The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care.
Sort by:
Reviews for Effexor to treat Anxiety and Stress
Anonymous user said:
User Rating:
9.0
This medicine works very well with me for my mood swings but I have never taken any other drug for mood swings before, but so far so good and the only thing that I can say about side effects is if I forget to take it I feel sick to my stomach and I do become a little agitated but once I take it I am better within in 5 to 10 minutes. Also mixing a pain pill such as Vicodin seems to counteract with the Effexor because it has made me very very irritable. Otherwise as a drug for mood swings and anxiety it works great!
2 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
I have been on Effexor XR for approximately 7 years now. I was started off at 75mg and have since been raised to 225mg over the years. I have had good results on this medication. One downfall is the terrible withdrawals that I experience if I miss a dose. These effects happen within the first couple of hours of not taking it. Terrible headache, foggy feeling, and extreme eye sensitivity. Within a day of a skipped dose I become agitated, argumentative, and defiant. I do not look forward to switching from this medicine to a different one, which my doctor has suggested, due to the withdrawal symptoms.
2 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
This medication helped me with panic attacks but my anxiety was still pretty prevalent even at 150mg a day. In addition, it caused uncomfortable side effects of excessive sweaty, especially at night which would wake me although I used to be a person who could sleep through a thunderstorm. I also began having severe gastrointestinal problems which lasted for months before I switched to a different medication. We'll see how it goes.
0 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
Whilst it helped me, it was hard to discontinue. I have tried several times to come off it without success. The withdrawal symptoms even with a gradual lower dose, are horrific. I now have to decide whether or not to stay on this drug at maintenance level (37.5 mg) for the rest of my life or go to bed and try to sleep for at least a month whilst my body learns to live without it.
3 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
I had suffered from extreme anxiety and depression for a few years and countless prescribed anti-depressants prior to trying Effexor. I suffered anxiety so bad that it was hard to do daily tasks such as driving and going to the grocery store. I went through countless jobs because a panic attack would strike at work and I would have to rush out of the situation and never return because the fear of it happening again would haunt me. The very first day being on Effexor, I felt like a different person. For the first time in years, I wanted to venture out into the world and be around people. After a week of being on 75 mg, I landed a job and now, two years later I am still symptom free and off the medicines. I give this medicine a big 10!
9 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
Effexor has helped me more than other antidepressants I've taken. I have severe depression and take 75 mg twice a day. On occasion, my doctor increased the dose to 75 mg 3 x day.
2 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
I've been taking 25mg twice a day for about 6 weeks and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. I feel normal and competent for the first time in years. Prozac and Celexa both gave me such bad dreams that I had to discontinue them. That being said, I consider my anxiety and depression to be largely situational and temporary, and I hope eventually to be drug-free.
7 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
I started taking Effexor XR 4 months ago. My entire life I've struggled with anxiety. I have gone to cognitive behavioral therapy to help me change my responses to anxiety producing situations, all to know avail. I never wanted to take medication as I thought only weak people do that. About 2 months prior to taking Effexor XR I began having panic attacks so severe I felt as though I was going to die. I couldn't function and became depressed. As a last resort I decided to try medication. I take one 75mg capsule every morning. Please note, the 1st 2 weeks were misery - I could barely lift my head or body, I had neck pain and slept constantly and still had anxiety. I stuck it out and haven't had an anxiety or panic attack since then.
29 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
I have been on Effexor for over a year and my dosage has been 37.5mg daily. The drug has worked wonders for me but I have had some side effects of sweating, strange dreams and dizziness when I forget to take it.
20 user(s) found this comment helpful. Did you?YesNo
lorganized said: 
