Venlafaxine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• chg...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 28, 2017

"Venlafaxine is a good drug. It helps with depression and anxiety. What it doesn't work so well with is the mania. If anything, it can make the mania worse. I find adjusting my dose works the best. So anywhere from 150 mg to 200 mg. I know that is not the wisest course, but it does help keep the mania from being too strong. Olanzapine also helps me."

• Hoo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 14, 2014

"I have been on Effexor for almost 20 years now. The withdrawal from this drug is horrific, so I try to make sure I always take it. It has only just barely maintained my mood, and I've had 3 admissions to a psych ward over the years. But it was a godsend when I was first put on it because at least now I was able to function and control my rages and my depression somewhat. After my last breakdown, I was put on Abilify (which I now can't afford) along with my Effexor, and I was suddenly awake for the first time in 35 years, it was an amazing combination for me. I hope to be able to afford the Abilify once again, but for now, my Effexor maintains me at a somewhat tolerable level!"

• Sop...
• March 9, 2013

Venlafaxine "I have been taking Effexor XR for nearly four years now. It did take a while, around 6 months, to really notice a big difference. But, due to costs, the doctor put me on regular Effexor, and it was uncomfortable, and I was afraid I would get in that terrible suicidal tunnel. Went back to Effexor XR and am doing fine. I don't feel any side effects, and it blends well with other medications I have to take. I sure hope the effects do not wear off. The other medications I take are Lamictal and Keppra ER, I am an epileptic. No problems there either."

• Anonymous
• June 7, 2009

Venlafaxine "I have been on this medicine for five months now. Getting on this drug for my bipolar and major depression made all the difference in the world. I really think that the XR is the best way to have a medicine of this type. It keeps me even and able to carry on with my life."

• Pel...
• May 29, 2015

"I started on this after trying most of the SSRIs and Mirtazapine. Only the Mirtazapine worked for my mood, but I had horrific side effects with it, so the doctor suggested Venlafaxine. I started on 37.5 mg twice a day and got quite bad nausea for about a week. After that had gone, it was great. My mood dropped a bit from being happy on Mirtazapine to being on such a low dose of Venlafaxine, but now I'm on 150 mg a day, it seems to be improving again. I'm very careful not to miss a dose, though, from what I've read about the withdrawal symptoms. This should be a long-term medication for me, as it works, and I've got no long-term side effects."

• Bip...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 7, 2015

"I may have had good experiences with Effexor the first six months or so. But, without a mood stabilizer, I soon went into a hypomanic stage. At times, on the medicine, I went into full-blown manic phases. Once again, without a mood stabilizer. The most challenging part about this medicine, (or the generic venlafaxine which I took) is quitting it. Now, I am a poster child for doing it wrong, no doubt. That is, it is extremely challenging to quit this medicine cold turkey. You will read online where people will tell you point-blank, 'Do not quit this medicine cold turkey.' Listen to them. It took at least five months to feel like this medicine was totally out of my system."

• Taz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 6, 2015

"Been on 150 mg of Venlafaxine for 12 years, upped a year ago to 225 mg, and haven't noticed a difference. My daughter knows when I haven't taken it though... I either go manic or very low. I still have more lows than highs. I am 51 years old now and was first put on Valium at 2.5 years old. I was told years ago it was clinical depression with manic tendencies... My eldest brother had the same (other 2 brothers... no mental illness) as me... he committed suicide a number of years ago."

• Inv...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 15, 2021

"I’ve been taking Venlafaxine (150 mg) for 6 years now, and it has destroyed who I was as a person. I’m always tired, which makes me have no motivation, which then leads to depression and ultimately leads to raising dosages until you’re fully dependent on it due to extreme withdrawals when trying to stop taking it. My psychiatrist and GP attempted to wean me off, and I had what people call “brain zaps” to the point of feeling disassociated, which makes my bipolar symptoms get extreme. I was having nightmares when I finally was able to fall asleep because I was also suffering with 3 hours of sleep from being so uncomfortable in my own skin. This pill has a lot of warnings and stories exactly like my own, please do your research on withdrawals from it before starting it. I would never recommend this medication to anybody."

• car...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 17, 2014

"Overall, venlafaxine did what it was supposed to do; it kept my moods level. However, the withdrawals from having to stop it after becoming pregnant were horrible. Even with titrating off of it, my brain and body felt like they were going to explode. The brain shivers landed me in the hospital (hyperemesis gravidarum didn't exactly help). The withdrawals alone will stop me from ever taking venlafaxine again."

