EFFEXOR XR Reviews (VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 3.0 (2225 Ratings)

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 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)

  

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

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More on EFFEXOR XR: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR EFFEXOR XRCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  major depression panic and anxiety Nausea, vomiting, buzzing in ears, pain everywhere, wild dreams, jerking, shaking, feeling of being out of my body anger, not able to leave home,not able to trust anyone. I don't know who I am. I feel pain but like it's happening to someone else Feel like the doctor that prescribed it to me had no respect when prescribing it to me not telling me how bad it would be coming off of it. Also didn't listen to me about the side effects I was having. Also doctors not wanting to taper you off just dismissing you so they don't have to deal with you. So I cut myself off. Almost 2 months now. It's poison F 51 1 years
1/22/2015
 1  Clinical Depression Complete loss of sexual capability, headaches, anger, loss of reality, loss of productivity, loss of emotions and the need for 10-12 hours of sleep per day. As far as I am concerned, it makes absolutely no sense to take an antidepressant that causes some very depressing side-effects. The Lord gave us only 2 free pleasures in life - sleep (with dreams) and sex. I finally weaned myself from this poison. It's been 6 months now and I am now as sexually active as I was some 30 years ago - and my dreams have finally returned! The only "antidepressant" I use now is 1-2 grams of medicinal marijuana each evening. Works great, is purely organic, and has no side effects! Get off of this crap, exercise a lot, and think of the better future you will have. M 54 5 years
175 MG 2X day
1/5/2015
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 3  Multiple psych issues None Not on the XR - it's just another attempt...perpetual guinea pig since age 16. At 60 now, I refuse alot offered. This was a new one, worth trying yet again another Anti-depressant or whatever it is? No major changes noticed so far, for good or otherwise...more blah, blah, blah pills. F 60 25 days
37.5 2X day
1/3/2015
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 3  Anxiety, panic, depression (BPD) Dry mouth (excessive since dose increased to 225), sweating, hot flushes, nightmares/ vivid dreams, night sweats, increased urination (especially at night) constipation, increased anxiety and agitation on dose increase. I've been on some form of anti-depressant since age 14 and I don't know what's me and what's thr drugs anymore, I wish I'd never started. CBT/ DBT and mindfulness practice the way forward but I don't know how I'll ever get off this drug as withdrawal is hell after only 24 hours of missing a dose I am a mess! Avoid if you can. Although I do notice mood lifts after each dose increase I still suffer from the same issues I have had for years, only therapy has helped me keep episodes further apart (but I've paid for it, mental health care in UK on NHS is a disgrace!) F 32 10 years
225mg
10/25/2014
 5  Depression loss of libido.....constant brain fog......memory loss I have been on Effexor XR about 14 years. After trying Paxil and Prozac and experiencing complete mental meltdowns after about one year of use. (My Doctor told me they sometimes just "quit" working) He advised me to take Effexor XR. I got my life back and became the person I was meant to be. I felt happy and content. The drug has continued to help me all these years even though I have memory problems, brain fog and loss of libido. I think it is a small price to pay for living well. That being said: I recently got mixed up on my meds and missed taking Effexor XR for 5 days. I fell into the pit of hell. The side effects were frightening. I was sure I was going to die, thought I had a brain tumor. I experienced: loud ear ringing, what felt like brain surges, confusion, unsteady gait, dizziness, nausea, and uncontrollable rage. I will take this medication for the rest of my life and will never miss another dose. F 72 14 days
150 mg 1X day
10/24/2014
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 4  anxiety Stimulant effect, decreased appetite, insomnia F 43 10 days
10/23/2014
