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
 
 5  panic disorder yawning, drowsiness, dry mouth, bruise more easily After a frightening experience with Lexapro, I went on XR. My panic attacks are gone and I was able to stop the daily use of Klonopin. I've also lost 10 lbs. in the 3 weeks I've been on it. I just don't feel compelled to eat, sometimes even when I'm hungry. Bruising more easily, but nothing like on Lexapro. F 36 3 weeks
2/19/2006
 5  Fibromyalgia Slight vertigo the first week of taking 37.5mg then went up to 75mg and everything was fine, felt a little more tired, no withdrawl side effects Effexor took away almost all my fibro pain, it was great!! I went off of it to try something that might give me more energy and help me lose weight, but the pain has come back so I will most likely be back on Effexor in the next day or so. F 31 6 weeks
2/15/2006
 5  depression, anxiety stomach ache, light headed, some moments of feeling "high" (dizzy and dazed) It's been one month and so far I love this drug. I've been a little nauseous but it's nothing I can't deal with. Much better than my previous crying fits of depression. So far I am very pleased with the effect and feel as if I am getting better every day. F 27 1 months
2/14/2006
 5  suicidal depression For the first few weeks my hearing was extremely sensitive to high pitches and i could feel a pulse within them.I continue to have night sweats but increases when I consume alcohol .I always have dry mouth. I will experience heart palpations when I need to take my dose again.Increased sex drive.Orgasims take a little longer to achieve but are much more intense than before. Simple I feel normal again and look forward to everyday now. I have no need to try anything else this is working for me. F 33 10 days
2/14/2006
 3  anxiety, depression I mainly wanted to add a comment here for those who fear getting off of Effexor, it may not be a bad as you think, everyone is going to have different reactions. I was on 75 mg. for about 3 years. Helped quite a bit, but after having so much trouble not sleeping, I decided to quit. I decided to take it slow and decrease over time. I would quit, then have flu-like symptoms, then, instead of getting all bent out of shape, I would just start on it again, at 37.5 or 75mg per day. Did this about four times over an 8 month period and the last time was a piece of cake. Do seem to have some tingling in arm/legs occasionally yet after 4 months, but it's bearable and occasional, but I also take Xanax and it could be from that. It could be the same for you. Don't get discouraged, just start back on at as low a dosage as you need to still feel half decent. Good luck Some people need this or another drug for life and that's ok. Don't be hard on yourself if the benefits outweigh the side effects. Wish none of us had to take anything ever, but that's life sometimes. leave the NOSPAM out of my email address, if you need to write. M 54 3 years
2/13/2006
 1  Post Pardum Night sweats, nausea, dizziness, non-existant sex drive, brain zaps, headaches, scary dreams, anxiety, HORRIBLE withdrawl!! I began taking Effexor because I suffered from horrible post pardum. I didn't want to take it but I gave in because my post pardum symptoms were miserable. Looking back I wish I had gone with my instict and flushed it down the toilet. I had horrible dreams and would wake up scared and crying. These dreams were like none that I had ever had before. If I missed only ONE pill, (75mg once/day) I was easily irritated and would get angry very easy. I would also feel the brain zaps if I missed a dose. The withdrawl was the worst!! I tried to come off slowly but I guess it was not slow enough. I thought I was losing my mind. I kept wanting to take it just to make the withdrawl symptoms stop! I had a lot of anxiety and strange thoughts like "what if I drove off of this hill"!! Not that I would have done it but these things never entered my mind prior to taking Effexor. It turned me into a basket case while trying to withdrawl from it and I ended up taking Zoloft for about two months F 32 18 months
2/6/2006
 4  Depression Inability to reach orgasm; night sweats; daytime sweating after briefest of activity; leg spasms at night; incredibly wierd bizarre, detailed dreams; some eyesight blurriness. Almost all abated with time (9-12 months) It did the trick for getting rid of the depression. Sexual side effects and sweating were the worst things to adjust to. This id the only anti-depressent I have tried M 48 15 months
2/5/2006
 4  Depression Lack of sexual interest, large weight gain, night sweats. On the positive side, my mood improved and my depression subsided. I'm on 300 mg a day and would like to start coming down in dosage but I am very worried, given all the negative reports I've read. However, I want my interest in sex to come back, I want to lose the weight (going to the gym hasn't helped) and I want to stop sweating as much at night. M 36 1 years
2/1/2006
 5  Chronic long term depression I started with 37.5 mg. then up to 75 then up to 150 which I have now been on for 13 months. Starting to notice that if I am even 30 minutes late taking my dose, I start to get this whooshing sound/feeling in my brain when I move my head. It weird and hard to describe. Also noticing that I am drinking much more alcohol than I ever have, yet my alcohol tolerance is unbelievable. (never was before effexor). I am going to see my doctor as I have been experiencing the whooshing effect some mornings as soon as I wake up and I am being dilegent about taking the meds at exactly the same time every morning. Also decreased sex drive, difficulty reaching orgasm. Dry mouth, excessive sweating on top of being perimenosausal. But I was in such a black hole when I started taking effexor that I am reluctant to switch. Effexor gave me my joy of life back. Was on prozac for a number of years. Side effects were unbearable after year 3. Severe tremor, muscle pain and severe muscle weakness,cou I am concerned about ever coming off this drug as I have had such tremendous relief from depression. Also concerned that at 150mg I am having this brain whooshing thing as soon as I wake up that makes me feel disconnected. What is this whooshing thing? It kind of freaks me out and I wonder if this drug is causing permanent changes in how my brain works. F 50 13 months
1/27/2006
 3  anxiety small bumps on my body in certain part. nothing too bad. started to get night jerks that woke me up, then made me freak out about sleep, and then i couldn't get to sleep. before the night jerks started, i loved the drug. it decreased my sex drive, but i didn't care. i felt good, and no panic. but when the night jerks started, i didn't want that, and mixing it with ambien made me extremely depressed. so i weened off of it, and the panic returned, and sleep problems. M 36 6 months
1/26/2006
 3  anxiety small bumps on my body in certain part. nothing too bad. started to get night jerks that woke me up, then made me freak out about sleep, and then i couldn't get to sleep. before the night jerks started, i loved the drug. it decreased my sex drive, but i didn't care. i felt good, and no panic. but when the night jerks started, i didn't want that, and mixing it with ambien made me extremely depressed. so i weened off of it, and the panic returned, and sleep problems. M 36 6 weeks
1/26/2006
 5  Depression low sex drive, tired during the day, last night I decided to take it in the evening, I will let you know how it goes Best thing I have done, I still have my sad days though, but I think we all need to have a balance in life so my sad days are ok.. I will take Effexor for the rest of my life....I take 150mg F 53 6 years
1/25/2006
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 3  Depression/ Anxiety Currently on Effexor XR 75mg, have tried to take my self off of it because I got pregnant, and experienced MAJOR Dizziness, nausea, mental confusion, on edge all the time, all I wanted to do was to try to sleep it off, decided I couldnt take it any longer, so thru much of my pregancy I was on it and went down to 37.5mg for the last month of my pregancy. OH, and as far as side effects to my baby? She is very healthy, but at 16 months has a hard time sleeping thru the night, dont know whether that has anything to do with the Effexor or not. Generally is has helped me alot, my depression is mostly gone, I do have blue days, but all in all the depression is gone.....NOW for the anxiety, the meds eliminated it for a while, but it comes back now and then. I would like to some day be off Effexor, but since I am a mommy and have to keep my wits about me, so for now Effexor it is! F 29 3 years
1/25/2006
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 3  yes headaches, nausea, blurred vision, couldn't think straight, BP increased dramatically. Would wake up at intervals every 2-3 hours every night. Though it may help with depression and anxiety, it may also open up a can of worms of other problems later on. Currently still on it and worried about getting off of it. This is my second time on it, taken it for 12 months 2 years ago. M 36 8 days
1/20/2006
 3  yes headaches, nausea, blurred vision, couldn't think straight, BP increased dramatically. Would wake up at intervals every 2-3 hours every night. Though it may help with depression and anxiety, it may also open up a can of worms of other problems later on. Currently still on it and worried about getting off of it. This is my second time on it, taken it for 12 months 2 years ago. M 36 8 days
1/20/2006
 3  depression and anxiety headaches, nausea, blurred vision, couldn't think straight, BP increased dramatically. Would wake up at intervals every 2-3 hours every night. Though it may help with depression and anxiety, it may also open up a can of worms of other problems later on. Currently still on it and worried about getting off of it. This is my second time on it, taken it for 12 months 2 years ago. M 36 8 days
1/20/2006
 1  Depression, menopause-related Complete loss of sexual function, personality disorder, "brain freeze" (Google for more info); others too numerous to mention (and which I'm trying to forget!) I began The Drug From The Lower Pits Of Hell on the advice of my female OB/GYN who pushed it as something to help me through menopause difficulties. When I told her what it did to me, she insisted it could NOT be the drug, insultingly suggesting it was my imagination. Of course my own research proved her theory patently untrue. I fired her and went back to my previous (male) GP, telling him if he didn't get me off this vile stuff I would hurt myself or someone else. Withdrawal was DANTE'S INFERNO! I suffered a "shredding" of my personality; paranoia to the point of being unable to leave the house; panic attacks; sensory acuteness which made normal life impossible for both me and my poor husband. This went on for 6 months! Do NOT believe the MDs and pharm corp. hype and lies! FLEE!! This stuff is responsible for untold suffering. God's grace alone got me through and back from the edge of suicide and total insanity. I am E-Free for over 2 years now and just getting my ful F 54 8 months
1/12/2006
 1  Depression I was a ZOMBIE! Looked like I could have been in "Night of the Living Dead". Never, never, never again. F 43 7 days
1/11/2006
 2  Anxiety HEADACHES! M 35 2 months
1/9/2006
 5  adult ADD, anxiety withdrawl seems to be rough killed my ADD and my anxiety. i'm happy nearly every day and my entire life has changed. after hearing the horror stories about withdrawl and feeling a little of it, i'm not looking forward to the day i take myself off effexor. M 23 16 months
1/8/2006

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