EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)

Filter Results

Compare EFFEXOR XR with similar:
 ANTIDEPRESSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

EFFEXOR XR  (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: 1997-10-20 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Date added.

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XRCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  major depression disorder extreme hypertension,dizziness,constant fatigue,palpatations,loss of weight,anger,anziety I am on 225mg per day and no significant antidepressant effects. weaning now off this god awful drug-would like to join in on a class action lawsuit against Wyeth. Not one MD suggested blood pressure problems! I would like the man that mentioned lawsuit pending to contact me...PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT PERIOD!!! I waited too long to research this drug, I was just at the end of my rope and would have taken anything prescribed, zoloft stopped working after 10 years. Have been clinically depressed for over 40 years, self medicated destructively until I sought tx in 1995. F 53 10 months
8/13/2008
Email
 4  anxiety during the first few months the anxiety continued until the drug set in. I really like this drug. Still have some anxiety, but I am much better on the drug than off. The only disadvantage of this drug that i have found is that it is very expensive. F 23 1 years
8/12/2008
 4  Depression, social anixety I took this about 5 yrs ago and while taking it I had a period of dry mouth, I also was almost numb I was in school at the time and could not stay focused on my work. I had no real emotions just whatever. I felt empty inside but at that time I kinda liked it :) It helped over all with depression, I stoped taking it after about a year no side affects. I just started thinking about taking it again when I came across this site, I have a friend that is Deeply depressed and I am recommending it to her. F 24 1 years
8/11/2008
 2  General Anxiety / Depression WEIGHT GAIN, brain zaps, insomnia, forgetfulness, dizziness, tired after a full nights sleep, increased anxiety at times, worsened depression at other times, horrible withdrawl effects I have been gradually moved from 75 mg to 150mg and am now at 225 mg. I have been on Lexapro and Celexa before trying effexor. I have also tried pristiq. The doctor keeps raising my dosage because I seem to become immune after a few months. If I forget a dose or do not take it until evening instead of morning it leaves me almost inopperable. Horrible brain zaps to the point that I cannot function. I tried weening myself off because I seem to be worse than before I began treatment. This like everyone else said was so bad that I went back to taking it just to avoid the withdrawl. I would make sure all other sources are exhausted before trying effexor. F 25 2 years
8/6/2008
 3  mood swings weight gain, sleeplessness, memory problems; but my moods have leveled out and I haven't started smoking again! I'm planning to get off this soon. I was put on it when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and quit smoking...thought it would be very short term...almost 2 years now...drs keep saying don't get off yet...I'm worried about how difficult it may be to get off F 52 20 months
8/2/2008
 2  depression anxiety high heart rate/blood pressure, anxiety, extreme weight gain, irritability helped with depression, but was way too much side effects!! M 17 2 months
7/31/2008
Email
 4  depression, anxiety, menopause This medication saved my life during life events that were beyond my control. Trying to come off of the medication is very difficult. I am having "brain shivers", "watermelon head", weight gain, etc. I was taking 75mg for almost 2 years. Dropped to 37.5 mg but having trouble coming completely off. F 52 2 years
7/30/2008
 1   NAUSEA LACK OF MOTIVATION BUZZY EXHAUSTION F 37 2 days
7/30/2008
 2  Anxiety and Depression Overall stoned feeling, tingly sensations, confused, could not stop crying, dizzy and disoriented I would never try another anti-depressant again in my life. These drugs really change a person, from their mood, to their personality. They alter your thinking, and basically just mask the problem. I have tried many different drugs, Effexor being the most recent. I tried it for 7 weeks, and basically had no benefits over that time. Every time I mentioned this to the doctors their only advice was to up the dose. I was near 300 mg a day, and made the decision about a week ago to discontinue this drug, it was not worth all the side effects. I would rather feel myself, and have anxiety than to feel like a zombie. So now I begin the fun ride of withdrawal. So far its been one week, and I have been cutting down the doses accordingly, and I am having terrible dreams, am really dizzy and wake up sweating in bed. I just can't wait for this drug to be out of my system so I can feel like myself again. Apparently Effexor has the highest percentage of withdrawal effects, higher than Paxil, the effe F 28 7 weeks
