Effexor for Depression User Reviews (Page 5)

• Button
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 11, 2016

"if you want to try this drug, make sure you're prepared to either stay on it forever or be able to take at least 1 month off from your life to try to get this out of your system. I've been on other psychiatric drugs and I'm all for them. They really help get you through rough episodes, therefore I'm not a scathing anti drug, crunchy all natural person. However, I can say this is one nasty, nasty drug. I feel like I've been dumping poison in my system for the last 2 years. 3 weeks tapering VERY slowly and the room still spins, I can't move my eyes without intense brain zaps, and basically feel like a raging lunatic. If you've tried many other drugs and they haven't worked and this is a last resort then I say go for it, but with caution."

• nynyer
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 19, 2014

"Worked quite well for sometime. Had side effects which were attributed to another medicine I was on at the time. Through trial and error it was discovered the other medicine was not at fault. I was having kidney problems along with frequent edema in my legs and feet. Also constant mucus and tightness in throat. Helped with depression but side effects became serious. Also weight gain. Dr tapered me off this medicine."

• Anonymous
• December 2, 2009

"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. "

• Anonymous
• May 11, 2012

"I was on this medication for about 3 year for depression/anxiety. During the time I took this medication it completely numbed any emotion that a normal person would get. About six months ago I decided that I was ready to discontinue my use of this medication and slowly reduced my doses. Coming down from this was extremely difficult and painful. I would have the craziest/scariest dreams, intense night sweats, severe headaches, uncontrollable body shaking and muscle twitching, some nausea/vomiting, but the worst of all the side effects was when my heart would race so fast it felt like it was going to break out of my chest, and my heart would feel like it was skipping beats, and each time that happened I would get an intense head rush."

• Rachel
• May 2, 2015

"I developed depression when I was 14 after being bullied at school for some time. I decided that I had enough of all the crying and suicidal thoughts just before my 16th. My doctor put me on Zoloft April 2014, which gave me urinary retention. He swapped me to another one which I can't remember the name of, but I had a terrible allergic reaction to it. Finally, I was put on Effexor for 6 months until I was ready to come off them in October 2014. I experienced no depression for a few months, until I became stressed with school. Started Effexor again April 2015, and will continue on it because it works very, very well on me. At first I experienced a little bit of nausea with Effexor, but it passes after a couple of weeks then it's perfect!"

• Cancer...
• September 23, 2014

"Switched from Paxil 20mg to Effexor 75mg. On Paxil I just couldn't lose weight and my insurance wanted me to try an SRNI before they would pay for the newer meds like Brintellix. At first I noticed a decrease in anxiety THEN I went to work!! My job is very stressful and I have to be SPOT on!! First I noticed anxiety returning then that I was clumsy..dropping things! I then started noticing numbness and tingling in my fingers and then waking up with numb arms which would not wake up for up to 7hrs!!! I did some research and noticed that numbness/tingling of the extremities is a side effect for 20% of people taking Effexor. The numbness scared me to death! I immediately went to my Shrink and got off this damn drug! I'm going to Lexapro! Ugh!"

• CPA
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 14, 2015

"I started taking Effexor in 1995. I had GAD with some depression. For some reason, I let the Dr continue prescribing for 12 years, I was only on 75mg and since it worked, I did not want to temp fate. Last year I started to have worse anxiety and went to one of the highly regarded MD's in NYC. He prescribed Remeron and Effexor. Eventually the dose was increased from 75 mg to 300mg. It had no beneficial effects. Worse is getting off of it. I'm now down to 37.5 mgs over the last two weeks. The brain zaps and anxiety are tough. I think this drug should be illegal, The withdrawal effects are awful. I recommend trying something else unless this is your last resort."

• Anna...
• March 3, 2016

"I have tried nearly all anti depressant/anxiety medication and Venlafaxine has been one of the best for me. My mood is more balanced, my sleep is improved and I am more motivated than before starting the medication. The side effect of nausea lasts a short while after taking a dose ( 37.5mg 2 x daily for me) but the overall positive effects are worth while. I found that Venlafaxine has a quicker effect than other SNRI's with fewer side effects."

• LGG
• March 28, 2015

"I had been on Zoloft (50mg/day) for depression for 8 years. Following a major chronic health condition, a medical specialist was concerned the Zoloft was no longer effective. Increasing to 100md/day was disastrous - head spins, dry dry mouth, vertigo - so a psychiatrist recommended Effexor. Initial 75mg/day then 150mg/day after a fortnight. Initially I was unable to orgasm but this lasted only about a month (same when I started Zoloft). Main concern is weird dreams most nights. The only thing I can tie this to is the Effexor. Have been researching online and it seems I'm not the only one. What a relief to discover - I was becoming quite concerned (and irritated). But hey, I feel soooo much better that I can live with it. I'm smiling again."

• Ruine...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 9, 2018

"I took Effexor 150mg. I had the usual sexual side effects associated with antidepressants. Tapered off under my Doctors guidance. My sex drive never returned and that was almost 13 years ago. It basically turned me A-sexual or chemically castrated me."

• stare...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 11, 2012

"I just started taking Effexor last week for depression, anxiety and racing thoughts. Seems to be working, but I noticed some side effects, like dry mouth and nervousness, but not a big issue. It works much better than Zoloft, Celexa and Serzone, which I've taken in the past. So far, so good."

