Effexor - What are your thoughts?

[TheNDJProductions]

I've just started on coming off Effexor XR 150mg.

I was on 37.5mg & 75mg for two years without any problems, but since my Doctor increased it to 150mg i have changed, mood swings, impoulsive behaviour, so now im coming off.

[nattensvaffel]

I took 1 75mg pill and after some hrs I began feeling really weird, weird unpleasant feeling when I yawned, thing like feeling flattened out emotionally, it's been 3+ days and I'm still feeling it, hoping it runs out of my body soon, how long can 1 pill last??

[checkingavailabilify]

Horrid stuff. And the withdrawals were terrible for a few weeks. Better options out there like amino acid therapy. Check out "The mood cure - by Julia moss". I feel alot better and more relaxed after supplementing with 5htp and carnitine.

[lm9980]

DO NOT TAKE IT!!!!!! IT WILL HURT YOU!!!!!!

[orangeaspossible]

I get brain zaps, awful dreams (out of body) and just sick trying to get off this stuff cold turkey. It is scary!

[orangeaspossible]

Hello. If you want to come off of Effexor XR there is a way. You have to open the capsules and take out just one of the little balls (pellets?). Do the same for three days, without taking more than one (this is to allow you body to adjust). Then on the forth day take out two little balls, do the same for three days and then take out three little balls...do this until you don't have any little balls to take out of the capsule. This takes a long time, but does the trick.

[20bcosmo]

Just get off. its fucking hard to get off it man!!! trust me... message me if you want. other people i know have used it and got off it and im currently getting off it....

[HerrTroeterich]

I read some comments written here and although i am only a Chemist and not a Neurologist, I bet that the most people here don't have the slightest clue what a depression "feels" like, when they are soooo suffering from a little brainzap or fatigue, when they giveup their <75mg. These are no little helpers, it redresses, in a selective way, the balance of Neurotransmitter in your Synapses. If you don't feel good over months talk to your best friends and family instead. This can help, too.

[HerrTroeterich]

..but i really appreciate that venla is not a "happy pill", but rather a "less depressive" pill... it's working great to start living again, but staying down on earth so that i can talk with the psych. about my real feelings and not some pilly-schmilly good highs from 'Bayer'. The only thingy which is annyoing when i forgot my daily dose is that i start to have "electic shocks" every minute and my legs are getting a bit "tipsy". But i think this is a normal effect cause of my upper-middle-dose

[HerrTroeterich]

Now i take, since one year and sth sth, 225 mg Venlafaxine every morning with a glas of milk :) i started a conv therapy and i feel quite okay now. The only really annoying Sideeffect is, that i am sweating like a pig when i am asleep. I really have to wash my complete fether bed once or twice a month to avoid a smelly bed. A really interesting Sideeffect is a shift in my dreams. From time to time i am dreaming ultra brutal and sadistic stuff. Like cutting up a girl in my kitchen or similar..

[HerrTroeterich]

...well maybe it sounds plain-Jane but i was not able to do anything. I woke up in the morning at ~8 am and was lying in my bed till 6 pm. And all i was doing was just staring at the ceiling or snoozing, a real Zombi! I was not able to buy food, to wash my clothes, to tidy up..nothing. My GP gave me as workaround 60 mg/d Citalopram cause of the long waiting period for the Psych app. But Cita was like a small dose of MDMA, i felt so stupid greenish "happy". I did not felt like myself anymore

[HerrTroeterich]

HuHu,

first of all, i can't avoid a Mom-like question: is all what you are doing against the depressions (or your Doc) just the medical treatment on its own? Well this can't work out cause without the SNRI the Reboundeffect is waylaying you in a fucked up intensity. Well okay, now my story ;)

I am suffering from depression since my childhood and i thought i came to terms with it from time to time, but last year (27) the last straw broke my back. I just broke down mentally, within less 3 days....

[valena2000]

This drug slowly change me, my personality my attributes. I just stop caring about things that were very dear to me. This is very sad because I stop using this drug for several years now and I lost who I once was. You think at first that everything is cool and no worries in your daily life, but shouldn't we feel our true emotion. I love life and this drug has stolen a piece of me that I beleive it's gone forever. Also, this sound strange but it was also giving my brain these electrical zaps?

