Welcome to the Effexor (Venlafaxine) forum! Please feel free to post a bit about yourself so we can get acquainted.

Also, new members without the 5 posts needed to start a new topic - read around the room and add a reply to any topic that fits for you. If you don't find what you are looking for, go ahead and post here in this welcome thread.

Looking forward to getting to know you!

Hi all, I just found this forum, I've just started taking efexor again and would like a place to talk about how the treatment is going.

I was put on efexor around 2 years ago after prozac had no effect. It really helped me cope during a time when I was suffering depression and a lot of anxiety, I stopped a year after partly due to it starting to let me forget to take it. What I mean by that is if I missed one dose I would get the electric shock effects and feel a little "crazy". By this time though it wasn't happening anymore so I figured they weren't having the same effect anymore, I was also noticing how more "aware" I felt without them so I stopped taking them without any problems.

Looking back now though that might have been a mistake, I had a really stressful period afterwards where the meds may have helped if I'd still been on them and I've been very unmotivated since. I quit my job after xmas, I'd been planning to, it had been making me miserable since September, it was making me very tired and my concentration was seriously bad. Since it invoved driving people around at night it wasn't a good idea to carry on. So now I'm looking for a job I can do in the meantime until I go back to studying (hopefully in September) but I'm so unmotivated and miserable in the daytimes it all seems doomed.

I don't have anxiety like I did 2 years ago but I do feel extra hostile towards people (which work seemed to make worse). I'm going back on the efexor in the hope that it will get me through this tough period like it did before.

Stainboy
welcome to the board. I hope that efexor helps you.

Did you know that irritability can be a symptom of depression?

Perhaps working at night didn't really help you. I hope you manage to get a job but perhaps what you could do in the meantime is get a sick note from the dr and get some benefits in the meantime instead of being on JSA.

I'm in the UK and have been off sick for nearly 3 years so have living on a combination of 'sick pension rate pay' and Incapcity Benefit.

Take care.
Eileen

Hi,
I to was taking efexor for my depression three years ago maybe slightly more, i was on 75mg 3 aday i not sure how high that dose is in comparison to others but it did nothin for me whatso ever. i reached this dose in a space of three months and was told there an then that two more increases would mean it beein addministrated in hospital. so iam guessing not a good dose to be on and only beein 24 possibly a risk depending on how it affected any other part of my body.
iam pleased to say i dont remember suffering any side effets, and from that dose i stopped taking all meds and therapy in one go, at the time it wasnt what i wanted to do for the rest of my life as i saw it.
i watched my dad suffer for years on meds and i didnt want to follow suit,i dont regret stopping the tabs as they didnt change how i felt but do wish i had continued the counselling longer.
only problem there is ii hate to talk about the stuff that troubles me, even this iam writing now iam finding hard.

on that iam gunna leave it there before i soak the keyboard from reliving the past in my head.

gabriel

Gabriel
welcome to DF.

The dose of efexor you were on is supposed to be the most therapeutic dose at 225mg a day. It does seem a shame that you stopped both meds and counselling in one go. Counselling or therapy can really help you sort out your problems especially if they are interfering with your day to day life.

If you are still suffering then can you get counselling again, its not a sign of weakness to need that kind of help.

I'm sorry that you have seen your dad have problems with meds, sometimes some people and some illnesses can't be helped that much by meds. In fact a lot of depression may only be helped by therapy. I was on efexor for over 3 1/2 years and didn't have too many side effects. I too managed to come off them without any problems.

Whatever you decide to do I hope that DF can help you.

Eileen

Gabriel and Stainboy,

A very warm to the both of you!


