EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EFFEXOR XR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | Depression | Weight gain ( 20 pounds in 6 months )adverse sexual side effect, loopy when trying to come off of it, threw up many times a week within an hour of taking med. | not good due to weight gain, when coming off of it you feel OUT OF IT- sometimes I am even scared to drive a car because I feel so off. I am now on Wellbutrin ( awesome ) but I am still on effexor and have decreased my dose which makes you feel outside of yourself. I did not take any of the effexor yesterday as I hope to just take Wellbutrin but I am even having trouble typing these comments because I did not have a dose of effexor in the past 24 hours. Not a good suggestion for depression. | F | 37 | 6 months | 4/24/2008 | 1 | bipolar depression | The drug caused me to have NO sex drive and NO emotions. When I should have been crying, I had no desire. The side effects of coming off this drug are hell. Obviously I see this is a very addictive drug as far as withdrawl symptoms. Even tapering the drug, I have had SEVERE dizzines and SEVERE nausea. No one can prepare you the side effects when you decide to stop taking it. | The Effexor did work for my depression while taking Lamictal. I felt great, but needed to try another anti-depressent to help with my sex drive. | F | 32 | 365 days | 4/23/2008 | 3 | mild depression | I had dry mouth at first but that stopped after a few weeks. Weight loss in the beginning because of no appetite but that was good because in February I had to have a 4th stent in a heart artery so the weight coming off was a plus. Sex? Ha! Non-existant! My wife is on Celexa so we are "some partying couple!!!” I have been on it for at least 5 months this time at 225mg per day (150mg morning/75mg afternoon). It has helped ease the depression but I am still at a stage where I don't feel like doing anything and have trouble thinking with accompanying memory loss problems<<<< | If I had a choice, I would like to be off of it because of one obvious side effect but I am afraid of the depression coming back as it has before. I sleep ok but I take 2.5mg of Xanax at night to help. So, all in all, the medicine has worked to a point. Maybe I am expecting too much from it. In retrospect, I think I have had a lifetime of depressive episodes with anxiety and irritability. I just never got any help until 1994. Childhood trauma, I'm sure, has something to do with it all. Everyone is different with these types of meds so for me Effexor XR is just OK, not a miracle but certainly a help. | M | 59 | 5 months | 4/21/2008 | 5 | Anxiety, Severe Depression | I am very fortunate to be one of Effexor XR's success stories. The drug was incredibly effective for me. Effexor XR coupled with a strong hunger for God helped save my life. The side effects weren't too bad at all: a minor case of tinnitus that was noticeable only at bedtime, decreased libido but manageable, and somewhat of a flat mood that made me reticent. But the benefits FAR outweighed the side effects. I am very grateful. I first tried Lexapro for 4 days, which had wicked side effects of nausea, vomiting, insomnia, etc., then I switched to Effexor XR and it made all of the difference....a night and day difference. The best part was that I was able to keep my mental acuity while taking Effexor XR, which I needed in my job. | I don't have anything to prove what I'm about to type, but reading through the posts it appears like maybe less dosage would be better for most if not all folks. I only took 75 mg which was a tremendous sweet spot for me...I'm certain that anything stronger would have lead to the bad side effects that most experience and write about. For full disclosure, I also used small dosages of Xanax (0.5 mg per day, on better days I cut the Xanax in two and only took half of it) along with Effexor XR 75 mg 1x/day, and the two together in these smaller dosages were tremedously effective. Withdrawal wasn't a problem but I did go slowly by tapering down to a week at 37.5 mg before quitting completely and timing it such that days 4-6 that I was off of it occurred during the weekend away from work...withdrawal took about two weeks. Hang in there, life will get better! | M | 43 | 5 months | 4/18/2008 | 5 | Depression, Fibromyalgia/CFS | Overall severe appetite reduction and significant weight loss (30 pounds in just over one month), flat affect, no sex drive, disrupted sleep patterns, fatigue. For first week: jaw clenching, tremors, akathisia, mild manic state, racing thoughts and speech. | I've been on and off Effexor XR 3 times in the past 3 years. Each time I take 75mg for about 2 months, then stop. I do not taper off, and only experienced mild to moderate withdrawals. Most notable were a euphoric/slightly manic state on day 1, with vertigo and electric sensations on my skin (not brain zaps) for the next few days. It felt like I was slightly intoxicated. Also some headache and nausea, but nothing too severe. | F | 22 | 2 months | 4/18/2008 | 5 | Depression and anxiety | I have experienced no side effects that I can clearly attribute to the medication. I have gained about 30 lbs, which is very difficult to loose; which could be a combination of the medication and age. | I would recommend the medication with close monitoring by your physician. | F | 48 | 2 years | 4/18/2008 | 3 | depression | have not started taking it yet. | I have been taking 20mg of Celexa for the past month and only have been feeling