[blehtubezzz]

yeap its a win drug,

[5smacyou]

I been on Effexor xr 75 mg, and its the shit...real talk

[anticenaguy]

i'm on 75mg i love it

[KarisAzura]

Guys, this drug has caused me more problems than helped. It caused me to gain weight in a very short amount of time (I exercise daily, have always eaten healthy)...I have tried to get off of it, but experienced horrendous brain zaps, headaches and nausea. Stay away from this drug, far away....

[dontworry11]

Hey I can give you a long response...but I'm on my phone so I really dont want to type that much...you can ask me more if you want...all I have to say is that effexor saved my life hands down.

[SLOANEY69]

I agree it DIDN'T help me the only time i noticed i was on it was when i didn't take it......HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT!!!!!!

[lonelyboy323]

I stopped taking it cold turkey n i didn't feel any difference n its been 5 or more that Ive been of the dose n I feel fine ,I stop taking it because it got me more depress than I already was ,it worked fine for the past 2 months than after its when I felt like shit so stopped taking it

[anticenaguy]

i started effexor 2 days ago....i'm on 37.5...i feel tired but i already feel an improvement in my mood.

[kingoftroy05]

Have you guys thought that our boughts of depression, anxiety, panic attacks,,or whatver are CAUSEd by something in our MINDS, and drugs are ONLY a TEMPORARY "fix" for them?  These are caused by something phsyological or spritiual in us, and if we dont find waht is causing this, and fix it from the root up, we are only covering it with drugs and nothing will get fixed. just like a big mental band aid

[terran97]

Thank you for the video anansir. I greatly appreciate your contribution. My GP gave me a sample pack, but I never tried it. Maybe I should...

[nomadicexplorers]

I just started this today and had my first experience with serotonin syndrome. This was a frightening experience and I will never take this again. Awful...

[wsrhw]

try Mephedrone, ironically it's completely legal...when ingested it releases seratonin and dopamine, well you can figure out the rest

[danielrfkn]

all your doing is blocking your symptoms on-setting more and in the long run making them worse what your dealing with is your environment and your feelings trust me stay away from phony big pharma brain drugs period.

[92soothsayer]

in my opinion NO meds of any kind should EVER be depended upon because they will just make everything worse, and will just cause real health problems. if your that depressed, learn to play a musical instrument or something then and just play some music lol. thats my out-the-ass suggestion. or just apply it to your character harmlessly somehow

some people with depression or "bipolar" or whatever end up achieve something that really brings people together by applying their "conditions" to it :/

[JM1375]

effexor made my semen smell like garbage. the smell was so bad I had to change to prozac

[DJYaron22]

@JM1375 hahahaha

[pepp5150]

Dude stay away from it!! people have lost all sexaul funtion,,, even after getting off of it,,,, if you want more info let me know,,, I was on it for 6 week's,,, been of for about a week!!! Peace!!

[progmanchad]

After weening myself off for about three weeks, I started to lose my motivation. I never had brain zaps or any of the other horrible symptoms other people describe (my heart goes out to you) but I did become anti-social and kept to myself. After 3 months of being off I went to my parents for support since I didn't know what to do anymore. I was at one of the worst lows of my life, seriously considering suicide. In my opinion, anyone trying to come off this drug should have professional help.

[progmanchad]

Great video. Several years ago I started taking Celexa for OCD and Depression. I was on it for three months and decided to quit cold turkey since I was feeling better. For about a week, I had severe withdrawal symptoms which can be best described as looking through several layers of glass (analogous to the older drinking and driving commercial). After 6 months I relapsed and was told by a social worker to go on Effexor. I stayed on this for a little over a year and then tried coming off.

[richardxx9011]

I took Effexor for anxiety.. the only side effects I get is yawning all the time... it sucks...

[gregboyds]

EFFEXOR = HAIR LOSS

[danielmy08]

I would recommend a short period (1-2 months) on gabapentin after departing from effexor, it stamps out many of the bad withdrawal effects and tends to stabilise the person.