Luv,
Autumn

thankyou for the welcome,

seeking counselling again is easier to say than do when your doctor doesnt want to throw you a bone,
i asked to be referred just before xmas roughly 16th and iam still waiting for any sort of corispondence which i find not only discusting but also disheartning, as i am asking for help and hearing nothin. i know it takes time but as you will understand its my life i have thoughts to take each day, a little peice of paper with a date on it is as much a comfort at the moment for me as talking is for others.
i dont like to talk well find it hard but again in time this will lighten and maybe even comfort me enough to get on.

there is more to the story of my dad and his depression which continued on after i had ceased to take my meds.
i had a rough time and very hard decisions to make as to whether i look after him and my brother finacially( by forcing myself into work)
which i did sucessfully (i worked from the ground up to a supervisor within six months of no meds, whhile progressing to train for my managers position.) only thing stopping me after two and a half years of pushing was complete worthlessness from the job,what had i i'd achieved.( and the back problems from crazy hour shifts were i pushed myself sometimes for 18 hours straight no breaks five days a week and even went in on weekends if i needed to,one shift in one day lasted 21 hours and 43 mins with the next shift starting barly 5 hours later.) like i said crazy.

i willingly got up day by day to do so for more of an escape from everything,the more i pushed at work the less of life i saw and even if i became ill i did not stop.looking back i was after death,an end to my own pain...still.
right up till i left work in july 2005 i tried so hard to hide from everyone how i was feeling and sometimes from myself,but maybe its fate or ive abused someone in the past so bad that karma feels the need to prove a point. which ever it is iam unhappy with the todays not wanting tomorrows and severly hating yesterdays.
i cant continue with this anymore iam becoming low just writing it, d*** memories.

Gabriel

DF is a place where you can get support when you need it. I hope the counselling comes through soon. If you need urgent help/support then please do post in the "Members Needing Extra Help Now".

I was so tempted to move your last post there now for you. I think you would find that many people understand what you are going through, though maybe not what you have gone through. There are many people here who struggle with work and having depression and having to look after family.

This shows a strengh you have in you. I'm sorry that you had to give up your job but it sounds as though it was taking so much out of you. I'm sure there are other jobs out there that you can take on that don't expect so much from you.

Someone wrote a little saying down for me "keep on keeping on".

Let me know if you'd like your post moved to MNESN or start your own post there.

Take care.

Eileen

Thanks for the welcome,

It's funny how you change, I used to love working at night. When I was depressed and suffering anxiety 2 years ago I was happy in my pretty stressful night job, I felt safe there. But over the last few months it wasn't like that anymore, it had turned into the place that made me the most anxious even though this time I'm not having anxiety anywhere close to last time.

I really would like to work though so I don't feel comfortable asking to be off sick. I think if I can manage to find a job that would help me feel better as it's money that causes me the most stress at the moment.

jUst make sure you take care of yourself.

Eileen

:wave:

Hi

I'm new I'm from the north of England and have been on venlafaxine for a long time, one unsuccessful slow withdrawal from it and now I am just living life with it. It keeps me sane I think.

Many hospital trusts in the UK have made it consultant psychiatrist prescription only, which I find interesting. My GP started it around 4 years ago for me after an unsuccessful trial of fluoxetine. It does seem to work, I wonder if it is cost? Though really you should have an annual ECG (EKG in US) if you are on more than 200mg which maybe does not happen in primary care. Anyway just a few things I have pondered.

It works for me, it worked better with lithium added in but lithium is a bit of a scary drug.

:1cat: kittycat

Kittycat,

to the Effexor-room. It's good to hear you're doing okay on Effexor!
Thanks for joining us!

Autumn

This post has been edited by Autumn: Feb 22 2006, 12:58 PM

kittycat

ladybug

hi kittycat welcome to DF. I hope you find things useful here and that you find support and advice if you need it.

Take care.

Eileen

Hi -

I was on effexor for a couple of years, and it definitely helped with the depression and anxiety, but also made me feel wrapped in a cacoon, not really experiencing anything - positive or negative - fully. Also had sexual side effects that were difficult to live with.

After several months of doing quite well, my psychiatrist agreed that I could begin tapering off (I'm still on welbutrin). That went ok, too, and I was fine with no effexor for about 6 weeks. Then I began to feel worse week by week, until now I am back to a very low point. I agreed to add an ssri starting this week, hoping to get through this low without the side effects. I am extremely frustrated and disappointed to think that I can't function without meds - I only stayed on the wellbutrin because the dr felt so strongly about it -- it feels like a real failure. Apparently it was a good thing that I didn't get off the wellbutrin, too.

