Effexor and emotions

I have been on Effexor 75mg and at first experienced extreme drowsiness and extremely dilated pupils. However, after the third week these side effects subsided, and I switched from AM dosing to PM dosing which helps with the drowsiness. The one thing I did notice though is that, though my anxiety and depression are gone, I have seemed to develop a new habit, or not new, but whenever I go shopping, I end up spending a lot of money and I don't really worry about it or care. The first month I burned through my credit and still, although I know it's a problem, don't feel any anxiety over it. Before the anxiety would stop me from doing ridiculous spur of the moment spending or other silly decisions, but since I have been on effexor I seem to not care anymore. I do love this medication however, and have learned over the past few months that I need to monitor my decision making more closely, and not based solely on my emotions, since I am always happy and carefree. Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm 31 and started taking Effexor a week ago 75mg to begin with. Today I'm doubling the dose. I am mourning for the loss of my husband whom I have been together with for three years and married for 4 months! In a week I had a serious nervous breakdown due to an obsession in my mind; related to getting his personal belongings from his family. But today when I think about my feelings, it seems as if they're all lost. Or they are buried even deeper inside of me. I can't cry and this is uncomfortable. One day I'm seriously aggressive, another day I'm the easiest person on earth, then another day I'm fighting with my emotions like missing him bad. I had suicidal thoughts as well. When I look back, it seems overwhelming what I felt due to this medicine on top of my deep sorrow.
I don't really know how this dose doubling will affect me, but I'm anxious!!!!!

i feel no emotions while taking effexor. no anxiety, mind you, (which is what i was using it for---GAD.) so no anxiety is good, but is it good to not feel any sorrow, empathy, joy or happiness??? I feel like i am just going through the motions of life, not really living it. but if i don't take even 1 dose, the anxirty comes back. (but the other emotions come back too) i cry more if i miss a dose, and that used to worry me into thinking i am depressed....BUT it is normal to cry when you feel sorrow or empathy. and maybe the tears have to come flowing out as a form of release, because they were withheld for so long by the effexor. other possible side effects could be: insomnia; headaches, clenching teeth, biting cheek and tongue a lot, constipation and weight gain. (hard to know if these are side effects of effexor, or symptoms of fibromyalgia).

I was prescribed Effexor while attending Uni. My depression was negatively effecting my academic performance and on the edge of getting my scholarship withdrawn, I continued (as a requirement from the board) with Effexor despite its side effects. I advised my counselor but he insisted I continue as it would "get better." On the contrary my self-esteem took a dive, I became way more suicidal, I felt like there were an army of ants crawling under my skin, I was "emotionally numb"....more like I could feel so many emotions at once and in such great magnitude, I felt like I was going to explode....and I did....through slashing my forearm and wrists. I felt like I could breathe when I did that....then I would just return to my bed and lay there....lost.

I finally decided to stop medicating, I gave up my scholarship and returned home. The moment I set foot on home ground I didn't know where to start or even if I was going to get a job; but I did, a great job for someone without any degree/diploma....for starters anyway. One day I sat down looking out to the sunset and recalled my days of depression. I beat myself up inside with the realization that I had ALLOWED myself to go be depressed. I realized that it is beatable, it really is in our control; mind over matter! I'm not going to lie, it does creep up at one time or another and I do still feel an imbalance in my emotions, but I find the critical step is to just STOP whatever I'm doing, go out for some fresh air, and remind myself that I have come so far without Effexor and other anti-depressants I've been prescribed with, and I remind myself that I CONTROL what goes on in my mind, and thus my body.

Again, it is still challenging at times, but I have decided not to let depression rob me of a happy and fruitful life, and its been great so far.

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 was advised to go onto this drug for depression 3years ago. i gained weight and lost my emotions had no remorse,guilt nor feelings for anything that was dear to me. i had no life. i feel that this drug has robbed me of the three years that i was on this devil drug. i lost my partner and close friends. i lost touch with reality. i was basically dead. i was in a catotonic state for three years. i was forced of this drug as it was causing problems to my heart. whilst comming off the drug i had memory loss and very nearly killed my partner and myself. i tried to hang myself and beat my partner up who had done nothing to me apart from love me. i told him on many occasions that i loved him but was not in love with him. which was far from the truth. it is the most horrible thing to be on this drug and then to come off it only to find that all your emotions come flooding back. even harder when you realise that your partner had had enough and left for his own safty! we are just retrying to repair the damage that this drug has done to our relationship and our lives. we due to this drug may not be alive today. please do not even attempt to try one day of this evil devilish drug. it is not worth it at all. god knows how many people have died and are suffering due to venlafaxine! i took it as i was told that it would help me. i trusted the doctors and took it. never again, NEVER

I am on my third week of Effexor, 1 week 37.5, then 75s for 10 days. At first, I wanted to sleep all the time, but started taking it at night, and that was better.
But I missed taking a pill last night, and I am totally "out of it" this morning. My ears are ringing and I feel like a hangover...had many crazy dreams the last two nights.
I am mourning the loss of a very dear friend, but I am unable to cry and release any of the emotions. I've had the shakes a few times, and mostly I don't like the kind of out-of-myself feeling, or lack of feeling, I am experiencing. I want to stop taking this drug, but from what I'm reading, I will have withdrawal symptoms, even after such a short time....????

NO EMOTIONS. BEEN TO 5 FUNERALS OF CLOSE FRIENDS WITHIN THE PAST MONTH AND HALF AND CAN'T EVEN SHED A TEAR.

I'M HAPPY ALL THE TIME. NEVER GET ANGRY ANYMORE, BUT CAN'T CRY. CAN'T FEEL ANY EMPATHY, SORROW.

THAT'S SAD. I'VE LOST THAT EMOTION.

I'm using Effexor for 2 months now for depression / ocd. In the beginning it was hard. It made me nauseous and felt malaise. This settled down after a week, then everything looked more confident, less sad, more calm. This doesn't last very long. It robbed me of emotions. Even my boyfriend said I'm like a shell of a person, despite I thought I feel like myself, he said I look very distant. "Abnormal thoughts" is also labeled as a SE. I didn't know what it meant until I realized I became more insensitive, less compassionate. So I recall some things that I said that may seem offstandish. I no longer cry when I see something very heartfelt. I listen to music but it's just like noise, I can't enjoy it. I can read poetry or watch a good film but it doesn't affect me. I'm not in love with my bf, my loved ones - just life in general. Then some days I feel flu-like and depressed and just want to stay curled up in bed all day. I have to get off it b/c it's not good for my heart. Sometimes it shakes hard like a snowglobe. Palpitations. And paranoia sometimes. I get a really creepy feeling. And gory dreams of decay.

Good side: It cured most of my ocd & social anxiety. Raised my IQ on good days, due to deeper focus to a point I can get lost inside my own head.

Went to the Dr due to stress on the job, elder parents, and new marriage. I was on Efexor 75 and my Dr increased the dose to 150 due to no improvement on 75. I felt numb no crying, no excitement just going through the emotions of every day life. In two weeks time on 150 I felt more lifeless and my hair is falling out by the handfuls. I went to see a dermatolgist and he told me I reminded him of someone on chemo and not to be surprised if I lost all my hair! Has anyone had problems with hair loss? My Dr has dropped me back to 35 and wants me to start Wellbutrin. I think I am going cold turkey. I don't want to be bald! Thanks for reading.

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.

One of my medications has caused me to have no emotions.Don't cry,laugh or anything.I can't figure out which one.And I also had a liver transplant 9 years ago.Med.s that I'am on.buspirone15mg twice daily
efexor 75mg 1 daily
efexor 150mg i daily
norvasc 10mg 1 daily
trazodone 50mg 1 to 1/2 daily for sleep
phenobarb 30mg 1am
phenobarb 100mg 1/2 pm
sandimune 100mg 2 daily
This is all my med.s Thank you for your help