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 | Anxiety, RSI, Depression | First two weeks were a bit weird. During that time I had some pupil dialation, light nausea, sugar craving, abnormal vision (a cross between blurriness and tracers, but fairly light), significant lack of concentration, sleepiness. I still get occasional effects like those described, but much less severe. Also, my ability to concentrate has totally returned, in fact much better than in a long time. The only thing that I feel I really have to watch is the nausea. Taken without food, or not enough food to offset it will consistantly get to me. I haven't thrown up, but sometimes it does hit me suddenly. I try to be careful, but sometimes it still happens. Oh yeah, effects on sexuallity have been interesting. Though I do feel my immediate nerve sensations may require a little more coaxing to get up the mountain, my interest, creativity, and responsiveness have all increased. Net effect = more fun. | Some folks have mentioned clarity in thought. After the initial adjustment, and even somewhat during, I must say I absolutely agree. Even more, it's like I can see bad patterns off to the side that my brain used to fall into, and I can just acknowledge them and pass them by. It's pretty amazing. I feed the core of my trouble is anxiety, resulting in physical pain and muscle spasm symptoms, as well as depression. And that is where I feel the medication is really helping. Because I'm not nervous, everything is easier. My experience with it is that it is distinctly increasing my awareness, but not in a self-conscious or worried way. Rather, with a calm, confident optimism that I can make better choices. It's facsinating, really. I even find myself catching the chronic habit of overtensing muscles in my arms and shoulders so much faster and more frequently. I'm able to just let alot of it go and reorganize my internal energy. I took Wellbutrin previously, and this is very different. To me | F | 33 | 1.5 months | 5/10/2006 | 1 | DEPRESSION | LIGHT HEADED NAUSEA, SORE NECK | F | 70 | 5 days | 5/8/2006 | 5 | Anxiety/Depression | Feeling hotter than usual (but not too bad), bruising more easily. Dry mouth a little. | On previous medications (Zoloft, Luvox) I never had reserves to get through the day if I was feeling bad (which was often). I would have lost my job. Effexor has given me back energy, feelings, and a life. I am more well than I can recall being in the past, and the side effects are not a problem. I'd rather have them and have a life too. | F | 32 | 8 months | 4/28/2006 | 5 | depression | I sleep sounder on this medicine so it can be more difficult to wake up and I'm really groggy when I do wake up. | I love this medicine! I previously tried Zoloft (no change), Wellbutrin XL (no change), Lexapro (awful side effects and no change!), but after only a few days on effexor, I feel great. | F | 25 | 3 weeks | 4/28/2006 | 4 | bipolar | if missed dose in morning, by evening was extremely dizzy, disoriented, pressure in head/headache. Would take a couple of hours to go away even after taking medicine. No sex drive, could achieve erection but harder to sustain for looonnng time as had difficulty in coming to orgasm (much to wife's dismay). | was taking 225mg of Effexor with 5mg Zyprexa, 300mg Wellbutrin. Seemed to help with the extreme irritability/anger I would have all the time and leveled me out more. Got rid of anxiety. Had somewhat of a lack of effect (who cares) attitude then, so not really happy either. New pdoc had taken me off Zyprexa this last week, and am in process of weaning off Effexor -37.5mg/wk at a time. | M | 40 | 10 months | 4/28/2006 | 1 | social phobia | Pronounced fatigue, felt like a zombie, like I lost my personality, I wasn't "me" anymore, no interest in life at all, sex drive completely gone, nausea and constipation, dry mouth, bad at times, it just didn't work!!! | It DOES NOT work for anxiety. I did NOT have depression. | F | 44 | 3 months | 4/27/2006 | 3 | depression/anxiety | Just started experiencing the brain (head) zaps everyone is talking about. WEIRD!! More importantly for me is the severe NIGHT SWEATS. I just came back from the doctors office and told him about them. He is sending me for a chest xray, blood work and stomache ultrasound. I asked him if there was anyway they could be from the meds and he said no.?! I am very relieved to see I'm not the only one experiencing them! The're so bad I get up and have to towel dry! Dry mouth and of course, a decreased ability to maintain an erection and it takes forever to orgasm and when I do, they're like a slow dripping tap :( I also hear ringing in my ears at night like the doorbell. For what it's worth, I seem to be drinking much more alcohol than I had previously. | As for the depression/anxiety, I feel that that the med has done it's job. I've been on them for a month at 75mg. I don't experience the lows that I did however I also don't experience the highs I had as well. The doc wants to bump up my dosage? After reading about the side effects on here, and those when you stop taking the med, (scary) I'm not sure what I'll do.!?! | M | 40 | 45 days | 4/26/2006 | 3 | Depression, anxiety and insomnia | The side effects did not become apparent until I stopped the drug, and include nasal discharge, amenorrhea (my menstrual period stopped on Effexor ER and came back when I discontinued the drug), intense itching all over my body, increased skin sensitivity, increased sensitivity to sound (similar to a migrane, but without pain), stomach cramps, nausea, increased insomnia and vivid nightmares. Today