Effexor and effexor xr

The only side effects I am having, and I have only been on Effexor XR for about 2 weeks are: bad headache, anxious feeling (but getting better), and I loved my vivid dreams (good or bad) I have had all my life. For the past 2 weeks, IF I DO dream, I don't remember a thing about them. My family is probably happy about that because they get tired of hearing about my silly dreams everyday, but I enjoy retelling them since they have always been so real and deep! But now, nothing! Before Effexor XR, I was on Zoloft for 14 years! It was great, and no side effects, but all at once, after all these years, it was like it just QUIT WORKING. NOTHING. It was like the drug store had begun giving me placebos or something. I so hated to change, but had no choice. Depression, crying spells, and "going off" had come back after 14 years with a vengeance! Wish me good luck because I am going to try and tough this out and give the Effexor more time. Otherwise, doctor is going to put me back on Zoloft and just up the dosage from 1 100 mg tablet to 1 100 mg in the morning and 1/2 tablet in the afternoon. Too bad they don't just make a plain, "ole" happy pill!!!

Gee man cant believe it was last April I last posted!!
Well still on 225mg of effexor xr a day,have my ups and downs and must be 4 stone over weight!Xmas and new year not really a good time anyway but also separating from my wife.So we plod on,sex drive is naff.Hopefully next time I report back things will be better.

It worked for me but as soon as I went off of it I hit a state of complete withdraw and detoxed for 4 days and attempted to commit suicide, it was so bad I don't even remember everything that had happened...so word of advice if you decide to stop taking this get off gradually and take it very slow!

I had no trouble coming of Effexor 6 years ago. No side effects, nothing. In past attempts, I'd merely suffered recurrence of depression, but this time, not even that. I was on Effexor-XR, 75mg and Wellbutrin-SR 100mg and went off both.

At the time, I was receiving neurofeedback to try and overcome ADHD (which is what the wellbutrin treated for me). It seems that this method of re-programming brain wave patterns might have reduced or eliminated any withdrawal effects from these drugs. Can't guarantee it, though, since I'm my own guinea pig here.

Just started back on after being off for 6 years. Hopefully short term. This depression is reactive due to several losses. So far the only side effects are appetite loss and vivid dreams, and I had vivid dreams in the first go around too, so I'm not too concerned. They went away in time.

One 37.5 mg Effexor XR and I thought I was a dead woman. I was BURNING HOT for 12 hours. I had a massive headache and I felt like I swallowed a brick my stomach hurt so bad. I was vomiting and trembling bad. Doc said he would consider that an allergic reaction and prescribed Celexa, which took 3 days to make me hypermania and I almost called 911 when my G.I. tract started burning. So this week he gives me Cymbalta, what is he NUTS? He let me try a small amount of xanax which doesn't give me side effects, it just releases that feeling of impending doom that I have 24/7. He says I can't have any more though, it might get me addicted. I can't imagine it being worse than what I have found online about SSRI's.

I've been on Effexor XR (75mg at night and 37.5 in the morning) for a few years now and have had excellent results. I also been on other antidepressants and had similar luck, but after a few years of taking the others, they seemed to "wear out".

As I read your problems you've experienced with Effexor, I think that maybe you need to try some other meds--that Effexor isn't the right choice for you, not all anti-depressants work the same way. Also, anti-depressants take time to kick in--from one month to six months and then level out. One SUPER side effect of Effexor is if you're suffering hot flashes from peri or full blown menopause, at the right dosage, Effexor (and some other anti depressants) will stop the flashes--a God send in my eyes.

The one thing I did want to share is you should NEVER go off any anti-depressant cold turkey. You should wean off slowly or the results can be VERY uncomfortable. Also realize that it will take a few months for your brain chemicals to come down to were they were before the anti depressant kicked in.