better about 50% of the time. I completely lost my sex drive so my doctor switched me to Effexor XR today. I start 37.5mg tomorrow and then up to 75 in a week. After reading all of these comments I am a little nervous about it, but I am going to try it because I really want feel better ALL the time. I don't have insurance and I am a little worried about the cost, can anyone help me with a place I can get a good deal? Thanks. | F | 23 | 0 days | 4/18/2008 | 3 | Anxiety | weight loss(which I dont mind), headaches, tired all the time, extreme withdrawels if missing dose, yawning, body aches, you name it I got it. | I was put on this for anxiety, and it is also for depression. I'm happy, all the time but it hasn't helped anxiety at all. It hasn't effected me sexually, but if I miss a dose it's best to stay as far away from me as possible, it's extreme and I wasn't this way before the meds. After reading all of the comments left on here I think I may just come off of it and find something a little less insane that might actually help my problem. | F | 20 | 2.5 months | 4/18/2008 | 3 | perimenopause depression | High Blood Pressue - which I believed caused my Central Retinal Vein Occlusion | The doctors should keep a real close eye on your blood pressure, I love my doctor, but he did not do that. I have now lost most of my vision in my left eye. As soon as I stopped the Effexor XR my blood pressure dropped back to normal. | F | 52 | 300 days | 4/18/2008 | 5 | depression/anxiety | In the beginning i had some dizziness and blurry vision but soon adjusted to 150 mg. In my weaning off process again had some dizziness and some days of serious depression where I thought I was back to square one...but it did go away. | Helped me a great deal to deal with depression/anixiety brought on by death of my father and stress at work. 150 mg was the max i reached and stayed on that for close to a year. I have been weaning off extremely slow. I reduced from 150 mg to 112 mg to 75 mg to 37.5 to 18.25 to 12.5 to where i am today at 6.25. At each interval I have stayed there for 3 weeks. Only real problem was going from 75mg to 37.5 where i experienced deep depression for about 3 days but it did subside. I am almost there and just fight off any withdrawal effects people misdiagnose and think depression is back...its only withdrawal | M | 52 | 2 years | 4/16/2008 | 3 | Mental and Physical breakdown | I have been on this drug for 2 years and am now trying to get off of it. Unfortunately, it's becoming harder with each passing day to not take a pill due to the side effects. I am always dizzy, to the point where I throw up several times a day. I get these shocks in my brain that cause numbness in the lower part of my face and lips. I can't sleep and when I do I sweat and have strange dreams. My memory is shot. I can't seem to recall things I have done the previous hour. My anxiety and panic has been agrivated and returns without warning. My weight gain was horrible. I went from 140 to 200 in a very short period of time and I wasnt even eating. I seem to shake uncontrollably and I am so restless that sitting still is not an option. I use to enjoy going to movies, now I hate it because I cannot sit still. | This drug did it's job to help me recover from my breakdown, but Trying to ween myself off of this drug has seemed to cause more to be depressed about. I am afraid to drive because of the dizziness. I can't walk a straight line. I have no memory . I just want off the drug and it feels like I will never be able to do so. This alone causes major depression. | F | 37 | 2 years | 4/14/2008 | 5 | Depression (fairly severe) | nausea (better if I eat & take it at night), sleepiness, twitching before falling asleep (did this on Prozac too), tinnitus & dizziness when missing a dose, lack of sex drive | I took this after Prozac pooped out on me and I'd been slipping into a very severe depression for months. I didn't even realize how bad off I was until I took this, and I bounced back within two weeks. I just increased from 75 mg to 150 due to extreme stress, life changes, and hormonal stuff hitting me all at once. After suicidal thoughts I asked my doc if I should increase the dose. Until my job messed up my life I'd been doing quite well on 75 mg for 5-1/2 years except one period when I experienced grief at the loss of a family member for a few months. I am calm most of the time, but not dead inside. I would laugh, cry and have all range of normal emotions.... until the work thing hit and I had trouble coping. I hope to get back to 75 mg after I can make some positive changes in my life. Glaucoma runs in my family and I dread having to stop this med when I get to that age, not because of the side effects but because it's worked so well for me. I hope something else comes alo | F | 49 | 6 years | 4/11/2008 | 4 | Social Anxiety, Depression | Brain zaps the day after a missed dose | It's helped the depression a great deal, but the anxiety less so. I'd experienced the brain zaps a few days a month for a while, but only put them together w/ the fact that I'd forgotten to take the Effexor the day before I experienced them. 