 3  Major Depression/Anxiety I have been off and on the generic, which works initially then stops working, increase the dose and works again....then stops. No appetite on generic but normal appetite on brand. Have lost 15 pounds. Stomach issues at about 6 mos. always, like ulcers, tics. Then, finally recently tried brand, even though insurance didn't cover and had no side effects, such as brain zaps, etc. and it worked without noticing I was taking it. (I have already tried all other SSRI's.) Then, determined I am possibly bipolar because no meds worked over time. I really was doing more, almost hypomania; biking 2 1/2 hours each ride after no exercise for years. Was put on other Med called Geodon and bad side effects and then had severe paranoia, with panic attack, because I was on the generic venlafaxine which is very different than brand. They kept me on the Effexor XR 150 mg brand I noticed in the hospital, but put me on Risperidone causing breathing issue the first night and they increased the dose the 2nd night and by 5th night I went off per heart palpatations at night. I am on generic Effexor XR, but hope to get back on brand with pre-auth through Medicaid. I can't function on the generic version. I have no energy or motivation. My place of work is not very favorable working conditions, due to my FMLA, while trying to get well. Team doesn't like that I miss work and people still have little to no understanding of how dibilitating it can be, and then if your support structure isn't there, it adds F 52 3 years
150 mg
10/21/2014
 5  Depression, mood swings, fear Only when missing dose my head started spinning but when i decided to get off of it after reading all scary reviews how tough it is i decided to try dosing it down fastest possible. I done my research and im lucky my fiance is a doctor and he has a lot of nutrition advisors so i didnt experiment nothing at all taking it from 150 to 75. The trick is to not imagine all this bad effects that happened to other people. Do some detox of your body start juicing all green veggies take vitamin B, D and cod liver oil i think this are most important, plus if you want your depression and anxiety to go away, fix your spine ! F 29 2 years
150 MG
10/8/2014
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 1  Anxiety/Depression My teenage son was on this medication for 6 weeks and experienced a bipolar response. He felt everything was a dream and that I wasn't really his mom. He had racing thoughts. Doctor said to stop taking immediately. He experienced brain zaps, vomiting, crying, distorted vision, paranoia. His vision remains pixelated and he sees flashing lights in his field of view. He has memory problems that have also remained 2 years later. He has suffered permanent damage from this drug. M 15 6 weeks
75 mg 1X day
10/8/2014
 1  anxiety Do not take effexor dangerous drug.Coming off detoxing is true hell dont take ever F 59 1 days
10/7/2014
 1  depression anxiety My wife Never had high blood pressure til 1st Prescription increase dosage had stroke F 60 1 days
10/7/2014
 4  Depression Effexor helped me but had to add Abilify for depression. Decided to go off of antidepressants. Was able to wean off of Abilify but Effexor is a whole other monster. I've been tapering off of Effexor for three months now left my job because of side effects are terrible starting into fourth month doing every other day now. It's awful!! Going to dr this week to see if they can give me something to offset the withdrawal symtems. I'm not going to let this drug beat me. F 55 6 years
150 mg
9/15/2014
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 3  Depression-Anxiety severe sleep disturbances, abnormal ejaculation, anorexia This drug helped me for a while, it is powerful and addictive, and its half life is short, thus weaning yourself from it is an agony. withdrawal symptoms are so bad and unbearable. when deciding to cut off, Taper as far as you can. M 30 6 years
225 1X day
9/10/2014
 2  Major depression More depression but after several weeks I had a 2 week period of time where I felt normal again! I was so excited! It went away! I am trying to wean off by using celexa I am telling you that depression like this that suffocates u where u can hardly do anything is worst then anything I have gone thru! F 58 6 months
225 mg
9/9/2014
