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 |
| 4 | Depression & Mood Swings | Extremely vivid dreams, lost of sex drive, greatly delayed orgasm, extreme sweating at night & during exercise, loss of motivation, and small amount of memory loss. | Weigh the pros/cons of this medication before taking. It has dramatically improved my drepression, and removed my mood swings about 99%. I had dramatic weight gain (about 45 pounds in 7 months). After week 1 I began to feel like the person I was back in my 20's; like I was back in reality after being away for a very long time. For this, I give Effexor an A+++. I began taking it after being married for 8 months. I too feel this saved my marriage. My husband thinks this drug is a Godsend. I am trying to find other ways to deal with the delayed orgasm & lack of sex-drive because emotionally it takes a toll on my enjoyment of sex and willingness to participate. Missed pills are a NO NO!!!! I have terrible depression, non-stop crying, and it takes 3 days for me to get back to normal after missing 1 dose (or even taking a dose 6 hours late). I now have to use a pill box marked with the days of the week so that I can remember if I took my medication or not. I'm currenly taking 75mg a | F | 41 | 5 months | 7/23/2007 | 1 | depression | weight gain; maybe not so bad as the side effects while taking the med but the withdraw is not withdraw, its DETOX. Horrible dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, "shocks" in the head, horrible nightmares...I would never recommend this medicine to anyone and I think physicians should discuss these effects with patients prior to putting them on this medication. I was only on it for three months at 75 mg. My heart goes out to those of you who have been on it a while and trying to get off. | F | 37 | 3 months | 7/23/2007 | 4 | anxiety | Immedieatly, it has helped and I feel much more in control of what I do and am far more focused. The side effect is it has completely doused my limbido. I have tried to get off of it a few times but get severe headaches. | If someone has successfully been able to ween themselves off of this drug, I would love to hear from you! | M | 44 | 1 years | 7/20/2007 | 3 | Depression | Lately I have been bruising very easily and I have many unexplained bruises all over my legs. I have gained a bit of weight (between 5 and 10 pounds) which is weird because I am vegan and I get a decent amount of exercise. | I was taking Prozac but it didn't seem to be working. Then I tried Wellbutrin for a while, but it gave me panic attacks. So I tried Effexor. This drug has given me more energy. Things that used to make me uncomfortable seem less intimidating now. I am able to go out of the house more often, and I have less paranoid thoughts. I have also been able to get more exercise which I used to never have the initiative to do. However, about a month or so after I started taking it, I suddenly went off of it, foolishly thinking that nothing would happen--do NOT do this! I was horribly depressed and could barely get out of bed. | F | 19 | 4 days | 7/19/2007 | 2 | anxiety, mild depression | lack of sex drive, trouble concentrating | seemed to quit working, dr. changed me to cymbalta | F | 31 | 10 months | 7/19/2007 | 4 | OCD / Depression | Side effects very dose dependent. 35MG - very few side effects. 75+ weight gain, difficulty reaching orgasm, somewhat lethargic (but tolerable), night sweats | I have a love / hate relationship with effexor. It really helps my OCD a lot. It improves my mood, helps me focus, gives me confidence, and really gives me a more positive perspective on life. It is a lifesaver in many ways. However, I really hate the fact that it is harder to control my weight on it. I also hate the fact that I can't orgasm on it. I am an overachiever and it takes away some of my drive which is also bad. Adding wellbutrin to it did help counter some of the side effects (especially adding it to 35Mg). Overall, I really recommend giving it a try because everyone reacts differently to these medications. Also, the withdrawal is not that bad if you taper it slowly. I have gone off it 3x now and tried other things and as long as you don't go cold turkey, it's not as bad as people make it sound. | F | 33 | 6 years | 7/18/2007 | 3 | ANXIETY DUE TO AUTO ACCIDENTS | Been trying to get off of it for 2 years; horrible side effect for me is severe hysterical crying and when i turn my head, it feels like it takes a few seconds for my brain to follow | if you have a chance to choose another non-habit forming drug- do it before taking this one. | F | 39 | 5 years | 7/18/2007 | 1 | Anxiety | Panic attack lasting 3 hours. Sweating, cold and hot flashes, shakes, my