• Fir...
• March 21, 2018

"It will energize you, that's for sure, but it will nudge you towards hypomania or mania. Coming off this drug is an absolute nightmare. I quit it 9 years ago, and I still remember the withdrawals. Horrendous."

• Sup...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 29, 2020

"I have been on Venlafaxine for about 14 years now. I started at 150 mgs. I did try to wean myself off to 75 mgs because I hate having to take meds daily. But with major depression, I have had to go back up to the 150 daily. I have not become any better. I have become worse. I cry daily. I think about suicide numerous times a day. All of the above comments are 100% correct. The withdrawals are horrifying!"

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2012

Venlafaxine "The half-life of this medicine seemed to decrease over time for me (I was on this medication for several years). Eventually, the withdrawal syndrome went from an onset of about 2 days to half a day - meaning if I forgot to take it in the morning, by mid-afternoon I was experiencing debilitating body aches, nausea, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and general malaise."

• Anonymous
• October 30, 2009

Venlafaxine "I take 225 mg a day. I experience withdrawal symptoms throughout the day. I have missed a couple of doses and felt like I was relapsing. The medicine helped me. But the side effects are affecting me physically and have become more and more of a nuisance for me over the last year. I experience a tingling in my lips and get a nervous feeling throughout the day now. Jittery and antsy. I soon will hopefully start the tapering process."

• Yrr...
• October 17, 2016

"Ineffective. Shouldn't have been prescribed as I am bipolar, diabetic, and in dire need of anger management. I wasn't 100% honest with the doctor. Therefore, the drugs prescribed for me, erroneously, were my fault. Thanks for understanding, 'my bad'. :( :("

• Pan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2012

"I am a 17-year-old female who has had manic depression for about 6 years. I had it pretty well managed while I was on a combination of Wellbutrin and Celexa. However, I started hallucinating from the Celexa, so my doctor switched me to venlafaxine. The switch of the medications was bad. I would scream and cry and freak out for no reason at all. I also had terrible headaches. I decided to keep on it to see if it got better...and it did. About 2 weeks into it, I started noticing that I would hardly ever have anxiety or manic episodes. I'm about 3 months into it now, and I hate it. For some reason, the venlafaxine has done the exact opposite of what it is supposed to do. I have hysterical crying and screaming fits at least once a day."

• N3G...
• September 14, 2011

Venlafaxine "It made my 'down side' not go as deep, but I felt like I could not leave the house - I didn't want to. No visitors - didn't want any. Since I'm a very social person, my friends and family were concerned. My 'up side' was better - I wasn't POed all the time, and the thought racing slowed way down. Not the best experience, but better than the whole trip down the rabbit hole it would have been."

• Dep...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 18, 2022

"There have been tried many antidepressant medications for me, but venlafaxine has been the only one for me that reduces also general anxiety. Also, bulimia symptoms are less severe. In 8 years of use, the medication has been stopped for two times, and after both times (in 1-4 months), my anxiety and depression got very bad. Everyone is talking about the horrible symptoms that appear when quitting venlafaxine, but I personally felt barely anything. I think it is very important that the good experiences are said out loud too, not everyone gets horrible withdrawals. It makes my mouth dry, I sweat more, and I am more sensitive to light, but those are NOTHING when comparing to the nightmare my life is without venlafaxine."

• Blc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2015

"This medicine was a Godsend for the depression. Shortly after beginning it, I developed sores on my tongue. The next week, my face began hurting and swelling, first at the jaw hinges, then up to my temples. The pain got so bad I couldn't open my mouth to eat. I realized I was grinding my teeth, clenching my jaws, and flexing my facial muscles. Long story short, I am off the meds and on a different antidepressant. The two weeks of being off my meds nearly killed me (suicidal alcoholic). I now know that other medical issues combined with the drug caused the extreme reaction. Please be careful with this medicine. My doctors can't say that the teeth grinding will go away, but the pain is getting better and I have hope again."

