Venlafaxine and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 5)

• 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."

• Els...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2017

For Depression "I started Venlafaxine 75 mg SR 6 months ago. After about 3 weeks, I went up to 150 mg. After a few weeks of dilated pupils, headaches, insomnia, dizziness, and no appetite, I definitely felt better - no more negative thought patterns and meltdowns if things went wrong or work was stressful. It did take me about 4 months for things to settle down, and I am now very level and happy. My only advice would be to try really hard to persist with this (or any) new medication. The side effects do subside and eventually should go away as long as you take the medicine exactly as prescribed and don't forget it or run out. Obviously, some people have more tolerance for side effects, but my GP was very supportive and caring, and I am now a much happier and contented person."

• Anonymous
• April 24, 2011

Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress "I have multiple health issues and am very anxious about them. Have been on and off Effexor 75 mg twice now (going off when felt better) over 3 years and just started again with anxiety about upcoming surgeries. Going on, I experience nausea and can only eat dry biscuits for about 2 weeks. Going off them the first time, no withdrawals, the second time was suicidal as I stupidly went 'cold turkey' - not recommended. Pupils dilated and some dizziness and sexual dysfunction (I think due to MS though), otherwise great. Day 4 now and already feeling less 'freaked out' about everything, but complete loss of appetite this time - not a bad thing after the summer indulgence. Have experienced insomnia this time, which I had not previously. Female, 37."

• Dep...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 6, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "This medication was by far the worst antidepressant I have taken. The first month I seemed to do very well on it, after a year on it, I hit rock bottom mentally. It caused more terrible symptoms than what was beneficial to me. I had weird brain zaps that left me in bed for days, sleep disturbances, attention-seeking behavior, as well as OCD that I had never experienced previously. It took forever to get off this terrible drug, and I call it a terrible drug because your brain and body get physically addicted the way a street drug would. You miss one day, and you start having severe withdrawals, sweats, extreme brain zaps, feeling out of touch with reality, and strange thoughts. After a month of being off Effexor, all of the bad stuff stopped."

• Tou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 6, 2017

For Anxiety "I have tried quite a few antidepressants (fluoxetine, citalopram, trazodone, quetiapine, amitriptyline), but they all seemed to have side effects that I couldn't handle. I was prescribed venlafaxine XL 75 mg twice a day. The start was pretty intense. I suffered clenched jaw, constant yawning, and excessive sweating, however, I kept taking them for a month, and the side effects slowed right down. I think the worst side effect long term is insomnia. Forget having a cat nap in the afternoon because you'll pay the price at night. The good points are that my life is actually feeling normal. My anxiety has gotten fewer and fewer to not having any. I can face the world, and I can smile again. This drug has probably saved my life. I'm me again ☺️"

• I...
• February 4, 2015

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I have been taking Effexor for 8 years. Started at 100 mg, raised over the years, now taking 300 mg. Anxiety is at roof level, panic attacks are more frequent, literally feel my brain sparking. I'm tearful, short-wicked, don't sleep much, appetite is 50/50. No motivation, I have had the same doctor for 13 years."

• old...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2023

For Anxiety and Stress "I am 75 and have always been anxious. A couple of events pushed me over the top. Thought death was the best option. Turns out I had severe anxiety and OCD. Tried a couple of meds but too many side effects. Started on 37.5 mg venlafaxine on Thanksgiving. Increased to 75 mg in early Feb., then 112.5 mg on April 7, and now to 150 mg as of April 14. I have a ways to go with both issues but am remarkably better. I feel at this point venlafaxine has saved my life. I am hopeful as time goes on, things get better as I have only been on venlafaxine 150 mg for a few days. Have never slept well and am sleeping better now, take the drug in the morning. A positive experience for me so far."

• Rob...
• May 27, 2019

For Hot Flashes "I’ve been on venlafaxine 37.5 mg for nearly 6 weeks. My hot flushes are substantially less than when unmedicated, but not completely gone like on HRT, which I had to stop recently for medical reasons. I started on an evening dose, switched to morning due to poor sleep, switched back to evening due to several mild flushes overnight, and now switching back to mid-morning due to wakefulness and lack of dream sleep on the evening dose. I had at least a dozen side effects initially, and many of these have continued, including alertness and difficulty sleeping, blurred vision, inability to orgasm, calf cramps some nights, and brittle fingernails. Looking forward with trepidation to my hysterectomy so I can go back on HRT and stop this medication."

