Venlafaxine and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Car...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2019

For Anxiety "I have had depression and social anxiety my entire life. Finally, I listened to a physician’s advice to try venlafaxine 37.5 mg. It’s been 7 weeks, and it has helped me tremendously. The side effects are constipation, occasional headaches, and loss of appetite with some weight loss. Issues that would suddenly trigger sharp attitude changes (negative and damaging to myself) no longer conquer me, and I am able to take a step back from the panic. I intend to continue on this dosage for as long as possible."

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

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "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."

• Luc...
• August 4, 2016

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "In 1997, I was involved in a MV wreck, which cost me 6 years of no memory of my life, not able to return to my Director's position with a major railroad company. I have been on Effexor XR 225 mg (now Venlafaxine XR 225 mg) since then. This has been the worst journey of my life. I am now 71 years of age and will be on it for the rest of my life. I suffered severe head trauma in 1997, two breakdowns, and memory loss. If I don't take this medicine, I am in a great deal of head pain, vertigo, and many other symptoms. I decided not to try to get off of it anymore."

• Kay...
• July 31, 2017

For Hot Flashes "Took 75 mg approximately 2 years. Began to have hair loss and decided to stop the medication. Titrated dose over 2-week period. Severe withdrawal symptoms but determined to come off the medication. Had extreme headaches, walked on tiptoes almost 2 weeks because my brain felt like it was bouncing against my skull with every step I took. Got better with time, but now 6 months without the medication and I am having headaches and phantom smells. Smelling cigarette smoke, and we are a smoke-free family. The smell wakes me sometimes, and yesterday during church service I was smelling smoke. It seems more noticeable when the air conditioning is running. The doctor wanted to have a head MRI done, but insurance denied. Anyone else experience this? Wish I had never swallowed the first capsule."

• Ele...
• March 4, 2019

Venlafaxine for Depression "I've been taking this for about half a year now. It's been working great for me. My depression is a bit better, I get fewer suicidal thoughts, and my social anxiety is reduced. However, I still do feel anxious (in non-social situations) most of the time, but at least I haven't had a panic attack in quite a while. I'm taking 75 mg every morning. The first week on it, I had severe headaches and felt really dizzy, but it lasted only a week, so that was fine. As for side effects, like any medication for anxiety and depression, my sex drive became nonexistent. One other thing - it causes you to have wild dreams, but to me, this is more of an advantage."

• Dus...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 20, 2019

For Depression "I have had depression for 15+ years and have been on and off several antidepressants; venlafaxine is the only one that has helped me cope. It's hard getting on and off it. The withdrawal is bad for me if I forget to take it, but I am on 350 mg, so I guess it would be. Like with all meds, go see your doctor. I had liver function problems, so I had to come off it for a time, and they stepped withdrew it (25 mg reduction every few days), and it wasn't really that bad except for worsening mood. Once sorted, I went back on it. Again, starting on venlafaxine isn't great; every increase of meds gives me a headache/nausea/sleeplessness/jitters, but this stops after a day or two. I'm still depressed on it, but I rarely cut myself anymore (used to be several times a month). I can get up for work and cope pretty well. I only get really dark a couple of times a month, and I can usually ride it. For me, it's like an umbrella; the rain is still pouring, but I'm not as wet through."

• Gem...
• November 21, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I have taken venlafaxine for just over a week for stress and anxiety. To start with, I felt better, I had a clearer mind. However, I was exhausted. After a few days, I started feeling very sick and getting awful headaches. I realized as soon as I was taking this tablet, within 20 minutes, I was feeling sick. My head was pounding, as well as blurred vision. This got worse. I decided to stop taking them, as I had only been on 75 mg for a week. After two days, I was off my feet, with flu-like symptoms, brain zaps, and numbness in my lips, wrists, and fingertips. I couldn’t stop eating even though I felt sick. I am on the third day of this come down and still no better. I am off work and unable to do much at all. I am now a lot worse off than I was before taking this drug, as my anxiety has returned and I have found my depression has crept back too. I would not recommend venlafaxine to anyone, it is a strong and scary drug to be on."

• hid...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 13, 2020

Venlafaxine for Depression "My brain zaps are not brief or jolting. They are the worst headache of my life, lasting hours, waking me from sleep, unable to speak or move, any eye movement increases the pain tenfold. Today, I had so much pain I was nauseous. Once, it was so bad I couldn't speak. Taking Effexor XR 150 mg qd. Setting up an appointment with a psychiatrist who specializes in transcranial magnetic therapy, ketamine, and other advanced therapies to get off this stuff. Female, age 55, on Effexor 1.5 years for depression, social anxiety."

• Vel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2021

For Migraine "Please be very careful before you take this drug. I had severe side effects from the lowest doses, and it got worse and worse! Burning, itching, heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and my headaches got even worse! I had to come off it as fast as I could. I know it works wonders for some people, but not for me! I never write reviews, but I felt like I should share! Good luck to everyone."

• PPD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 15, 2020

Venlafaxine for Postpartum Depression "My doctor told me Effexor is supposed to help with anxiety and depression. It didn’t help with my anxiety. I first started experiencing side effects when I was a little late taking my dose. Turns out that the side effects are actually withdrawal! It feels like I’m being electrocuted briefly, then I immediately get vertigo and a sharp headache until my next “zap,” which can occur every couple of minutes! The only thing that helps is taking more of this drug! I’m trying to come off of it slowly, but it will take at least 3 weeks, and the withdrawal symptoms just keep getting worse and more frequent! Right now I experience the zaps every 45 seconds all day long, and I’m only in my first week of trying to come off of it! I would never recommend anyone take this medication, rather, ask your doctor for an alternative as the side effects are making my anxiety worse since I literally feel like I’m getting “zapped” constantly, and it is a scary feeling!"

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2018

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "I switched to this from Prozac after trying many different SSRIs. Some didn't do anything, some helped quite a bit. Effexor XR, being an SNRI, made a world of difference compared to Prozac. At first, I did get some mild headaches and was a little jittery, but once I got used to it after a few weeks, the side effects abated. Just stick with it and don't let the side effects at first deter you."

• Kaz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 15, 2020

For Depression "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."

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 2, 2020

For Hot Flashes "I was diagnosed with hormone-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer 2 1/2 years ago. I had terrible hot flushes, so I was prescribed venlafaxine. I was on 37.5 mg, and it helped a little, but my doctor told me to go on 75 mg. Big mistake. She told me it would upset my stomach but to stay on it. It will get better. I survived 6 months, but stomach issues never went away, I had a terrible constant headache right in the area of my prefrontal cortex or sinuses, I am not sure. I feel faint and dizzy like I am an 'airhead.' I get sweats, I am tired and weak all of the time. Yawn constantly. I never suffered from depression before, but I felt depressed after taking this, and I had memory issues. I am trying to wean myself off now, but my head bothers me. I hope I can recover from the dizziness and 'airhead' feeling. How long do these side effects last after you are off this drug?"

• Ken...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 8, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "I can confidently say this medicine truly works wonders! I am a 31-year-old female and struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a child. I was put on a number of different antidepressants before that. I found the side effects to be extremely uncomfortable and either didn’t stick with the medicine or felt numb. After being put on venlafaxine 6 months postpartum, I can honestly say I feel so good. My anxiety has completely diminished. The strongest benefit, though, is the ability to think clearly, manage stress, and still sleep wonders. I take two 37.5 mg every morning with breakfast and find it is the perfect dose and time of day. The first 10 days adjusting to the medicine, I felt a little bit brain zappy and minor headaches/fatigue, but that quickly subsided, and now 3 months in, I feel awesome. I do suggest taking this every day, or you will feel groggy or foggy if you miss a dose. I too was weary of some of the 1-star reviews, but I can honestly say I give this medicine 5 stars!"

• Suz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 12, 2019

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "My panic attacks started in 2012. I started taking Zoloft 50 mg, which was working well until 2018 when my panic attacks came back, and the worst was that my hands started shaking, which I think can be side effects of Zoloft. Since June 2018, my psychiatrist prescribed me Effexor XR. I started 37.5 mg for 1 week and then 75 mg and increased it to 112.5 mg since August 2018. I am very happy, and I feel that it is working. Side effects were a little nausea (if I take it with food, it is much less), sometimes I have headaches, and in summer I was sweating a lot, and sometimes I feel tachycardia. I believe tolerating the side effects is much easier than having panic attacks. The only problem that I have is my hands are still shaking, especially when I am doing delicate things."

• Anonymous
• March 26, 2012

Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress "I've suffered from anxiety my whole life. I've been on and off so many different medicines I can't even count. At first, Effexor seemed like a heaven send. Recently, though, I've realized that if I merely skip a day or more, the withdrawals are indescribable. I shake constantly. I throw up. I sweat. I get headaches."

• Suz...
• May 10, 2019

For Hot Flashes "My OB/GYN Dr. prescribed Effexor 37.5 mg once daily for hot flashes. I took the medication for two months and didn’t have good results and actually had sleep issues and restless leg syndrome as side effects. I called my MD, and she told me it was okay to stop the medication without tapering. This was bad advice, if you have been taking Effexor and want to stop, you NEED to taper. I had headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and weird dreams. I’m on day 4 of being off the Effexor. Not sure how long the discontinuation syndrome will last. I just called my Dr. and left a message. I would suggest no matter how short a period of time and dosage that anyone should NOT 'cold turkey', you need to follow a tapering program. I’ll never take this medication again."

• Fre...
• February 24, 2020

For Anxiety "When I was first prescribed venlafaxine 75 mg, it zombified me, and I spent the next 2 months feeling hungover, headaches, dizziness, and wanting to sleep ALL day. During the 3rd month, I started to feel a little better. At my next check-up, my doctor upped the dose to 150 mg. Again, I spent about a month and a half feeling tired, dizziness, headaches. Now, 9 months later, I still have days where I feel emotionally exhausted, and I’ve noticed when I haven’t slept well the night before, I get the “whooshing” sound in my head, and can ‘hear’ my eyes move when I look somewhere a little too quick (so relieved to read others have experienced this too, haha). Other than those, I am honestly feeling so much better. The worst side effect for me to deal with is a nil sex drive. Yes, there are a lot of horror stories out there regarding this medication, but one person's bad experience shouldn’t discount it for you."

• Anonymous
• October 14, 2009

Venlafaxine for Depression "I just started a few weeks ago, and it has helped stabilize my mood, give me energy. Not noticing any major side effects. I've had some headaches, some light nausea, and some crazy dreams. But I've always had crazy dreams. Other medications gave me much worse side effects. Effexor seems to be working for me. My daughter says that I'm 'funny' again. I love that!"

• swe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 5, 2012

Venlafaxine for Depression "This medicine was WAY too strong for me. I'm 5'8" and 135 pounds, but the minimum dose knocked me out the first night I started taking it. I had twitchy, bizarre dreams, woke up the next morning feeling 'stoned', had a headache and stomachache, shaky hands, and the jitters all day, and my pupils were hugely dilated. This was all just after 1 dose of the timed-release tabs. Not a good choice for me."

