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 | severe depression | (1) 75 mg pill gave me relief from depression for years. I felt the med wasn't working anymore & my Dr added 50 mg Wellbutrin. This made a huge difference! The biggest problem is sexual interest & difficulty reaching orgasm. Weight gain. | Don't quit cold turkey! I suffered from what I called a sloshy feeling in my brain (aka brain shivers), nausea, light sensitivity, I thought I was going crazy! I finally found info on the web, went back on the meds & felt better the next day. | F | 37 | 4 years | 11/14/2004 | 3 | i was in deep depression | When i started taking the drug, i was tired,very groggy, bumping into walls, dry in the mouth.That lasted about a week. | Effexor did help, i was so depressed for months, then 2 weeks into taking the drug, i started to function again.I believe if i had of gone to counselling during the first few months on this drug, i then could of weaned off six months later.I was on this drug for three years as i couldnt stand the side effects when trying to come off.Also just having a few wines at a dinner or an odd occasional drink,would send me off the planet.I have now been off this drug for four months and i feel better then i have ever felt, as i think going from 75 mg to 150mg i still had moments of depression, and i wanted to cope with that, as that is a normal thing to feel at times.Saying that i was on the drug for a marriage breakdown, so i would advise other people to get doctors advice first before coming off.Over the 3 years i was taking effexor i gained 20 kilos, i went fom 60kilos to 81kilos, the first 10mths, is when i noticed the weight piling on, and i didnt eat anymore then usual, i ate healthy foods, my colesteral went from 4 to 6, so this was also a major decision for coming off the drug.The side effects were horrific, the first day of missing a tablet, i was dizzy nauseous,had a weird pulse through my body, as if your heartbeat would miss a beat, then go thump.Had terrifying nightmares,night sweats, and brain saps where it sounded like a loud swish go through your head, this was constant for about 7 to 10 days.The first 4 days being the worst, and having to take time off work as there was no way i could of coped with these feelings, but laying down and trying to get through the best way.I did go cold turkey as i had tryed the weaning before hand, for a fortnight and feelings were just as bad, so im glad i went cold turkey and just got the drug out of my system.If i knew now what that drug was about, i wouldnt of gone on it, as i have since heard other drugs arn't as severe. | F | 38 | 3 years | 11/13/2004 | 5 | Depression | Hot flashes | I'm trying to come off the drug and I slowly lowered my doses, but the side effects suck. I've had the runs, dizzy, sweating, cold, skin crawling... just to name a few. Its been about a week with no medication and the effects are all still there. God.. I hope I never have to take this again. I'd rather take illegal drugs than have to deal with slowly coming off effexor. | F | 35 | 2 years | 11/12/2004 | 1 | depression (situational? hormonal?) | For the first couple of days lots of difficult side effects, but those eased. On my maintenance dose of 75 mg: weight gain (15 lbs in 2 months), difficulty achieving orgasm (never a problem before), unusually deep and long sleep, weakened vision. None of these seemed overly significant. | Withdrawal effects began within 4 hours of skipping a dose. Eight hours after missing a dose, the effects were violent: drenching sweat, blinding headache, motor-visual impairment, and, worst, violent spasmodic vomiting--violent enough to make me bellow and pee my pants with each spasm, ending with dry heaves, staggering. Withdrawal symptoms subsided within an hour of taking dose. Three separate times I went through this scenario; first two times I thought it was food poisoning. Third time it was unmistakably the missed dose (I was fasting). Since that last time, in September, I've been weaning myself successfully on my own schedule: I open the XR capsule and take out 5 (initially) or 10 (when I felt ready) more granules each day, stepping it down day by day. There are approximately 200 granules in a 75 mg capsule. Tomorrow should be my last day: yay! I've had virtually no withdrawal symptoms doing it this way. I'm also supporting withdrawal by taking good vitamins, extra B vites, extra C, l-glutamine, milk thistle, sometimes Emergen-C, and an herbal compound I've used before when physically stressed (Wellness Formula by Source Naturals). Also doing yoga. It seems to be working for me. No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever so far. | F | 50 | 7 months | 11/11/2004 | 3 | lactation/sleepy. | after taken effxor 150 mg for one year prolactin level is up. | M | 37 | 13 months | 11/10/2004 | 1 | depression | Headaches, fatigue, emotional numbness | I had very severe withdrawl symptoms when discontinuing Effexor. Be careful and don't do it on your own - my dr. gave me a few doses of Prozac which helped me get off the Effexor. | F | 23 | 8 months | 11/8/2004 | 5 | anxiety/depression | Oh man.. This is a miracle drug, im on 150mg for about 5 months now, and it changed me completly, i feel so good about myself!!! i cant belive it. Its like changing to a new refreshed happy brain :P the only thing i hate about it is having sex side effects, dont get me wrong but some times i cant get an errection, but if i do sex has never been better lol. | M | 25 | | 11/6/2004 | 1 | anxiety | nervous, shaking,mad,sleepy,insomnia,munchies,trembling,nausea | i took one pill , scared to take second that was 37.5mg.i havent took pill 2 and its 30hrs later and half a beer later | F | 35 | 2 days | 11/6/2004 | 5 | depression/ bulimia/ ptsd/ adhd | extreme