[ImGodsDemise]

I was on 75g of Effexor XR then Doc raised the dosage to 150g, Yea If I miss a dose All breaks lose!!!! Hmm well when i wake up sometimes i feel manic and feels wierd like if its an out of body expirience. I feel good sometimes to good i get hyper cant sit stillsometimes you cant shut me up and i feel like im invinsible! They prescribed me Effexor For Anxiety and to help with a minor proble of depression.

[ImGodsDemise]

@ImGodsDemise Im still taking Effexor i dunno Why i said I was on... I still take it.

[TheTolonio]

ive been on mirtazapine for a month and 22 days and I notice no improvement, I USED to take mirtazapine 2 years ago for about 2 months and the improvement was HUGE, the only reason I stopped was because I felt like I didnt need it and I didnt have insurance.. now I went back on in a month ago and its not working the same..

Im thnking about taking effexor but I heard it increases blood pressure, I already take anti-hypertension meds... is effexxor safe for blood pressure? thanks peeps

[anansir]

@TheTolonio Hey, I would suggest consulting your doctor about taking effexor with high blood pressure.

[64mmm]

@anansir hey I'd suggest you to stay off to those ''drugs''

it is like crack don't mess whit it and thinking ever to stop it.

[64mmm]

@anansir 

[stormbouy]

@TheTolonio when i started taking them my BP went up

when i detoxed off them my BP went through the roof and didnt come down so i ended up on BP meds.Befoe effexor i actually had low BP

[ihateEffexor]

Effexor ruined my life. Please shoot me now.

[stormbouy]

@ihateEffexor I was on 600mg a day

i havent had effexor for 5yrs now

there is life after effexor but its really really hard work and you feel like your gonna die

[webset]

Anti-depressants may have saved my life, and they have helped many people considerably. There is a lot of false propaganda about them, mostly among people who are just not informed as to how they work (i.e. claims of them being mind altering drugs, making you a zombie, etc). There are so many drugs available on the market, it's important not to be shy about finding one that works for you. Again I applaud your decision to make this a public forum and discussion. Would love to talk further

[webset]

Hey there,

Thanks for posing a video on the subject. I think it can be really helpful to others who are taking the medication too. I took Prozac for 2 years, and now take Effexor XR. I noticed in the video you said that if you miss a dose or two, you start to feel your mood regress. Effexor has a very short half-life when compared with other drugs like it, i.e. your body is able to get rid of the drug quickly if you do not maintain the dosage.

[webset]

Hey there,

Thanks for posing a video on the subject. I think it can be really helpful to others who are taking the medication too. I took Prozac for 2 years, and now take Effexor XR. I noticed in the video you said that if you miss a dose or two, you start to feel your mood regress. Effexor has a very short half-life when compared with other drugs like it, i.e. your body is able to get rid of the drug quickly if you do not maintain the dosage.

[ihateEffexor]

Effexor is an evil drug! It didn't help my depression and T.S.  I quit cold turkey a week ago off 150mg and it's horrible! I'm on a nauseous sinking ship of vertigo, drowning in a sea of sorrow, with an angry ocean slapping my eardrums everytime I move my eyes, the itches from hell, and lightning keeps striking my brain! I HATE EFFEXOR!!!!

[cherryb1ossom4u]

@ihateEffexor Im hearing ya! i am day 3 of cold turkey off effexor 150mg and its pure hell.. any info would be appreciated.. help!

[ihateEffexor]

@cherryb1ossom4u I'm currently tapering off for the 7th time, but this time I'll get it right! I remove 2 pellets of poison Venlafaxine (Effexor) from my daily 150mg capsule. Since there are about 100 of those %#@ pellets per pill, this will take approx. 50 days. Sounds stupid, but I'm all out of ideas to beat this drug. My doc won't help -- he keeps writing scripts for the crap. It's a nightmare. I pray alot and this really helps. God will save you from your pharmaceutical hellhole, too.

[Mendelevium146]

@ihateEffexor This drug permanently destroyed my wonderful mind

[OnEffexor]

@ihateEffexor I used to hate Effexor... And, yeah, w/drawals totally suck! Brain zaps, itching, outbursts of panic, rage and crying spells. This is coming from a Catholic, so I'm w/ you on asking the Lord for help. But sometimes we need these meds to fix the imbalances of imperfect brain chemistry.

