Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress User Reviews (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2017

"I started this medication 2 weeks ago to help with anxiety, cognitive issues, and hypochondria. I'm currently on 75 mg. The first day I began to feel calmer, but within the next few days, more anxiety symptoms switched to depression. I went from having OCD thoughts and medical worries to wanting to sleep any chance I can get. There's also a complete loss of libido. I've also started having constipation problems."

• Lui...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2022

"Please remember that everyone is different and their bodies respond differently. Don't always take negative reviews as gospel, as you never know how the drug will work out for you unless you try it. I started off using Prozac (Fluoxetine) but didn't get on with the drug. I then tried Zoloft (Sertraline), but I didn't get on with this either, as it increased my anxiety. I then tried a different class of medication, Venlafaxine (Effexor). I started off on the low side with 37.5 mg instant-release tabs. I had a small positive response, so my doctor upped my dosage to the 75 mg slow-release tabs. I felt the effect after a few weeks, but this was short-lived, so my dosage was then upped to 150 mg and then upped again to 225 mg, where I stayed for about 6 months. I was in a stable place, not bad but not fantastic, more stable. Then it stopped working. Back down to 150 mg and added 15 mg Mirtazapine at night. On the second day, and I've had no crazy withdrawals like some people experience, just a bit tired."

• gdi...
• December 16, 2009

Venlafaxine "It has definitely helped with depression and anxiety. But the withdrawal effects are horrible. If I forget to take a dose, I wake up so groggy and out of it. I have these electric-like pains through my body, my vision becomes wavy, and I get a migraine."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2017

"I originally took Effexor 9 years ago at the 75 mg dose for anxiety, and I ended up in the ER with flushing and brain zaps. But I figured out that not everyone can take 75 mg. I opened up the capsule and started with 10 mg. What an amazing medication. I weaned off after a year, 1 mg a week for 10 weeks, and no side effects. Now that I am in perimenopause and have IBS and severe irritability and anxiety and feel ill a lot, I am back on the Effexor 10 mg a day. This medicine works great, but I wish doctors realized the pharma companies have no knowledge of how much an individual should start with. I will work up to 20 mg because."

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2012

"I started taking the generic venlafaxine XR about one month ago for anxiety attacks and feelings of being overwhelmed. It started working within a few days. I have had a positive experience, although my sex drive is depleted, and I'm having much more difficulty reaching orgasm (I'm female). I am now waking 3-4 times a night, and although I can go right back to sleep, I feel tired every morning. I already take 1 mg Klonopin at night and 350 mg of Soma as I have degenerative neck disease. I am still waking up. I hope my doctor can give me some pointers on sleeping through the night, but other than that (oh, and increased sweating at night), I do feel great. We'll see how the sweating goes and the sleep disturbance."

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 26, 2020

"I was put on this drug because it really helped my sister with her depression and anxiety, but it didn’t help me at all. It didn’t do anything to worsen my symptoms of anxiety, but it also didn’t help either. However, I’m currently being weaned off of it, and it’s the absolute worst nausea I’ve ever had. I’m taking my pill every other day; therefore, I get nauseous every other day. I don’t doubt that this medication helps certain people, but for me, these withdrawals are just straight-up painful."

• Anonymous
• September 25, 2009

Venlafaxine "While it helped me, it was hard to discontinue. I have tried several times to come off it without success. The withdrawal symptoms, even with a gradual lower dose, are horrific. I now have to decide whether or not to stay on this drug at maintenance level (37.5 mg) for the rest of my life or go to bed and try to sleep for at least a month while my body learns to live without it."

• Amb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 9, 2019

"Venlafaxine worked well for anxiety and stress in the beginning at a dose of 75 mg, then bumped up to 125 mg, and that’s when I started getting constipated, gained 15 lbs in three months, and sweated horribly at night and sweat more than normal at work. Getting off of it now. Did NOT work for me."

• Len...
• November 18, 2017

"I was prescribed this medicine to help me because I was gaining too much weight with the bupropion XL. This didn’t do any good at all for me. I had the anxiety 3-4 times a week, you know, that feeling that something is going to happen, and you feel like you have your heart in your throat. I did like that I felt strong emotionally, not depressed at all. I wish I didn’t feel that anxiety at all. Hope it works for everyone else."

• kma...
• January 13, 2012

Venlafaxine "WARNING: Discontinuation syndrome is the worst I have ever experienced. I previously took a max dose of Zoloft, and it took 6 months to titrate off the medicine. I have taken 37.5 mgs of Effexor, the minimum dose (see my review under Depression) for 6 weeks, and I have switched medicines and am still suffering daily 'brain zaps.' My doctor's concern is significant enough to re-prescribe Effexor to rid me of the residual withdrawal symptoms."

• Anonymous
• January 4, 2010

Venlafaxine "I have been on Effexor for 3 years. The only side effects that have been bad were ones caused when my doctors advised me to increase the dose. This caused me to fall asleep in classes, gave me severe anxiety attacks, paranoia, and bipolar-like symptoms. After taking matters into my own hands and suffering through the horrible withdrawal, which felt like being hungover and having the flu at the same time, I am on a better dosage. This dosage has allowed me to continue living my life to an extent. I do suffer from the mild side effects and am afraid to sleep during the night at times due to the intense dreams that I have. Overall, more good than bad."

• Bar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 30, 2020

"This medicine, venlafaxine, is complete garbage. Don't ever get on it, it makes you balloon up. There are a lot of bad reviews about weight gain on this medicine, it's terrible. It made my anxiety and everything worse. It made it better for a while, and then it made it worse. It made me balloon up, which caused me to be severely depressed because I gained 50 pounds eating a clean diet that I ate before. I was a hundred and twenty pounds, now I'm 178. My other doctor put me on Contrave because I was obese after taking this."

• 375...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2017

"I have only been on it a couple of days, but the side effects are terrible. I am prone to insomnia, and this exacerbates it terribly. Even with 10 mg of Ambien at bedtime, I am only getting 3.5 hours of sleep. I am also having muscle shakes, mostly at night. I'm having daytime muscle twitching that causes me to be very uncoordinated and drop things. Last night, while I was trying to sleep, I saw strange geometric patterns, and when I would get close to actually falling asleep, I would see a bright flash of light and hear a booming noise, which would wake me back up again. Considering all of that, I am able to function pretty well in the daytime. Also: constipation..."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2022

"I had a horrible experience! Severe headache, severe nausea and vomiting, so jittery that I thought I was going to lose my mind! All within 40 minutes after taking it! Dizziness and my ears were ringing so loudly! Never will I ever take it ever again."

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2011

Venlafaxine "I've been on this medication for almost a month. My doctor told me it could easily take a month to get used to it. I started out with headaches, extreme tiredness, and excessive sweating. The tiredness was gone after about 10 days. The sweating is the worst side effect, and I still suffer with it daily, though I am no longer dripping with sweat like I was when I began the medication. I get occasional headaches, but nothing more than a slight headache to remind me that I have one. I do feel better and am less stressed."

• jef...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 20, 2017

"I was prescribed this drug due to very stressful and lack of help at work. The company I worked for refused to help me in a very busy office always manned by two staff and made to run the office by myself. I worked on till I cracked and had to seek help. I was placed on a very high dose in the first instance and laid off work through ill health. I am now on this medication for life as I cannot get off this drug through the side effects of a 'buzz-like static electricity at the back of my head.' This gets so bad that I feel like passing out at times. This is why I will be on this for life. If I had known this at the outset, I would not have taken it, but nothing explained. So, through ignorance and placing my trust in the doctor, I suffer."

• nrd...
• December 30, 2011

Venlafaxine "Someone here said: dizziness and 'brain jolts' = YES! This is what happens if I miss a dose. Add to the dizziness, nausea, and irritation. I want to go OFF this medication - and feel trapped. I have gone to 37.5 mg, but my doc has suggested I go to a psychiatrist to get recommendations on how to go off this medicine without the horrific side effects."

• cla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2022

"Five months ago, for no reason I could come up with, I started having physical anxiety, which turned into feeling constantly scared for no reason. I tried exercise, meditation, and light therapy for two months. I thought they all helped until I started to feel 'off,' disoriented, and confused. My routine/surroundings didn't feel familiar, it was a weird, scary feeling I couldn't explain. I'm a wife and mom. I went to my GP, she said brain fog from anxiety and lack of sleep. I was prescribed an SSRI that made my anxiety so extreme I was scared to leave my bedroom or even sleep! Seven weeks later, I couldn't take waiting to see if it'd get better and was able to see a psych doctor who took me off the SSRI and prescribed venlafaxine, mirtazapine, and lorazepam. Amazing results! Within two weeks, I didn't need the lorazepam, I started to feel like me! Four weeks later, and I am 100% again!"

• rae...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 10, 2012

Venlafaxine "Barely took the edge off of my anxiety and made me severely depressed. After a week of trying to consult a doctor about the depression, I gave up and quit cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms were bad. Never again."

• Kad...
• September 28, 2017

"I rate this a 5 because this worked for me 3 years ago. I originally started taking it for fibromyalgia, and it essentially took away my pain in a week or two. I stayed on it for about a year and a half and noticed how much less anxious I felt. I tapered off over 6 months, which had its side effects, but nothing like others have reported. I write this review, though, in case someone has had a similar experience. I went back on about a month ago, this time solely due to anxiety. I took two pills and started having burning on my tongue and lips. I will also mention that I took Xanax these two days as well, so I can't be certain it was the venlafaxine. I then started having 24/7 panic, lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks, and my blood pressure went really high."

• Meg...
• May 9, 2009

Venlafaxine "I've been taking 25 mg twice a day for about 6 weeks and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. I feel normal and competent for the first time in years. Prozac and Celexa both gave me such bad dreams that I had to discontinue them. That being said, I consider my anxiety and depression to be largely situational and temporary, and I hope eventually to be drug-free."

• Anonymous
• May 28, 2011

Venlafaxine "It was great at first for my GAD. I have never been able to concentrate so well. Unfortunately, it completely eliminated my personality. I didn't get upset or excited about anything. I eventually went off of it after my desire for sex had been completely eliminated. My ability to become aroused returned within a few weeks. Fortunately, I did not have any withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it."

• Anonymous
• March 31, 2011

Venlafaxine "I have been taking Effexor XR 150 mg for about six months now. I started with Lexapro, then Zoloft to help aid in anxiety relief. The only thing those two did was make me put on 30 pounds. Since diligently taking the Effexor, the results have been remarkable. I lost the weight I gained and no longer feel anxious about every little thing. You have to definitely make sure you don't miss a dose, especially consecutively. I ran out of my prescription, had to wait for the doctor to call it in, and was without for three days... withdrawal symptoms were HORRIBLE."

• mat...
• February 10, 2011

Venlafaxine "I have been taking Effexor XR for about 3 years now. While I still suffer panic attacks and suffer symptoms like rapid heart palpitations, poor blood circulation in the fingers, excessive sweating of the hands, and hyperventilation, I do find the medication limits these experiences. This medication hasn't solved all my problems, but it has been incredibly beneficial in helping me advance my career and has aided my social life."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 15, 2020

"I was diagnosed with depression and was prescribed venlafaxine and found that I had so many side effects: bad headaches, nausea, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, and the list goes on. It made my depression worse. I wouldn’t recommend this drug to anyone."