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 |
| 2 | Depression and Anxiety | Over the course of months I gained 20 pounds, tried to get off the meds 3 times had had such awful side effects, electric shocks through body, blurred vision, major headaches. | Discountinuation of this drug is like going on a detox, it was horrible. Finally off of it for 2 weeks now and starting to feel more like myself | F | 35 | 1 years | 3/20/2005 | 3 | Depression | Was great, except for one thing that's very important to me: sex drive. So I'm now taking very little effexor w/wellbutrin, which is supposed to counter that effect. | It would be perfect except for that unfortunate side effect. And ween off if you chose, but verrry slowly. Withdrawl is horrible. | F | 35 | 6 months | 3/18/2005 | 1 | OCD, Depression | TERRIBLE withdrawal effects. If I miss one dose, or don't take around the same time every day, or try and taper off, I get terrible brain shivers, a hissing sound in my head, vision moves, terrible sweating, and awful nightmares. Don't bother starting this drug as there are other alternatives. | Stay away from this drug!! | F | 26 | 3 years | 3/18/2005 | 3 | Depression and Anxiety | Numbness in the arms and legs on a constant basis, headaches, insomnia, dry mouth, hunger | I will be glad to go off this drug as it was okay at the start and then gradually it became apparent I had a lot of side effects, no sexual desire, no motivation and no great desire to do much at all. I have reduced my dosage down to half of 75mg and now will be attending CBT to help to get myself together. I should of done the CBT before even considering this drug | F | 42 | 1 days | 3/12/2005 | 2 | Depression and GAD | Effexor XR always worked for me very well. After trying it again at 75mg a day for a third time, I have experienced multiple ER visits due to chest pain, heart fluttering, and pulse rates of 160bpm, as well as heart palpitations something FIERCE! Nausea in the beginning, passed, little if any weight gain, insomnia in the beginning, but the anxiety I experienced this time around almost killed me. Panic Mode FULL FORCE! I stopped it today. (March 11, 2004) | Not sure why Effexor XR didn't work for me this time around, it always made my life fantastic, bearable, helped me through CBT, and helped my social anxiety, helped me to at least function. It helped me tremendously with depression AND anxiety a few years ago, but this time around, it is one antidepressant I will NEVER take again, the heart palpitations/anxiety/speeding pulse rate scared the living daylights out of me and I have been taking Effexor XR for 3 months at 75mg a day. More power to those who can and are tolerating Effexor XR, just not the med for me any longer. Best wishes everyone. | F | 34 | 3 months | 3/11/2005 | 1 | Depression, mild anxiety | While on--weight gain, vertigo, hand tremors, loss of eye focus, strange dreams, disconnected upon awakening, lethargic, tired all the time, Brain Shocks--like seizures--similar to others described above. While weaning off--headaches, vertigo (happened before if I missed a dose...not so bad in weaning), and possible increase in heart rate. | Sooo many things wrong with this med--and I'm just now putting it together that they all have to do with Effexor. As you can see I had a lot of issues, so I'll talk about the more unusual or severe ones. My hands would almost constantly shake. It got to the point where I would hardly notice it, but strangers would comment on it! I would also wake up feeling like I was | F | 30 | 1 years | 3/10/2005 | 2 | generalized anxiety disorder | Inability to have an orgasm; not able to wake up; still had anxiety attacks; nightmares; TERRIBLE withdrawl symptoms | When I first started on this drug the first day I felt high but that went away. The pill worked a little with my mood swings and I don't deny that it helps but I still continued to have the anxiety attacks which was a problem to begin with. The only way I could get up for school was when someone physically woke me up so I was late ALOT! I had really bad vivid dreams. If I missed a day I felt terrible, crying, anger, etc. If I missed 2 days you might as well not even talk to me. I became lightheaded and almost passed out, moods were so unstable. Couldn't have an orgasm during sex. When I got off the medicine it took 2 months to get to normal. Mood swings were terrible. My mother begged me to go back on it! I don't know about this pill? | F | 20 | 1 years | 3/9/2005 | 5 | bipolar/severe depression | i have taken the drug ecstacy maybe 6 times in my life (went on effexor 2 yrs after last time) & taking effexor at 75mgs & up produces mock-ecstacy effects including: dilated pupils, dry mouth, overwhelming feeling of well being, constant yawning/ear popping (also w/ paxil) some nausea, light buzz of a headache, some restlessness. This feeling has been confirmed by only those who i know who have taken ecstacy previously in their lives; weird pharmacokinetics. No probs with memory or orgasm, except i just dont feel like having sex. I never saw that as a side effect, and it hasnt subsided, so im fine with it; less distracted that way :) | I have bipolar (dont know what type) with frequent severe depressive episodes, general anxiety, and adult ADD (what a fun person i am). I bite my cuticles & the skin around my fingers until it bleeds, my fingers are constantly red, swollen, bleeding, & scarred from constant chewing/iiritation. My doctor says that is OCD but i don't think so, i do it when im scared or nervous but not all the time. nonetheless, i love this drug. i guarantee anyone that if i had not ever been placed on this drug, i would have committed suicide, thats how bad it was. Ive tried to take paxil, buspar, zoloft, prozac, even haldol at one point & geodon (the drug they gave to the creators of alice in wonderland). Geodon and haldol, since they are used as antipsychotics, helped me too, but i was in an emotional coma (literally) on them. With effexor, everything seems better and brighter; there's a good spin on the world. not that i don't get sad, but i am more rational with respect to how i feel and how i react to my feelings. I'm able to calm myself down and justify my feelings without them getting all out of control. I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a nutcase, but i felt like a normal person for the first time. it shocked me to believe that there are people out there who do not have access to these meds & have to deal with the kinds of feeling I had to deal with. I am now able to think before i feel. I am more able to cope with my impulses and negative thoughts. The kinds of doors, with respect to ability, that this drug has opened for me are just phenomenal. The effexor is the only thing which has helped for my fingers, although they are not cured. Also taking effexor for ADD, which has helped tremendously in combination with Adderall. Withdrawal is a bitch; i accidentally had to when i couldnt obtain a prescription. Within 10 days of coming off of it, i was in bed crying, a hermit, wouldnt leave the house, everything just seemed so horrible; life wasnt worth living for anything. Unfortunatley, i could easily see someone like me committing suicide after coming off of it cold turkey. its like hitting an emotional brick wall at 60mph. But otherwise, its what has kept me alive. | F | 23 | 1 years | 3/8/2005 | 4 | Strong desire for junk food in the beginning, along with insomnia for the first week, and low appetite, not too sleeping well (better than Wellbutrin though), breaking out (acne/zits), maybe slight weight gain. But all in all, most of them went away in first couple weeks except for the acne and dry, flakey skin. Better side effects than any other med I tried (Wellbutrin, Paxil, empower-herbal stuff) | Helps with anxiety, but can't say it's cured my issues/depression. Still, better than the others I tried. Can't say I like being on it, but felt like I just couldn't stand the constant bouncing from anxiety to depression and finally went back on it. This is my second time on it, and the first time I was on it for a year and a half. Yup, still got issues, still in therapy, still trying. Effexor isn't a cure-all, but I guess it's better than nothing. | F | 29 | 2 weeks | 3/8/2005 | 2 | anxiety | I have anxiety around my health, so the side effects of Effexor really suck. I have had muscle pain in the large muscles of my arms; kind of a burn like after lifting weights and maxing out your muscular capacity. I've also had an unpleasant tremoring in my hands. Also some of the other SSRI side effects, like dry mouth, yawning, insomnia, etc. Fortunately the sexual side effects have been minimal. I've heard that this is a fairly miraculous drug for SOME people who are dealing with anxiety, but I'd really caution people to be wary if your doc throws a free sample at you. I'm weaning myself off very carefully with the help of my doc and naturopath because of the possible withdrawal effects. Look drugs up on sites OTHER than those of the pharmaceutical companies so you can get a balanced view of what you're dealing with. And most important, if you begin having side effects that freak you out, be very careful how you quit taking this drug! My best wishes to all of you (us) who are dealing with anxiety, depression, etc. | CAVEAT EMPTOR! Do your research ahead of time before you try Effexor. Ask around from a variety of sources. You may have a lot of trust in your doctor, but it really pays to do some research on your own as well, including websites OTHER than those of the big pharmaceutical companies. GOOD LUCK! | M | 34 | 45 days | 3/8/2005 | 1 | Depression | Prior to taking effexor I was depressed but functionable. On this medication my general mood & outlook improved slightly however not enough to recommend this medication. I have spent the last 3.5 years with no ambition or drive for life or sex. This medication is evil, the effects I have experienced trying to get off it are a nightmare. This is the 4th time I have tried to get off this medication and it is unbearable. My entire body experiences zaps, suicidal thoughts are very high, I can't put into words the feelings I am having. NOTHING is worth this, I would never ever ever recommend this drug. | F | 25 | 3.5 years | 3/7/2005 | 5 | Depression Disorder | Initially I felt like my jaw was rigid...strange but true. Not much else other than that. | I was on this for 7 years and it worked great for me. I had episodes of depression over my lifetime and finally went on this med. I started to wean off it for financial reasons recently and then was tired a lot. Had a family history and thought that maybe I should try something else and asked to be switched to Wellbutrin after weaning off Effexor once I had insurance back. DID NOT WORK...Misunderstood that the family member was on Wellbutrin AND Effexor. I was on Wellbutrin for 1 month and CRASHED hard. Can't eat, sleep or work. Have added the Effexor back as a small dose until I get to Psych Dr to get regulated. If this works for you DO NOT GO OFF OF IT. For me, I misunderstood needing an increase for it not working. I am in a living hell and waiting for the next few hours until I get to someone who knows what they are doing. Do not think that counseling is the answer. If you have a chemcial imbalance and this works for you STICK WITH IT. I will never go off again and am just hoping I did not screw myself up and I don't respond to it it as well. I had been depression free since I started it and can't believe I was dumb enough to try to go off of it. If this helps just one person that is thinking of going off of it, it is worth posting. Don't feel bad about taking it or worry about the long term effects, it is better than dealing with the nightmare of depression. | F | 37 | 7 years | 3/1/2005 | 1 | Panic attacks/depression | Constant sweating, impotence, stomach problems, fatigue, weight gain. | Switched to this after taking Paxil for 1 year with diminishing results-the side effects were worse than the panic attacks. Am 4 days off of it, and am still experiencing impotence and sweating-sucks. Don't bother if you have other options, this cure is worse than the disease. | M | 34 | 6 weeks | 2/28/2005 | 4 | Generalized axiety, OCD, insomnia | Dry mouth during first couple of weeks, mild drowsiness, vivid dreams in the beginning of treatment, increased appetite. | Never had difficulty maintaining ideal weight until beginning the Effexor XR. Began gaining weight immediately and have had difficulty keeping weight off even with exercise. | F | 36 | 5 years | 2/27/2005 | 1 | chronic depression | I GAINED THIRTY FIVE POUNDS IN A FREAKIN' YEAR! To someone who was depressed over her body, that didnt help things. It did nothing for my depression, I continued to be suicidal, withdrawn, and continued with self mutilation. | GETTING OFF THE DRUG IS HELL. NEVER GO ON IT! Ive been trying to get off for 3 months. I finally got down to the lowest dose and have taken none for the past 5 days. I am nauseated, dizzy, hot, cold, swollen, moody, I cry all the time, its HELL. NEVER DO IT! I am so angry that my doctor put me on this, I am in hell. | F | 24 | 1.5 years | 2/25/2005 | 5 | major depressive disorder | none | I tried combinations of Paxil, Buspar, Neurontin before being treated with Effexor XR. It worked for me. Now I am supposed to start tapering down. I hear that the withdrawal is HELL. I will accept and deal with it. I am prepared for the flu symptoms. The flu symptoms are worth the ability Effexor gave me to get stable enough to get the cognitive mental health therapy I needed. | F | 42 | 7 years | 2/24/2005 | 4 | Depression, Anxiety | In the beginning mostly nausea and dizziness. Throughout major sexual side effects, no sex drive or orgasm, except when orgasmed in sleep due to intense dreams. Minor weight gain. Now tapering off of it, the most horrible feeling ever. | It works very well. The withdrawl is hell. Takes forever tapering off. Nausea, dizziness, brain shakes, body shakes paranoia, depression, sleeping all the time, crying, rage. | F | 20 | 5 years | 2/23/2005 | 5 | tremors | M | 44 years | 2/21/2005 | 3 | 1 yr | fatigue, weight gain | F | 37 | | 2/21/2005 | 5 | Severe Depression | Blurry vision for a few days, drowsiness until I started taking it at night, difficulty having orgasm, which lessened over time. | F | 53 | 8 years | 2/19/2005 |