Venlafaxine for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2020

Venlafaxine "Was prescribed Effexor XR to help with menopausal hot flashes and mild anxiety. After just one dose, I was up all night, vision distorted, muscle twitches. Finally, I slept and woke up violently ill, with a horrible stomach ache and severe nausea. I got up to use the bathroom and had extreme vertigo and blurry vision. Felt like a bad case of brain fog. I was unable to get out of bed except to use the restroom and wouldn’t dare attempt to drive. It ruined the entire day. I would not recommend this to ANYONE. The side effects are unbearable. I’d rather have hot flashes than feel like I did on this drug. Oh, also, my gums had inflammation and bleeding, never a problem before."

• Jim...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 17, 2020

"I'm sure this drug can work for other people, but in my experience, Effexor is by far the worst drug I've ever taken. It did nothing to help my anxiety (if anything, making it worse). I was on it for 8 weeks and then decided to stop. It took my doctor and me over 6 months to get me from 37.5 mg to 1 mg, and I'm still having trouble quitting, with untenable withdrawal symptoms. Again, this does not preclude others from having a good experience, but I can't imagine how this drug could have performed much worse for me."

• Man...
• October 4, 2020

"I was taking citalopram for about 9 months for severe anxiety and depression. It worked amazingly for those issues but rendered me absolutely useless sexually. So, I switched to venlafaxine as per advice from a doctor to help with that issue. It didn't work. This drug made me more anxious, fits of rage, and even a suicide attempt where I was basically thrown into a fit of psychosis. I do not recommend this drug if you're currently using citalopram, just stay where you're at."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 14, 2020

"I never understood why antidepressants were linked to suicidality until I tried Effexor. I had been on Lexapro for 8 years for anxiety, but got fed up with the apathy and loss of libido, and it just wasn't working well. Switched to Effexor XR, was on 75mg for a total of 6 months. I slowly became more and more depressed, agitated, and began to have suicidal thoughts daily - I've never had any of these problems before - I was taking these drugs for anxiety after all, not depression. I was extremely numb emotionally and lacked any semblance of empathy, compassion, or affection as a result. In a way, this medication numbed me to the idea of death, whereby suicide seemed okay. Tapering off and feeling back to normal. Horrible, horrible drug, for me at least..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 31, 2020

"Horrible drug for me. Was on Lexapro for years before it stopped working, so switched to Effexor 75. Makes me feel agitated, restless, anxious, tired and wired, burnt out, and crash from any source of stress, also suicidal thoughts which I never used to have, eyelid twitching, trembling/tremor, transient tinnitus/fullness in ears, jaw clenching, and teeth grinding. Can’t wait to get off this garbage."

• Dre...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 26, 2020

"I was on 150 mg venlafaxine for over two years. I recently got off it and ended up in the ER for having what seemed like a 3-hour seizure. It came on the night after my last dose with a 'spasm' in my chest and neck. I went to the ER immediately for fear of serotonin syndrome. This spasming spread to my entire body after about 3-4 hours. It was one of the scariest times of my life (and I've been through it all!). They eventually gave me a low dose and shot me up with benzos, and I stopped convulsing after 15-20 mins. After dealing with the ridiculous side effects- 'brain zaps,' a swishing sound in my head when I moved my eyes too quickly to the right or left, twitching, feverish cold sweats from withdrawal if I missed a dose, etc. The next day they put me on a low dose of Prozac-20 mg, which stopped the withdrawal symptoms and is commonly used for this exact situation. Apparently, I was titrated off the Effexor too fast- I hope this helps someone, you will get through this!!"

• Bee...
• January 6, 2020

"Felt no improvement on venlafaxine. When I increased to 112.5 mg, my BP skyrocketed. I was hyper irritable, extreme mood swings, racing thoughts, feeling out of control, rapid pulse, panic-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, and dizziness (for approx. 5 days). Started to taper off. At a dose of 75 mg, migraines, dizziness, fatigue, extreme relationship-damaging mood swings, dark thoughts, isolation, difficulty concentrating, and forming sentences, feeling like I was losing my mind for about 7 days. This is normally not my behavior. I took this drug to help with my work anxiety (I am a nurse). What a mistake. After 7 days, I went down to 37.5 mg, and again I felt so sick. Flu-like symptoms, no sex drive, difficulty having conversations/concentrating at work. It is day 7 on 37.5, and tonight I will not take it. I hate this drug. I have tried citalopram before, which was a way better drug for me. Withdrawal was easy. Effexor withdrawal feels like I've poisoned myself."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2019

"Switched to this after Lexapro stopped being effective. This medication gave me dizziness and nausea like you wouldn't believe. If I didn't take it exactly on time, I'd start to get withdrawal effects, like brain zaps, which are miserable. I ate but never felt full. Stopped this and got on Zoloft and felt much better. Some docs won't even prescribe this anymore. Beware! GAD, anxiety."

