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 |
| 1 | anxiety, thought. | Took it one day---nervousness, hot flash, heart racing, reflux, dizzy, eyes blurred, in a fog, ended up in ER. Meds make you crazy. | Go outside, walk, write, pray, get your mind off of you, don't always rely on doctor. Be with your family. Some people on Effexor need to be, true, but the rest of us, just need to qut being self centered and just rely on God!!! | F | 37 | 1 days | 1/19/2008 | 4 | MDD and GAD | 75mg: excessive sleepiness, shakey 150mg: excessive sleepiness, shakey, trouble concentrating 225mg: excessive sleepiness, feeling out-of-body (that's extremely scary.) | F | 19 | 6 months | 1/18/2008 | 4 | Depression & Anxiety | Constipation, Cold Sweats during sleep | The first SSRI I took was Zoloft, which only worked for a few months (I ended up having "poop out" - a syndrome that most people on the bipolar spectrum experience) - the constipation was so bad, I could barely stand it & the drug stopped working for me. Effexor XR has been really useful. I currently take 187.5 mg and have been on it for 4 years. I have missed a dose a couple times and it's not fun (panic attacks, extreme irritability) - it's best not to miss a dose. About a year ago, I went down to 150 mg and was so irritable I had to go back up. I exercise 3-4 days/week and eat healthy foods, but there is a good chance I will be on this drug for a long time - maybe that's scary, maybe not? What I do know is that I am much happier and less anxious since taking Effexor. I also take it with lithium - as a mood stabilizer, which has been a good combination for me. | F | 32 | 4 years | 1/18/2008 | 5 | Panic attacks and depression | dry mouth, insomnia if taken late in the day. However, I can't say these side effects outweigh the benefits. | I'm on 225mg a day and this drug is the only one that has ever worked for me. I've tried so many. However, I'm ADDICTED I feel. I've tried to wean myself a few times and it's terrible. The nightmares and the sickness that goes with it are terrible besides the symptoms you had to begin with. It's just not worth it to me. I always tell my doctor, please don't start anyone, because once they get started, they'll never be able to stop. It's like a narcotic. The nightmares are the worst for me. | F | 44 | 5 years | 1/17/2008 | 4 | Anxiety, depression | Mildly bored and apathetic. | Don't let some reports of horrible withdrawal symptoms prevent you from trying a very safe medication that is extremely useful for many people. I felt the withdrawal symptoms if I missed a dose big-time - but big deal. And trust me, I felt them - the electric shock sensations - but they're nothing to be afraid of and I have severe panic disorder! You'd think a person with panic attacks would fear these sensations immensely, but if I can deal with them, anyone can. And when you do withdraw completely, it has to be done very slowly, like I did, and I barely felt any of those sensations because it was done properly. When I took it, I felt like a really calm, functioning human being - maybe two panic attacks in two and a half years of taking it. Now, since I quit taking it almost six months ago, my panic attacks are back - daily panic attacks. Effexor worked really well for me and I am going to go back on it because I know it helps with my panic and anxiety symptoms. It is definitely worth | F | 29 | 2 years | 1/17/2008 | 2 | deppression | nausea, diarrhea,stomach problems | I am addicted to the drug | M | 57 | 7 years | 1/17/2008 | 1 | Depression | Very expensive and it didn't work. No effect on the depression. It did however increase the depression in my checking account! | Very disappointing. | F | 55 | 1 months | 1/17/2008 | 5 | Depression | At first, lots; after a few weeks, only reduced sex drive | I think alot of doctors fail to prepare patients for the initial side effects. I'd read up on the mechanisms a bit, so I wasn't surprised that it was a bit like a mild acid trip from my youth. I was also, initially, very sleepy. Since the doctor said I shouldn't expect a difference for 2+ weeks, I was a little surprised that there were initial, noticeable effects in 30 minutes. But these were mostly the side effects, and real improvement in my depression didn't appear for the suggested two weeks. I've been on it for several months now, my life is greatly improved, I handle work stress much better, I handle my kids much better, and for maybe the first time in decades, I understand what real happiness is. My only complaint is that so much of my life was so subtly but truly less fulfilling than it could have been. I've reevaluated everything based on this experience. The initial side effects are pretty big, but don't avoid this drug on that basis. I'm still me - a much happier me. I'm als | M | 34 | 4 months | 1/16/2008 | 2 | Anxiety, Insomnia | Major sexual dysfunction within two days. After two weeks, felt like a zombie and wasn't getting good sleep. Took Clonazepam at the same time. | For the first five days it helped me relax, got great sleep, had less headaches, less anxiety. As it went on, insomnia problems and