User Reviews for Effexor

I took Effexor for 10 years. I came off very slowly, no withdrawal. I cut by 1/3 of dose every 2 weeks until I got to 75mg. Then slowed it down. I counted pellets in the caps. 75mg divided by 1/4 of new dosage/2wks 56,42,31,23,17,12,9mg,off. If head tingles come down even slower.

Effexor is awesome for depression.

Good but created impotence.

After taking many antidepressants with temporary satisfaction and happiness for a few months, I decided to try Effexor for almost a year. It worked good for my anxiety and anger issues but not for my depression (It had the usual mild side effects like weight gain). Now I'm back on Lexapro (as this and Cymbalta worked best for me). To all: Don't be alarmed from all the horror stories of Effexor withdrawal. I weaned off with no worse discontinue symptoms then other medicines! As a matter of fact, I love the electric brain zaps! LOL.

I feel so much better reading all the feed back. I am in the pits of despair from my 2 month break from Effexor. For 7 so years I have been on 75-150mg. My life was saved thanks to this medicine. Tried everything. But after seeing some friends get pregnant and lose it due to stopping medicines, I thought I'd ween myself off to see if I was "cured". No luck, I feel like things were really good for a month or so, but now can hardly work and feel anti social. I need to get back on asap, although I never was really happy with the sexual numbness and sweating. It was good to give it a shot but I will need to be on Effexor for life.

I started Effexor after the birth of my first child due to post-partum depression. I have never been severely depressed prior to this. My doctor first prescribed Zoloft which did not help at all. After two weeks, I was put on Effexor and started feeling better within a few days. The only side effect that I ever noticed was having no sex drive at all. I stopped taking it after a year (I tapered so I did not notice any withdrawal symptoms everyone talks about) and was recently put back on it due to some family issues pushing me back into a depression. The first few days are rough but I've been on it for a week now and I do feel a difference. My anxiety and mood has improved and I can actually function. This medicine works great for me.

I was first prescribed Effexor 13 years ago and was taking 225 mg. I was on it for a few years and stopped taking when I was pregnant with my first child. I was put on Paxil (gained so much weight) and then Zoloft. I took the Zoloft off and on for years until it just wasn't working for me anymore. I was then put on Welbutrin while still taking 25mg of Zoloft. I quit smoking (had no desire to smoke) but then became suicidal. My doctor then put me back on Effexor and I currently only take 75 mg. I feel amazing. Yeah the side effects are bad, I've gained weight (lost weight the first time I was on it), have sexual side effects, and get quite shaky/jittery if I'm late on a dose. But I'm finally the mom I've always wanted to be.

I was on Effexor XR for almost a year. I started out on 75 mg a day, and it slowly progressed to 300 mg per day. I was 16, and weighed 105 pounds, while my 300 lb grandfather was only on 75 mg. While it helped with the depression (no suicidal ideas, not sleeping all day, etc.) it aggravated my moods. I had manic episodes that I would not remember, hallucinations, trouble sleeping, and when I did get depressed, it was very severe. The worst part was the withdrawal. It made me feel like I had the flu, and had been hit by a train. I ended up weaning myself off of it, with the help of 25 mg of Benadryl twice a day (it cut down on the nausea). I am now about to start Cymbalta, and I hope that it is a better experience.

I was given Effexor XR for depression. I had the usual side effects at first dizziness, nauseous, weird dreams and tingly. I was able to beat most of these by taking the medication at the same time every night. The down side was if I was late by a few hours taking it the dreams and tingly feeling returned bad. I was started on 75mg and that worked for a few months then the dosage was upped to 150mg. This worked for a few months as well then I hit rock bottom again and the dosage was upped again to 225mg unfortunately this only worked for a few months. A year after this I was given it again this time it only worked for a couple weeks. This was not the medicine for me.

I am into day 4 of taking Effexor. I have been extremely nauseous, dizzy and sweaty. I can barely eat and have lost water weight. Mood is great otherwise. I am told the nausea goes away.

I've never been so happy in my life. It's not a fake, life is strangely perfect happiness. It's not the "I'm in my head, three feet away from everything and no one knows me" feeling I've gotten from previous antidepressants. I feel balanced and for the first time in my life (I'm 28, female) feel like I am actually coming from a well-grounded place. As others have said, when a dose is late or missed, the effects are pretty awful. The longer I've been on it though they are getting less intense. The first few times I was late, I became very quickly, extremely depressed, lethargic, dizzy, nauseous and irritable. I was having shooting lightening like feelings in my brain that would cause me to stop dead in my tracks and look pretty crazy.