• Nik...
• December 16, 2018

"I was prescribed 150 mg a day. But I decided to start myself at 75 mg. The first day my anxiety was super bad, I was shaking, didn’t eat, had to leave my classes because I was so irritable and couldn’t sit still. I got home and my pupils were HUGE. The second day I had a migraine, dilated pupils, shaking uncontrollably, nauseous, no appetite, random muscle spasms, lost feeling in my legs randomly, bad anxiety, chest pains. My migraine got worse throughout the day, and while on this you can’t take many pain relievers, so I tried to sleep it off. After an hour, I woke up. I knew something felt wrong. I had felt out of body for the 2 days I was on it, but I had my friend rush me to the hospital, and I passed out multiple times, threw up, still had all the same symptoms as previously listed. I was super dehydrated. The doctors hooked me up to an IV for a few hours to get rid of my symptoms. Not saying you shouldn’t try it, but I would recommend trying something else before this."

• Wit...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 6, 2023

"I was prescribed Venlafaxine on the day it became available in 2004. I had sustained a right prefrontal lobe trauma in 1994. Ten years later, I was so depressed and angry due to the TBI. I also suffered from PTSD due to work conditions. Venlafaxine calmed down my anger and depression immediately. Working with teenage males, I would tell them, 'You're lucky I'm on meds, or you would see another person!' RISK! Venlafaxine is not a benzodiazepine. It shows up in your urine if you have to submit a sample for work or legal issues. Withdrawal from Venlafaxine must occur slowly (gradually decrease mg) and under the care of a doctor. Withdrawal is wicked! All nerve endings are buzzing. A person brushed against my coat and I thought I was going to jump out of my clothes. I felt electrical, gastrointestinal pain and overall, had a miserable experience. Whereas this medication worked for me, I suggest seeking out another and avoiding all benzodiazepines (Xanax + others)!"

• Con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2023

"On March 28, 2023, I began taking 75 mg of Venlafaxine after breakfast. I am a 72-year-old female diagnosed with bipolar I in 2003. Initially, Venlafaxine worked great for my depression, but over the past month, I have started exhibiting signs of mania, mood swings, being short-tempered with myself, and experiencing insomnia. Additionally, my blood pressure has become unstable. I currently take 50 mg of Trazodone at bedtime, which is well tolerated and helps with sleep. I also take 0.05 mg of Lorazepam as needed for daytime anxiety. I believe that if my Venlafaxine dose is adjusted to the lowest effective dose, the manic symptoms and other negative behaviors associated with bipolar I would be reduced. Whenever I experience these episodes, I rely on meditation and behavior modification techniques to manage them. The reason my doctor prescribed Venlafaxine 75 mg was to control the unstable blood pressure caused by anxiety and depression. I have an appointment with my doctor today, June 8, to discuss adjusting the dosage. I hope this information helps in our discussion."

• Phi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 18, 2021

"I take a 150 mg XR Venlafaxine capsule once a day. It has helped my depression. Also, my anxiety level is down. No panic attacks either. Think more clearly. It does slow down my sexual response some, but I'm okay with it. I am over 60 years old. Have been using it for about ten years."

• CAT...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 4, 2021

"I have been on Venlafaxine and Quetiapine for years and now have few side effects, the worst one being if I forget to take my evening meds, I don't sleep at all. I then go through the following day with no sleepiness - it just feels like a slight hangover. I put on over 6 stone, I was always between 8 stone 12 and 9 stone 2 for over 20 years. I am currently just over 16 stone, my weight went up very quickly. I went from size 10 to 22 in about 5 months. But the combination works for me alongside being aware of my moods. Who doesn't like feeling better, more confident, more attractive, etc.? But I can quickly go beyond this and become a danger to myself. I take 150 mg Venlafaxine twice a day and 600 mg Quetiapine in the evening, both on an empty stomach. I do drink with the tablets and have no problems. I have had a number of different medications previously, and this is certainly the best combination for me."

• cw3...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 19, 2016

"Took 150 mg/d. Everything was fantastic, then started constant fatigue. I was very drowsy. I thought it's winter here, everyone is fatigued, but I felt that this is from Effexor XR. So I slowly weaned myself, and I'm no longer fatigued. Can focus on studying, now I take Zoloft 100 mg."

• Lex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2021

"I take this with Abilify for my bipolar disorder, PTSD, and ADHD, and it has saved me. I can get up in the morning, man, I even wake up to watch sunrises. I’m back to doing things I love. I don’t dissociate as often, and my thoughts aren’t racing a million miles a minute. I’m getting my life back."