constipation and flatulence (requires stool softener), freaky dreams & night sweats (when I'm stressed in every day life), sweating during the day for no reason or after light exercise (which is extremely unpleasant) | I've found over the years that different doses influence me differently (300 makes me really tired, but higher doses don't), the sweating and constipation are annoying, but without effexor I'm extremely suicidal and my bulimia worsens. I've tried several times to come off of Effexor, but eventually went back up to the higher dose again. With Effexor I'm functional, but without it I'm not. | F | 26 | 5 years | 11/5/2004 | 5 | Major depression | Initially I experienced: dry mouth, nausea, loss of appetite, freaky dreams, was drenched with sweat day/night, constipation, flatulence & belching. But compared to being in rolled up into the fetal position, unable to work & unable to enjoy any aspect of my life, these were an abosolute walk in the park! | I have been taking Effexor XR for 3 years & am taking 450mg a day so that I can function as a wife, mother & now a counsellor to others. My advice to others taking this medication is, | F | 34 | 3 years | 11/5/2004 | 5 | Anxiety | The first few nights I had a difficult time falling asleep. Other than that I had no side effects.It helped my anxiety greatly and allowed me to live a normal life again. I only went up to 75 mg of xr. | I need to currently come off of the effexor and am very scared at what other people are saying about withdrawal. I am currently at about 37.5mg and if anyone who has had success is weening off could possibly email me with their ways of getting through I would appreciate it. | M | 30 | 5 months | 11/4/2004 | 4 | anxiety and depression | loss of appetite | I started at 37.5mg the first week then went up to 75mg and immediatly started to feel better. I feel better but I still havnt noticed any change in my energy or anxiety but the doctor said it could take a few weeks before I would get the full effects but Im really happy with the results so far. Ive taken several anti depressants and this is the only one that has done anything for me, I just hope it doesnt wear off. | F | 34 | 3 weeks | 11/4/2004 | 5 | Anxiety Attacks/Depression | Nausea, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, weight loss, mental confusion with alcohol | Started at 37.5mg, upped to 75mg, where my sex drive really tanked and I had the worst side effects. Whenver I would have a glass of wine, just one even, I would black out and say things to people that made no sense ( | F | 24 | 27 months | 11/3/2004 | 5 | Anxiety Attacks/Depression | Nausea, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, weight loss, mental confusion with alcohol, night sweats | Started at 37.5mg, upped to 75mg, where my sex drive really tanked and I had the worst side effects. Whenver I would have a glass of wine, just one even, I would black out and say things to people that made no sense ( | F | 24 | 27 months | 11/3/2004 | 4 | depression | I had dry mouth and minor nausea and lightheadedness for a few hours after taking the pill each morning. These were not troublesome (beats feeling depressed), and did go away after a few weeks. | I have been on it for 1 1/2 years with no problems. I advise anyone taking an antidepressant not to stop taking their medication abruptly, and to do it with their doctor's advice, to avoid side effects from discontinuating the medication. | F | 46 | 1.5 years | 11/2/2004 | 3 | Depression and Anxiety | Reduced appetite and moderate weight loss during initial few months. Problems stemmed mainly from inability to discontinue use. Missed dose triggered brain shock feeling. | Worked great but am now drug dependent. It can be difficult to get off of this drug. | M | 39 | 1.5 years | 11/2/2004 | 3 | depression and anxiety | small rash and loss of appetite. | Felt a bit of a boost for a couple of days but it seems to have stopped,but Ive only been on it for a couple of weeks now. | F | 34 | 2 weeks | 11/2/2004 | 2 | anxiety depression | exsessive sleeping, extreme appetite shifts, extreme sexual supressant, anxiety happens less often, but when it does happen it's worse and sometimes has physical symptoms (headaches, stomach aches, ect), liver damage, mood is more neutral, depression is less of a problem. Drug worked the best when I was first on it. | I first started taking Effexor at 75mg a day, when I was 12. It has gone up to a high of 225mg a day, and I am currently trying to get off the drug and I am at 175mg a day. | F | 17 | 5 years | 11/1/2004 | 5 | Anxiety, depression | Inability to achieve orgasm, nausea, sleepiness, yawning, dry mouth. These symptoms decreased significantly over 6 months. After one year of taking Effexor, I still get night sweats and very vivid dreams, but it beats not being able to sleep or waking up in a panic. Still feel like sleeping too much if given the opportunity, but perfectly capable of operating on 8 hours sleep a night. Some weight loss at the beginning, but back to normal in a few months. Have not cried in over a year, which is a little weird - definitely deadens some emotions, but it's worth it. | Effexor has been very successful for me. It is wonderful to live life with less intensity - less anger, worry, sadness. It's nice not to obsess over things, and to just enjoy life as it comes. I have less drive, but I'm more successful at the things that I do choose to focus on. This is a great feeling for a former perfectionist. | F | 35 | 16 months | 10/31/2004 | 1 | hot flashes | anemia, rash, fuzzy brain, vivid dreams, fatigue | Withdrawal is terrible even if tapered off over 2 month period, and I was only taking 75 MG a day. Patients should be warned about this before taking medication. | M | 63 | 1 years | 10/31/2004 |