User Reviews for Effexor XR

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder: “Took Effexor XR for 3 years for Generalized Anxiety Disorder , started at 150mg and ended up on the lowest dose available after 3 years. Pros: was finally able to go places, work, make friends. It was hard to actually have a panic attack which was great. I was able to function! Combined with psychotherapy it got me to a good place mentally. Cons: weaning off Effexor was a month of real awfulness. Withdrawal was horrific, felt like I had tentacles inside my brain, migraines, extreme sensitivity to sound/light, even when changing dosages I would experience withdrawal and sleep paralysis. Emotionally it made me feel like a zombie, no longer feel anything above a ‘grey’ daily baseline, relationships suffered, I had zero libido or joy. The biggest thing - it’s permanently affected my memory. I struggle to remember things from those 3 years and on it I struggled a lot with brain fog, losing my train of thought and not being able to retain information. It makes me sad that I’ve lost memories of travel and milestones.”

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder: “Just a friendly PSA: I understand everyone reacts differently to medications, but I feel that Effexor XR is getting an undeserved bad rap. I took a75 mg for 6 months, then down to 37.5 for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) I stayed on the lowest dose for over 10 years. I never looked back. I felt great every day. Tamping down all the anxiety is a HUGE game changer. Anyhow, when I tapered off, I did it EXTREMELY slowly under my docs supervision. It took almost 10 months, but I NEVER had any withdrawal symptoms.... ever. The key here is to not be in a hurry. And honestly... I had some pretty uncomfortable side effects for about 6 weeks when I first started, but nothing compared to the crippling anxiety. Don’t be afraid of it, at least trying this drug if your doctor prescribes it for you. Just give yourself 6-12 full weeks for any relief, and if its not a good fit, don’t fear tapering off SLOWLY......”

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder: “I ended up in the emergency room for what I thought was a heart attack. After an extensive workup, it turns out I had just experienced my first major panic episode. I’ve always had anxiety, but it never got so bad that I thought I was legitimately dying. After speaking to my psychiatrist, he recommended starting me on Effexor XR. Within a month, I noticed a change in my ability to handle stressful situations and everyday generalized anxiety I battle with. It has boosted my confidence immensely. The only downside is that if I miss a dose or am late taking it, I have bad detoxing side effects. I would describe it as feeling drunk - disoriented, almost to the point of being uncomfortable to drive. If you are the type to be on top of taking your meds, I think this medication is worth a try.”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I started venlafaxine after ending up in the psych ward for suicidal ideation and it’s been working super well ever since! My mood is way better and I can actually function again. I still have the occasional bad day but now it’s much easier to cope with my depression and snap out of whatever funk I’m in rather than spiraling for months. I really haven’t had any bad side effects while taking venlafaxine at all which is nice. The one thing keeping me from giving it 10/10 is I’ve missed doses every now and then and I get super disoriented, irritable, and emotional within a day of missing a dose, as well as really bizarre vivid dreams that leave me waking up super super dissociated. It’s easy to recognize that these symptoms are because I missed a dose by accident though and they tend to go away within a day of getting back on my medication. Overall, I’ve had a very positive experience on this medication and think it’s definitely worth trying out!”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I have had depression for over 30 years and during that time I took Paxil and Citalopram. The Citalopram was not effective anymore and my psychiatrist prescribed Effexor XR. I had went through withdrawal from Citalopram which was difficult. However, when I was put on the Effexor XR I was having side effects from the Effexor XR that were worse than the withdrawal from the Citalopram. Severe shaking and nervousness. Heavy sweating and no real relief until 55 days taking it then all of a sudden I felt really good for 9 days. After that I refilled my prescription and the side effects began again...nervousness, shaking, sweating and the depression returned. I have to take an additional medication to calm my nerves and this time I also have restlessness. I know antidepressants can work well from previous experience, but Effexor XR isn’t the one for me.”

For Depression: “I had severe anxiety in 2016, it was truly crippling. Along with panic attacks and thinking I was dying all the time, I experienced depersonalization/derealization every day. Effexor XR truly saved my life. I take my pills at night, and if I miss one dose, I know immediately the next day by how I feel. It’s a horrible feeling. I also described it as my head was skipping, but I see others describe it as brain zaps. That’s truly what it feels like. Besides that though, this medication changed everything for me.”

For Postpartum Depression: “My doctor told me Effexor is supposed to help with anxiety and depression. It didn’t help with my anxiety. I first started experiencing side effects when I was a little late taking my dose. Turns out that the side effects are actually WITHDRAWAL! It feels like I’m being electrocuted briefly then I immediately get vertigo and a sharp headache until my next “zap” which can occur every couple of minutes! The ONLY thing that helps is taking more of this drug! I’m trying to come off of it slowly but it will take at least 3 weeks and the withdrawal symptoms just keep getting worse and MORE frequent! Right now I experience the zaps every 45 seconds ALL DAY LONG and I’m only on my first week of trying to come off of it! I would never recommend anyone take this medication, rather ask your doctor for an alternative as the side effects are making my anxiety worse since I literally feel like I’m getting “zapped” constantly and it is a scary feeling!”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I've been taking this medication for around five years. It has helped me a lot. I no longer have constant suicidal thoughts or feel as sad and as angry like I did before taking this medication. However, the withdrawal can be terrible. If I miss taking my medication by an hour, I begin to feel dizzy. As time progresses, it becomes a throbbing headache and a feeling of vertigo.”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I was severely depressed and I've tried many SSRIs, and none of them helped. In fact, they made me worse and I wanted to end my life. Since I've been on 112.5mg of Effexor, I feel like I've been renewed and yes I still have my bad days and occasional suicidal thoughts since mine are chronic, I have no desire to act on them ever again. To me this is a miracle drug. You've got to try it. I recommend it.”

For Anxiety: “I knew my IBS was directly affected by my anxiety and depression, so I went to a doctor to be put on meds to help with that. Effexor worked wonders! I was able to put back on the 40lbs. I had lost from being sick ALL the time. And zero panic attacks. It's not as good at helping my depression, but it is noticeably better still. The only issue I have with it is that it absolutely WRECKS my stomach if I miss even a single dose, so I have to be really careful about that. But I mean, it's made my life so much more liveable that I consider that a small issue.”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “While Effexor has worked great for me over the last couple years it does have its downfalls just like I’m sure anything else. I’ve tried at least five other variations of antidepressants and this has worked best. I was on 150mg for over a year and a few months ago we increased to 225mg as the 150mg didn’t seem like it was cutting it anymore. Well, make sure you don’t miss a dose even by a couple hours. It will mess up the rest of your day, personally I’m nauseous and turn into an emotional wreck. My mental illness and this quarantine got in the way and I unintentionally didn’t take for two days. I’ve never felt this bad in my life. I’m beyond nauseous. my stomach is killing me, my head is killing me, I can’t sleep to distract myself from it. I don’t want to even think about what would happen if I waited anymore time to take another dose. I’m sick to my stomach. (21, f)”

For Panic Disorder: “I'm 50 suffering from severe panic attacks and anxiety with depression its hereditary in my family started around when I was around 13 years old went to doctor and put me on pamelor did not work, than buspar that did not work, then lithium that made me feel like I was going crazy, than paxil, than zoloft, than prozac and nothing worked. Then I got by with alcohol and it worked better than any of the drugs the dr prescribed and I know it was not good self medicating but it worked for years. Than it came back as my doctor said this will only get worse as you get older now I have not drank any beer in about a year in a half the doctor put me on celexa which did nothing, he than he put me on effexor 37.5 for 7 days than bump it up to 75 and I been on it for little over a year and truthfully it really helped my depression but not for my panic or anxiety now I'm trying to come off of it and its been nothing but a nightmare”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I have ulcerative colitis, endometriosis, & diverticulitis. All of these chronic illnesses have contributed to my clinical depression. I have tried 3 different antidepressants, which all caused horrible side effects. I stopped taking them for 4 years. I recently started back, about 5 months ago, & was immediately put on Effexor XR 75mg. After 5 weeks, my doc increased it to 150mg. I haven't had any side effects, except I finally found an antidepressant that works for me, greatly. It has definitely been a life-changer.”

For Depression: “Effexor was by far the worst medication I have taken. If you miss even 1 dose within hours you are sick and having withdrawal symptoms. It took a good 6 months before the brain zaps stopped. Run away. It's terrible.”

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder: “The people saying they don’t get side effects maybe they just don’t notice, but there are side effects. I sweat more, sleep less, and have no sex drive, but those are all things I can live with in exchange for the positive effects I get. I started taking Effexor in high school because I was sleeping an average of 16 hours a day, likely had depression because I was anxious so much, and my quality of life was abysmal. I left the house like four or five times a week at the most as a 16 year old. Once I started Effexor I started to feel more energized, I didn’t need nearly as much sleep, and my depression has cleared away completely. I still have issues with anxiety attacks, but have recently lowered my Effexor dose and started taking lexapro as well. This is a medication you cannot miss doses on because you will start to feel serious symptoms of withdrawal if doses are skipped, but it’s a great medication worth trying if you haven’t found what’s worked for you yet.”

For Anxiety: “On effexor for 2 weeks anxiety has increased when I take it. Hoping it will kick in soon Not many side effects.”

For Anxiety: “Effexor is helping me calm down and it’s helping my relationship with my boyfriend. I got put on it for my agitation, irritability , anxiety, social anxiety. I no longer am snappy and argumentative. I know people say it’s hard to withdraw off but it’s saving my life and I plan to stay on it for a long time. Thumbs up”

For Depression: “My neurologist prescribed me Effexor XR for nerve pain. I had a head injury from a car accident and have been suffering from facial nerve pain, neck injury, and depression. This drug has improved my quality of life. I highly recomend it for nerve pain. I started out taking 37.5mg for a month. Then, 75mg. The 75mg dose works for me. It took 6 weeks for me to feel the benefits.”

For Anxiety: “Put on lots of weight on this tablet Apart from that it’s pretty good”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I was taking this drug Effexor for the 4 months, I gained 45 lbs that I cannot loose. Side effects are horrible, you feel like zombie, no feelings at all. No fear, no love, no hate... nothing. You do not want anything- sex, love, food, nothing is matter. In spite of not eating much, because this medication reduces appetite, I put on 45 lbs in 4 month, and my fiancé left me. From size s to Xl. My depression did not get any better. Moreover I became aggressive and broke my phone. After I stopped it I had a very bed withdrawals, chest pain and panic attacks. I was referred to cardiologist and had echo stress test. I regret I was taking that crappy drug. I do not recommend to take it.”

For Panic Disorder: “This drug Effexor literally saved my life, I was prescribed in for depression, anxiety and panic!! Side effects weren’t too bad taking 75 mg. Drowsiness, increased heart rate, increased tinnitus, nausea, bad night time sweating, increased anxiety at first, head felt a bit spaced out and crazy bad insomnia. Most of these subsided after about 8 days, dosage change amped it up again for about another week. If you can work through it, it’s so worth it! After three weeks basically feeling like myself again. A little more time will tell if my anxiety subsides further.”

For Depression: “I have only been taking Effexor for a little over 2 months and noticed that if I was even an hour late taking my daily dose I’d feel nauseous and anxious. I also began to notice that I was feeling nauseous anytime I didn’t have a full stomach, so weight gain was inevitable. I decided this drug was making my physical symptoms seriously distressing enough to outweigh any good it may be doing. I was shocked at how awful the withdrawal symptoms have been even though I was only on it for two months at a dose of 75mg. I’ve been experiencing nausea and “brain zaps” for two weeks now. My GP put me on Effexor, but after meeting a psychiatrist at a dinner function & casually asking her thoughts on Effexor she said she doesn’t prescribe it, its withdrawal is so awful. I’m glad I’m getting off it, but alarmed at how nasty the withdrawal is, can't imagine how bad withdrawal would be for those at a higher dosage and for much longer than my 2 months.”

For Anxiety: “I'm a 27 y/o female, good health but have GAD and MDD. I began taking Effexor XR when I began having panic attacks while driving. I began with 37.5mg for 4 weeks, then upped to 75mg after that. After 3 months, I began to sweat in my sleep despite not feeling overheated. I began to suffer from sexual dysfunction, lost my libido and had difficulty reaching an orgasm (neither had been an issue previously). My appetite increased and I gained 25lbs in 1 year. I also noticed I felt very "flat" emotionally. I wrote this because I feel like positive reviews are lacking. Effexor absolutely improved my anxiety. The side effects were unpleasant but not severe. Stopping this medication suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms, so when I switched to a new one, I slowly tapered off it by opening the capsule and counting the granules, reducing them by about 4 per day. I did not suffer from any "brain zaps" or any withdrawal symptoms.”

For Major Depressive Disorder: “I started taking Effexor at 50mg and my dosage has slowly been increased into 300mg. It has helped a little, in conjunction with managing my PMDD, sleeping pills, and DBT. The side effects are awful. When I first started taking it, I got so nauseous I had to lay in bed all day and couldn't do anything. I started taking it at night to combat this, but then that gave me insomnia. The anorgasmia is awful. I still have the same libido as before, but reaching orgasm is near impossible thanks to this medication. The withdrawal is bad too, which is awful for me because I often forget to take it and will often leave it at home.”

For Depression: “I have been on Celexa in the past and had done well on it until the last few months, so my therapist recommended that I be switched to something else. Effexor XR was suggested as part of my treatment plan. For the first two weeks, I was on 37.5 milligrams + 10 milligrams of Citalopram and seemed to do well on it. After that, I was supposed to double the dosage up to 75 milligrams. When I doubled the dosage, my body had horrible side effects: I missed a full week of work; I was not sleeping; I was sweating in my sleep; I was starting to argue with my fiance over stupid things; and it caused suicidal ideation. I ended up in the hospital, missed more work, back at the hospital again trying to seek more treatment, and had to see my therapist twice in one week demanding a new medication. I have been off of this medication for a week and have been on Paxil (a drug that is in the same family as Citalopram) and have been doing well - like much, much better.”