7/27/2008
Email
 4  social anxiety and depression Ringing in the ears, dizzyness, headache. It does what it's supposed to do, but makes me dumb and ditzy in the process. F 20 2 years
7/24/2008
 5  Bipolar Disorder-Morbid Depression Stomach Pain in the first two weeks. This was mitigated by taking the Effexor with an acid reducer such as Tagamet. Effexor is a unique antidepressant medication. It is not an SSRI and it is not a tricyclic, it's a little of both. For my depression I have tried Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro and Welbutrin. Effexor was the only one to ever work. It saved my life. I would urge all readers of this site to consider two things before a patient opinion influences your decision about a medication. The first is that if you are having unbearable side effects, call your doctor immediately and get off that medication. It's not right for you. Second, given that this is a patient-driven site, it makes sense that most of the comments will be negative. People who are suffering are the ones surfing the net to find help. The bad experiences described on this site are, no doubt, real, but the sample is skewed. I have also had bad experiences with medications, but taking meds to improve your life is both a commitment and a process. You must be your own advocate and don't stick with a med if it doesn't help F 37 18 months
7/23/2008
 1  GAD-Generalized Anxiety Disorder Weight Gain, inability to focus, horrible migraines w/aura, & the worst side effect of all was the BRAIN ZAPPING! After researching online and reading this suggestion I tried it and was successful! THE ONLY WAY TO WEAN OFF THIS DRUG W/OUT THE "HEROIN-LIKE" WITHDRAWAL WAS TO TAKE 1- 20 MG.PROZAC DAILY AS I WAS WEANING AND WAS FREE OF THIS POISON IN 7 DAYS! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO EVERYONE GETTING OFF THIS MED!!!!!! ***ATTENTION ALL-PLS READ, I TOOK THIS MED 8-9 YEARS AGO***! I am an example of long-term effects and damage from effexor xr!! I took 175mg for approx. 2 years and besides suffering from the same exact HELL everyone else did in their posts I am convinced that my diagnosis of Adult ADD 2 years ago is a direct result of taking this poison. My husband can attest to the fact that I exhibited no symptoms of ADD until 1-2 years after taking effexor. I'm devastated that I will never be the person I once was for me, for my husband, but more sadly... for my children! I beg everyone on effexor to GET OFF NOW or enjoy your future life in living hell as I am!!!!!!!!!!!! F 42 2 years
7/20/2008
Email
 4  CFS reactive depression, anxiety nausea, constipation, poor sex drive and ability to orgasm Helpful all round but had to take antihistamines to help with sleep. improved energy somewhat. Bad for sex. F 31 5 years
7/19/2008
 2  Depression, anxiety Weight gain, dizziness, vertigo This is a great drug, it helped tremendously with my anxiety. I was the happiest I had ever been while on it. BUT!! The side effects were HORRIBLE. I gained 60+ pounds while on it. This was without changing my diet or exercise habits at all. When I would miss a dose or was a couple hours late taking it I would almost fall to the ground from being so dizzy. Plus, who knows what it did to my brain chemistry long term :( F 27 2 years
7/19/2008
 4  Depression At first, side effects were pretty numerous...vivid dreams, night sweats, loss of appetite, nausea, etc. After a few months, the only problem I've really had is headaches. I've read so many negative comments about this drug but it has really worked well for me. I was depressed for years but left it untreated. Tried Zoloft first but had no reaction. I honestly felt better after taking Effexor for only a few days. I can live with a few side effects as long as it cures my depression...:-) F 29 9 months
7/18/2008
 4  dysthymia, mild anxiety violent dreams, night sweats, itching, irregular circadian rhythm, suppressed libido, affective flattening beyond normal maturation. Withdrawal during past week: dizziness, vertigo, so-called brain zaps (jittery vision especially when turning the head, difficulty focusing sustained attention on visual or informative stimuli, resulting in restricted learning capability), sensation of eye-strain even upon waking, somnolence, irritability, as well as an unanticipated and very welcome return of libido. I've been medicated for mild depression since 2002. I spent a year on Prozac, almost year on Paxil (30 mg), a month on Wellbutrin (drymouth was not compatible with my employment at the time), and I have been on Effexor xr (150 mg) since. Through it all, I've learned what should now be obvious to the psychiatric profession at large: medication without emotional support (paid professional friend or good volunteer friend) for the depression itself is a waste of time and money. My insurance will be changing, and I've decided to take myself off of Effexor; it has not been as terrible as Paxil withdrawl but I am also a better adjusted individual than I was when I went off Paxil in late 2003 (the books of Dr. Yapko were a help). It would be unfair to say that Effexor did not help me define what 'even-keel' feels like, because it certainly did. I used coffee to correct undesired drowsiness no more than once a month on average. In recent months, however, it has done little to curb reemergi F 24 3 years
7/15/2008
 1  anxiety digestive problems, high blood pressure, loss of memory, depression, increased alcohol & cannabis use, hallucinations, increased anxiety, disconnected feeling/numbness paranoya, serotonin syndrome which lead to paranoid psychosis, and hospitalization for 7 weeks I first went to my doctor complaining about anxiety and was given cypralex which only increased the severity of my panic attacks. I was then given effexor. My stomache then stopped working and I was then given more medication to try to ease this side effect.I then began to suffer the side effects I have previously listed. Because of this I went to an emergeny clinic to have my health reviewed and was told to stop taking the medication...at this point serotonin syndrome along with psychosis were setting in..(without my own knowledge...i was unaware how sick I was because of this medication until this current time in which I am well.) I ended up being certified and in a mental healthy facility for 7 weeks. I went through a very long time of trial and error with different medications until finally they found one which worked for me...I now must be on this medication (seroquel) for a year in order to be certain that I do not suffer a relapse. If you are taking effexor and believe it is wor F 18 2 months
7/15/2008
 1  Panic Disorder Electrical "arc" between temples - head buzzing, constant erection but inability to orgasm, nausea (fixed with Zantac), constipation, anxiety, confusion On it for four days, fell apart, discontinued under medical supervision, no withdrawal symptoms, head buzzing stopped after 40 hours without dosing. M 36 4 days
7/14/2008
 1  Anxiety/panic and Depression While taking: depression (have had depression since I was a child but here self-mutilated for the first time in my life), rapid weight gain. While withdrawing: painful shocks/"brain zaps" in my face, mouth, hands; dizziness; hyper-sensitivity i.e. sudden, uncontrollable sobbing without warning. Was on citalopram (Celexa) for a year and half; wanted to try something else due to side effect of extreme weight gain. Since other SSRIs in past had had similar effects, tried Effexor - and really regret doing so. Started with 37.5 and moved up to 75. Did not feel anxious, but depression flooded back worse than ever (see left); also gained weight even faster and developed stretch marks! Keep in mind that I've never been pregnant and I was keeping my caloric intake relatively low. Was then referred to a psychiatrist to figure out med situation and psych had me start tapering off the Effexor. I did it over a period of approximately 3 weeks and as many others have said, the withdrawal is horrific. Finished tapering Th 7/3 and "shocks" were debilitating in the following days. Have lessened but are still here as of 7/12. Will also burst into tears at even MILDLY sad or nice things. At first I thought the crying was due to scary things happening in my life, but after reading th F 26 2 months
7/13/2008
 1  GAD, anxiety worked for a couple months then increased anxiety, shakiness, depression, withdrawal, loss of motivation, insomnia, I would recommend trying other drugs first. Very horrible withdrawal effects. Caused very difficult 5 months in my life because of withdrawal and side effects. Dr keep augmenting with other drugs to mask side effects. Feel better with drug out of my system. Currently taking lexapro, which has been most helpful. M 30 1 years
7/10/2008

Previous Page       Next Page

BACK TO TOP