• ByG...
• August 31, 2016

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "I was put on 150 mg daily of Effexor after having a mental breakdown brought on by stress and severe insomnia. I did not find the medication helped at all other than to cause weight gain. Worst of all, I experienced horrific withdrawal symptoms coming off it. I started to wean off it in May, reducing the dose to 75 mg/day. I halved it to 37.5 mg a month ago, and my Dr. said I would be good to stop it after two weeks. Within 24 hours of taking my last pill, I experienced dizziness, nausea, insomnia, and brain zaps. I could barely function. Turns out the 'half-life' of Effexor is one of the shortest out there. I had to take a short 2-week course of 10 mg Prozac (much longer short life) to come off Effexor. Horrible!!"

• Anonymous
• September 26, 2012

Venlafaxine for Depression "It's not a bad medicine; it works wonderfully for many others, but not so much for me. Effexor XR gave me some energy and got rid of my insomnia. That's about it. I think if I was on another medication, I would have more energy than Effexor has to offer. It worked better the third and fourth week of taking it."

• Aur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "Tapered off generic citalopram 40 mg after 12 years, just didn't work anymore. Then tried Effexor after reading great reviews. I took 75 mg a day, and into the 3rd week, I had severe pounding migraines, pressure behind my eyes, nausea, dizziness/brain zaps that were constant, crying fits, insomnia, but vivid active dreams when I did sleep, body chills, leg twitches, and severe terrible neck soreness. All these symptoms were happening at the same time, and a few times I had hard pounding fast heartbeats that I almost called 911. I think it may have been moderate serotonin toxicity. If you start this med, start at the lowest possible dose. It shocks your body. Doc wants me to try Prozac but will talk to my psychiatrist first. Bad withdrawal symptoms too."

• Mee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 2, 2019

For Hot Flashes "I started taking Venla 12/27/18 for hot flashes. I was having them all day, every day and night; had me in tears... miserable for 2 months. After only 3 days of 75 mg twice a day, they have stopped. The first day, I was very nauseous, but it went away by day 2. I experience some insomnia and loss of appetite, but I can live with that. I've set my phone to remind me to take them every 12 hours to avoid relapse or withdrawals. Hope this helps someone skeptical about taking Venla. Oh, I'm 50, my last period was in October, not sure if it's gone for good or related to the D&C I had in November. Maybe I'm menopause... who knows???"

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2018

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I started taking venlafaxine 3 days ago. I feel awful, I can't concentrate, feel weird, pupils huge, heart feels weird. Can't sleep well. Will this ever go away?"

• Anonymous
• May 19, 2011

Venlafaxine for Anxiety and Stress "I take 150 mg of this every day for anxiety. I was previously on Paxil for a few years, which stopped working for me. It's pretty good at helping me control my anxiety, however, if I forget to take the pill by more than 4 hours from the previous day (exactly 8 am day 1, past Noon day 2), I get the worst withdrawals: dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia. Then when I remember to take it if I had forgotten, it takes a few hours to kick in and for the side effects to go away. I never experienced this with Paxil. If it weren't for this issue, then I would give Effexor XR 9/10."

• Sta...
• December 4, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "I've been taking Effexor XR for almost a year now! I suffered from postpartum depression! I'm about to be 28 and had only taken an antidepressant back when I was 16 for less than a year. Negatives when starting Effexor for me were insomnia and loss of appetite! My doc prescribed me a low-dose sleep aid, and after 4 months of taking Effexor, I no longer needed the sleep aid! I'm currently on 75 mg, and I'm productive, happy most days, and no more panic attacks that are unmanageable. I even gained my weight back!! This medication isn't for everyone, but it worked for me! Negatives I still experience every now and then are rapid heartbeat, hard to concentrate on one thing, and sometimes too much energy, but can be leveled out with exercise!"

• Rho...
• October 16, 2019

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "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."