I think more of you should talk to your doctor about what is going on while you're taking Effexor and make some changes. Maybe a higher or lower dose might help--if that doesn't work, then try a new med. If your doctor isn't listening or trying to help you make changes or if she tells you to stop taking an antidepressant cold turkey--get a new doctor.

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.

Is there nausea in the beginning of Effexor XR....is it just in the beginning and the goes away? or if you have it (nausea) you will always have it

antonio

effexor worked fine for me, maybe not as well as zoloft did. but it worked. the problem was, after i got off of it, i had these fits of rage. i'd go between feeling fine to just really angry and it scared me. i pretty much locked myself up in my room so that i wouldn't freak out my family. it was very stressful.

I have to say, I stepped up from 37.5mg to 75mg of Effexor XR after a week and was on the higher dose for almost a year and had amazing results. I have always suffered from depression and after losing a pregnancy in the second trimester my doctor put me on effexor xr immediately. It was like seeing above the clouds for the first time. I felt like myself only clear, focused and able. I had no side effects and after about a year felt it was time to start getting off as I kept missing does and not noticing any difference when I was off. I cut out cold turky without stepping down and I have to say I THANK GOD there is this drug that works for me out there. If I ever went way down again or anything ever happened, I know that I have a safety net. I know that some people have severe reactions to this drug and others, but not all do. Some people get real help from Effexor XR. Just wanted to pass my experience along.

I am a 30 year young female with a husband, three kids, and bipolar disorder. My regular doctor prescribed 75mg of Effexor XR in the morning after I went into a bout of major depression and all I could think about was dying every day. I was just done with life, done. It made me feel "wired" like I had too much coffee and I was hot all the time. But I was happy, maybe a little too happy and talkative according to my family. I lost my appetite and 10 lbs. I was on that dose for a year and then went into another major depression. I then went to a psychiatrist and he raised the dosage to 225mg once in the morning (3x 75mg Effexor XR). I again noticed a raise in my mood, but I still cry and have emotions. I do feel it helped me. I ran out of it a couple times and was off it for a few days, but I did not experience any withdrawl symptoms. I am horrible at taking it the same time every day and have never had a problem. No headaches. I'm on other anti-depressants too though, maybe that helped. I did feel the zzzzzzzzzzip in my head at first, it kindof feels like you've had too much coffee and your head does a flip, but then I was fine.

I have been taking Effexor for around 2 to 3 years for depression. I am currenty taking two 150 mg at night, though I was told to take one in the morning and one at night... I found it easier to take them both at night. The only side effect I am sure comes from the Effexor is the reduction in my libido (and I am female). Effexor is the only anti-depressant I have been on, and I think I got extremely lucky in that I found the one that works for me on the first try. I also see a psycho-therapist, and between the two, I feel I have managed to get a better hold on my life. I am a thirty-five year old mom (married, and with a seven-year-old daughter) and I have "almost" nothing but praise for Effexor.

HOWEVER, I do know that the withdrawal side effects are terrible... I have missed it for up to three days when I went out of town and forgot my medication. I can usually miss one day and the side effects will most likely just be a bad headache, and maybe a little nautious. But when I missed three doses:

Missing one dose at night: I had a headache the following day.
After missing two doses: The headache became worse, I would occasionally get dizzy spellls, and I started getting very emotional - swaying between sad and cranky.
After missing third dose: The headache became worse still, and was aggravated by light - I wanted to just keep my eyes closed. I felt dizzy and nautious - nautious to the point I couldn't tell if I was going to throw-up (never did).
Oh... and I should add that the dreams while I was off the medication were incredible... like watching movies... so detailed and complex. I usually don't remember my dreams... but these I could recall... not in perfect detail... but they were amazing.

After I got back home and took my dose that night: I missed three days of work while being back on the medication. I was nautious, had a terrible headache, wanted to just stay in bed, I was no longer ultra sensitive emotional-wise - but I was ultra-pissed-off. I became very angry that I was on a medication that was addictive after having been told it was "not addictive". I was angry that I have never had an addiction before, but now suddenly I was addicted to a prescribed drug. I don't smoke, I only drink a couple of alcholic drinks in a month (socially), no canabis (pot... is that an out-dated term? ... everyone here says canabis), or any other illegal or legal addictive drugs... the only other drugs I take are allergy (Clarinex) and birth control (Nuva Ring), neither of which are addictive.

That whole experience was months ago, and now that I have had time to calm down and get a clear perspective on the situation... I wouldn't stop taking Effexor for just being addictive... and YES... it is addictive... I don't give a rat's ass what any "expert" says about it. If you can't stop taking something without your body freaking out... then IT IS ADDICTIVE.

I don't know that I will ever be able to stop the medication. I go back and forth as to how I feel about this. At times it bothers me being so dependant on a medication... but on the other-hand, I'm dependant on the allergy medication, and that doesn't bother me, so why should I let being dependant on an anti-depressant bother me? Who cares what everybody else thinks, right? - - Boy, that's loaded...

Effexor has helped me tremendously. My thoughts about death are very infrequent. I don't feel like crawling into a hole and disappearing all the time. I have found "my voice" with the help of this drug and my therapist to voice my opinions more often to help me from not feeling so trapped and helpless in situations. It does cut down on emotional sensations... I don't feel overwhelming sad at all the terrible things I hear on the news. And I don't cry at sappy commercials and movies any more (Thank you!). For the first time, I feel much more in control of my feelings and my life.

So, I can understand the anger in a lot of these postings, but I would like to add, that I don't think the people who have benefited from Effexor are posting here. They have no reason to be looking for this site. I found this site when I had been angry over finding out it was habit-forming. I believe Effexor has probably helped a lot of people - and it isn't an "evil" drug... it's just a drug. For some, it just isn't the right drug.

I should add, that I'm on here today because I've recently started experiencing night sweats, but I wasn't sure if it was a side effect of Effexor or not. I hope that it is a side effect of Effexor and not a symptom of menopause... cripes... I'm only 35! The first site that popped up after searching under "Nightsweats" was about nightweats being a symptom of perimenopause or menopause... ugh!

But if I have to weigh the benefits I have experienced using Effexor, with the downfalls: addictive, sexual side-effects, and maybe night sweats... I still am of the mind that it is a good drug for me.

I wish all of you luck in finding what helps you most to be happy with your life.

-I have been on Effexor XR for almost 1 year @ 150mg.

When I was first on the drug I would feel the dizziness, brain shock, etc, side affects if I went roughly 2 days without taking the drug (on accident). In the past few months I start getting severe withdrawl side affects (dizziness, brain shocks, etc.) as soon as it hit 24 hours from my last dose (If I took a pill at 2pm on one day, by 3pm on the next day I was having severe side affects).

What seemed to be unrelated at first was the fact that in the past 2-3 months I started to have severe sleeping problems. I got extremely worse in the past 2 months as no matter what time I went to bed it became extremely difficult for me to wake up before 10am - 11am (which obviously affected my work). It was the hardest thing in the world to drag myself out of bed, no matter what time it was (it was almost impossible for me to get out of bed before 8am). I would then work for a few hours and come home and take a nap. I went to my Doctor (same one that prescribed me the Effexor XR) and he sent me to a sleep study thinking that I might have Sleep Apneia. Immediately after that a friend recommended trying to get off of the Effexor XR and as soon as I started weening down my doseage, my sleep went back to normal. In any regard, I was able to ween myself down to 37.5 MG for a couple of weeks and have now been off of it or 3 days and it has sucked. I've tried getting off before and have many horror stories as other people (the following horror story is one that happened about 2-3 months ago when I tried to quit cold turkey once from full 150 mg a day doseage, not a good idea!).

This is somewhat funny & scary...I had gone about 2-3 days at one point in trying to cut cold turkey from 150 mg a day(I was also out of pills) and was suffering from severe withdrawl affects and decided to drive to my pharmacy to have it refilled because I could not take it anymore. My pharmacy is one that is in a large grocery store...so while it was being refilled I tried to find some granola bars so I would have something to eat to take with the medication. I was so dizzy and confused that I had to call my wife (fiance at the time) on my cell phone. I had to ask her to help me find the granola bars (this was a store that I often shopped at) and was standing in the middle of an isle with tears streaming down my face begging her to help me over the phone. I'm a 30+ year old professional who is 6'2" and was (prior to my weight gain recently) a healthy 250 pds, and was reduced to tears in a grocery store trying to find granola bars. The storry is sad, true, scary, and slightly funny all at the same time.

I've also managed to put on about 25-30 pds in the last 2-3 weeks as well. One of the side effects I personally got when I went too long between doses (or now in trying to stop completely and was feeling after reducing doseage) is a weird nausea feeling (I suppose similar to the one others have felt too). If you've ever felt nausea from being overly hungry, this is the type of nausea feeling I get. I feel like my body needs some food to help it feel better, so I eat and eat, and it's a very temperal relief (unfortunately, even the temporal relief doesn't always come), then the nausea is back. Hence the 25-30 pounds in the last 2-3 weeks.

In closing, I think it is sad that most doctors probably do not fully understand the drug. I know the manufacturer states that the side affects occur in about 10% of those that use the drug. However, I wonder what the percentage of severe side affects is in those that try to come off of the drug? I'm sure it has to be very high as the only thing my doctor made clear was to talk to him when/if I want to ever come off of the drug. THESE SIDE AFFECTS FROM COMING OFF OF THE DRUG ABSOULTELY NEEDS TO BE MADE CLEAR TO PATIENTS BEFORE THEY START OUT ON THIS DRUG!
Thanks,
M

I have been taking effexor xr for about 3 weeks now. Started on 37.5 and then a week later went to 75 mg. I was taking lexapro prior but freaked out one day on that stuff....so my dr. changed me over to effexor. I have taken everything from prozac, paxil, celia, lexapro, zoloft, & buspar. So far the only side effect I have experienced has been a headache the first week and a half, which subsided. I take it for GAD and social anxiety......I was very timid about taking it after reading all these horrible things, but with any drug you have side effects and what works for one may not work for another, you just need to listen to your body and give the drug the appropriate time to get into your system and do what it is supposed to. I plan to continue to take it, so far so good!

I,ve been on effexor xr 4 months now for depression and anxiety. Overall i have nothing really bad to say about this drug. I had trouble sleeping at first and some sexual side effects occur when my dossage is upped. Other than that I,m pleased with the results that I,m getting from this drug. I have more energy and it seemed to eliminate the minor body aches and fatigue that I I was expiencing. My depression has subsided a great deal and I can drive now without having a panic attack. I seem more comffortable around people I dont know and I have also gained a lot more confidense in myself. To be completly honest I dont know if I ever want to quit taking effexor. This drug is not for everone though. I would say to take the recommended dosage prescribed by your Dr. for the recommended time to allow the effexor to take full effect. After the 6 to 8 weeks if you're still eperiencing the same side effects, this drug is not for you. Try somthing else. If everyone in the world shared the same brain chemistry I doubt that their would be so many different anti deppressants. I wish you all the best of luck in finding true happiness, but remember the drug doesn't do the work all by itself. Their has to be a line drawn somwhere between fantasy and reallity, meaning that even perfectly normal people have bad days to.

was put on effexor-XR for post natal depression five days ago. As of tomorrow I am going to stop taking them as I have never experienced anything like it. I have a four month old daughter who I am to scared to hold as I am having severe vertigo and I am also having black outs. Ive done things that i have no recollection of doing, one of them included me remembering walking out of a shopping centre and the next thing i knew i was in my car. I had crossed two busy roads in the mean time and im not even sure if i looked to see if any cars were coming. I also sleep alot and i have no emotinal feelings what so ever. Im not to be left alone with my daughter in case something happens as i also suffer form tremors in the hands Would love to hear from anyone who has had similar side effects.

I've been on effexor XR for 3 weeks. I'm bi-polar. I have this bizarre twitching thing happening. It's pretty weird. It happens sometimes 5 or 6 times in a minutes, then not for a few hours. My face itches off and on. My sleep is different. I wake up between 2 and 3 am every night. I get back to sleep, but it's strange. My lips were numb the first week. That's about all I can think of.

ZoomZoom,

Good news for you!!! The side effects such as headaches should go away in the very near future. Drs. say 2-3 weeks and the majority of side effects should go away.

What you need to keep in mind is that Effexor XR is different than Anti-D's such as Paxil. Effexor calibrates 2 neurotransmitters in the brain (Seratonin & Norepinephrine). It would make sense that you are having headaches in the early goings because the drug is just readjusting what has been caused by the depression. Hang in there!!!

Don't be surprised if your Dr. increases the dose. He/she is simply trying to maximize the efficacy of the drug. I have no doubt that you will be back to normal in the near future.

Best of Luck,

MattM

HI everyone well I was on Effexor XR for about a year and a half for GAD and depression and it might have helped out a little with the anxiety but I was late for school all the time because it put me in such deep sleeps that I could not wake up to my alarm and I frequently felt tired all day. Also there was sexual side effects. I rarely was able to have an orgasm. And if I accidentally missed a day or two I was a complete wreck. I would get dizzy and moody to the point where no one could talk to me without me either flipping out on them or just break down crying. I felt crazy! The worst was coming off of the pills though. My mother begged me to go back on them but eventually my head straightened out and I'm fine now, but still a little emotional and angry. I would recommend maybe to try something else besides this drug.

I have now been on 150 mg Effexor XR for 8 months for anxiety. The anxiety has gone but my weight has gone way up. I also wake every 2 or 3 hours and then fall back asleep and I feel tired mid afternoon.
The negative effects I would rather put up with because my anxiety was so bad and now it is gone.

Mick

I have been taking Effexor Xr 75 mg three times in the morning for about a year and a half. At first I experienced some weird side effects like you were experiencing, such as being tired especially in the morning. I started graduate school recently and I am doing great. The only side effects that I still experience are sometimes weird dreams and on rare occasions nightmares. However, decreasing sugar intake especially just before going to bed have helped with that. You shouldn't lie to your boyfriend. Depression is a weird disease that is for sure. Get so info and have him read it. Good luck and just remember you have your whole life ahead of you.

I have been gradually been put on Effexor XR. 1st week 1x37.5mg for 7 days then 2x37.5 mg 7 days or 2nd week then 3x 37.5 for 7 days and now 4x 37.5 or 150 mg. I have noticed a decrease in appetite as a matter of fact I've lost 14 lbs. in a month. I did have vision problems at night when my eyes seemed very dialated. Daytime wasn't a problem. A little bit of yawning on the first day of increasing the dosage.
I sweat a lot, but it is summer and very humid here, so am not sure if this is a side effect. I have been suffering from deppression and GAD most of my life as well as severe PMS. This drug has increased my ability to think before I react, which is a miracle. I have been an emotional eater and am happy with the loss of my need to self medicate with food. I am sure they will gradually wean me off of this medicine as they gradually put me on it. I am also in therapy and I feel I am doing something good for myself. I feel much better than a month ago. They've said I will only be on this medication for one year.

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.

