User Reviews for Effexor XR oral

I was recently diagnosed in May 2022 with bipolar 1. It seems that I have been prescribed anything and everything. Nothing has worked very good. Doctor prescribed Effexor 150mg to be taken 3x day in September. After a few weeks, I was going absolutely crazy and thought I was crawling out of my skin. We made a few adjustments but not much. In late October, I blacked out and crashed my Honda Accord into a box truck. I came to when the accident happened. In November, I thought people were coming after me. I saw people and spent two full days chasing cars and trying to get away from them. Thankfully my ex-wife was called to get me and take me to the hospital. I tested positive for PCP at the hospital to which law enforcement were notified. The test later confirmed it was the Effexor. The two days in the ER - I didn't sleep any because I thought the nurses were going to gag and bag me. Regardless of the sleep meds they gave me, I fought like hell to not go to sleep. At some point, I fell asleep and woke up in the back of a constable's vehicle. My hands and legs were tied up. I freaked out. Quickly, the constable told me he was taken me downtown to a hospital. That eased my mind. As soon as I was in the psych ward, they took away the Effexor. I will never take this medicine again. I'm sure it works for many but the psychotic behavior I experienced has not escaped my mind because it was so scary. The meds they have me on now seem to be working along with a lot of prayer. Read More Read Less

This medication sucks. I can’t lie it took away my anxiety for the most part and helped my depression a little, but not worth it at all. I felt more numb not happy and connected to life. I am tired all of the time but when I try to sleep at night I have the worst insomnia ever. It made my appetite insatiable I literally have gained so much weight in just three weeks on it. I now have stopped taking it two days ago and I feel so out of it like I’m on drugs, extreme tiredness and fatigue, and feel like I have the flu. Read More Read Less

I was on 37.5 mg of venlafaxine xr to start for anxiety and panic attacks and it did make really tired but I was calm. I adjusted to 75 mg 2 weeks in. This medication made me very unmotivated, tired, intimacy issues and I was constantly turning my partner down. 4 weeks in altogether I started to sleep better but woke up once a night. So I switched to taking this at night time under my psychiatrists order due to how it was effecting me (it effects everyone differently and cab be advised to take at night under docs orders) I just skipped morning dose and started taking at night. I'm 9 weeks in and I had to go back to 37.5 mg for 1 week and I'll be starting sertraline the following day after my last day of venlafaxine. Has anyone switched from venlafaxine to sertraline I'd love to hear how this impacted you! Read More Read Less

I have suffered from PTSD, severe depression, and anxiety for literally decades. My medication history is as follows: 1997-1998 Zoloft 2002-2004 Paxil 2004-2006 Wellbutrin 2009-2013 Cellexa (gained 40 pounds) 2016-2021 Trintellix 2021 - present Effexor I had almost suffered to the false reality that I was beyond help. I did everything the doctors told me to do: eat right, exercise, spirituality, support groups, etc. Nothing seemed to help until January 2021 when I was placed on Effexor. I can’t find words to explain how much better I feel. I don’t flip and have panic attacks. I don’t find away for months on end. I finally know how it feels to be normal. Read More Read Less

I have been taking this medication for almost 20 years. I don’t feel it has helped my depression but due to horrific withdrawals I have been unable to get off of it. I have recently found out I have Cirrhosis of my liver and being a non drinker this was a huge shock for me. I have had test upon test and so far there is no explanation as to how I got this terrible disease. I thought I would Google the effects of Effexor XR on the liver and what a surprise! This drug is known to cause serious liver damage! I wasn’t in the right state of mind to Google the effects of it when I first starting taking it and I feel my doctor or the makers of it should make this VERY CLEAR when it’s prescribed! How many other people are in the same position as me and have no idea what this drug can do to them. Read More Read Less

I know everyone is different but for me it has helped my add so much. I had trouble focusing and paying attention but now I'm doing so well in college I'm making As and Bs now. There have been times when I couldn't afford the medicine but I have never suffered any side effects when I didn't have it. For me it is the most amazing thing but just remember you are the judge of what's best for you.

About ending the medication. I did not experience bad feelings by reducing myself the number of bowls contained in the pills. You can ask some pharmacies to prepare it i think (tbc). Effexor helped me to deal with depression and anxiety. Quiting a madication must be very slow, take more time to make it safe, there is no emergency.

I was a terrible car accident caused by a drunk driver and suffered severe PTSD and Depression. I was on Zoloft for a while and it kept me sane but i struggled with finding joy in life. Effexor has really helped, I started getting back in the gym and just enjoying the small things like the wind on my face. It has helped me feel normal again. i will continue to use this medication. Now the WITHDRAWAL is intense and awful. Within a few hours of missing a dose "brain zaps" are every few minutes, the intense lethargy kicks in and it feels terrible. Read More Read Less

I was put on Effexor for a few months and it says his side effect is rage. Rage isn’t what I went through I wanted to fight everybody. I carried a bat in my car. My daughter wouldn’t answer my phone calls because I will be mean to her all the time. I went over 100 miles an hour in my car and really started getting out of control. Call my doctor and he had me get off of it real quick. But I had withdrawals for five weeks. They should get rid of this medicine. I’m just lucky that I’m not in jail or dead.Read More Read Less

Effexor is by far the worst medication I've ever taken. If you miss a single dose by couple of hours you're done for the rest of the day. It also took me 4 months to get this out of my system. NEVER AGAIN!!