heart felt like it was beating inside out. I did not sleep for the two days I took this. I felt HORRIBLE and insane. I'm pretty sure I had an adverse reaction to this drug. | Effexor may work for some people but I had a terrible expirence with the stuff. It's also supposed to be highly addictive and very hard to stop taking. If you feel like your going insane switch MEDS!! I switched to Wellbutrine and I am fine now. | F | 31 | 2 days | 7/18/2007 | 1 | Hot flashes | Weight gain, contstipation | Did not realize how addicting this could be. I have been taking it for hot flashes for 3 years. I ran out last week and have been having horrible headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of appitite, general feeling not myself since. I went online and read all of these comments and have decided to wean myself off this stuff and just put up with the hot flashes. I do not like to be dependent on any chemicals but I cannot quit this cold turkey and function. I am just taking enough to function until my body adjusts. I didn't know all of this when I started. | F | 60 | 3.5 years | 7/18/2007 | 4 | GAD/OCD | Yawning for first two weeks, decreased sex drive (improving with time) inablity to orgasm (also getting better) | I have to say Effexor has changed my life for the better. When I was suffering it was very bad. I would return to my house 5+ times and on lunch breaks from work to be sure the door was looked and the oven was off ect. Often had troble leaving places with out returning to check for somthing,I had frequent panic attaks while driving.During a time of high stress things got a lot worse, being afaraid I may have hit someone with a car an not realized it, would see a news story or TV commercial and go into a sprial of worry EFFEXOR changed all that! I will say when I had to stop cold turkey because of a insurence mix up it was bad. I have also gained weight but I think that has more to do with being happy and calm (maybe a little to happy. i think with the side effects dont begin to outweigh my increased quality of life. I do worry about going off it to have a baby ect. But I have also learned I need to live for to day and cross that brindge when i come to it | F | 27 | 1 years | 7/17/2007 | 5 | Anxiety and Panic Attacks | Initially, uncontrolled "yawning", nausea, light headedness, feeling spacey resulting in weight loss. :) These side effects went away after about 2 weeks. Stick with it. | I take 37.5mg once a day. Once I got over the initial side effects, I now feel great. I have never had to take any kind of medication so I was very nervous about taking one that affects the chemicals in the brain but so far I have only good comments to make about Effexor XR. I hope I will not have to increase the dose nor be on it for more than 6 mths. I am so glad to have found this website to read about other people's experiences. I wasn't aware of all the possible side effects. After reading others comments I realized that some of what I was feeling was "normal". | F | 45 | 7 weeks | 7/16/2007 | 5 | Migraine | Restless Leg Syndrome, involuntary movements (reduced with lower dose), constipation (resolved with dietary fiber increase) | More side effects when missed dose-dizzy, etc. I understand it is very hard to quit taking this drug because of the side effects. My doc halved my dose and I'm still doing fine with the migraines (they're about 1/4th what they used to be, very manageable now) but don't have the twitchiness that I had before. I feel like I have my life back. | F | 41 | 2 years | 7/16/2007 | 1 | anxiety | dry mouth vivid dreams loss of libido and orgasm. muscle pain in legs more anxiety attacks then before the drug loss of interest in anything delayed reactions drooling | effeor is horrible when i started taking the drug i locked myself in the house and would not come out i was scared to be alone i would have dry mouth all the time witch led to more panic attacts i missed 3 weeks of work and six months of my life as a normal person i did not want to do anything it lead to a breakup bettween me and my boyfreind of 5 years because i was not me anymore i was a crazy person i finally just stop taking it cold turkey and went through withdrawl i have trouble taking anything but tylenol now because i dont know if its going to make me feel funny its been 3 years nowi have overcome anxiety on my own and me and that same boyfrind are getting married dont take this drug it almost ruiend my life a | F | 28 | 6.5 months | 7/15/2007 | 4 | dysthymia to severe depression | Unable to climax, weight loss at first but then 15lb weight gain, drowsiness, IBS for the first month. If you miss a dose you start to get discontinuation syndrome. | I was on this