effexor

jrodx2

I've been on it for about three years now. I tried Lexapro first and had horrible side effects so I was put on Effexor to try instead. It was used to treat GAD for me and the anxiety attacks are practically non existant while on it. I did get to a point last year when I wanted to get off of it and after the first month, I had a really bad anxiety attack. From then on, I just stayed on it because I felt obviously needed it. The only bad thing is if you forget a pill, the withdraw is awful. I keep a few extra in my purse just in case I leave the house without it one day (I take it in the morning). As for weight gain, it has never been an issue in that way for me. The weight I had gained before was due to lack of self control and eating the wrong foods.

Everyone does have different reactions to it though so I would make sure you talk everything out with your doctor.

invisibubble

Venlafaxine is the proper drug name, correct? Been on it for over a year, maybe two. Weight gain thing never really hit me, have lost consistently since then and before it. Most side-effects wear off after 8 weeks use anyway. Experienced a little dizziness and nausea near the start. I get on well with mine, they're extended release. Better than the other sets of meds I've been on (and I've been on quite a few).
Really it all depends on what it's specifically for and who's using it. Body chemistry widly differs even for two people with very similar lives, so it's all just trial and error anyway.
Ain't magic but nothing is. *shrug*
By the way, I take a regular nightly dosage for anxiety/depression symptoms. Helps a bit with both sometimes, doesn't others. Like I said, we're all different. Have diazepam for panic attacks as and when. Drugs are really a very small help compared to hard work with therapies and stuff but helpful nonetheless.
On and ditto on the dead sex drive thing.

KWake1

I was on it as a teen and I found it helped a lot. Defintiely not one you can pick and choose to use. You have to regulate it or you'll start to get the dizzyness. Take it like a birth control pill. Same time everyday and you're fine. You also need to talk to your doctor about switching your doses, missing doses, and wanting to come off. You can't just stop cold turkey it does take some weaning. My husband is currently on it though and it works really well for him, but he's found the same things I did. If he misses a day he can really feel it within 12 hours.
Also, talk to your doc about the side effect involving weight gain/loss. Since you're on this site I'm going to assume that you need help in that area. Effexor can inhibit weight loss so if you need to lose some weight you could find it more difficult.

Shweedog

I took it years ago. Gained 22 lbs in 6 months. Got off it and it all came right off. Messed with my hormones too much.

greekygirl

I was on it about 10 years ago but only for a few weeks I think, tops. I couldn't handle the side effects - it made me a zombie and the brain zaps were the worst! I also think if I would've stayed on it I would've gained weight but I guess I don't know that for sure.

I also had a friend that was on it for a very short period of time and she couldn't tolerate it either. But everyone is different - some people have great success with meds that others don't.

If it were me, I'd try to find an alternative (there are TONS of meds out there now) and if nothing else works, then I'd try it. For ME, this is the worst med I've ever tried (I've tried quite a few). And yes the withdrawals are terrible - I'm glad I wasn't on it that long.

Good luck in your decision - I hope you find something that works for you.

ashielovesdashie88

oh dear god i hated Effexor with a passion. It made me vomit and dizzy and my doctor decided that i need something like 250mg of it to stabilize me and let me tell you. i totally didn't need that much. As far as weight loss with effexor i lost weight only because i was vomitting every day of my life. i went off of it a month later and it stayed in my system for another 30 days. Welbutrin was good but made me sick as well. apparently i'm just not good with medications. But i found my miracle pill (which i'm no longer on because i'm finally happy and stable in that happiness, yay!) in Zoloft. Zoloft helped me get over my addiction to food in a big way. I was such an emotional eater and was diagnosed with Compulsive Overeating and Zoloft, after being in my system for 2 weeks, did more for me than i ever could've hoped for. it literally saved me from hitting 250lbs and i lost 30lbs with it. Now i'm working off sheer will power. Good luck in your weight loss journey! :flowerforyou:

auntied

I've taken it for years and it is my Life Saver. I've had no bad said effects what so ever. I know have cancer and going thur Chemo they told me I can stay on it for now but I might have to switch later when my treatmeant is complete because of the med's I will have to take at that time. BUT they said they would find something for me. Best of luck...

littlelily613

I was on effexor when i was around the age of 19. I HATED it. I did NOT work for me, at all. I was still miserable, and the side effects coming off of it were definitely just as bad as people make them seem. I had so many brain zaps, it was HORRIBLE. I am on a low dosage of cipralex right now, and that is what I recommend. I am no longer miserable at all (a bit irritable, but i think that might be due to the pill, not the depression i had a few months ago). I don't even have any negative thoughts any more. You will read lots of horror stories on weight gain with this, but the pharmacist said it is actually really rare. For me, I have lost close to 70 pounds since I've started cipralex, so it certainly hasn't caused me to gain any weight.

AReasor

A loved one is on it, and it is magic. We were very lucky. It was the first med we tried and it had very little side affects, For some reason for him it was very mild.:flowerforyou:

MassiveDelta

I was put on it several years ago for some pretty severe depression I was experiencing and I HATED it. I didnt feel like it helped me at all and in fact it screwed me up. I had severe episodes of vertigo and actually blacked out a few times and fell. I quit taking it without my doctors permission. I was careful to ween myself off of it as with any medication of this type stopping immediately is bad news.

I never took anything after that. I dont like them at all.

chubbytiff

I am on 225 of effexor xr. Have been on it for almost 6 yrs now. It is a weight friendly medicine. I had no weight or appetite changes. I feel normal. It helps me sleep better. Each person is different. The only bad thing I can say is if you forget to take it you feel like crap and if you forget the second night you will be sick as a dog. When you go off of it you have to slowly go off of it. After that you are back to normal. Takes a couple of weeks to come off it.

Whinchat

At various points I've been on Effexor XL (Venlafaxine), Prozac (Fluoxetine) and Seroxat (Paroxetine). I found Effexor the best and never had any problems with it. I found that it worked way better than Prozac to stabilise me and I didn't get any side effects or withdrawal symptoms like I did with Seroxat.

angiemartin78

My aunt is on it and its ok, but if she does not fill her scipt in time and it runs out, she is so sick. She can't even get out of the bathroom before she's running back to the toilet to throw up again. She says time and time again that she wishes she never would've started it.

But, everyone is different.

JMarigold

I recommend trying almost everything else before trying the Effexor. For most people, the withdrawal symptoms are bad and for many they are dehabilitating.

I would recommend trying Buspar for anxiety before anything else. It's relatively harmless as drugs go for most people.

Effexor did not help me at all really . . . maybe a little. Mostly I just slept a lot. And I do mean a LOT. Withdrawal symptoms are terrible. I was between school and starting a job and I made sure I had 2 weeks off in between and I needed all of that time to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. As other said--dizziness, nausea, those horrible brain zaps, shivers. And that was even though I weaned myself off the medication slowly reducing the dosage.

kafferding

I took Effexor for a few years, 225mg. It definitely helped control my mood swings. I think that's because my mood was too tired to swing. I had ZERO energy while on it. I decided I had to quit because I was having withdrawal symptoms if I missed a day, that freaked me out. It was, without a doubt, the worst medication I've ever quit. I did okay going from three pills to two, two to one was a little more difficult, and one to none was horrid and took forever because I always felt so bad I would cave and just take it. Finally I mentally prepared myself to feel like crap for a couple days and just did it. For me, it worked but wasn't worth the trade off.

ericarae33

I was on this one for years, it was the only one that worked for me...hard to come off of, the withdrawls suck so if you get off don't do it cold turkey. Make sure to take with food, It made me sick if I didn't

elysianashes

For those who keep saying, "Oh, take Lexapro, it's better" or "Take Wellbutrin, Effexor doesn't work as well" etc. etc. - please keep in mind these are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DRUGS. That's the equivalent of saying, "I had heart disease so I took this antibiotic and it did nothing for me." Different people react better to different types of drugs and that's because their depression/anxiety is caused by specific chemical interactions in their body. Since doctors don't currently have a way to specifically diagnose which chemical is being absorbed improperly, they often have to try several to find the one that works for you. That's why one person will react wonderfully to Effexor but horribly to Wellbutrin, while another will be happy as a clam on Wellbutrin but moody on Effexor.

