Venlafaxine - worse before better?

i had an adverse reaction to venlafaxine even at small doses like you have, i could go from 200mg of sertraline fine but even 75mg of vlfxine would, i dont know why but make everything miserable im now on paroxetine (50mg), pregabalin, clonazepam and a few others but as for anti-depressants its really true what they say, its a case by case issue. if you react badly i would recommend stopping the vlfxine and speak to your doctor immediately.

Hi, Kdw!
It's ironic but antidepressants can cause new or increased depression and anxiety for some users in the initial period of treatment.
"Very common (10% or more of users): Nervousness (up to 21.3%), anxiety (up to 11.2%)
Common (1% to 10% of users): Depression"
The good news is that this is temporary and usually resolves within several weeks.
Most people begin to feel improvements in the first few weeks but it can take 4-8 weeks for the medication to become fully effect
There are no interactions listed for these two medications so you're okay with that.
You might want to talk to your doctor about the mood swings which sound a little more severe than normal.

It may be the combination of the 2 drugs. Please talk to your doctor. I had none of those side effects. However my venlafaxine dose was increased significantly before it worked for me. Tried other meds first with no success. Different med may work better for you.
I've been on it for over 25 years. Helped me live a somewhat normal life.
Best of luck