is the fourth day with no meds and I still feel gasy as well. | The itching subsides after a few days. It was much, much worse three days ago. The side effects in coming off the meds last for a long time. I did not replace this drug with another drug, I just stopped all drugs. I find my mind shifting in a way I can only describe as similar to the body sensation I get when I travelled on a large cruise ship, when the ship would make a turn--it would make my whole body feel weird in the same way my mind feels now coming off this stuff. It's better if I rest or sit quietly. If I go outside into a crowded place with lots of noise, I feel overwhelmed by the noise and my temper flares up much more easily than it did before I took Effexor. Hopefully this sensitivity will subside as well, but it has been very intense for days now. I started with 37.5mg (starter pack) last summer and increased gradully to 150 mg per day. I did not get benefit from it until I was up to 150 mg per day, and then it seemed to help my depression, but not my anxiety. | F | 47 | 9 months | 4/25/2006 | 3 | Depression, anxiety and insomnia | The side effects did not become apparent until I stopped the drug, and include nasal discharge, amenorrhea (my menstrual period stopped on Effexor ER and came back when I discontinued the drug), intense itching all over my body, increased skin sensitivity, increased sensitivity to sound (similar to a migrane, but without pain), stomach cramps, nausea, increased insomnia and vivid nightmares. Today is the fourth day with no meds and I still feel gasy as well. | The itching subsides after a few days. It was much, much worse three days ago. The side effects in coming off the meds last for a long time. I did not replace this drug with another drug, I just stopped all drugs. I find my mind shifting in a way I can only describe as similar to the body sensation I get when I travelled on a large cruise ship, when the ship would make a turn--it would make my whole body feel weird in the same way my mind feels now coming off this stuff. It's better if I rest or sit quietly. If I go outside into a crowded place with lots of noise, I feel overwhelmed by the noise and my temper flares up much more easily than it did before I took Effexor. Hopefully this sensitivity will subside as well, but it has been very intense for days now. I started with 37.5mg (starter pack) last summer and increased gradully to 150 mg per day. I did not get benefit from it until I was up to 150 mg per day, and then it seemed to help my depression, but not my anxiety. | F | 47 | 9 months | 4/25/2006 | 5 | severe depression | at first it caused my emotions to become flat. that's tapered off, as has the sexual dysfunction side-effects. the higher the dosage, the harder it was to orgasm. this has eased a bit, thankfully. but i did find out after awhile that the longer the sexual activity, the harder it was to climax. which was cool for my girlfriend as she liked the increase in oral sex that offset my relatively quick work (five minutes or so). i also yawn constantly, but not tired. i'll be at the gym actively working out and i'll just yawn and yawn. | it's the only anti-depressant that has ever worked for me. | M | 26 | 8 months | 4/24/2006 | 5 | Long term depression | Very tired the first dose of 75 gm. By dose two, that was totally gone. Vivid dreams. I am now on 150mg a day. I am not sleeping well at night...but hey its only been a week of 150mg. | I love Effexor. After I started effexor I begain to read about other peoples experiences on it and going off it. Some of those posts scared me. Then after about two weeks I started to feel better, really better. By my third week I was able to say that I felt normal again. And honestly, I would much rather take this stuff for the rest of my life than to feel the way I did before effexor. Wow, this is life, again! Welcome back me! | F | 33 | 6 weeks | 4/23/2006 | 1 | Depression | Gained 50 pounds when I have never been overweight in my life. Also had no sexual desire. After I quit, I have started losing weight and I have gone into a sexual frenzy! | F | 41 | 3 years | 4/18/2006 | 5 | Depression | Dry mouth, sleepiness, electrical shocks, superrealistic dreams (I like them), in the firs few weeks light sleep. During my parting from my girlfriend I experienced blurred but clear view. Probably this is now side effect at all. I got my emotions back, felt like the android delta in a Stark Treck movie after switching on his emotion chip.. | First of all I like this medicine. It helped me to get back my emotions. During my depressive phase I had nothing what was worth for living (a good job, assets, nice appartment, nice girl friend, I should have been the lookiest man, but I felt only worthless). Starting at 75 mg in August '06 I'm tkaing 300 mg each day since November, sometimes more. Today, everthing around me is much more friendly (colurs, people, music) it feels like in my childhood. My memory is back and I'm able to think fast again. Why haven't I started my therapy ten years ago? If you ever felt a swoosh followed by a loud noise or electrical shocks plus strange dizzines, please contact me, beacause this is an ugly seldom side effect (over dose, withdrawl?). | M | 33 | 8 months | 4/12/2006 | 3 | Panic disorder/anxiety/depression | nausea, dizziness, racing heartbeat, yawning, feeling of being jolted - my body seems to jolt suddenly from the inside out - hard to describe, but it also feels like I stop breathing at that moment or like I might be about to have a seizure (I've never seized) or like I will gag. | Started at 37.5 and then moved to 75 per day. The side effects I am experiencing are enough to make me uncomfortable on a daily basis. Most disturbing are the nausea and the jolting feeling both of which are daily occurrences. I was already having a problem with appetite and weight loss, so I'm not positive I can blame the Effexor for that. On the positive side, I do find that at times I have more energy than I used to. I do occassionally, though, have a "blurry" memory and I feel forgetful. There might be a better drug for me, but I am very afraid of quitting as the withdrawal symptoms of this drug are legend for their horror. | F | 36 | 3 days | 4/12/2006 | 4 | Depression | No real side effects to speak of. People have mentioned weight gain as a side effect on this board, which makes me a bit nervous because since going effexor, I sometimes get these ridiculously strong cravings for fast food, especially french fries. It could be the medicine, or maybe I was just depressed about not ever eating french fries. Hard to say. In any case, no sexual side effects or night sweats or any of that stuff. | When I was depressed before medicine, I never really thought of taking my life. However, since being on medications for the past year, I rarely get depressed anymore, but when I do, it is like utter pits of despair type depressed. Very weird. It's like I don't have as much middle ground with my feelings anymore. Either very up or very down, but only since taking anti-depressants. | M | 28 | 1 years | 4/7/2006 | 4 | severe depression, anxiety | Jaw clenching, excessive yawning, extremely bizarre dreams and terrible nightmares, false awakenings, dullness of emotion, "whatever" attitude.. I have missed a dose here and there but have noticed no withdrawal symptoms. | Currently on 225mg a day. Switched from Paxil. Effexor XR worked very well for me for a long time but about 6 months ago I had a relapse partly due to a major life change. Dose was then upped from 150mg, now doing a little better. I'm giving this drug a 4 because it has kept me alive which Im thankful for. I do feel however that doctors belittle the side effects IMMENSLY. The worst thing for me were the nightmares though they have stopped now. My dreams were 100% real to me and often very disturbing. However I had also out-of-this-world, wonderful super dreams which I now miss terribly. I feel like a zombie also, just recently Ive started feeling stronger emotions again. Effexor XR has made me feel that things are ok and I dont want to change anything, I am not discontent though I think I should be. Everything has been just blah for so long. | F | 23 | 3 years | 4/6/2006 | 1 | anxiety from health issues | tons. extreme sweating, ejaculating at a different time then the orgasm, suicidal depression, a non-functioning human was the main side effect. they warned me about these side effects too. like people are going to live there life like that. you might as well be dead. | just an awful drug. i was a little depressed before. after taking this drug,i was running out trying to commit suicide every day. then there are withdrawl symptoms too. i have more luck with klonopin and the benz.. | M | 21 | 28 days | 4/5/2006 | 4 | Depression | Hypomania! Increased blood pressure (110/68 is my normal, went up to 170/110). | After taking this a while I was diagnosed with bipolar II. I had to stop because it was creating a life-threatening situation with the increased blood pressure. I was upset that I had to stop because this made me feel good! Although the psychiatrist wasn't happy with that because I was actually experiencing hypomania, not "normal" life. Overall though I liked it. | F | 26 | 1 months | 4/4/2006 | 3 | anxiety (very weepy and worried) | insomnia, groggy feeling most of the day, blurred vision | I started on 37.5 mg and could feel a big difference very quickly. I didn't cry at all on this and I wasn't worried about much of anything. In those respects, this was great! I also felt really "slow"....like I had taken Nyquil or had a hangover. My vision became very blurry...I couldn't believe how much worse my vision became!! My appetite increased and I couldn't sleep at night. I took this low dose in the morning, thinking that surely it wouldn't affect my night time sleep, but sure enough, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning every night. This was the worst side effect I experienced. I know that some people take sleep aids to counteract this, but I just didn't want to get on those. I began to want to just sit around in the afternoons instead of being active like I usually was. Also, I was yawning like crazy. I don't know if this was a side effect of the drug or just of me not sleeping much at all!! Anyway, I took myself off of this dru | F | 33 | 1 months | 4/2/2006 | 5 | Depression | Delayed orgasm (not a bad thing, just requires patience); sweating (could be menopause, too); yawning; vivid dreams. If I miss a dose, I get twitchy (dizzy, numbness or tingly sensation) and have vivid nightmares (and that's only a few hours off the med). *I had some nausea the first week or so, but it passed* | This is the first anti-depressant I have taken after a life-time of depression, including several suicide attempts when I was younger. I resisted medication because I didn't want to feel "doped up." I can't believe the difference Effexor has made! I had the "hunkering down" sort of depression; this drug (and I assume the therapy, too) has given me the life I wanted. I do worry about withdrawal symptoms, though, because missing a dose produces some nasty symptoms. | F | 46 | 1.5 years | 3/31/2006 |