• KE1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 16, 2016

Venlafaxine for Depression "I was on Effexor for almost 4 weeks to treat dissociation/derealization that was caused by too high of dosages of Zoloft and Celexa. I went from 12.5 mg twice a day to 37.5 mg twice a day over 3 weeks. I had horrible headaches and blurry vision the entire time. By the third week, the dissociation was MOSTLY gone, but then I was having random panic episodes where I thought I was losing my mind and just didn't want to live anymore. The psychiatrist thought the extended release would ease that symptom, and it made it worse. I went from not wanting to live with dissociation to not wanting to live at all. I've been tapering off over the past few days, and I was awakened at 5 am this morning with HORRIBLE anxiety and suicidal thoughts, and my husband tried calming me down, but I barely felt like I knew or recognized him. Both my psychologist and the head of psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic agreed I need to stop taking it immediately (take 1/2 of 25 mg if I experience 'brain zaps' or any horrible side effects), but this medication is NOT for me, and they're thinking no SSRI or SNRI chemically reacts well with me after trying 3 and having worse side effects than what I was taking it for. I haven't been out to eat with my husband in 4 months. Everything in the world now looks different, and I still have anxiety and blurry vision. As this medication leaves my system in the next few days, I pray my mind will get back to the way it was 4 months ago. Thank you, and I hope everyone going through anything horrible with Effexor finds relief soon."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2015

Venlafaxine for Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I took Effexor XR 37.5 mg for 1 month against general anxiety and major depressive episode after big setbacks in business and job. The first week, I had to force myself to take it with daily telephone encouragement from the doctor (GP). Headaches, nausea, sweating, and anxiety about taking the new drug itself. After 3 weeks, I did feel a bit better but had strong headaches and felt very tired still all day. I decided to reduce and phase it out over 2 weeks by taking out the little balls from the pill. To my surprise, this was much easier to stop than Paxil, which I had discontinued for 8 months (after long-term use). Now, without Effexor since 4 weeks; no more headaches or anxiety, feel more alive and productive without these 'numbing' drugs."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2017

For Fibromyalgia "I began on a low dose of the ER 37.5 and immediately noticed the dry mouth, headaches, and burning pit in my stomach 24/7. Then came the blurry vision, urinary issues, and by day 10, the most debilitating stiff and painful back you can imagine. I knew it had to be related to the meds since this is NOT a Fibro symptom (at least for me) nor did I do anything to injure myself. Before I discovered it was the meds, I had gone to a walk-in clinic (or hobble-in clinic) and was given muscle relaxers. Nothing worked. Not ibuprofen, hot or cold compresses, or muscle relaxers. After researching further, I found that this medication can cause severe muscle stiffness. I then asked my doctor's nurse if this was true, and she said yes, she experienced it herself."

• NMa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2021

Venlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "My goodness. On Effexor XR for 5 to 6 months, last 6 weeks tapering down. Went from 37.5 mg up to 225 mg, never did much for depression or anxiety, though it did good to rid of any and all NSSI/SI. My main complaint isn't the drug itself, it's stopping it. 6-week taper, feeling fine save for some headache/nausea-until I got to 75 mg. Then: always dizzy, more depressed, feeling physically paralyzed. It got worse at 37.5 mg, brain zaps causing such bad vertigo that I avoided leaving my apartment. Stopping it entirely, depression was worse than it had been in months, felt too sick to eat, moving my head slightly was enough to cause a migraine. I had so little energy that I-no joke-called my pharmacy to tell them the Adderall they gave me was defective. I was cocky because I never get any bad side effects from meds. Stopping this med is dangerous: I almost went to the ER twice, once because I was worried I couldn't keep myself safe, then because the brain zaps and vertigo were so bad I thought I was going to collapse. Weigh your options before STARTING, not after."

• Anonymous
• October 18, 2009

Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress "I have been on Effexor XR for approximately 7 years now. I was started off at 75 mg and have since been raised to 225 mg over the years. I have had good results on this medication. One downfall is the terrible withdrawals that I experience if I miss a dose. These effects happen within the first couple of hours of not taking it. Terrible headache, foggy feeling, and extreme eye sensitivity. Within a day of a skipped dose, I become agitated, argumentative, and defiant. I do not look forward to switching from this medicine to a different one, which my doctor has suggested, due to the withdrawal symptoms."