Ive been on Effexor XR for 2 years... SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS!!! Ive heard how some men have sexual side effects... But I'm a woman. I dont think Ive ever heard about a woman having sexual side effects. However, I cant get off! Its like I have no sensation in the clitoris, or even the vagina! This is really frustrating! I have no desire whatsoever for sexual pleasure! I'm only 19... Can anyone help me?!!!
Thanks. Sophie

I have been on Effexor Xr for about 2 years now,before that I was taking Zoloft, and Zoloft, while it may be great for some people, wasn't the right choice for me. Now (from 25 mg a day) to currently 300 mg a day I take Effexor Xr. Not only is it supposed to be treating my depression, but also my obsessive compulsive disorder. For the first few months it almost elimanted my OCD and greatly reduced my depression. But now I feel as if the drug isn't doing me much good. I am going back into my depression cycles where I have crying fits in which all I want to do is sit in the dark in the back of my closet and cry. Being at college, that is now harder to do, and harder to keep from my room mates noticing how big of a toll it takes on me. I have also been experiencing difficulty sleeping in which I wake up every couple of hours, even with sleeping pills I am not able to sleep a full night through. Although I am not sure if dizziness is a side effect of the drug, but when I stand, or even barely move sometimes my head just spins. And I didn't associate this before with the drug, but I heard other people say that they get itchy too. I have also been itching- weird itching not just one spot on my arm but like all over, legs, stomach, arms. I know Effexor Xr may be great for some people-but it is not for me. Although I don't want to jump off the drug because I have done that before (without my psychiatrist, therapist, or family doctor knowing) and I had a horrible time coming down off of that. I just wish that I could feel normal again- because I miss the way the feels!

I have been on effexor XR for the past going on 6 years. It has made a dramatic change in my life. It has helped my depression and anxiety enourmously. At first I had constipation but that changed when I changed my diet. I too tried to go off effexor cold turkey and ended up in a clinic on my way to work. The first week I felt like I was on a HIGH - felt fabulous - then I started driving erractically - very bizarre throbbing in my head, headaches. Then the crying started uncontrollably - became paranoid - felt like something was going to swallow me up from the feet up and I was afraid to drive as I kept thinking I was going to crash my car. By the time I got to the clinic - I was bouncing off the walls.. Had to go back on it. If I miss one dose I could sleep forever! Angela West - Windsor.

I have been taking Effexor and Effexor XR for about 13 years. I have a chemical imbalance and that cause me to have severe depression. I had to try many other anti-depressents before I found one that worked well with my chemistry. Effexor did! At the same time I started taking Effexor I started to gain the weight. The weight gain was fast and no matter what I did I coundn't control it. In 2 years I gained 88 pounds before the scales stopped climbing. I went to the doctor and had all kinds of tests run and everything was fine. The doctor said that I was going through menopause and my metabolism has slowed down. I have always watched what I eat and have been active. I have never contributed my weight gain to Effexor until now. If there is another anti-depressant that has the same affect but without the weight gain, I would like to know about it.

I have been on Effexor XR for over a year now and at first it was helping my depression and compulsive disorder but for the past 5 months I have been having really bad memory loss, confusion, extreme headaches that wont go away and wont let me do anything.....I have also gained 65 pounds and my head feels like it is in a cloud and I have no idea what is going on around me....I am totally adrift. It has also made me like grow a beard and side burns and I am an 18 year old chick.so that is terrible....I have hillucinations I cant stop seeing things come after me and I have terrible nightmares...I had horrible chest pain non stop crying.....diahrea shortness of breathe just every side effect that was bad was what I had.....I have been off of it for a week now and it has been so terrible my school wanted to take me away in handcuffs or in a straight jacket and I was on a strict watch from everyone in my school this drug is horrible and I think no one should ever take it......It has made my life terrible and it has tken away my joy memory and good grades.....I cant learn now in school and I get terrible grades and before taking this drug I was a straight A student.....and I found out that this is more of a mans drug too so I am all screwed up now and I owe it all too Effexor...NEVER TAKE THIS EFFEXOR

I take Effexor XR to help me sleep along with Sonata. Since, I started taking the Effxor I have gained 31lbs. I don't know if this is a side effect or not.