I have been on Effexor XR 150 mg for over 15 years. Would I have withdrawl symptoms if I would stop taking it? Probably. Am I going to stop taking it because of that? No. It took 6 different medications before my doctor found one for me where I felt like my normal self. Effexor is my savior for anxiety and panic attacks.

Horrible drug. Horrible. Cant believe this drug is legal. Our system is so broken. Worst side effects. So hard to get off. Dont waste your time taking this horrible drug.

There is a definite withdrawal problem with Effexor XR due to its short half life. The company should either fix this problem or take it off the market as ti is too dangerous. Neurological problems as dizziness, altered gait, and feeling of rage are significant. Pfizer need to acknowledge it and fix this or give it up.

It seemed to work okay, until I decided to wean off it. WOW. Took 4 MONTHS. Horrible dizziness, vertigo, and the random "electrical shocks" to my muscles were impressive. It's been several years now and I still have "brain stutters". This is when I move my head too fast, it takes a second for my brain to catch up. Any doctor prescribing this med should be required to take it first. HORRIBLE drug. Should be yanked off the market.

Effexor saved my life. I struggled for years between different SSRIs and stimulants and despite the absolutely awful withdrawal symptoms that have caused such severe nausea and head pain I’ve been admitted into the emergency room, there’s absolutely nothing I’ve found that works as well. My emotions are a lot more regulated, I struggle less with motivation and daily tasks, I have less frequent episodes and outbursts, my brain fog greatly reduced etc. This is definitely a scary antidepressant but it’s worth the risk in my experience. Read More Read Less

I was at 150mg and was lowered back to 75mg for a while due to manic symptoms. I started being unable to focus again so I decided to ask to get raised to 150mg again because the pros outweighed the cons of some manic behavior. This medication made me interested in normal activities again and able to focus on one thing at a time which used to be a problem. I’m grateful for Venylfaxine XR.

I take only 37.5 mg daily for years on and off. I think it is a dangerous drug for me. it causes tachycardia, brain zaps. When attempting to get off of it, I have dizziness, brain zaps, ataxic gait. I think it would be terribly unsafe to be driving if having withdrawal effects. It would cause accidents. A large amount of weight gain can be experienced. If I forget a pill, I can have withdrawal effects. This is an unsafe drug for me. As more and more people have difficulties who are on effexor long term I wonder what will happen to sales? The FDA must be aware. And for those who take it for pain, the doctor can tell you it is for pain. The drug company is not to make this claim. Some studies show it doe not decease pain. It was not designed to decrease pain. With the anti-opiate stance, some physicians have ordered it for pain. I don't think it works for this. One can make arguments that because you have less depression, you may have less pain. One really has to sort that out if it is logical. I would argue it is sort of a sham but this may be too strong a word. Read More Read Less

Prozac made me so tired I couldn’t stay awake at work. Lexapro made me suicidal. This is the only medication that I’ve been happy with and I take it with Wellbutrin. The dry mouth makes me drink more water, so it’s not a big deal to me. I have an actual sex drive (didn’t have one on the last 2 meds). My biggest complaint is the nausea. I feel sick more than I don’t, but it’s mostly in the afternoon-night. Eating plain food and ginger (tea, soda, candy, etc.) helps. I have no trouble sleeping on this, but I’ve always been a napper with no trouble sleeping anywhere at any time. Most importantly, I feel happy and in more control of my emotions. I haven’t felt this way in 10 years. Read More Read Less

I’ve been on Effexor for over 7 years. When I first was prescribed it at 18, I was on 150mg/day. It made me an emotionless robot- so i tried to switch to wellbutrin but it made me angry/irritable. Switched back to effexor and have been on 150mg ever since, for about 6 years. But it no longer works for me anymore- at all. My main side effect is SEVERE sweating. I’ve been really depressed and motivation-less, so my doctor upped me to 225mg. The sweating is worse and I don’t feel better. I’m going to taper off of it now, slowly, and hopefully by the end of year I’ll be off of it entirely. I’m too afraid to try something new. I don’t know who I am without this medication because it has been too long. Read More Read Less

I’ve seen a lot of reviews on here describing the awful withdrawal but I think if you can take these consistently and have depression/anxiety severe enough to warrant this like I did it can really change your life for the better. I do miss doses occasionally because you do have to take these with food but that is my only complaint with this medication.