Effexor and antidepressants

Hey there! I have been on Venlafaxine/Effexor for 5 months now and have steadily had my dosage increased (I now take 150mg in the morning and 75mg at night) and I can say that out of all the other antidepressants that I've taken (Prozac, citalopram, sertraline) this is the one for me. Yes I did have some side effects such as slight nausea in the beginning but the one that gets me is sweating, and I mean I sweat a lot! But for me it is worth it so I am not an irritable, bed ridden depressive and I actually want to go out and enjoy life with my son. Effexor is the best medication I have come across for relieving the crushing anxiety that I felt in my chest and has really helped with OCD symptoms.

It has taken me 3 years to come across this medication after numerous fails with the other meds, which in turn (on each occasion) made me doubt pharmaceuticals and my doctor, but if you are suffering on this drug then change it, there are so many slight variations to anti-depressants the one for you is out there, don't suffer in silence, just be brave and keep trying because when you find the one your quality of life will be unbelievably better.

Much love and strength to you all

DON'T TAKE EFFEXOR unless you want be on a med forever. I did not have any problems getting on it but after two years I am wanting to get off of it because I think I am in a much better place. I have been tapering off and I am down to 37.5 and I just cant get off of it. I was all the way up to 150 so you would think all the down to where I am that I could get off this. NOPE!!!! I hate it i hate it I hate it. I don't mind being on it but I just don't think I need it...... but I am thinking my body is telling me differently. This just sucks getting off of it!!!!

I have been on Effexor since December 13th. I am finding that this drug is not very helpul at all. I am experiencing headaches, nausea, my depression does not seem to be any better over the past 3 months. My dizziness is what is really bothering me I feel like my head is in the clouds all the time with a constant tightening feelin my head and neck. I wake up every night with a feeling on hotness and shaky eyes. I am trying to get off of this drug but find the side effects are so hard to deal with. I feel some days like I am going crazy and it takes every ounce of energy I have to not loose control. After trying 3 other antidepressants Effexor has been the most difficult to come off of and the the drug with the most side effects.
Anyone with any helpful tips to help deal with this horrible time in my life would be very much appreciated.

I take Effexor XR 225mg daily and Wellbutrin 150mg twice daily and they have worked wonders. I started the Wellbutrin, initially, to help me quit smoking. Not only did it help, but also counteracted the sexual side effects of the Effexor, which were never all that bad to begin with. I think everyone needs to realize that different anti-depressants work differently for every individual. Some of these postings would scare many people from taking ANY antidepressants and that is a very, very dangerous thing.

I've been on Effexor XR for a few weeks now for GAD and depression after being on Prozac for two years on and off. I dont know if its helping me or making me worse, its reduced my anxiety quite a bit, but I think its making my depression worse. I dont really know what it is, but a week after i started taking it I've started crying quite a bit. Previously I rarely cried because i felt so distant from my emotions, but now I seem to be feeling worse. The thing is I dont know if this is an improvement because I can actually feel something or if its worse because all i seem to be feeling is miserable. I cant seem to enjoy anything at all and I've lost most of my motivation since i started Effexor. I've noticed that I've become rather snappy and rude to people - this is not like me at all. I've lost all my enthusiasm for life (not that there was much to begin with) and it seems like theres nothing to look forward to. I seem to be thinking about suicide more than when i wasnt on it. I've never slept properly but now I keep on semi waking up during the night all the time. I know that its possible that my depression may have been getting worse regardless of the Effexor but i seriously think the two are related. But what worries me the most and is making me feel terrible is that Ive seen effexor advertised as an antidepressant 'for treatment resistant depression' - kinda makes me wonder that if its doing nothing good to me then what hope do i have? no wonder people are killing themselves on antidepressants - theyre advertised as some miracle cure and when they dont work then what are people supposed to do? im beginning to think more and more that im not depressed but i just have a pathetic personality that makes me sluggish and bored. feels like Effexor not working seems to confirm that.

i was on 225mg of effexor daily for 5 years. at first it really helped i didnt feel so down and i had more energy than i had in years. i thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me. i started out on just the effexor but after taking it only a couple weeks i started having sleeping problems. i went for a couple nights with a few hours sleep and then i couldnt sleep at all. i finally went to the doctor,and he gave me trazadone which is also an antidepressant, to help me sleep. i remember the few times i ran out of either of them i felt nausea moody, and just a lot of bad days. i was so addicted to them that when i first tried to get off them my self i was sick for days. and couldnt get out of bed. i finally just quit them like a bad habit. i have advice for the parents out there, THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CHILD IS PUT THEM ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS