Effexor and menopause

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 went into full blown menopause 5 months ago. I could not sleep at nights, unbelievable hot flashes every 15 minutes throughout the day (I couldn't go anywhere without my hand-fan), crying over the silliest things, thinking people were purposely being unkind or cruel to me, - the entire situation was a nightmare to say the least. My doctor put me on Effexor and within 2 weeks, all symptoms (above) had completely dissapeard. It is the first time in my life I feel balanced and normal (even better than before I went into menopause). The only side effect I have experienced is that I cannot lose weight - I have not gained any, but seem to be remaining at the weight I was before going on Effexor.

I have been taking Effexor for a year after my GP became concerned that Serzone was causing liver damage. I haven't had any side effects except when I stopped taking it for only one day, I started to get a little dizzy. OK. I DIDN'T miss a dose this time and right now I am so dizzy and nauseous I actually broke a cardinal rule and went all blubbery on my husband. Talked to my doc about this last week and she said dizziness could be caused by menopause. NOT LIKE THIS!! I am almost afraid I have a brain tumor or something. How can I start to have these effects after a year? I am experiencing the brain shocks--when I turn my head it sounds like someone is rapidly shaking one of those plastic film canisters of rice by my ear. I also have light flashes in dark rooms (like at night). Is this Effexor?

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.