• CCa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 18, 2019

"Took this drug venlafaxine for a year for GAD, went from 37.5 mg to 150 mg. Lost my appetite completely, had other unpleasant side effects too, but the loss of appetite is the worst. Decided to withdraw this past September, was off of it completely by the end of October. Lost 30 pounds in one month weaning off of it that I haven't gained back. Appetite still has not returned, I'm now living on Reglan in order to eat/survive. Withdrawal symptoms were manageable with tapering, but this loss of appetite is literally really hard on me. I wish I'd never taken it. It seems to work well for my daughter, but not for me. Worried there may be some long-term gastrointestinal damage."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2019

Venlafaxine "DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. I have had very bad anxiety for about 2 years now, and I have been given venlafaxine one time to see if it helps. It was the worst experience ever. I took 1 capsule and experienced problems for 2, maybe more, weeks. I had the worst anxiety ever, the scariest dreams, and my vision on life was completely different. I felt sick for about 3 days, my vision was blurred, and I barely remember anything. It's been about 9 months since then, and I still think about the horrific time I had."

• Rho...
• October 16, 2019

Venlafaxine "This stuff is bad. On Effexor, I could not think, could not eat, could not sleep, over-stimulated and felt like I was having a 24-hour panic attack, and it's highly addictive! More big pharmaceuticals pushing highly addictive garbage."

• KAP...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2019

Venlafaxine "Doctor wanted to take me off Xanax and try Effexor. It was the XR 37.5 dose. I took one dose, and that was the worst experience I ever had-just about landed in the emergency room. Awful headache, severe dizziness, and nausea. I tried walking to the bathroom, and I didn't know where my feet were landing, and my heart was racing. Thank goodness I only took one dose of this. Obviously, everyone cannot tolerate it. Xanax it is for me (0.5 mg once or twice daily). Never ever had any side effects from that."

• Wor...
• September 25, 2019

Venlafaxine "I was prescribed Effexor 37.5 mg ER by my doctor to help with menopause symptoms (mood swings, hot flashes, etc.), and I have mild generalized anxiety disorder. She said it would help also. I took one pill at 10 pm. By 11 pm, I had the worst anxiety I've ever experienced: shaking, hot/cold flashes, nausea, diarrhea, muscle rigidity, and complete loss of appetite. I tried to ride it out. By day 4, I still had the symptoms and ended up inpatient psychiatric. It's been 9 days now since I took just the one pill, and I'm still dealing with these side effects. My anxiety is higher than I've ever felt it. I feel like I'm in a constant fight or flight state. I'm having multiple panic attacks a day. I still can't eat or drink much. I've lost 12 lbs in a week. The psychiatrist at the hospital said this drug at this dose can induce an 'anxiety episode' in some people. How long this episode is going to last, no idea, but I hope it goes away soon."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2019

Venlafaxine "Took this before bed and woke up at 3:30 am, nauseous, bad diarrhea, sweating, and shaking. Had no appetite all day and was dehydrated. Tried napping, and my heart was pounding just laying there. The next day, I had a migraine up until day three and felt awful. Will not take again. Should be called Sideffexor."

• Tbh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2019

Venlafaxine "I took it for a few weeks and couldn’t come off, possibly the first time in my life I’d experienced real panic. You need to be aware that you may well be on this drug for the rest of your life, it is so incredibly addictive. Withdrawal is the worst."

• Nyc...
• July 25, 2019

"I was prescribed Effexor XR for GAD, social anxiety, and panic attacks. I started at 75 mg. I took my first dose at 8:30 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., I was feeling racy. By noon, I felt hungry, so I ate some French fries. By 1:30, absolute hell had started. I first got extremely hot and held my head under a cold faucet, which didn’t work. Then I felt so sick as if I was going to vomit. I had these weird flashes of heat that started in my toes and went up my legs and stopped in my pelvic area. (Not sure what this was, but it came in terrible waves.) It’s 7:30 p.m. as I’m writing this, and it feels like it’s just now starting to subside. I still feel really wired. I paced back and forth over and over, begging whoever was listening to make it wear off. I’ve never had this bad of a reaction to anything. I’d take my fibromyalgia pain and anxiety over whatever this was any day. It’s been 6 hours, and my head still feels spacey, the weird hot flashes seemed to have ceased. My advice is to take at your own risk."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2019

"I was on 75mg venlafaxine for 5 days. During this time, I had uncontrolled shaking, anxiety, and my behavior was erratic, picking bits up off the floor for 4 days, telling my family it was not eggs, confused, and screaming for doctors to get it out of my system. I stopped immediately on day five, and 5 days later, I'm still confused and fuzzy-headed. These pills sent me mental, and I didn't know what I was doing. I was nearly sectioned, and I only went on them to settle my mind in the evening to go to sleep. The scariest thing I have ever been through in my life. I do not recommend these for anyone, I'm still demented off them now, trying to get them out of my system. I ended up in the hospital and put my family through so much stress with my psychotic episode."

• Jec...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 12, 2019

"Venlafaxine are strong and blunt words, but in all honesty, I would die first before letting a doctor put me back on this. I was a high-achieving, people-loving go-getter. Graduated with honors, never did anything out of line. I had anxiety, so I started taking this medicine, which almost destroyed my life. It disinhibited my behavior, and the apathy was so extreme."

• Gin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2019

"My experience with Venlafaxine ER was a month of awfulness. I had severe headaches, was tired, and constipated really badly. I was a totally different person. I was moody and had a bad attitude toward anyone who was around me. Finally, I am off this drug. And I don't recommend this drug at all. I went back on Paxil, and I am so happy I did. My mood is happier, no anxiety, no depression, I'm a much calmer person. My life, in my eyes now, is so much better."

• Mil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2019

"Started first dose of venlafaxine 75 mg XR yesterday morning. Went for coffee with my partner 3 hours later and felt quite sleepy. On leaving, felt like I was going to be sick, and then while he was driving, my hands became very clammy and I very nearly passed out. My whole body was numb and my eyes were rolling. He managed to get me into the house, and I slept for a couple of hours. Felt like my heart was beating too slow and that I wasn't breathing effectively. When I awoke, I felt a lot better, but after an hour, I was struggling to keep my eyes open all evening. My pupils were huge. Not for me!"

• Say...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2019

"This is the worst drug I have ever been on (and I say this as someone who has been on just about every SSRI/SNRI on the market). Two months into being on the drug, and I am on sick leave with overwhelming anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Now I am tapering off the drug and am experiencing brain zaps, paranoia, and extreme agitation. This is not who I am, and I don't like what venlafaxine has made me become. Don't put yourself through this if at all possible."

• jim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2019

Venlafaxine "Stopped after the first capsule. I had nausea, headache, dizzy, disoriented, rise in blood pressure to 170/93, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, tightness in chest, caused onset of IBS. I couldn’t get out of bed for 36 hours."

• Jer...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2019

Venlafaxine "Was on 150 mg for the past 3 years. I tried to get off them earlier last year to no avail, for the withdrawals from this drug seem to be incredibly dangerous and life-halting. For 2 months now, I have been going down in dosage from 75 mg to 37.50 mg and now 0 mg. Throbbing shocks in my head, convulsions, bad stomach pains, nausea, mentally destroyed - random crying and rage from anything that catches my emotional attention (dropping a pencil, etc.). I do not recommend this drug. It may have helped me get through some hard times, but in my honest opinion, I feel this should be illegal. I have had to take time off from work, for I cannot function appropriately."

• sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2019

"I just got switched to venlafaxine today for severe depression and panic attacks. I was beat and molested by my father for 15 years. I thought it was normal to be unhappy. I'm not taking all this unhappiness anymore. Thank you for giving me a heads up on this medication."

• Zep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 11, 2018

Venlafaxine "I am a 39-year-old female. I took Effexor XR at 75 mg a day for the first and last time last night. I was prescribed this medicine for anxiety and panic attacks. I took the medicine about 8:30, by 9, I felt very weird and anxious. I went to sleep and woke up for work in a horrible state. I felt like I was coming off hard drugs. I was, and still am, shaky and having a hard time just walking around and functioning. I went to work and can't believe I drove. They sent me straight home and followed me to make sure I made it safely. This medicine is way too intense for me. It's 6 pm the next day, and I still am struggling to get back to normal so I can work tomorrow. This medicine isn't for everyone."