[pageantdoll]

hi guys i need ur help ive recently bein put on Effexor 75 ive found that i am havin bad side effects i mainly was put on it cos i feel sick alot and they think it cud be anxiety related im goin on holidays on Sat and i wanna be better for that what ya think i shud do????

[KIERAN11872]

Hey anansir, I'm taking 75mg (37.5 every 12 hours) and it makes it much much easier to tolerate. The main side effects I've noticed are feeling a bit tired, and I guess a little bit emotionally flat sometimes (though not all the time by any means.) I guess at worst I can feel a little bit out of it (maybe spaced out is the term), and at best I can feel probably better than I've felt almost ever. Anyways, those are my thoughts. Hope you find the right solution to your depression

[gorgeousgab]

I've been on effexor xr for about a year. I started at 75 mg but have been at 225 mg for a while now. It has helped tremendously. I tried celexa/lexapro, with NEgative side effects- couldn't sleep, and even more suicidal. I also take clonazepam for panic/anxiety attacks as needed. I rarely need it with the effexor tho. The only negative side effects for me in particular are the BIZARRE vivid dreams- they interfere with my sleep and the rest of my day. I still have my Lows but not as much.

[CherryBlossoms59]

I have been taking it for years. It has helped me be normal. However, If I miss a dose I freak. I am sick and mean and irritable. Completely not me. Because of effexor I have developed toxemia in both of my pregnancies. Both of my babies were born early. I will not be taking it during anymore pregnancies. I don't care how it makes me feel. My babies are more important to me than myself.

[cherryb1ossom4u]

@CherryBlossoms59 well said!

[fergiefurg7]

I have taken for almost 10 years. Spent 5yrs trying to get off of it. Several health complications including respiratory/coma/life support.. unsure if related.. but have also developed some serious problems while taking this drug. I personally would not recommend it to anyone. At least for any lengthy period of time. Drugs are bad.

[Volectorus]

tried Effexor.... I think it was the wrong direction for me.... it seemed like an upper. (i could not sleep, heartbeat RLS..... i need a downer... any clues for me?

[johnlovesbridge]

You should try zoloft, missing a dose is not a big deal, also very theraputic.

[thedanizblog]

I was on 350mg and stopped taking it because I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin every time I forget to take it and it made me drowsy. It was my favorite antidepressant though until I got on Prozac. I feel like it really helps and I don't have any side effects.

[stormbouy]

they started me on 150mg and i got seratonin syndrome but they thought i was just getting more depressed sp they kept upping the dosage..i ended up on 600mg before it nearly killed me..i havent had any for 4yrs now

[Mendelevium146]

@stormbouy wow 600mg?? you're doctor is a criminal....

[tarathetarantula]

Hey yall a former effexor taker here. At my highest I was on 150 mg. When you get to 150 or higher the nueranephrin (SIC) kicks in. Anyway, at 150 I had no feelings (but I kind of liked that) no sex drive, no urges, and one more thing? NO DAMN SLEEP. You are so doped up it interferes with your natural ability to sleep. Just my experience. I'm on zoloft now tho.

[Jesusfleabop]

That stuff's also known as side-effexor.

[bebespider]

I just started today..and I dunno if I am going to like it..I feel like a ZOMBIE. Sooooooo numb..in a high/weird way.

[lonelyboy323]

u shouldnt be smoking

[GPyungblood]

hi there,

i started taking effexor in july 2009 my dosage is up to 112mg and i need to have it upped again....what im wondering is has anyone lost thier sex drive while being on this? i have and that alone is depressing lol b/f thinks i'm cheating when really i have no desire for sex at all and thats only since i started my anti depressant....anyone?

[stormbouy]

@GPyungblood it does mess with your sex drive especially if you drink alcohol as well

[tarathetarantula]

I'm so sorry to tell you this, but it's very likely you will lose atleast most or part of your sex drive. I'm a female tho, so when I lost it, I can still do it. It's different for males tho. I was on 150 at the most. I also had sleep issues at the 150.

[Volectorus]

@GPyungblood

took me 22hours to rub one out...

[Kelgan]

I just weaned off of Effexor and went to Cymbalta which after a week of being on it I am in excrutiating pain, my muscles keep cramping and ache so bad. so now I have to figure which med to deal with effexor weight gain, acne with scarring or muscles agony?!

