Effexor XR and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Dre...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2017

For Depression "I was having moderate anxiety and dealing with a lot of stress in my life. I began seeing a psychiatrist and was started on Effexor. Around my 3rd month of being on Effexor, I was increasingly paranoid and tired. My doctor's response was to increase the dose. I began to become very nervous and started pacing and having trouble sleeping. He put me on trazodone for sleep, which made me feel incredibly tired the next day. His response to the sleepiness was to increase my dose again. I started to have severe depression then and became incredibly moody and volatile. I no longer had a fuse for my anger and became very withdrawn from everyone. This, of course, sent me on a downward spiral, ending with me being hospitalized."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2012

For Depression "I've been taking Effexor XR for about two months now. I was in the hospital after a suicide attempt when the psychiatrist there put me on it. At first, I had the worst side effects. I was super tired, couldn't concentrate on anything, and got dizzy all the time. After about two weeks, those went away. I have moderate anxiety, and it's helped a lot with that. I still get nervous a lot, but I haven't had an anxiety attack since I started taking Effexor. For my depression, though, it hasn't helped at all. I still find it hard to get out of bed and can't sleep at night. Also, I missed a dose once, and it was not good at all. I was miserable. I was tired, had the worst headache, and I was about ready to jump in front of a train."

• sco...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2021

For Depression "My GP has just switched me from Lexapro to Effexor XR. Have been on SSRIs for 10+ years, and have felt they've always provided a 'floor,' but have gone below the floor for weeks at a time after getting sober 17 months ago. He thinks, because I've been on SSRIs, it could take only a week, not 3, for its effect to be felt. Mainly, just feel a combination of uninterested/tired/down most of the time, so wanted a status check on my meds. We'll see. Wary of the warnings if you don't take it at the same time all the time. Wish all you well!"

• Anonymous
• November 4, 2010

For Postpartum Depression "After dealing with PPD for over a year, I began taking Effexor XR about 3 years ago. I'm sorry that I waited so long! I had been dealing with panic attacks, inability to sleep restfully, and various other issues during my daughter's first year. After taking Effexor XR (initially, I was tired and feeling sort of sluggish) for about 2 months, I felt 150% better! I was moving around a lot more, wanted to be out and about, playing with my daughter more. It was a miracle for me. It also took my mind off of dealing with depression and focusing on being able to function. Actually being able to feel BETTER and to deal with things that had been seriously affecting my overall happiness all along. It gave me the strength to make life changes."

• Kar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 18, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I’ve been on Effexor XR for about 7 months now. At first, it made me feel off (I’ve been sober for 6 years, so I haven’t taken more than ibuprofen). It made me super tired, a little nervous, I wouldn’t be hungry, and I yawned constantly, but all that improved within a week or so. I was on cloud 9 for a while and felt clear, happy, and somewhat euphoric. Then my depression came back hard. I was on 75 mg for the first couple of months and now 112.5 mg. My night sweats are pretty bad, my rage hasn’t improved (I also have BPD, PTSD, and anxiety disorder), I’ve been constipated this whole time, and I just don’t think it’s helping me anymore. Missing a dose feels like detoxing from street drugs. Effexor worked great at first, and I never thought I’d switch, but I’m starting Prozac and titrating off. It hasn’t been too bad so far."

• Nev...
• November 17, 2017

For Depression "I’ve been dealing with a lot lately that is out of my control and have admittedly been depressed most of my life (I am 29 years old). A breakup wreaked havoc on my mental health, and I consulted a psychiatrist. I was prescribed generic 37.5 mg for 2 weeks, then was instructed to double dose. The first pill took around 11 am yesterday, by 2 pm, I was nauseous, dry heaving, had incredibly bad diarrhea, double vision, back pain, and was becoming very lethargic. My jaw was clenched most of the day, and I was grinding my teeth all night. I didn’t sleep well, woke up panicking, and having racing thoughts. The doctor said to quit taking it. One pill was enough. Never again."

