Venlafaxine and Depression: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Lyl...
• June 1, 2016

Venlafaxine for Depression "Took first dose of 75 mg before bed. Fell asleep at 10:30 and slept well, actually. Woke up at 5:30 with eyes wide open as if I just had 10 espressos. It's now 6:30 and I don't have to be out of bed until 7. Can't sleep anymore. Feeling jittery with jaw clenching and teeth chattering when I open my mouth a little. Hands are sweating. I feel a little emotionally numb. Slight ringing in ears and slight headache with slight nausea. I feel peaceful but dull. Not sure if I will take again."

• Dan...
• August 19, 2015

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "Increase dose more slowly than the doctor says. I was convinced I was actually in hell for a week after increasing my dose for one single day. It helps my situation, but it ruins my memory, kills motivation, kills desire or will to do anything. A cool and crisp morning loses that good feeling, and your sleep sucks, causing you to be tired all day. I would recommend taking a dose only on days you feel awful. Maybe 15 mg. I regret taking this every day. The withdrawal is worse than alcohol, tobacco, and other SSRIs combined."

• Dan...
• August 19, 2015

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "Increase dose more slowly than the doctor says. I was convinced I was actually in hell for a week after increasing my dose for one single day. It helps my situation, but it ruins my memory, kills motivation, kills desire or will to do anything. A cool and crisp morning loses that good feeling, and your sleep sucks, causing you to be tired all day. I would recommend taking a dose only on days you feel awful. Maybe 15 mg. I regret taking this every day. The withdrawal is worse than alcohol, tobacco, and other SSRIs combined."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2018

Venlafaxine for Panic Disorder "I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder after some life-changing traumatic events. The panic was daily and crippling. It happened often, every day for no rhythm or reason. With Effexor, 37.5 mg worked great for a couple of months. Flash forward now, 8 months later, I'm on 150 mg now, experiencing no anxiety, BUT instead, depression, excessive weight gain, horrible night sweats, lack of motivation, and feeling withdrawn. I used to be a very outgoing person, but now all I do is work, eat, and sleep. I'm currently seeking other alternatives to get off this medication. Just isn't working out for me. Wish me luck."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2018

Venlafaxine for Panic Disorder "I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder after some life-changing traumatic events. The panic was daily and crippling. It happened often, every day for no rhythm or reason. With Effexor, 37.5 mg worked great for a couple of months. Flash forward now, 8 months later, I'm on 150 mg now, experiencing no anxiety, BUT instead, depression, excessive weight gain, horrible night sweats, lack of motivation, and feeling withdrawn. I used to be a very outgoing person, but now all I do is work, eat, and sleep. I'm currently seeking other alternatives to get off this medication. Just isn't working out for me. Wish me luck."

• ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 24, 2021

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "I have now been on Effexor XR since the beginning of summer. At first, the first 2 months it seemed to calm my anxiety, and I didn't panic as much, but that quickly subsided as quickly as it started, so I went up a dose (from 37.5-75 to 112.5 mg), and it had not changed anything. About 5 or 6 months in, I started noticing spikes in my panic attacks, anxiety, and depression, the depression being the worst. I also got prescribed Adderall, which I take 'as needed,' and it also helps with everything. The Effexor now, I can't tell if it does anything, as my anxiety and depression came back full force. Like it didn't do anything to begin with now, or at least barely. Also, I do see many things about withdrawals. Yeah, it's said you get them, but at least for me, it is super bearable, like not smoking for a day. That being said, it seems to me as useless sugar. I'm really hoping to soon find something that actually does something. These kinds of drugs are sugar pills to me or increase depression and anxiety and irrational thoughts."

• Aly...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2023

Venlafaxine for Panic Disorder "Second time trying Effexor (after trying every other SSRI-type med) and taking it for 2 years now. Have increased over time to 225 mg. For depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. It helped with panic attacks the most. Anxiety is also better. Depression is mildly better. I am now wanting to taper down as some side effects have become more noticeable in the last 6 months: no sex drive, can’t reach orgasm, excessive sweating (especially face and hands), tiredness, and lack of motivation to do things, emotional flatness. Will try to taper down by 75 mg to start. Last time I went off Effexor, I tapered down really slowly and that helped with the withdrawal symptoms a lot. Fingers crossed I can get through it again, and things improve after discontinuing. I’m hopeful."

• Aly...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2023

Venlafaxine for Panic Disorder "Second time trying Effexor (after trying every other SSRI-type med) and taking it for 2 years now. Have increased over time to 225 mg. For depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. It helped with panic attacks the most. Anxiety is also better. Depression is mildly better. I am now wanting to taper down as some side effects have become more noticeable in the last 6 months: no sex drive, can’t reach orgasm, excessive sweating (especially face and hands), tiredness, and lack of motivation to do things, emotional flatness. Will try to taper down by 75 mg to start. Last time I went off Effexor, I tapered down really slowly and that helped with the withdrawal symptoms a lot. Fingers crossed I can get through it again, and things improve after discontinuing. I’m hopeful."

• Anonymous
• June 12, 2009

Venlafaxine for Depression "Just finished coming off OxyContin after 6 years of use. Took Effexor 75 mg throughout. Now a member of NA and tried to wean myself off - horrible side effects from the withdrawal, dizziness, panic attacks, severe depression, and social withdrawal. Went back on at 75 mg and now feel that the drug is pretty hard to get used to again. Can't seem to win."

• sad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 2, 2016

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "Never knew how powerful this drug is until I tried to replace it with Cymbalta. Within 2 days of switching, my anxiety was sky-high, and my depression was so severe that I literally was suicidal. Went back on it, and these symptoms subsided quickly. By no means is this the perfect drug, but it seems to be a bit better than others. I wish it would control anxiety better. I have to take lorazepam to control anxiety fully."

• tri...
• August 28, 2008

Venlafaxine for Depression "I have been on this wonder drug for many years. I find that if I forget to take my medicines for even one day, I become sad and can cry very easily. If I am off them for more than 3 days, watch out. So don't skip. Take your medicines. I am 46 and find I am forgetting things. I have been on antidepressants for 20 years now, 6 or 7 of those years on this medicine."

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

For Anxiety and Stress "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."

• Jus...
• June 19, 2008

Venlafaxine for Depression "In 2003, I had initially tried Remeron to deal with anxiety/insomnia, but after 4 months and going through major depression, I started on Effexor. I took Ativan to get me through the first few weeks for anxiety until the Effexor kicked in. It definitely helped me get my life back. My only problem is the weight gain - about 25 lbs. I have tried to wean myself down from my highest dose of 225 mg/day to as low as 37.5 mg, but had recurring depression and anxiety, so I have gone back up."

• Dre...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "I was having moderate anxiety and dealing with a lot of stress in my life. I began seeing a psychiatrist and was started on Effexor. Around my 3rd month of being on Effexor, I was increasingly paranoid and tired. My doctor's response was to increase the dose. I began to become very nervous and started pacing and having trouble sleeping. He put me on trazodone for sleep, which made me feel incredibly tired the next day. His response to the sleepiness was to increase my dose again. I started to have severe depression then and became incredibly moody and volatile. I no longer had a fuse for my anger and became very withdrawn from everyone. This, of course, sent me on a downward spiral, ending with me being hospitalized."

• Eri...
• November 22, 2016

Venlafaxine for Depression "If you are thinking about taking this, do not do it. Ask your doctor for something else, anything else. Effexor is horrible. I was put on it due to depression and generalized anxiety. Within the first few weeks, I was emotionally numb, I wasn't sad anymore, but I couldn't feel happiness. Six months later, while still on this, I became suicidal and self-harming, my heart rate started increasing due to my anxiety to the point where I was hospitalized. After that, it was decided I was to come off it, now coming off it is even worse than being on it: shaking, dizziness, headaches, puking, sweating. I've only been off it a week, and already I can feel my mental health calming down. Avoid this drug. Please. For your own safety."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 11, 2016

For Depression "Started at 25 mg a day and eventually got up to 75 mg a day. Rather than make me feel more expansive and energized, this drug made me feel super lethargic and even more depressed. I also experienced loss of appetite on this drug. 1/10, would punch Pfizer CEO in the face."

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

Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress "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."

• Que...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 4, 2020

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "The most awful drug I have ever been on, currently weaning myself off slowly as the withdrawals are the worst! This medication gave me horrendous night terrors, sweating, depression got worse, and weight gain to mention but a few! If I knew then what I know now, I would have NEVER taken them! Stay away!!"

• Jrh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 7, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "I was given this medicine for anxiety and depression. After a month of taking the 37.5 mg, this medicine has increased my symptoms of anxiety and depression substantially. Also, since I have started taking this medication, I have developed some new symptoms such as mania and hallucinations. The pain attacks associated with this medicine are horrifying as well. The most disturbing thing about the drug, to me, is the extremely lifelike and vivid dreams that make you believe you've been up all night, but in reality, you've been asleep. This makes waking up very difficult because it's hard to tell if you're awake or not. This is an extremely powerful drug, I would discuss other options with your doctor before trying Effexor XR."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 10, 2020

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "I took Effexor for a year. Got up to a 325 mg dose. My depression and anxiety got worse. Three suicide attempts in a year. Constant suicidal thoughts. Wasn't until I accidentally ran out of the Effexor that I felt some relief from depression and realized this med was making me worse! Needless to say, I fired my doc and am currently trying nortriptyline."

• fra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 17, 2020

For Depression "I used venlafaxine for more than a year to treat severe depression. Mostly I used 150 mg. Tried 375 mg for 3 months, but was so tired with low mood, decreasing the dosage helped me. It reduced my depression symptoms. I started to feel stable, okay, without thinking of suicide every day after 6 months of taking venlafaxine. But it made my emotions flat and got rid of motivation, so it was hard to push myself to do daily activities. Also, I had excessive sweating, my clothes were completely wet after even a short walk."

• Anonymous
• September 21, 2018

Venlafaxine for Depression "I've been taking Effexor for 12 days now, my doctor told me to take it at night because it may cause drowsiness, but I have had the opposite effect. At night, I can't sleep, and I'm very fidgety and anxious. I know this is a side effect, I'm not 100% sure if it's caused by the drug, but I never had this issue before. I may start taking it in the morning if it persists. All in all, I feel okay, though, through the day. Although I missed a dose yesterday and had to take it almost 20 hours later, and I felt instantly a feeling of dread and sadness wash over me, as if I had been holding it in unknowingly for 4 days."

• Adr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "My psychiatrist prescribed this medication (venlafaxine) because my other medication was not working. The first couple of days I had major hot flashes. I kept sweating for no apparent reason. I felt more anxious and depressed than usual. It lasted about 2-3 weeks with those kinds of side effects, also, I couldn't sleep, so I started taking melatonin. This is my third month on venlafaxine, and I'm good and stable. I sleep 7-8 hours, I feel more energized, but yet in order to sleep, I must take my melatonin still, which kind of upsets me. But I feel much better now. I recommend this to people who have major depression or major anxiety. My anxiety used to reach the level of me throwing up every time before going into work or school, which now I don't."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."