Venlafaxine for Social Anxiety Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Kra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 9, 2020

"Best medication for my social anxiety I’ve ever had. I have comorbid conditions, major depression, and borderline personality disorder. The psychiatrist told me ideally it would work for both anxiety and depression, but for a lot of people, it only helps one a bit more. My depression was still around, but my anxiety was better than ever before. It changed my life."

• ind...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 22, 2019

Venlafaxine "I was started on 37.5, then moved up to 75 mg, then 150 mg. I always had brain zaps when it was just about time to take my next dose. I also got hives when I started this drug, which I thought were bug bites. I got really red-faced and flushed and got dizzy and nauseous on a continued basis. This drug may work for others, but not for me. I have anxiety all the time. Now I am going off of it. I was on it for 1.5 years. It has been living hell. Very bad brain zaps, non-stop crying, dizziness, very unfocused. I have had to take off three months from work because of this drug. I am feeling so sick right now. Best of luck to those who take this. They have banned the non-Extended Release in Canada, so they need to take this off the market here too. It also made my heart rate go to 190 bpm and I had to go to the ER and was given two IV treatments to slow it down. Don't take this with clarithromycin or Biaxin, it can cause heart issues."

• joe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 9, 2022

"I’ve been on Venlafaxine XR for about 7 months now. It’s tremendously helped my depression. It’s also helped my social anxiety as well, I’m able to show my emotions way more and have a lot less intrusive thoughts at 150 mg. I still do have intrusive thoughts, but they’re greatly reduced. I’ll probably ask for a dose increase because it wasn’t until 150 mg that I noticed a general change in my social anxiety, and I’ve seen people go as high as 300 mg for anxiety if need be, but likely I won’t go that high. Side effects: For a week or two after increasing the dose, it gave me erectile dysfunction (I’m only a teenager) and an inability to ejaculate, but it went away. Also, I'm not sure if it’s the medication, but it seems like ever since being on Venlafaxine XR, I have a harder time controlling my anger."

• Han...
• November 2, 2016

Venlafaxine "The first two months of Effexor XR 37 mg were great, I felt good. But that apparently is just the startup. The first couple of days of taking it, I felt an awesome euphoria and a high like I was on cocaine. I was a little restless, had a hard time getting to sleep, and had diarrhea. The doctor bumped me up to 75 mg one week ago. The first day was awesome, I felt like I was on cocaine again. After that first day, I felt nothing other than an overbearing fact that I wanted to get off of this. I feel like complete trash. I feel emotionless but really down. I don't know if I can make it another week on this medication. I've been on four medications, and none of them have helped so far. This was my last hope for medication."

• Swi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2017

"Been on it now for 3 months at 150 mg, never had a lot of side effects. (- a bit of sleeping problems the first month) Social anxiety 8 out of 10 - has gotten much, much better. Depression, well, 7 out of 10. All over 8-10."

• vol...
• January 16, 2018

"In a nutshell, Effexor 150 mg works best for social anxiety out of any SSRI or SNRI that I have tried. It also alleviates symptoms associated with depression. 150 mg is the ideal maintenance dosage. It will increase blood pressure, and withdrawal can be deadly once discontinued, hence why your doctor needs to taper you off carefully. Keep in mind that this medication and any other SNRI (i.e., Cymbalta) can send anyone with bipolar or bipolar tendencies spiraling into mania. You may find yourself drinking more, shopping, gambling, spending, etc. It should be coupled with mirtazapine, as it will curb the effects of Effexor. This is a very powerful medication and should be used as a last resort, as it is very hard to leave once committed."

• Kin...
• December 10, 2015

"The first week was horrendous. Hot and cold sweats, fever, delusional. Was willing to quit this medicine after 3 days. All I can say is stick with it, after that, taking this drug works wonders: slightly euphoric, calm, relaxed. If anyone is having doubts with this medicine (stick with it), and if it doesn't work for you, you will sure find out. Antidepressants don't work for me, but this is a Godsend, would recommend!"

• MMD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2019

"Effexor RX has changed my life. I have had constant adrenaline and anxiety all day, every day. I couldn't make eye contact. I was chemically depressed for years. No memory, slow speech. Skin numb, no emotions, no goals. 75 mg of Effexor, and I can make small talk, I like people, I am starting to look forward to each day. Side effects: higher blood pressure, frequent urination, thirst, and it messed with my thyroid getting on it. (Go gradually on and taper off when changing dosages). Hoard extras to make sure you do not experience rapid withdrawal if for some reason you can't get any."

• Bar...
• October 22, 2019

"I have been on Effexor for some years, and for me, Effexor is a more tolerable medication than many other SNRIs and SSRIs. I suffer from social anxiety, and this medication, especially at higher doses (>225 mg/day), helps me function more comfortably in social settings. I feel more relaxed, less self-conscious, and generally more able to communicate comfortably with others. I don’t experience many side effects, which is a blessing. If you suffer from social anxiety, Effexor may help your symptoms like it has mine."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2022

Venlafaxine "Because I wrote my first review while I was on the pill feeling almost hypomanic (I’m not bipolar), I feel compelled to follow up. Yes, Effexor made me do better in social situations and improve my mood, however, I noticed myself turning into a different person—impulsive and careless. Unfortunately, I had to stop before I lost my relationship from turning into a total horrible person."

• Wol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2019

Venlafaxine "I've been taking 150 mg of Effexor for 2 weeks. Two weeks ago, I was super depressed and afraid of everything. My symptoms are decreasing. Nothing for social anxiety so far. I suffer from severe generalized social anxiety. I'm hoping in the months to come. It may be a miracle drug for me. I've read so many good reviews on this drug for this debilitating disorder."

• Xho...
• May 24, 2015

"The first time was rough to start, but not many side effects. I just started taking it again after being off a year, and my body seems to be accepting it as if I never stopped. This medication has worked great for my anxiety and depression."

• Jas...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 28, 2018

"This really helped me become more social and helped a lot with my depression. I stopped taking it because of the withdrawals, but other than that, it helped significantly with the rut I was in. Didn't really affect my libido."

• Mik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 22, 2022

"Venlafaxine 37.5 mg makes me feel like when I was 14-16 years old. It makes me feel young again. Skin issues made my life a nightmare. Now I can get hard again, easily, and my life is full of happiness. I tried sertraline at first, got some mouth tremor, so I switched to venlafaxine. I don't take it daily (my body is well not taking it daily) because I am afraid that it will not work anymore at some point. I have 50-60 heartbeats a minute while on it, at rest, I am a poor CYP2D6 guy. I might see effects from it that other guys don't see. Social phobia fixed 99% while on it, unfortunately, a few days if stopped, social phobia comes back the same as it was..."

• exp...
• July 26, 2019

Venlafaxine "Starting this medication as of July 26, and I will share the side effects and symptoms of the medication in the next 2 weeks to come. If it is a good experience, I will continue treatment and so on. If it is a bad experience, will discontinue treatment. So in the next couple of days, will post my side effects and symptoms."

• Tri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 22, 2017

"I've only been on this drug for four days. Before this, I was on 40 mg Celexa, which did not help much with my social anxiety but did help a little with my depression. Last week, I talked to my doctor about switching my medication because my depression was worse. She switched me to 150 mg of Venlafaxine. It has already helped me tremendously, and I hope it continues to get better in time. Also, I haven't suffered from any side effects except for a little constipation, which is severe."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2020

"Venlafaxine is an odd drug, feels very different than Lexapro, which I was on previously for years. If you’ve ever taken transdermal scop, it feels similar, very anticholinergic for me. Pros: less apathetic, blank, dead than I felt on Lexapro, more confident in social situations, more assertive, less panicked in social situations, less 'drained' by social encounters, less 'mute.' Cons: dry mouth, dilated pupils, still get quite depressed, reactive mood, psychomotor agitation, sometimes feel like I’m going crazy or crawling out of my skin, less empathy, less friendly. While I function better socially, I feel less inclined to be social in the first place. I take a dose of venlafaxine 75mg XR at night with 45mg Remeron. Overall a peculiar med, not the best, going to try Nardil next."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2022

"Okay, so I had no idea this medication was used for migraines... cool, because I've had one for 3 days since I increased my dosage from 37.5 mg to 75 mg. Right now it's not bad, just a little eye pain when I move my eyes hard down and up. Right, so the reviews I've seen... I'm pretty sure this medicine is for people with social phobia and anxiety, which I have. So the people saying they were outgoing and then started taking this... I don't understand why they needed this drug if they didn't have social anxiety to begin with. I legit have intrusive evil thoughts, social anxiety, introverted behaviors... I don't like people, to put it bluntly, and coronavirus made that more clear to me during the short lockdown we had. Going back into society after that was really hard for me, because not only did I not want people around me, but I was freaked out about the virus. This drug has helped me so much, so it depends on the person. Also, sex drive went up a lot, big bonus."

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

"This medicine was working well for me. It was helping me. I have been on it for at least 6 months, I'd say, and I never had problems except when I forgot to refill and didn't take it. I would go through bad withdrawals. I also had been drinking alcohol with it and never had a problem, but now lately it's been pretty bad when I drink. I get suicidal thoughts and have not been feeling right. I recommend not drinking with this. I'm a 21-year-old female. I will be going to my doctor about this next week. It's really not a good combo. I used to think I was okay mixing it with alcohol, but recently these thoughts of mine have not been good. Other than that, the medicine does work for my social anxiety, I thought."

• sim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2024

Venlafaxine "Effexor has been the medication that's helped me the most throughout everything I've tried. I've been on multiple antidepressants (Prozac and Lexapro, both had way too many drawbacks to be usable for me) and assumed they just wouldn't work for me, but being on this has truly changed my life in so many ways. It feels like my anxiety is actually manageable, and my depression has improved as well. For me, I started on a 37.5mg dose, which did help, but being switched to 75mg made a big difference for me. In my opinion, I would say it's definitely worth a shot if standard SSRIs don't work for you."

• Gal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 12, 2024

"Age 32. Currently on 225mg, and I can say it has decreased my anxiety level in social interactions by approximately 30%. During this time period, I have also come to find my underlying cause for social anxiety with the help of visits to psychiatrist. ADP - Auditory Processing Disorder. Something I never would have thought of as the reason before now, but it makes sense. For those of you like me out there with no trauma to speak of but still have social anxiety, please look into ADP as possibly being the cause. I think a lot of us are pigeonholed into the depressed or autistic/schizoid categories because ADP is overlooked or never thought of."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 14, 2023

"It helped me a lot, made it much easier to socialize, but it did not get rid of my anxiety completely. I had no side effects long term, only nausea for the first week of use. I also noticed an overall better sense of well-being and I acted much more 'dominant' to put it plainly."

• Est...
• July 29, 2016

"I am now 1 week on this drug, and I feel good. I take 300 mg Effexor XR with 300 mg Lyrica and 5 mg Abilify. In the past, I was on Lustral (Sertraline), and Lustral was good too, but I think that Effexor is the best."

• xDa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2016

"I started venlafaxine at 37.5 mg and gradually increased to 150 mg over a period of four weeks. I noticed a small improvement in mood, but I discontinued due to sweating, which became unbearable and embarrassing. I came off cold turkey and experienced restlessness and additional anxiety as a result. As for my anxiety, it didn't really improve whatsoever throughout, but I had only been taking 150 mg for less than a week. I am still experiencing fairly mild withdrawal symptoms (one week later)."

• Anonymous
• January 19, 2017

"Find another medication. This caused me horrible memory problems, I have been out of work for the last 9 months because of it. My lying psychiatrist told me the side effects were minimal, even though I specifically asked her to tell me the side effects before I agreed to take the medication."