woke up with blocked up nose. Major problem was immediate sexual dysfuction completely. | M | 35 | 16 days | 1/15/2008 | 5 | Chronic depression | sweating, urge to drink alcohol. Tried to quit and get on to Wellbutrin, but headaches and dizziness forced me back. Loved the effect it had on depression but afraid of becoming an alcoholic. | F | 2 years | 1/14/2008 | 5 | Depression | Only problem is forgetting to take it. If I forget 2 days in a row I feel miserable dizzy and then I have the vivid dreams. | Just feeling better. It just takes away the phyiscal aspects of depression, unreasonable fear. I realize that I basically have a physical addiction to it and I'll be on it forever. I'll take that tradeoff to not have to experience life without it. | M | 43 | 5.5 years | 1/14/2008 | 4 | GAD | dizziness on the first week, slight headache and nervousness | it works | M | 7 days | 1/14/2008 | 3 | depression and ocd | dizziness. spaced out. | M | 5 days | 1/13/2008 | 5 | Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Not really any side effects at all. One Note though, I am constantly tired but I think that is my lifestyle rather than the drug. | It's great cause I feel like myself without all the nervous anxiety. I still feel like a normal person though. Before taking the drug I was afraid it would change me in negative ways (like make me not care about things that I should). However, that is not the case. I still get stressed, but I in a way that a person without a generalized anxiety disorder would. It's a more healthy version of stress. | F | 22 | 1.5 days | 1/12/2008 | 1 | no | reading this scares me | I havent picked up my prescription yet, but after reading all these posts, I may not. Its sounds like a nightmare drug. Wouldnt xanax or valuim be much safer for axiety???? Why do doctors want us to feel worse??? | M | 45 | 0 days | 1/12/2008 | 1 | Mild Depression after loss of Mothe | Headaches, nausea, sweats, chills, stomach pains, tired, bad dreams, feel terrible all the time | F | 44 | 7 months | 1/12/2008 | 5 | DEPRESSION/WARTIME REMENISION DREAM | TIGHT JAW @ 150 MG AND INABILITY TO FINISH OR CLIMAX DURING INTERCOURSE LOWERING DOSAGE TO 112.5 TO HELP WITH JAW TIGHTENING AND TAKING 10 MG OF VARDENAFIL FOR SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS WORKS GREAT | RELAXES ME, ABLE TO THINK STRAIGHT AND I DONT SNAP AT THE FAMILY AND NO MORE DREAMS ALSO I AM TAKING AMBIEN TO HELP WITH A GREAT 8 HOUR NITES SLEEP BY TAKING THE VARDENAFIL WHEN NEEDED BEFORE SEX I AM ABLE TO CLIMAX AND ENJOY THE OTHER EFFECTS OF THESE PILLS. | M | 35 | 2 months | 1/11/2008 | 5 | irritability | loss of sex drive, inability to orgasm | Effexor has worked very well for me and aside from the sexual side affects I can't say anything bad about it. I used to just get so irritable over the most insignifcant things, now I feel happy almost all of the time and a whole lot more relaxed. I started with 75mg but felt no change until I went to 150mg; the difference was night and day. Effexor has alievated so much stress from my life that I only wish I started years ago. | M | 32 | 10 weeks | 1/11/2008 | 5 | depression, anxiety, social anxiety | dry mouth, sexual side effects, increased anxiety for 1st few months, sweating, | I am increasing from 75mg to 150mg. slowly, ( 2 -75mg spaced out)because I am very sensitive to drugs and have learned this the hard way. I think you must have additional help while taking this or any other drug for these problems. Learning to cope with our individual situations and taking the drug goes hand in hand for a successful outcome. But I suggest you tell no one that you are seeing a phycologist or phychiatrist until you are well on your way to peace and maybe not even then. This drug tends to make you say the first thing that you think and that may not go well for some family members. | F | 50 | 3 months | 1/10/2008 | 4 | Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic | Somewhat decreased sex drive. Felt very "high" in the beginning, and after increasing dosage. No other side effects until I stopped taking it. | I took this drug for 8 years, in varying doses from 37.5mg to 150 mg. It worked great until about 6 months ago, when it simply stopped working. My doctor said that this occassionally happens, as your brain chemistry can change for a number of reasons. So with his help, we began weaning me off the Effexor. I dropped from 150 mg to 75 mg without substantial side effects. When I dropped from 75mg to 37.5, all hell broke loose. I experienced this weird brain zap, where it felt like an electrical current was bouncing around in my head. I had severe panic attacks; way worse than when I was initially diagnosed. I suffered from heart palpitations and horrendous headaches. My doctor prescribed Lexapro while I attempted to drop from 37.5 to zero. I was evil to everyone near me in the morning, and cried for no reason every night. He put me back on 37.5, removed the Lexapro, and added Prozac. Then I went to Effexor XR on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only, with Prozac daily. Then I went to Effexo | F | 29 | 8 years | 1/10/2008 |