User Reviews for Effexor XR

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: It gave me my life back. I would have panic attacks that lasted for hours, always anxious, work was crippling. After one year no side effects. Now I feel normal, confident - it's something I've waited on for 26 years!

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Social Anxiety Disorder: I take 300 mg of time released effexor, a day and it has changed my life 100% It has helped me to not worry about rejection if things don't go right and to give a speach in front of a audiance had always been frightning as well as any crowds with others. Or being preccupied with possible rejection every minute. I did not relize how much joy of life i was misssing,

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Hot Flashes: I have been suffering with hot flushes and insomnia since I entered menopause. I have been miserable until a friend who suffers the same told me she was on Effexor with great success. I am on the lowest dose (37.5) and my hot flashes have decreased by at least 80% and I am sleeping at least 5 hours a night now. I have just started taking it so I hope this isn't just a honeymoon period. I recommend any menopausal woman suffering with symptoms to give it a try. I had no idea this was a cure.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: I went from being to severely depressed and so lethargic I couldn't get out of bed, to taking the lowest dose of Effexor and suddenly having more energy than I knew what to do with.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Panic Disorder: I had crippling anxiety. I couldn't even make it to the grocrey store some days.... I have been on Paxil and Lexapro prior to taking Effexor. Effexor has changed my life and made me feel like my self again. Ihave been taking it for about 7months now and I have had no side effects except that I have had a few vivid dreams. These are happy dreams but I can remember EVERY detail when I normally do not remember dreaming at all.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: This drug has been a miracle for me. I've never been a nervous or a high strung kind of person until the last year. I thought I was going crazy and was afraid to tell anyone. I talked to my doctor, and he prescribed the Effexor XR. Started at 75 mg, and then went to to 150 mg. I feel normal again now.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: Life changing. I was prescribed Effexor XR for depression and anxiety with attacks. I suffered for years until I hit rock bottom and saw a doctor. This was the first medication I was prescribed and after 2 weeks I saw an improvment and after a month I was a completely different person. I actually for once feel normal and I am never sad and cry for no reason.I have energy, I dont feel crappy. I am hardly ever in a bad mood and the best part is I don't feel like I am taking anything. Best decision of my life.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: I started taking 75 mg Effexor XR four weeks ago. I used to be extremely manic, impulsive, restless, aggressive, destructive, and all-around volatile. I'm back to being a bubbly, happy, normal twenty-year-old girl. I sleep soundly every night for 8-10 hours and wake to the alarm the first time it goes off (both are firsts in my life). I can concentrate in school, and I have hardly any anxiety. I do tire easily, and I have lost about 20 lb (I was a normal weight to begin with).

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: When I first started Effexor XR, it seemed to really help for a while. After a while we had to increase the dosage to its maximum, and had to add the max 80 mg of Prozac to keep me "normal". After about a year, I started having real problems with exhaustion and fatigue. It took a lot of testing and doctors and finally two separate sleep studies to find that my deep sleep had been disrupted significantly -- essentially I was getting NO restorative sleep, even when I slept for 8-12 hours!

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Hot Flashes: My ob/gyn recently recommended Effexor to treat my menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, anxiety, mood swings) after having my ovary removed. I was skeptical because I have been treated with anti-depressants in the past and the side effects were horrendous. I also suffer from GAD and SADD, but because I am such a wimp about taking pills, I have tried to tough it out. I was willing to try anything to help me get better. It has only been a week at the 37.5 dose, and I already notice a difference. Hot flashes are gone, I don't fly off the handle at everything and everyone, I am laughing, I can concentrate, I worry less, and am generally more calm. Side effects are minimal. A little spacy at times! Loss of appetite (which is good for an overweight woman). LOVE THIS MEDICINE!