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2021

For Anxiety "I could not get past the first dose of 37.5 mg. It made me extremely nauseous, loss of appetite, tired but could not sleep, very irritable, weak, diarrhea, and made my anxiety worse. It was the extended release, and I could literally feel when it was releasing into my body. This went on for two days. I could not get out of bed. Once the nightmare was over, I was so weak like I’d had the flu and needed to rebuild my strength. I’ve taken Lexapro in the past, and while that just made me feel blah, it was 100 times better than this. I know every drug affects people differently, but I believe you can tell fairly quickly if a drug is right for you or not. I’ve now been prescribed Paroxetine. I’m so nervous to try it as I’m afraid it will make me feel awful too, but I will give it a whirl once I feel I’ve fully recovered from Effexor."

• Kel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 30, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on Effexor XR 300 mg since August of last year. I must say it has been a bumpy ride at best. I gave it an 8 because, although it has been fairly effective for my suicidal outlook on life, it has not really done a whole lot for my depression. I still have overlap symptoms, meaning that all my symptoms of depression are still there, I just don't feel like I want to die. As for side effects, in the first few weeks, all I was was tired, but after the initial few weeks, it subsided. After that, I really am no help because I went through the tribulation of finding a good anti-anxiety medication. I really do think I am alive now because of the Effexor XR. No improvement in QOL because I still deal day to day with depression, but not suicidal."

• Lin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "My doctor put me on 37.5 mg regular (generic brand) for about 2 weeks, and I was so tired and still depressed. So she upped my dosage to 75 mg XR. After 2 days, my anxiety was out of control and I was depressed, so I had to be watched 24/7. I finally got off it after I switched back to 37.5 before going cold turkey. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. Good luck to anyone on this medication."

• Jus...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 31, 2021

For Depression "I was worried about taking this med, but I also really wanted it to work. For me, it did not, even though it was on my GeneSight “Go” list. I have battled depression on and off most of my life, and I have always responded well to the older tricyclics, which are basically SNRIs, so I figured this has got to be a newer, better SNRI version. I kept telling my psychiatrist that it was making me tired and depressed, and we kept going up in dosage. Got some pretty dark thoughts on this, too. Maybe it helped a bit with anxiety. Took it for about 9 months. When it was time to come off, I literally had no withdrawal, so not everyone goes through those. The doctor had warned me about this med and not to miss a dose, etc., due to the short half-life, and then warned me again coming off. She was amazed I got off it so easily but basically said it probably just wasn’t doing anything. I’m sticking to the older tricyclics. Trial and error."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2009

For Depression "I have currently been taking Effexor XR for about a year. It seems to be helping with my depression. I could do without the weird side effects, such as the constant yawning and vivid dreams. Also, never miss a dose because after missing only one dose, I experienced jitters, a massive headache, and dizziness, it felt like my head was full of water, kind of a 'sloshing' feeling."

• gbd...
• November 10, 2009

For Anxiety and Stress "I was prescribed Effexor XR for the treatment of anxiety and slight depression. The bottom line is this: it made me more calm, but at the expense of too many side effects. It wasn't worth it to me. It made me more calm, almost clouded my mind. I was sleepy throughout the day and had no energy. But if I took my second dose too late in the day, I couldn't sleep at night. I also sweated profusely more often, typically within a couple of hours of taking the medicine. Perhaps the most profound side effect I experienced was the inability to achieve ejaculation. This was NEVER a problem in my life until I began taking Effexor. My doctor has now switched me to Wellbutrin. Hope it works."

• Anonymous
• June 22, 2011

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Works great for my PMDD, but I experience excessive sweating and the yawns. Worth it, though. Slightly better than the SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac) I've taken for the anxiety/irritability piece."

• Got...
• June 9, 2009

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."

• JDH...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2019

For Depression "So far, very good medication. A little sluggish and tired the first few days. My vision is not as blurry like other antidepressants, and no nightmares either."

• Anonymous
• February 1, 2010

For Depression "Works really well but made me very tired all the time. At least I could sleep well, though."

• Mar...
• March 10, 2016

For Depression "1/10 would not take again. Felt dizzy, nauseous, and tired."