns, reckless behaviour, apathy, suicidal thoughts, etc. Since then, its been a roller coster trying to find something that works again. Going back on the name-brand didn't solve the issues. Had there not been a switch to the generic and the fallout, I'd have rated it a 5. | F | 36 | 10 years 150 MG 1X day | 11/22/2011 | 3 | depression | . I couldn't take Effexor XR which is extended release. It gave me horrible nightmares and I kept waking up. I found on the regular Effexor that I didn't have any of these symptoms because it wears off. | F | 56 | 3 days 60 1X day | 11/22/2011 | 1 | GAD, major depressive disorder | Dilated pupils, excessive yawning, clenched jaw, nausea | Worst drug on the planet. After years of taking this, I felt like a shell of my previous self, doing things I would never do in my right mind. That and it was way too expensive after losing my job and not having a drug plan. So, I tapered down the doses very gradually to minimize withdrawl effects... Wow. Worst part was the nausea and vomiting, out of nowhere most times. Understand that this was what would happen when I would have a panic attack. I couldn't socialize during that time, and I haven't even started with the brainzaps. They are hard to describe, but its almost like a electric shock in your brain. Sometimes one, sometimes 10 in a row. It was a horrible experience, and I never recommend even starting this drug, I would recommend Pristiq if anything. Having a relapse after being off Effexor, and realizing the error of my young and foolish ways, almost dying from an overdose of bad Ecstasy, I am like this for life. I will always have seretonin problems, and Pristiq helps control that, with a mere fraction of the side effects. No nausea if you miss a dose, you just feel like you need to stay in bed. I hope this was helpful. | F | 27 | 4 years 100 mg 1X day | 11/18/2011 | 5 | Anxiety/Anger/Depression | If I miss a dose, the symptoms are severe naseau, brain zaps, fatigue, and irritability | Whe, I first started on this drug, I started on 75mg for the first year and a half. It took about 4-6 months for the full effect to kick in for me. My anxiety was so bad I couldn't even drive for fear of suffocating in my vehicle. I had intense anger issues, and depression. I now function completely normal, and my dose was moved up to 150mg. I seriously would be a different person if I didn't take this drug, but the fact that I feel so bad when I don't take it does scare me. I mean you really feel sick if you don't take this stuff, so if it works for you I'd say plan on taking it forever. | F | 24 | 2 years 150mg 1X day | 11/14/2011 | 4 | depression | The only issue I have with Effexor is that I am one of the very few percentage that cannot wean off or come off taking this drug. Apparently Effexor will be with me always. I hope it will be around until the day I die, because various doctors have tried to take me off of it and I ended up on suicide watch. Besides that hats off to you Effexor, you are the one and only medication that stopped my depression so well, and believe me I tried every other thing under the sun first. | F | 34 | 10 years 150 3X day | 11/9/2011 | 3 | Social Phobia / Anxiety | skipped or late taking pill: night sweats, sleep paralysis, bizarre dreams, dizziness, blurred vision, intestinal issues, involuntary muscle twitches. Regular side effects: constipation and dizziness. | Doctors tend to group all anti-depressants together, but I wouldn't recommend due to the side effects from the short half-life. Also, I was concerned about pregnancy issues and now that I've found out it causes severe respitory issues for the child if taken in the 3rd trimester, I need to get off it. One tends to think that if a drug is "not addictive", then it would be easy to get off. This is definitely not the case with Effexor XR, so doctors should alert their patients to the this potential issue. I am finally at a point where I am semi-free from anxiety and now I have to face full anxiety plus these withdrawal symptoms. Also, others have mentioned long-term side effects (brain zaps, etc) and not sure I want to stick around to find out. | F | 40 | 2.5 years 225 1X day | 11/4/2011 | 1 | depression, pmdd | anger, loss of interest in anything, concentration issues, increased desire for alcohol | This drug is poison - I didnt realize how badly it affected me until I went off it and coming off it was the most horrible experience ever. Stay away | F | 43 | 1.5 years 75 1X day | 11/4/2011 |