medication for about 7 months. It worked, nothing else ever did. I'm normally a dysthymic person, but I went through some pretty rought times and ended up in a severe depression. This medication pulled me out of that, it was slightly effective against dysthymia but not a cure for it. The "discontinuation syndrome" aka WITHDRAWL, lasts for about 3 weeks, and during the first week you are extremely sick. Weigh the pros and cons against your own situation, but if you are desperate - like I was - anything is better than being severely depressed. Also, don't plan on taking this medication for life as people seem to build a tolerance to it. For the long term - try alternative forms of medicine and make sure your doctor tests you for EVERYTHING that could be causing your depression - it is not normal to feel depressed all the time - no one will take the bull by the horns except yourself. Unfortunately you have to fight for the help that you need in our current | F | 27 | 7 months | 7/14/2007 | 5 | Depression & body aches | No adverse side effects | I love Effexor XR. I was prescribed 300 mg. Weaned off. My depression & body aches returned after 3-4 months. Each time I went on Efferor XR, the first day I could feel a great improvement, especially with the body aches. | F | 55 | 7 years | 7/12/2007 | 5 | Depression & body aches | No adverse side effects | I love Effexor XR. I was prescribed 300 mg. Weaned off. My depression & body aches returned after 3-4 months. Each time I went on Efferor XR, the first day I could feel a great improvement, especially with the body aches. | F | 55 | 7 years | 7/12/2007 | 1 | Depression | Loss of Libido, Loss of appetite , i lost 15 kgs in 6 weeks, headaches and it turned me suicidal to the point i took an overdose of other prescription meds and alcohol. | M | 37 | 5 months | 7/12/2007 | 5 | Generalized and social anxiety | I had very few side effects. I did feel burning sensations in my legs when I started the medication and at changes in dosage amount, but it went away after a couple days each time. I lost about 5 pounds on the medication and I actually can eat more without gaining weight that I would have gained in the past. | Effexor XR has really brought back a big part of life for me. Before I took the medication, I couldn't go to sleep without laying there for hours worried with my heart pounding for hours. I couldn't go into any social situation and I would worry for weeks on end about any upcoming event. I felt really critical of those around me and critical and sad about life in general. Since starting Effexor, I now have great sleep and I very rarely have worry ever disturb my sleep. I can concentrate much better and my thoughts are much clearer, rather than having racing thoughts all the time like I did in the past. I feel human again, where I can feel love and genuine feelings for my husband and my family. I've found social situations to be a lot less frightening and I've found myself to be much calmer and less worried about them. I actually can hang out with friends now and meet new people without the same level of anxiety that I felt before. I feel like a stronger and more balanced perso | F | 21 | 6 weeks | 7/11/2007 | 5 | generalized and social anxiety | Leg burning, muscle aches, weight loss and increased metabolism. | I forgot to mention below that my sex drive has increased dramatically with Effexor. Before taking it, I had a hard time concentrating on my husband and I felt very little sex drive. Since taking the medication, I have an amazing connection and desire for my husband and sex has become 100X better. Even though a common complaint is decreased libido and difficulty having an orgasm while on Effexor, I have felt exactly the opposite. | F | 21 | 6 weeks | 7/11/2007 | 5 | Depression & Anxiety | Yawning and fatigue | I have read the comments and can only conclude that people react differently to this drug in extreme ways. As for me - this drug has changed my life! I have suffered from severe depression for 16 years. In 1997 I survived an overdose of 300 lorazepam, clonazepam, and sleeping pills. I spent a week in a coma and another week in a psych ward. I have taken so many different drug I can’t even name them all. I lived in hell until the fifth doctor I tried finally changed my diagnosis from Bipolar to Depression and prescribed Effexor. Since taking this medication, I have discovered a life I couldn’t have even imagined. Although I still take other medications with the Effexor I know that without it I would not be the same. Because of my experience, I am very skeptical of “miracle” drugs but I am convinced that Effexor has delivered more than I thought possible. | M | 37 | 11 months | 7/11/2007 |