'Brain zap' is a broad term, but for me, I can feel my pulse or some other non-painful jolt in my fingertips, head, and, oddly enough, my soft palate; I feel very tired, and dizzy when I stand. Laying down mostly mutes the zaps, but the only cure is to take Effexor as soon as I can, even if it's earlier than I would take it in the day. | F | 20 | 8 months | 4/10/2008 | 4 | Depression, social anxiety | "brain zaps", extremely vivid dreams, increased insomnia, lower sex drive which fluctuates, manic feelings. | The main issues I have with this drug is I find it can cause insomnia and obviously severe and unpleasant withdrawal. Some side effects such as brain zaps continue even without missing doses. White balls present in stool which I at first mistook for tapeworms and it freaked me out since I work with animals and worms are a common hazard. Once I realized it was XR Effexor balls it made me wonder why they weren't dissolving and if I was not getting the full effect. Don't be discouraged by the side effects reported by other people, I tried many other medicines before this and found them useless and was very skeptical about depression medication until I found this worked. Obviously the benefit should always outweigh the drawbacks, if your depression is mild than maybe this is a bad idea. | M | 28 | 2 years | 4/10/2008 | 5 | anxiety/panic | I had very few side effects going on the drug. Head felt a little weird the first couple days and experienced a little nausa. | Currently I am on Effexor XR 75mg. I went off because of the price and switched to plain Effexor, 2-37.5 a day. I experienced a significant amount (20 lbs) of weight gain. I faithfully work out and don't eat a lot. I have since gone back on the Effexor XR 75 mg hoping that it will go generic soon in the US. I've been on it just two weeks, and have already lost 5 pounds. The first time I was on it, I wasn't hungry and lost weight too. Effexor XR has been a god send for me, I was withdrawing from family and friends due to a medical scare and I had to do something. I know all these comments from others might scare you, but for some of us... it works with little to no side effects. Take this from someone that fought with her doctor to not take meds. Good luck to all of you. We'll be just fine!!! | F | 39 | 9 months | 4/9/2008 | 4 | depression, panic disorder, anxiety | dry mouth, anorgasmic At first, strange dreams, meaning very vivid and colorful. However, now, they don't occur. Also, it used to regulate my sleep cycle to something more normal (like getting tired around 11 or 12). Also, my appetite used to be more "normal" when I started, but now is back to more random eating/snacking. | I feel ambivalent about it every so often. There are reports about how people get addicted to it and feel "brain zaps" when trying to go off. As Effexor is my third anti-depressant, it's worked the best and I'm sick of shopping around. Even with the side effects, which aren't too bad and more just annoying, I can deal. However, I worry about the day when I decide to go off of them and determine if my depression is more chronic or clinical. I've gone a few days before without taking it and felt dizzy, tired, nauseous, and spacey. I'm afraid that the mild addiction will be enough to keep me on them forever, even if I show signs of recovery. Also, if I'm on them forever, that could be bad news if I decide to have kids (in the way future). good news: there's a generic coming out, meaning it doesn't cost $10 a pill (before insurance) sometime soon | F | 20 | 4 years | 4/8/2008 | 3 | anxiety&depression | weight gain at 150mg,short term memory loss | coming off this drug is brutal.didnt have any idea you withdrawl like this.would never take again because of this!aside from an about 20pd weight gain,side effects were minimal for me,until weaning off. | F | 39 | 5 times | 4/7/2008 | 1 | Migraines | Severe insomnia, panic attacks, withdrawal symptoms after missing a dose | Coming off of this drug was probably the worst thing I've ever gone through (and I've come off of prescribed narcotics before, and been through narcotic withdrawal). This drug should be taken off the market for the horrible withdrawal people go through, or doctors should at least make patients aware what lies in store if they ever go off of it. | F | 25 | 4 years | 4/7/2008 | 5 | panic/anxiety attacks & depression | like I drank one too many cups of coffee | After being prescribed effexor XR I read the comments on this site and was terrified to try it. My pharmacist convinced me that it was safe for me to use along with my topamax, and encouraged me to try it. I'm really glad I did. I feel SO much better. I can face the world again. | F | 51 | 30 days | 4/6/2008 | 1 | Depression due to relocation to AK | At first no side effects, as long as I faithfully took my pill everyday. But then as soon as I forgot to take the pill, (just days after I started to take it) I experienced serious withdrawal symptoms, including electric shock headaches, weird sight problems, like lines squiggling through my eyes, major dizziness, sweaty palms and major hot flashes. My husband travels for work and is gone most of the time. I am now hooked for over a year on 150 mg. and I am still just as depressed as I was when I began taking the drug. I have sexual side effects... or should I say barely any sexual feeling at all, which causes my husband terrible grief when he comes to see me, he often thinks I am cheating or he is not turning me on. I hate this drug and want off but I have 4 children and no time to detox off this drug. I would need a babysitter for at least 3 to 4 weeks just so I could be sick and almost die from detoxing. | THIS DRUG SHOULD NEVER BE PRESCRIBED TO ANYONE!!! IT IS DEADLY AND ANY DOCTOR WHO PRESCIBEWS IT IS ONLY AFTER MONEY PERIOD, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. | F | 33 | 1 years | 4/2/2008 |