[Kelgan]

I was on Effexor XR for a a little over a year and it worked good for me, the only med that helped in the area I needed, but I had gained a tremendous amount of weight from it and always had been on the thin side and was getting cycstic acne that would take forever to go away only to reappear again.

[skralbow]

From your video I get the impression that Effexor doesn't really work for you.

There are lots of different meds, and patients react differently.

I tried both herbal meds (St. John's wort), SSRI (Paxil), and NDRI (Wellbutrin) before. All of them kind of worked, but I always felt as if something was missing. When I switched to another SSRI (Prozac), it only took a few weeks and I noticed real relief.

Keeping up the search for the right med may be sometimes hard, but it can pay off nicely.

[iamthejake2000]

antidepressants will ruin your life. i've seen it too many times.

[adrienne317]

I was on 150mg, and had to go down to 75mg because it made me sooo incredibly tired and lethargic. After I went down, I just quit taking it because I was still so tired. Since then(it's been about a month) I have felt better than ever. I don't understand this med. I was also taking 15mg of Abilify- I just quit them both cold turkey; no bad side effects and no withdrawl symptoms. Very strange as everyone else says this is hard as hell to get off of.... anyone know why this happened to me?

[anansir]

how long were you on them?

[adrienne317]

four or five months i think

[realrocky8591]

@adrienne317

15 MG abilify, lmao. 2 MG was enough to give me akathisia.

[underpantswedgy]

i was on this effexor it wasnt right for me. so my Pych put me on Viepax venlafaxine.

[nambypamby34]

I just started it today.not XR. It effected me right away. At this rate I'll weigh nothing at the end of the month. I feel like eating nothing.Of course I can't have that happen becuz they will take me off it.

[jotsii]

get off the effexor NOW!!!. im on it 8 mths and its nearly impossible to get off. ive been depressed for a few yrs and had prozac etc. and never had a problem getting off them. its gud at times for my depression but im very tired. im on 150g and i feel lkie goin bak down to 75g as im so tired on 150g. i really want another baby and want off of effexor but its ssooooo hard. i wud never ever recommend it as an antidepressent to anyone. shop around. gud luck to everyone.

[carbednotch]

my friend is addicted to effexor and has had seazures if he forgets his pill or he does not know where he is and has to have his wife pick him up from work. Sometimes he dosent even remember his who she is.

[joejoe74236]

hi there! i've had similar depression since around the same age as you and have just started effexor. i noticed that you didn't mention any positive side effects to the drug, has there been any? does it give you more energy or relieve your symptoms significantly? if so, why stop? if not, can you describe the negative withdrawal symptoms that you suffer if you miss a dose? lots of questions, i know. but i'm freaked out by all this info on the net about effexor.

[anansir]

Hey Joe, sorry it took so long to get back to you. I'm going to post a new vid soon but I want to do some more research first. I'll answer those questions in the vid also.

[joejoe74236]

good to hear, i'm looking forward to that.

[skapoosh]

@anansir

Where is that new video?

Sorry if i ask a dumb question! :)

[soulroots76]

In my psych 12 class we learned about mental conditions and medications (symptoms, and diagnosing) and I learned that when they diagnose you, they are essentially doing a checklist of what they deem "depression". Psychology is Theory based. the medication is to correct chemical imbalance (chemical imbalance is your depression). if you don't like the pills, a professional will tell you you need it, but if you were willing enough to work on it, I bet you could pull through with self healing :)

[anansir]

Thanks soulroots, I've been seriously considering getting off of the effexor for some time now. To allow my brain to function unaltered and react naturally.

[soulroots76]

ya, I dont think it's intirely a bad idea, but i think if you don't take the medication then you should deffinately seek help in other solutions either in therapy or just a really good friend. I know somebody really close to me was prescibed a lot of medication, and he just stopped cold turkey. he is still depressed mind you, but at least he's back to his regular personality

[Brooklynti00]

I've just been prescribed Effexor. Does it make you sleepy? or does it give you some energy?

[carbednotch]

since you seem to know so much about "chemical imbalances", why dont you tell us what tests you use to determine if someone has a "chemical imbalance"?