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 1  Severe depression Extreme weight gain-60 pounds in the 12 weeks I was on this and loose of real emotion, complete lack of caring for anything or anyone. My sex drive was kicked into overdrive as well as my need to eat. I have fought with depression since my preteens. It runs in my family and I have always struggled with the thought of having to take medication to feel 'normal'. I was doing all the right things, eating well, running 6-12 miles per day-training for my first marathon. I thought that was the answer. I could beat this thing without medication. That's what everyone says right? Diet and exercise! Maybe that's why this bout of depression completely blindsided me. and knocked me flat on my ass. I could hardly get out of bed, the thought of brushing my teeth was exhausting. After months of feeling like I was swimming against a current to just LIVE my life I made the first step in what I have known to be an uphill battle. I sought out a depression and anxiety specialist. Sitting in that exam room that first day I remember just being a puddle of sad all over his floor. I thought he had extensive knowledge, probably because he was one of the few Dr.'s in my life that haven't basically just told me to 'try harder' I thought he understood. Let me state that when I get depressed to the point that I cannot just 'handle' it anymore I know my own personal symptoms. It's a struggle to get out of bed, I do mean a fucking battle, its exhausting to have to do basic things like brush my teeth, take a shower, put on clothes. Now the physical symptoms for me are excessive weight gain, muscle aches, tired to my bones-20-cups-of-espresso-isn't-fixing-this-tired. For me, this medication was terrible, I F 29 3 months
75mg 1X day
9/6/2014
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 4  anxiety/agoraphobia Premature ejaculation for the first time in my life. Extreme dry mouth, brain zaps, electric feeling when it's around time to take my dose. M 35 1 months
37.5
9/1/2014
 4  Anxiety, depression, ADHD Little to no side effects for a year then severe Insomnia, body jerks, rambling voices in my head before sleep, severe depression, paranoia, and social anxiety the last 12 months. F 21 2 years
150 MG
8/24/2014
Email
 3  Depression Weight gain, no libido, apathy, numb I have taken Effexor off and on for about 18 yrs. I gained about 70 lbs. on my small frame and didn't care at the time (for 15 yrs. !!) watched my 18 yr old son take Effexor and gain 60 lbs on his 5 7" frame in about 9 months and not care. Had an aha moment and watched him wean himself off the drug and lose all the weight and so I weaned myself down to 37.5mg every 3 days and have lost 50 lbs and I'm not as depressed and don't feel numb anymore I have an amazing sex drive for the first time since I was a teenager. :). I know this wouldn't work for a lot of people and that's why every story is different. Find a drug AND a dose u can live with and not b numb is the key. Being just numb isn't really living. I have so much more energy now. A healthy diet and exercise are a must! Drugs can't do ALL the work. Don't give up. F 50 10 years
37.5
8/6/2014
Email
 3  depression initial lightheaded-ness that went away after a few weeks, excessive sweating, sedation at higher doses. IMPORTANT: severe alcohol cravings i have to be fair and give this medicine a 3, because it has been an effective (lol) antidepressant with relatively few side effects, though one side effect was particularly damaging: increasingly dangerous alcoholism. i have intoxicated with many different recreational drugs since i was 16, but excessive drinking was never my thing. until effexor. over time, my alcoholism became rampant, i would binge absurd amounts of alcohol every few days and go into a manic frenzy, hardly feeling drunk more like superhuman. my therapist and psychiatrist know i have a drinking problem, yet effexor was never identified as being a contributing factor. i had to find that out on my own, browsing online message boards and coming across a myriad of people with the EXACT SAME PROBLEM. search "effexor and alcoholism". i lost a job, a great relationship, and a few close friendships over my inability to control my drinking. i'm not totally without personal blame, but i urge anyone who suspects they are experiencing something similar to not let it get out of hand. bring it up with your doctor and try a different medicine- it's not worth it. i've been decreasing my dose over the past weeks and already i've had a few nights where before i would've stocked up on beer, and i passed it up. i'm furious that no health care professional was able to see the connection. i really hope someone sees this review who might need to know this information. M 23 1.5 years
150mg 1X day
7/21/2014
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 5  Anxiety/Depression nausea, slight brain fog Will be increasing dose next week. Felt better right off the bat. Nausea has been the biggest issue. Taken at night. I was initially scared to take it due to the reviews I've read but I'm glad I started and feel better already. F 41 7 days
37.5 1X day
7/9/2014
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