Effexor is an SSNRI - it affects your serotonin and norepinephrine uptake
Lexapro and Prozac are SSRIs - they affect just your serotonin uptake
Wellbutrin is an NRI/DRI - it affects your serotonin and dopamine uptake

By the way, as far as withdrawals go, never ever ever try to go off them by skipping pills. If you are taking tablets, cut them in half and start taking half at a time, then after a week or two, start taking a quarter at a time, then after a week or two, start just taking one a day, etc. Your doctor should be monitoring this process. If you're taking the XR extended release (which I highly recommend) you will also likely have much easier withdrawal symptoms.

kafferding

For those who keep saying, "Oh, take Lexapro, it's better" or "Take Wellbutrin, Effexor doesn't work as well" etc. etc. - please keep in mind these are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DRUGS. That's the equivalent of saying, "I had heart disease so I took this antibiotic and it did nothing for me." Different people react better to different types of drugs and that's because their depression/anxiety is caused by specific chemical interactions in their body. Since doctors don't currently have a way to specifically diagnose which chemical is being absorbed improperly, they often have to try several to find the one that works for you. That's why one person will react wonderfully to Effexor but horribly to Wellbutrin, while another will be happy as a clam on Wellbutrin but moody on Effexor.

Effexor is an SSNRI - it affects your serotonin and norepinephrine uptake
Lexapro and Prozac are SSRIs - they affect just your serotonin uptake
Wellbutrin is an NRI/DRI - it affects your serotonin and dopamine uptake

By the way, as far as withdrawals go, never ever ever try to go off them by skipping pills. If you are taking tablets, cut them in half and start taking half at a time, then after a week or two, start taking a quarter at a time, then after a week or two, start just taking one a day, etc. Your doctor should be monitoring this process. If you're taking the XR extended release (which I highly recommend) you will also likely have much easier withdrawal symptoms.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before cutting any medications in half. I'm not sure but I believe you're not suppose to cut Effexor XR in half.

elysianashes

It's not possible to cut in half... well, I guess you could but it would be quite a mess haha. I didn't mean to cut the XR in half, sorry. You would just go down to one a day instead of two, then eventually one every 36 hours, then one every two days, etc.

kafferding

It's not possible to cut in half... well, I guess you could but it would be quite a mess haha. I didn't mean to cut the XR in half, sorry. You would just go down to one a day instead of two, then eventually one every 36 hours, then one every two days, etc.

Some meds can be cut in half, I've been prescribed half a pill before! I lack coordination and even with pill cutters I felt like I was taking more/less every other day. lol With Effexor the doctor told me to decrease by one pill every two weeks till off completely (I was taking three 75mg pills daily). I was taking XR and it was still awful.

elysianashes

Well yes, that's why I was saying a tablet can be cut in half. In general the XR is a capsule though, so cutting it in half would dump all the contents lol

ceannesjourney

What is it?

anti-depressant pills.

Antidepressant with anti anxiety mixed in

Bridget28152723

First of all dont stop taking it abruptly, try it for 4 weeks if your still depressed , ask for an increase. I liked it except for swelling in my hands overnight, it made my pupils dilate too. I cant remember any "withdrawal" symptoms, with any anti-depressant you wean yourself off , like cut the dose in half for a week , then less, etc. I didnt have any withdrawals from it.
Im on Wellbutrin 300 mg. now, its OK but I think there is something that would make a little nicer:happy: Its very expensive to buy what I wanted to try "Pristiq" so I have to stick with wellbutrin. I usually go off after 6 months or when Im ready, but slowly. Hope it works out for you!

Quasita

I have never taken it but I have done really well with Cymbalta coupled with an extra anxiety med when needed. Cymbalta is an SNRI like Effexor, but I tolerate it really well without having any brain fog. If anything, it perks you up. Right now, I take 120mg of Cymbalta (it doubles as a pain management medication, which is why it's so high) with liothyronine. The problem with anxiety medications is that most are not weight neutral and will make you gain weight. First I took buspirone, which killed my sex drive and interacted with my birth control. I took Topamax for a while which I loved but after getting a really bad virus, my side effects changed and I suffered selective amnesia (and no, those memories have not returned). After that, I tried Lamictal, which landed me in the ER.

