Has anyone else been on venlafaxine/Effexor for 23 years? I have been concerned about long term use?

I took Effexor then Venlafaxine for at least 24 years. It was first prescribed to me with a dose of 37.5 mg for help with menopause. I had an incredibly stressful job plus a young teen at home who wanted to be 25 years old. A few years after starting the Effexor, and at a 150 mg/day dosage, I suffered a heart attack where the cardiac catherization found no blockages. At age 65 I began decreasing my daily dose of Venlafaxine ER. Now at age 70 I decided to go off of venlafaxine ER completely. Eight days ago I took my final dose of 37.5 mg Venlafaxine ER. I am experiencing restlessness with fitful sleep. My diastolic blood pressure was high, and it hasn’t yet returned to a normal pressure. Yes, Effexor/venlafaxine may have helped me. Looking back I wonder what price my body has paid, but I know that answer is still in the future.

I've been on effexor XR 20 years. It was a godsent, and gave me a life. Recently about 6 months ago, I've been having awful night sweats. I wake up sometimes e times a night, and need to change night clothes. What I wouldnt give to have a good night sleep.
I don't know if it's the Effexor? I also take BP meds, and blood thinners.
I'm hoping someone may be experiencing these same symptoms ?

Hi, just joined this group. Have been on Effexor/Venlafaxine 75 mg/day for 23 years. Am having severe eye issues - detached retina, chronic vitreous hemorrhage. Not sure if this could be from Effexor or not. But Effexor literally saved my life!! Was having EXTREME anxiety and Effexor helped almost immediately (after a couple weeks of severe headaches, which the doctor told me could happen). Tried weaning myself off once about 6 years ago - was NOT GOOD!! Went right back to usual dose. Believe i will be on til 6 feet under. Lol

Do you eat healthy foods? Take supplements? Exercise? All contributing factors for good health. Google your conditions one at a time with the words "supplement for... " People don't realize there are a lot of supplements that are better than prescription meds. Hope this helps and you are doing well!!

I have taken 300 mg of venlafaxine religiously for 30 years since my last episode in 1994. It literally saved my life. I had two previous debilitating episodes in 1983 and 1987. I gained about 20 pounds and lost a lot of my sex drive. Fortunately, my wife of 39 years preferred a happy, heavy person to a skinny, depressed mess. She was a psychotherapist but didn't fully appreciate this hell-on-earth until she became depressed following the death of her father. It really takes one to know. She uses the same amount of venlafaxine as I do. Nobody who hasn't been clinically depressed can fully understand what it does to a person.

I've taken venlafaxine long term and it's been my life saver. I take 225mg/day now but I've had particularly severe depressive episodes when my dosage was raised to 375mg/day.
I've had no side effects from taking it this long. There have been some physical health issues but I attribute them to the normal aging process and genetics.

I've been taking Venlafaxine XR for over 20 years. It has made a tremendously positive effect in my life. I had panic attacks and anxiety. Wish I had started it sooner! Life was hell. I was on 325 for many years. Now taking 150.

I've been on venlafaxine XR since 1998. It blew away a three-year debilitating depression after trying almost every other newer antidepressant out there at that time. I went off it twice, and the depression came back right away. I will be taking this for the rest of my life. It's that or serious depression, so I've accepted the side effects of reduced libido and ED, which I worked with my doctor to mitigate. I also had constant dry mouth, which ruined my teeth, and I am going to replace them with full-mouth implants. I take a rather large amount, 450mg a day. I initially took 600mg. to get the depression under control. The doctor has augmented it with Abilify to work most effectively. Of course, everyone is different and has different results with various antidepressants. Effexor + Abilify just happens to work for me; it won't for everyone. Many people have bad experiences with Effexor/venlafaxine. But I can't give it up as I don't want to go back to that dark place ever again.

I just submitted a question related to yours. I have been on Effexor/venlafaxine for 22 years. I have had no serious side effects exccept for sexual dysfunction. I wonder if you doctor can determine cause and effects of your disorders/disease. I am so sorry about it.

Hi I would love to help you. When I went off of effexor XR my side effects were horrible. Both Effexor XR and Cymbalta are very hard to go off of. I think I will probably be on one or the other for the rest of my life. I'm not a Dr. I have been taking one of these two medicines for about 20 years. I believe they give me dry mouth, not a problem, I just drink all day. I also believe they have helped me gain weight. I have chosen to eat really clean and, when I do, the weight is not a problem. Eating a lot of leafy vegetables, other vegetables and fruit not only keeps my weight down it also helps with my elevated blood pressure. To me the Effexor XP is worth it. The side effects have helped me find ways to eat better, too.

Hi, I have been on venlafaxine/Effexor for 20 years and about six-eights months ago started noticing that if I woke up before I needed to in the morning and didn't take my morning dose my sleep would be restless and I would have vivid dreams. I spoke with my internist and she mentioned she has started reading articles about these effects. In May, she outlined a plan to wean me off the 100 mg/day. I have now been off completely for two weeks and the restless brain, vivid dreams and horrible night sweats are unrelenting. I am working with my homeopathic doctor (not my internist) to help repair my brain. I am 100 percent convinced this is all caused from the long-term use of Effexor.

Other than this, I am extremely healthy.

Hi, I would be interested to talk to you about it. I just put into google I have been taking venlafaxine for 23 years and this thread came up. There aren't many people in the UK who have been taking it for this long. I have come off it on one occassion for about 5 months and lost alot of weight felt pretty good until I had a really awful bout and just went back to it. I have researched it and I know it can raise blood pressure, my diastolic is high and it can raise cholesterol and my cholesterol is high... but i also feel extremely tired most of the time. What health issues do you have?

Remember I'm not a physician but will give you my thoughts. I'm 100% positive SSRI.SNRI have some long term effects but I seriously doubt that its caused multiple unconnected issues.What issues are you having and whats your age and overall health. Do you take other meds? If you're 60 years old, overweight with Diabetes and smoke (as an example) look into how those diseases work. I just can't believe that Effexor is causing a plethora of illnesses