Has anyone had a rebound effect after getting off effexor? If so, how long did it last, and how long before it started?

Thanks for anything you have to offer -

Sandy

Hey All,

I'm sort of new to Venlafaxine, I have 7 days of 75mg which goes up to 150mg after the 7 days, the pdoc says this is just the start.

I suffer from Depression, Anxiety & Agriphobia.

Hopefully side effects will be minimal.

Sandy its not unusual to have a rebound depression when stopping any antidepressant. Usually it doesn't last too long, but if it does then maybe going back on another SSRI or SNRI might help.

Some drs believe that it is better to stay on antidepressants for at least 6 months after the symptoms have gone in order for it to prevent another bout of depression.

I hope that things work out for you this time. Take care.

Eileen

Hi Icey

I hope that you don't have too much side effects, but the most common initially are feeling a bit nauseous, possibly a headache and dry mouth. These don't last too long. Remember to eat something when taking your tablets.

Keep posting if you have any other questions.

Eileen

Thanks Eileen - I'm already feeling extremely nauseous, but then I should be used to it by now! I think this is the 8th medication I've tried.

This is my 2nd go-round on Effexor. I was on it a few years back and it worked really well for me, then stopped. After trying just about every other med, instead of going on to Emsam, my pdoc suggested Effexor. I'm on day 4 of the 37.5 and will be for 14 days, then go to 75. I know the start-up side effects should go away, I forgot how queasy I was when I started this years ago! I haven't been on anything other than Neurontin for months, and I stopped the Neurontin about a week and a half ago and am hoping that the Effexor will take hold sooner rather than later, I know it takes about 2 weeks to a month on the 75 dose, so I just have to hang in there. I told my bf that even if I had the sexual side effects from it, that would be better than feeling like I have here recently not being on any meds and feeling so incredibly horrible!

The only thing is that I feel kinda tired and just weak until about 4:00 in the afternoon - does this go away too? My first go-round I took it in the morning, and pdoc said to do that again - so that's what I've been doing. I remember the HORRIBLE withdrawal from this med before - oh well!

the tiredness and weakness should go away. Are you eating properly?

I am, although it is a struggle, now I have no appetite whereas on Desipramine I couldn't eat enough! I actually fell asleep at my desk this afternoon. At least I'm not boohooing at my desk anymore though!

Tarsha here
I too am on my seond rouund of effexor. I have been on just about every other anti depressant that there is. I started on 75mg for 2 weeks and then i went up to 150mg for 2 weeks and then i went on to 225 mg. I had been on that dose for about 6 months and then i had a mental meltdown and crashed. Over here in New Zealand we have a thing called Crisis Respite - this is when you are in a crisis situation - they can take you to a safe place for 5 days. I went there and then my Dr put me up to 300mg. I have been on this for the past 2 months and it seems to be working well.

I find that i get really tired about 3pm as well and normally have a rest most afternoon.

Keep in contact ok

Tarsha_31

Hi Everyone,
I just starting taking Effexor in combination with Lamictal. So far I'm just really tired and don't have too much of an appetite. Since I'm on two meds, it's hard to say which med is causing which effect.

Sandy,
You wrote in your post "made me feel wrapped in a cacoon, not really experiencing anything - positive or negative - fully. Also had sexual side effects that were difficult to live with. "

See, that's not a problem for me. I wasn't feeling anything before I went on the meds. I was kind of detached... disconnected.... And as for sex. Yea right! My boyfriend could only wish! I just lost complete interest in sex... and this was before I started on meds. I'm actually hoping that if the meds help my mood then maybe some type of sexual appetite will come back. Right now though it's at ZERO!

Nice to meet you all!

Sunflower

Hi everybody,
I've never commented in this room but there's something about Effexor that bothers me. I take 150mgs am and 150mgs pm, along with other meds. I've never had a problem with it one way or the other. But if I have to ever get off this drug I am scared of the withdrawals. My brother took it for a while, and is having the hardest time getting off the stuff. A year ago, he started reducing the dose, then felt so awful he went back on it again, then bit the bullet and made another attempt...He still hasn't been able to completely wean himself off it. And that is only one example of the horrors of withdrawal I have heard about. He is worried about what I would go thru if I have to wean myself off 300mgs of the stuff! Has anybody successfully weaned themselves off of high doses of this stuff. How did you manage?

hi Sunflower welcome to DF.

I think that it possibly is the efexor that is making you lose your appetite, cos thats what happened to me for the first week or so. Are you sleeping ok at night? Sometimes efeoxr can make for a sleepless night and this may be making you tired through the day. If you take the med at night and can't sleep then try taking it at breakfast time.

Take care.
Eileen

moiraine
some people do have a difficult time coming off efexor. This may not be the same for you. I was on 225mg of efexor and weaned off dropping 37.5 mg every 2 weeks. I had no problems with coming off Effeoxr.

When the time comes for you to reduce, do it slowly. If you find that you are having withdrawal symptoms that are too bad, ask your dr to cross taper you onto Prozac and then reduce off the prozac.

Just because one person is having difficulties doesn't mean that you will too.

Eileen

I took VENLAFAXINE xl for two years and came off it quite successfully, so I thought. Started having problems again about 18 months ago so my GP put me back on it. Eventually, under my consultant, I reached the dizzy heights of 375mg a day. I could not take the tablet form due to an hiatus hernia so I had the capsules. I look back now and laugh but I was hallucinating really bad and one night I cut off nearly all of my hair. I was then placed in amnitriptlyne which resulted in me overdosing on it and valium. That was when my good luck started. My consultant saw me in hospital and I got sent to a private psychatric hospital in London, thank god for work related benefits. I was diagnoised as having Bipolar like yiurself and put on Carbemazepine and Quetiapine. It seems to be very much trial and error. Every time I visit my consultant my meds are changed because something else goes wrong. I have been unlucky enough to have suffered several traumatic experiences recently including a death. I believe I will get there but I am back on 300mg Venlafaxine along with everyting else, not sure what it does, there are good and bad days, and some which are indifferent. All I can say is keep at it there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck.

Draco
welcome to DF. I hope you find the site useful.
Eileen

Hi
my names Rachel and i a am new to this site. i had severe depression for about a year, a year and a half ago. ever since then, i have been taking 150mg of efexor but i have recently started to wean myself down to 75mg. i'm doing it slowly so i dont get bad side effects. i'm just worried that reducing it will cause me to get depressed again. However i didn't want to stay on the 150s for the rest of my life as i get pretty bad nightmares and sweats at night. I dont think i could go thru another episode of depression as i have had several episodes and have been to about 3 different psyche hospitals several times, i couldn't handle going thru all of that again and neither could my family. hopefully i am ok on the 75s, but i dont think i could ever go totally off efexor, having had such severe depression for so long. the efexor must be helping so i need to stay on some dosage even if its low.

Hi Rachel
welcome to the forums.

Some drs believe that if you stay on meds for at least 6 months after the last symptoms have gone that it 'protects' you against further relapses into depression. If you were symptom free for over six months then you should be ok.

However, sometimes people can have a rebound depression when coming off meds, this should only last a short time, if it happens to you.

I hope that eveything goes ok for you and that the stressors that caused the depression are now resolved.

Eileen

I took Effexor for about 6 months but it wasn't originally prescribed for me...I know, I know, not very clever. But it was almost a chance. My mom once gave me her pills to hide from her because she wanted to quit and didn't want to be tempted. I hid them in my room and completely forgotten about them. Then I found them one day and realised they were against anxiety - it was Clonazepam. I did not feel very well, it was the beginning of another school year so I was stressed, and after reading some things on the internet I finally started to realize that my problems may be related to high anxiety or depression. So I tried one. The next day I decided I definitively had anxiety or depression because otherwise one pill would not make such a difference! I felt completely relaxed, energetic, able to concentrate...that was a bliss. Unfortunately there were only a few pills left. Other than that my mom only had Effexor which she graciously gave me ;) I finally saw a phychiatrist and he agreed to keep me on Effexor. I did not take much, I think it was 75mg a day. It helped and I felt significantly better during this time and I could work on my behavior to help me afterwards. I felt weird at the beginning (1-2 weeks). Initially I lost appetite, unfortunately it did not last ;)

I decided to stop cold turkey one day, don't even remember why. It felt really awfull for one day but after a few days I was ok. I still have problems, especially now when I'm again in a rather stressful situation but I'm not tempted to get back on Effexor even though I still have the pills. Though I don't regret taking it - at least it gave me an idea of what my reactions, feeling and responses are when I'm relieved. I'm more tempted by Clonazepam...it seemed to work very quickly against anxiety and this is what I would need sometimes.

sitetara

welcome to DF. I hope you find the site useful.

Eileen


ps nobody should take effexor without their Drs say so as people need to be monitored on this med especially in the first few months.

E

Hi My name is Russ

I live in Watford UK.

I have found your website by searching for answers to my ongoing depression. I am currently on Efexor so started here. I have been on different meds for a 6 year period and hope to be able to expand on my story.

My latest review was on Monday this week with my psychiatrist and new meds are going to start....

Regards

Russ

Russ welcome to DF I hope that we can be of help to you and answer any questions you have or listen to your story.

Eileen

hello,
i was put on effexor xr about a year ago and took it for about three months but could not stay on it i couldn't sleep or even think for that matter. i felt like i had bugs crawling on my head sometimes. i forgot to do everything i felt like a zombie but the anxiety and depression was not there so it was better. i had to get off it because i couldn't function at work i was so tired all the time and could not concentrate on simple tasks. i am now a stay at home mom again and am having a lot of trouble again with my depression and anxiety my doctor said i need to go back on the effexor and i feel that i should i just don't know what is the lessor of two evils. what time of day taking it will help with the sleepiness? will my symptoms every go away? the first time around i had one great day at the very first i wasn't anxcious or depressed or worried and the constant voices in my head were quite for once in my life i heard nothing and i felt really good but the side effects just got worse after that. now all i can do is cry if any am not constantly busy doing something i am a wreck and the voice in my head are so loud and constant i just want to scream. i am very snappy at my daughter and i hate that but i don't want to be a mom that is out of touch either. any help or support would be great.


aubrie

butterfly

it sounds like efexor wasn't the right medication for you. The side effects should have gone away. If the dr wants to put you on meds then ask for something else. Maybe an antipsychotic might help. Are the voices to do with schizophrenia or are they just the usual 'talking to yourself' kind of voices?


I take my efexor in the morning and that helps with the sleeplessness.

Hi guys, my name is Scott, I am 33, live in the south east in England. I am married with my first on the way. I discovered that I was depressed after I went to my doctor becuase I was felt energy-less and life seemded quite dull. He, wisely, got me to complete this short questionaire which informed him that I was actually quite depressed, which was a shock. He started by putting me on Zispin, which I was on for three months, and went up to a dose of 35mg. Though all this actually achieved was to make me feel very groggy in the morning. Sleep has never been a problem, I sleep well and usually wake up at 6 or 7 am. On the Zispin I was consistently late for work (which isn't good when you manage a team) and found getting up very difficult.

So I went back to my doctors a few days ago and said that I felt no better just more tired, so he suggested effexor. I was cautious at first as my mum had been on them and found them hard getting off. But being a man of science I was not going to allow one subjective experience dictate my choices.

I have now been on effexor for three days and enjoyed my first morning for months waking up fresh and clear headed. I have had a general wired feeling most of the time, which feels like you have had too much caffiene. Though today I feel ok but then haven't taken my tablet yet.

I will keep popping in and log my progress with you in the hope that it will be positive and encourage others, as their reports have encouraged me. Good stuff guys.

:welcome: Scott to DF and the efexor room. I hope that the efexor works well for you.




Eileen

Hi,
I've been taking Effexor for quite a few years now - actually I've lost track. I take them with Amilsulpride for psychotic depression. I don't get psychotic thoughts anymore (yippee!) but I do get depressed. I'm now on a low dose - 75mg and wish I didn't have to take any tablets at all because I've had so much weight gain on them and have now ended up with problems of obesity, insulin resistance and eating problems. