Doctors warned of Effexor overdose risk

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Doctors should limit the number of Effexor pills they prescribe patients to reduce the risk of overdose, the antidepressant's manufacturer and federal health officials said Wednesday.

There have been reports of deaths and serious injuries in patients who overdosed on Effexor, also called venlafaxine, predominantly when taken with alcohol and/or other drugs, Wyeth and the Food and Drug Administration said.

To limit the risk of overdose, doctors should prescribe the "smallest quantity of capsules consistent with good patient management," Wyeth wrote in a letter to doctors dated Oct. 17 and released Wednesday by the FDA.

Overdosing on any antidepressant can be fatal. But there may be a greater risk of deadly overdose associated with Effexor than with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro, Wyeth said. The risk may be less than that with older antidepressants called tricyclics, it added.

Wyeth, based in Madison, N.J., said it was unclear whether the increased risk of deadly overdose can be attributed to Effexor or to the characteristics of patients treated with the drug.

I know from expericence that taking an overdose of Efexor and mixing it with alcohol or other drugs can cause seizures.

I just overdosed on effexor. I only took 8 though, so I didn't have any serious injuries.

what size were they?

I took 7 at once, once when I was on Effexor. Boy did I feel sick and shaky, but no seizure or anything.

taking more than your normal dose is not recommended. If you do take more you should at least phone your dr and see what she recommends.

Eileen

Hi, I am on 20mg of paxil and I complained about being tired all day so he gave me 75mg of effexor to take as well. I am not sure if it is from the medication or not but I am a little shaky and the back of my head really hurts and I am taking short breaths so with that is anxiety. Perhaps I should not be on this med combo?

I know from experience it definitely can make you sicker than others.
I overdosed in the past on over 20 of Zoloft and it did not a thing to me. Not tired or anything. I took 4 extra Effexor and I was nausious, fainting and really dizzy.

my doctor just gave me a whole package of 37,5 mg and 2 packages of 75 mg and everything i can think about is overdosing myself with it

I was on effexor a few years ago. My issue is I like drugs and if you take enough of the stuff you will get a feeling like taking a hit of ectasy.
This is probabaly the reason you see people overdosing so much they feel good and want to feel higher.

Now fast forward I just stopped a month ago from getting off oral morphine which is not a easy one to kick at 1000 mg a day but I did it.
My doc put me on Celiexa but made me feel like crap after 3 weeks so now I am talking 75mg E XR per day it is just my 2nd day but I can feel something not good or bad just something a bit differnt. I am taking Trazadone for sleep was on 100mg but not cutting down to 50 mg at night. It also should boost up the serotonin a bit so we will see. The ony SSRI that worrked perfect for me was Serazone but the darn FDA took it off the market. I have tried most all of them so I hope this XR version workks.
Regards,
Randy

I did overdose on it, but only once. I threw the rest away and never went back to my doc. I think i can never take meds, because like you I like drugs as well :/

I am on 300mg, as prescribed by my shrink and have been on it since March this year. I am always sleepy and suffer short term memory loss as well as changes in my eyesight. My optician says I need to change my spectacles. I understand from a friend that Malaysian doctors tend to over prescribe drugs. What should I do now?

Caroline