Reviewer: me again, 45-54 on Treatment for 10 years or more

Comment:
Life-changing, life-saving. I was prescribed 150 mg a day of the regular (not XR) form 18 years ago. I started feeling much better right away -- far less anxious and sad. The only downside is I can space out just enjoying my random happy thoughts so I need to remind myself to get back to getting things done -- but that's not too hard and way better than being sad and scared all the time. Once ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
Life-changing, life-saving. I was prescribed 150 mg a day of the regular (not XR) form 18 years ago. I started feeling much better right away -- far less anxious and sad. The only downside is I can space out just enjoying my random happy thoughts so I need to remind myself to get back to getting things done -- but that's not too hard and way better than being sad and scared all the time. Once when I was sick (for other reasons) I couldn't keep the venlafaxine pills down which made me unintentionally go off it cold turkey, which gave me nightmares until I could get it to stay down again. That scared me so I weaned myself -- VERY SLOWLY! IMPORTANT! -- down to 75 mg a day, so now if I forget to take them I only get really sad and anxious ( no nightmares) until I get back on it. I also went off it on purpose -- VERY SLOWLY -- and stayed off for a year to see if maybe I didn't need it anymore. It was a horribly anxious year. I felt a million percent better when I went back on it. Because I take the regular form, I have never had the "brain zaps" or other weirdness associated with the XR form. A relative takes venlafaxine with results like mine; I think we have a genetic brain wiring issue that it mends. I am infinitely grateful this medicine exists and sad for all the people with this condition who were sad and scared every day before this was invented -- or who still are because they can't afford it. It is not for every depressed or anxious person -- I read that each medication only helps a small percent (but a different group usually) of all patients, but at least this helps some of us.
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Reviewer: donthaveone, 45-54 on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

Comment:
This was prescribed for me when I was diagnosed with a fatal, incurable disease and expected to live no more than a few months. I have been taking it these few months and it has really helped. I actually feel happier and more upbeat than before my diagnosis! Which is kind of crazy, but I'm grateful to spend this time enjoying my remaining life. I hope it helps you as well. :)

Comment:
This was prescribed for me when I was diagnosed with a fatal, incurable disease and expected to live no more than a few months. I have been taking it these few months and it has really helped. I actually feel happier and more upbeat than before my diagnosis! Which is kind of crazy, but I'm grateful to spend this time enjoying my remaining life. I hope it helps you as well. :)
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Reviewer: Seb, 35-44 Male on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
I've been on this RX for about 2 years. I do experience sweating more than I would like but I can live with it. Overall it has helped stabilize my mood. What I am experiencing more recently which is concerning and I'm trying to figure out if it's related to this RX is complete loss of bladder control. I'm 38 and literally cannot hold my urge to urinate longer than a minute or t ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I've been on this RX for about 2 years. I do experience sweating more than I would like but I can live with it. Overall it has helped stabilize my mood. What I am experiencing more recently which is concerning and I'm trying to figure out if it's related to this RX is complete loss of bladder control. I'm 38 and literally cannot hold my urge to urinate longer than a minute or two. Has anyone had this same experience? Over the last 6 months it went from moderate to severe. I have a follow up to discuss but curious what others know.
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Reviewer: Texas girl, 35-44 Female on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
Venlafaxine helped my depression at first. But when I lost my job, it actually made my depression worse. I couldnâ??t do anything but sleep all day. I had brain fog and increased negative self-talk. I became suicidal a couple of times. Thankfully I reported this to my doctor and she is now in the process of weaning me off. OMG itâ??s like night and day. The fog has lifted, I can think cl ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
Venlafaxine helped my depression at first. But when I lost my job, it actually made my depression worse. I couldnâ??t do anything but sleep all day. I had brain fog and increased negative self-talk. I became suicidal a couple of times. Thankfully I reported this to my doctor and she is now in the process of weaning me off. OMG itâ??s like night and day. The fog has lifted, I can think clearly, I have a much more positive outlook, I have way more energy. My recommendation is that if this drug works for you, great. But the minute it stops working, tell your doctor immediately because it could make it worse to the point of suicide.
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Reviewer: Erin, 25-34 on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)

Comment:
Horrible experience for me. I took ONE PILL, the 37.5 mg dose as prescribed, for depression. Through the day I felt ok, maybe a little loopy, with some tension in the neck, slight headache, grinding of teeth. Went to sleep, then woke up in the middle of the night sweating profusely, extremely nauseas and hallucinating!! I had horrible, vivid thoughts, felt completely out of body and "compelle ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
Horrible experience for me. I took ONE PILL, the 37.5 mg dose as prescribed, for depression. Through the day I felt ok, maybe a little loopy, with some tension in the neck, slight headache, grinding of teeth. Went to sleep, then woke up in the middle of the night sweating profusely, extremely nauseas and hallucinating!! I had horrible, vivid thoughts, felt completely out of body and "compelled" to kill myself. It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced. I was not suicidal before taking this drug. The little sane part left in me stashed all sharp objects into a drawer and flushed the meds. I crawled into bed, shaking all over, sweating buckets and terrified. I won't even speak to my doctor again after this experience. Lifestyle changes and eastern herbal supplements have been far more effective. It was my first experience with antidepressants and hopefully my last.
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