• dowxxpa
• August 1, 2008

"Changed to Effexor XR 75mg about 2 months ago from Celexa 20mg. Having some dizziness and tiredness, maybe not feeling quite myself, so experimentation with the dosage is probably in order. Otherwise no problems. Serious diarrhea side effect from Celexa stopped immediately upon changing treatment. But I am disturbed by some of the comments on this site about withdrawal from this medication. I have had no problem drinking in moderation while on this drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 26, 2019

"Hi, I have been taken Effexor for one year and a half. During my bad experience with medication I really found it the worst medicine had been launched in the market. I really don’t recommend it to anyone. "

• Andil...
• July 7, 2017

"This medication worked for me for a few years for my anxiety, but eventually made me feel worse. When my new doctor recommended tapering me off I had 2 weeks of pure hell. I was fortunate enough not to experience the brain zaps others experienced, but I had diarrhea, suicidal thoughts, terrible migraines, dizziness, couldn't eat, nausea, non stop crying...the list goes on. I was a mess for 2 weeks straight and could barely work. I do not recommend starting this unless you plan to be on it for life. The withdrawal symptoms were not worth it, please try something else. This drug should not be on the market!!"

• Dwarf
• January 18, 2013

"I have been having depression for about 10 years. It took a long time to get the right one. Eventually I was put on Effexor XR. Started from 37.5 then finally 300mg per day. Effexor gave me a lot of side effects but I found it to be very good making me feel myself again. There was only one major problem, I got addicted to GAMBLING even from the day I started with 37.5. I was in major dept. I am now trying other medicines (Seroquel) but I am not the same anymore, very lazy, no motivation. Since I have stopped Effexor I have stopped gambling. And as for the depression, I am on trial with Seroquel. Wish me luck!!"

• N2H4
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2018

"I dreaded taking effexor. It put me into a darker mood, outlook was foggy, nausea, headache, loss of libido, incapacitating loss of motivation and extreme/intolerable drowsiness. I was in an important meeting with engineers and I couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how desperately hard I tried. For me, there was no upside to the medication. It was an entirely negative experience. Had to discontinue and will never take it again. Yikes!"

• Fed...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2018

"I was given a dosage of 75 mg for as month then up to 150 mg. It has been the worst experience I've had with any medication. After 10 weeks my new psychologist has started weaning me off. It will take 4 months in order to avoid the worse effects. Anxiety, suicidal thoughts , headaches, stomach problems.... just a few of my side effects."

• Trisha
• June 15, 2017

"I never had depression in my life. Then I went through a major depression episode 2 years ago. I tried 7 different antidepressants none worked some made me even worse my doctor decided efexor I was very reluctant after reading horror stories about coming off of Efexor well I'm happy to say it worked for year-and-a-half, it had made me better within two weeks of taking it however I started to experience depression while taking it I decided to wean myself off and had no problems coming off of it. I did it slowly and it's been a month with no side effects of coming off this drug saved me from the deep dark hell of depression. Every drug is different from everybody this drug work for me I only took it for a year-and-a-half 37.5 mg."

• Anonymous
• December 6, 2012

"I have been taking this pill for about four months and It was working and I felt a little better, not so many panic attacks but it didn't help as much as I thought. Be careful when going off Effexor, the withdrawals are horrible. Most pain I have ever felt in my head. Do not just stop taking it. Effexor just wasn't the right one for me."

• Jdm
• May 15, 2017

"It Varies with me. At first it was good and helped me kick a 30 year weed habit. But now I feel less motivated and not as functional as when I smoked weed for the same symptoms. Weed worked. And had no side effects."

• Anonymous
• May 19, 2008

"Effexor XR has saved my life twice. The side effect was major weight gain, but, sad as that was, it was worth it after trying several other drugs that did not work. The withdrawal is tough, but done easily if you just keep reducing your dose. The first time I went off of it was cause it was making me depressed again, even at the smallest does. But, 3 or 4 years later, when I once again sunk into a deep depression, it was the only thing that could get me out. I've been on 150 mg one year."

• Madison
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 12, 2015

"Trying Effexor was the worst decision of my life. I was on Celexa for about a year and noticed it becoming less and less effective so I talked with my doctor and he convinced me to try Effexor. The first few months I experienced nightmares, cold sweats, grogginess, lack of motivation, and memory loss. After 6 months I wasn't even the same person anymore. I had no emotion, no sex drive, and completely lost all hope. The only reason I stayed on it was because I knew the withdrawal was so miserable. A couple months ago I had an incident where I attempted suicide and had no choice but to switch medications. It took me about a month to get off the Effexor and the withdrawal was absolute misery. Please, if you have a choice do NOT try Effexor."

• AppleTo
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 4, 2023

"I was on 150mg of Effexor for anxiety, depression, and ADHD for 8 months. It was great at first. I no longer woke up at dawn with anxiety attacks and could finally go to work, also helped my anxiety when starting Ritalin. After a while I started to feel very unmotivated, and just numb, and no emotions. My sex drive went away, which before was super high, and I also couldn't orgasm and if I did it felt not as great. I stopped this medication because after missing just one dose I had terrible vertigo to the point where I couldn't even stand without feeling like I was going to fall or throw up. I also got nausea and anxiety, along with tremendous fatigue, and brain zaps which I despise so much. Weaning off this medication now and honestly it's torture."

• XmyXo...
• October 11, 2011

"One of the best medications I have taken for depression, one warning is do not run out of this medication, because you will experience terrible withdrawals, and when you re-take it the nausea is terrible. If I can stay on this medicine for a long time, I will be happy, never had better control of my depression than I do on Effexor."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2015

"I was switched from Prozac to this (150mg) and it is amazing! It really helped me but I will say DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE IT! my side effects of missing one day were these really weird dreams and horrible headache but if I was off of it for more than a day I felt super dizzy."