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: I had developed severe anxiety and depression in my late teens/ early 20's and like many before me I have tried wellbutrin, paxil, lexapro etc. This is the only medicine that has shown significant improvement on both my depression and anxiety. I can be myself again. Don't be ashamed to talk to your doctor or family member. Get help as soon as possible.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: I've used Paxil to treat what was panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. SSRI's in general are a miracle and gave me my life back. But, neither Paxil nor Lexapro treated the depression that replaced my anxiety. I used to sleep a lot and felt overwhelmed. With Effexor XR, my self-esteem has returned. I'm back in control, accomplishing things, and have a very positive outlook for my future. No side effects.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: Effexor XL has worked very well for me in combating my depression. I have been very diligent in taking the medicine properly and on schedule every day at near the same time. This past weekend due to an oops at the doctor's office a refill was not called in properly to the pharmacy before I went out of town for the weekend and I left town without any Effexor. Needless to say I experienced Effexor withdrawal symptoms. Heed my warning! It's not a good idea to miss a dose and you DEFINITELY DO NOT want to miss any doses. It was awful. Don't let the script run out.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: I think this medication works well for anxiety. It only works average for depression.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: I started taking Effexor XR 3 1/2 years ago while in an eating disorder treatment center. I struggled for years with major depression and took several different anti-depressants that never helped. Even after being in a treatment center for 3 months I could barely deal with my emotional issues because I was so weighed down by the depression. They finally sent me to a new doctor who knew Effexor would be different for me. He started me off on a week of 75mg/day then the next week he upped it to 150mg and the next week he ended it at 225mg. It was like a huge dark blob was lifted off of me! I felt clear-headed, stronger and happy. I never thought I could feel that way again. I still take the 225mg dosage and have no plans of quitting.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: I can't believe how much this medicine helps. Something tramatic happened to me last May which made me very anxious and my doctor tried to prescribe this but my insurance company is notorious for turning down any medicine that does not have a generic. Finally in October (after trying many other medicines) I was prescribed Effexor. Although the underlying issues are still there for me, I am myself again.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety and Stress: I have found that Effexor XR is the most effective drug for my anxiety disorder and depression. I have had basically no side effects from the medicine and it has helped control both issues. I have noticed withdrawals even if one dose is missed. I have been taking 150 mg daily for three years and overall am very pleased.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: This medicine did not work well for me. I was on it for a total of three months and it did not make me feel any better. The side effects were not fun. I had trouble sleeping and almost no energy.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: The generic venlafaxine is not comparable to EFFEXOR XR at all . You have to take them 1 every so many hours you have to figure it out to take during your waking hours. Therefore you crash daily and more than once a day. The bad news is my insurance won't pay for the EFFEXOR I have to pay out of pocket for it.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: This medication has helped me out very much. I used to get anxiety attacks often about school or work, a couple times a week but now I rarely get them at all. I also used to just "blow up" in arguments with my wife but now I feel in control of my actions and speech.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: I've been taking Effexor XR since 2004. The side effects that I experience are loss of appetite/weight loss and sexual side effects. However, every time I try another medicine or try to "get off" my medicines, I crash and I always go back to Effexor and it works really well. So it is a consistently reliable drug for me and I am very thankful for it.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: Effexor XR did it's job in balancing me out. I had a significant anxiety and depression problem. I started out with 75mgs, moved up to 150mgs and tried 300mgs. In the end, I settled with 150mgs. At 300mgs, my dreams at night were very, very vivid and real like. They were too much to deal with. And mentally I felt bogged down. I did too with 150mgs but not as much. I didn't notice much in side effects when I started taking it. However, it is true it does affect your sexual drive and experience. The prescription is fine if you have health and prescription insurance. The drug itself for a 30 day supply is about $180. The company does not offer you any helpful programs to try to reduce the cost. The company no longer offers free samples to my doctor so if and when I might need it due to a lack of funds, I can't get it from them. I'm trying to come off it and have buzzing zaps dominating my head. As time goes on without the medicine the body feels like it's shriveling up and deals with other irritable side effects. During the time of coming off it, you are very irritable. I have followed my doctors orders of dropping the mgs down to 75 for two weeks. And then taking one capsule every other day after that for two weeks. It's the day in between that is awful, if I don't have one a day.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Hot Flashes: This drug decreased my hot flushes by 2/3. I figured it would be 100% but that was probably an unreasonable expectation. I've gone from 8-12 a day to 2-3. I've suffered hot flushes since 1998 and the past 6 months they have only gotten more frequent and very annoying. My husband says I'm nicer to live with after taking Effexor, so now I realize I really was irritable from the lack of sleep and night sweats this past year. I tend to forget names or words more frequently but am not sure if the foggy brain has another cause.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Anxiety: I am 26 years old and I have been on Effexor for anxiety. When first starting the medication I had severe nausea for about 2 weeks but I stuck with it. Thankfully the nausea went away and now I feel so much better. I feel smarter, more grounded and able to make appropriate decisions. Before going on Effexor it was like I was always working hyper vigilantly to ensure nothing bad happened. Now I am able to relax and go with the flow. The only draw back is the severe withdrawal symptoms of dizziness and "brain jolts." I notice these beginning even if I am just a hour late taking my pill.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine) for Depression: Like others, I'd been on Paxil and Lexapro before. Lexapro helped for a few months only. I've been on Effexor XR for a month now and what a difference. I have more energy and I'm thinking more clearly. Thank God for this medicine. I have an active 5 year old who now has her mommy back.