Initially helped with lethargy and apathy, never got over 150 mg or 3 months, began having electric shock like feelings, tingling. Had to discontinue.

I began taking Effexor after coming off of Paxil. I did not like the weight gain and sexual side effects from the Paxil. The Effexor does not do either of those to me even though I have heard some people complain about it. It has also vastly improved my mood and depression. I have been using it combined with Depakote for the past few months and I feel much better then I have in years. My current dose is 150mg a day.

I was prescribed Effexor after a major depressive episode and being diagnosed with general depressive disorder. I started at 75 mg of the XR and a few weeks later increased to 150. I can't even tell you how much better I felt. I know that some people have problems with this medication, but that's how it is with any anti-depressant. The only side effect I had was increased sweating, which was annoying, but was definitely outweighed by the positive effects. The only issue I had with this medication was a decrease in effectiveness over time. Eventually I had the dosage raised to 225 mg and I stayed with that dosage for a year and haven't had any problems.

I was happy to find that there is a way out of my deep depression, however it was a state I do not want to be in ever again. The thought that there is a way out of my feelings if ever they should occur again, helps me a lot.

I'm 15 and I just started this. So far I've gotten nauseous and I feel very tingly especially in my head and hot and sweaty.

This drug didn't do anything for the first 3 weeks (as expected), but once it started working I felt like a new person. After only a few weeks these effects went away and my life started to feel extremely blend. I figured I would rather experience ups and downs than a blend feeling all the time and stopped the drug with no trouble after 2.5 months.

I have had to take this medication for years. Not because I need to but because of the withdrawal symptoms. My doctor and I have been working on this for so long. My doctor even said it's too bad we didn't know then what we know now, he would have prescribed me anything but this.

This medicine worked great for the first 3 or 4 years but now I am not feeling as well and am taking 300 mg per day.

Have dealt with GAD anxiety most my life. Started taking Effexor for a Major Depression episode. Doctor stared me slow. 33 mg for 4 weeks, then 75 mg for 3 weeks, then 108 mg for 2 weeks and finally 150 mg. Been on 150 mg about 6 months, some side effects along the way. Just basically feeling "weird" was the worst side effect. Wanted to quit many times along the way, but stuck with it. It doesn't work overnight. Sexual side effect is hard to have a orgasm, but I can deal that if I feel better. Depression is NO fun. Good Luck All. Tomorrow's always can be a better day. GOD Bless.

I was told to take Effexor Rx at the age of 14/15 when I responded horrible to other anti-depressants. I am now 19 and am extremely satisfied with the results of this drug. I rated it a 8 out of 10 because the dosage can be tricky. GO TO A MEDICAL DOCTOR when confused about dosage regarding season changes, how it interacts with other drugs, or when discontinuing use! I have read numerous blogs about the horrible withdrawal effects - tell a medical doctor. They know how to fix this.

I just started a few weeks ago and it has helped stabilize my mood, give me energy. Not noticing any major side effects. I've had some headaches, some light nausea and some crazy dreams. But I've always had crazy dreams. Other medications gave me much worse side effects. Effexor seems to be working for me. My daughter says that I'm "funny" again. I love that!

I've been on Effexor now for 2 years after trying Prozac and Celexa (which both had awful side effects). My dose ranged from 37.5 to 112.5. I am now at a point in my life where I feel like I can break through my depression and get off these drugs. I want to start having kids and Effexor is very anti-baby. Today is day 5 and the only thing I have noticed is all I want to do is sleep and I have cried every single day since lowering my dose. I still feel like it is worth it to get off them though. They had only minor side effects such as lowered sex drive and nauseous if you don't eat but I feel like I can find a more natural way to feel better! Good luck to everyone out there, it's hard but you can do it!

It saved me from committing suicide. Never thought there would be a drug that could help me since I tried many antidepressants and all didn't work. Was extremely suicidal and overnight after taking Effexor XR, my thinking and feelings changed. It saved my life.

I gave this a high score because I got lucky. I went for years struggling with depression, weary of Big Pharma, self-medicating. Finally a friend took me to a doctor. The first drug she prescribed was Effexxor. I was prescribed the 75mg capsules. I found it to be too much for me, so I take one every other day. The only side effects I feel are from withdrawals if I skip a few days, and 'ditziness' if you will. Other than that, managing my depression has changed my life. My weight has even dropped because I used to self medicate with food. I do recommend taking only the lowest dose possible for your symptoms. I am not a big fan of prescription drugs, but this was a lifesaver for me.