Liothyronine is not specifically an anxiety medication, but what it does is it increases the seratonin production. I found that this approach (along with it upping my thyroid function, as it's a thyroid hormone) was a lot more tolerable.

Anyone who is having bad nausea and vertigo issues coming off meds, I swear you should ask your doctor about having some Zofran. That stuff is amazing! It's an anti-nausea med that they give cancer patients, and pregger ladies, it works really well. I had to take it for weeks while taking Lamictal (one of the reasons I went off of it, it made me SICK) but the Zofran saved me and allowed me to keep going.

Loseweight1980

I was put on it while I was inthe hospital. I didn't notice any change on it. It was horrid to come off of though. Apparently it's the worst one because of it's half life.

I agree. I wouldn't go on effexor if you can help it. I would find another one if you can!!!!

Can someone explain to me what you mean by the half life of a drug?

Half life is the time it takes your body to process half the amount of medication in the pill.

Loseweight1980

I'm on Effexor XR, 150mg daily, and have been for 2 months. I LOVE IT!! I take it for GAD, OCD, and panic disorder. It is totally a life saver. I haven't had any side effects, no weight gain, and even when I did miss a day, I had no problems. Every med works differently for everyone. Don't let someone else's horror story scare you off.

ceannesjourney

Hiya anyone here on effexor? What do you think of it...the good and bad please! Thanks

I've been on Effexor for almost 12 years and i canniot imagine ever being off of it. I have depression and anxiety and have had it for years. For over 20 years after being diagnosed I refused all medication but a very stressful life situation caused me to have to start medication. I started with Prozac which helped with the depression and anxiety, but I also had no emotions, no ups or downs, just flatness...I went off of it after two years.

Unfortunately, within 6 monhts my anger and anxiety (my symptoms of depression) started again and my doctor put me on Effexor, he said it was a very "clean" drug (don't know what he meant by that but it sounded good) and would help...within one week I felt like myself for the first time in years and years! I have had to have the dosage increased during very stressful periods (unfortunately in one right now) so am on 225mg and possibly will have to go to 300mg for a time being.

I understand what a one person said about forgetting words--unfortunately I do have that while I'm speaking sometimes but my friends know that it's because of the medication and we play a game where I describe what the word I'm looking for (Like the game Taboo) untill we get it. ;o) Other than that my symptoms seem to be almost nil (some tiredness within a couple of hours of taking it but I changed the dosage time and that helps.

I also completely understand about the withdrawl symptoms as I have had periods of forgetting to take the medication and within a few hours noticing a slight headache or by the next day dizzsiness and small brain zaps--I take the medication and within an hour it goes away. I have a reminder on my cel phone now and carry the meds with me all the time so I don't have to go through that any longer.

About two years ago, my doctor tried me on Cymbalta (I think thats the name) as it's supposed to be a similar drug (for depression and anxiety--SSRI) and I took months to go off of Effexor (knowing that's the only way to do it properly) but found the Cymbalta did not work for me so went back to Effexor.

I've probably told you more than you'd like to know but you asked for info...

The most important thing I can say about any medication is...work with your doctor...it's important to do the research that you are doing, but each drug works with the chemicals in our bodies and as we are all individuals each person will have a different outcome.

Good luck!!

fjrandol

I've been taking Effexor XR 75mg (among other things) for fibromyalgia since last August. I do notice the dizzy spells and forgetfulness, but I will happily take those over how I was feeling previously! Absolutely nauseating if I forget to take it with food though.:sick:

slightner

I took this for about 2 years. I need to switch drugs periodically because my body seems to adjust and they dont work anymore. I had no problems coming off of this and no side effects on it. I wish it had lasted longer. I now take Cymbalta, which is a lot more expensive but is working great.

Behavior_Modification

I've been on a variety of anti-depressants for the past 15yrs. Happy to share more info about the others, however, currently I take a cocktail of Welbutrin & Effexor. Have been on this for about 2 years. Have not experienced any weird side effects. Good luck!