• Sic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "I don't often tolerate SSRIs well, but was really hoping this med would be different. It wasn't. It was worse. Like the Cymbalta, I have severe motion sickness (it's the worst if I yawn), and like the fluoxetine, I have an intense burning sensation-all on day 1. I also have worse insomnia, heart palpitations, and a headache. I already get burning pain from the fibromyalgia and small fiber neuropathy, but this is much worse. Needless to say, I'm not staying on this one."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 21, 2019

Venlafaxine for Depression "I used Effexor 5 months daily, dose 150 mg with alprazolam, which the doctor has prescribed, but I am still depressed and have insomnia."

• Ms ...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 4, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Saved me from severe insomnia, anxiety, rage, and mania."

• Maz...
• December 10, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Love, love, love this drug. Spent seven months in total depression and attempted suicides. Tried four other antidepressants which didn't help. Effexor saved my life, literally. Started working within 3 days at a dose of 300 mg. I'm now happy, not anxious, not depressed, not suicidal. I'm back to being me. No nausea or major side effects, apart from low libido, which is common for this class of medication, and insomnia. Works for those who genuinely need serotonin to be restored to their brain. Worth a shot if other medications have failed."

• Col...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2015

For Depression "I have been on venlafaxine for the last two months. All I can say is: wow. This medicine completely gave me my life back. The first week or two, I did experience a few common symptoms, noticeably the insomnia. Also, in the first week, I felt a bit 'off,' like everything was a bit surreal. However, two months into this medicine, I feel fantastic. Today, I was blissfully happy for the first day since I can remember. As cheesy as it sounds, this medicine has definitely given me a new lease on life."

• Lee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2019

For Depression "I was on Citalopram since 2014 originally. I had always dealt with minor depression, sometimes major. I recently just switched to Venlafaxine by the recommendation of my doctor after I mentioned that I was feeling always tired and fatigued, eating excessively, didn’t have too much of a sex drive, still would feel depressed from time to time, and just wasn’t sure if the medication was still working. It’s been about a month now on Venlafaxine, and I feel great. I have a newfound confidence and have strong tunnel vision, successful thoughts. I feel at peace with myself and so much more content. I am also not overeating and have lost a bit of weight, which was nice. The cons of it so far have been I haven’t had the easiest time sleeping for one. Orgasms have felt not as strong and kind of delayed, so to speak. Also, I can be a little more irritated than normal and can get pretty angry."

• Hai...
• March 1, 2021

Venlafaxine for Anxiety "I had some severe anxiety after everything that went on with COVID and my partner being in constant suicidal depression. My GP offered the medicine as a way to get through the tough time, and it kinda did, but not without some major downsides. It did lessen the anxiety, but it also got rid of any kind of drive I ever had (sex, motivation, creativity), so my depression got much worse in the meanwhile. It felt like nothing mattered anymore. I didn't care. I gained 8-10 lbs in the 2 months I was on it (I was losing slowly beforehand), and I got NOTHING done aside from the bare minimum while I was on it. My sleep was also heavily disrupted/unrestful, more so than usual. I was on the lowest dose for such a short amount of time, yet the withdrawals were pretty bad (zaps, dizziness, nausea) and lasted several days. I've been off it for almost a week now, and yesterday was the first day where I felt like taking care of myself since I'd started it."

• Nev...
• November 17, 2017

Venlafaxine for Depression "I’ve been dealing with a lot lately that is out of my control and have admittedly been depressed most of my life (I am 29 years old). A breakup wreaked havoc on my mental health, and I consulted a psychiatrist. I was prescribed generic 37.5 mg for 2 weeks, then was instructed to double dose. The first pill took around 11 am yesterday, by 2 pm, I was nauseous, dry heaving, had incredibly bad diarrhea, double vision, back pain, and was becoming very lethargic. My jaw was clenched most of the day, and I was grinding my teeth all night. I didn’t sleep well, woke up panicking, and having racing thoughts. The doctor said to quit taking it. One pill was enough. Never again."

• Loc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 7, 2018

Venlafaxine for Depression "One of the few antidepressants that have not caused me to put on weight. Works reasonably well for depression and somewhat less well for anxiety. I sleep far more on this drug than normal, although this has been the case with all AD medications I’ve taken previously."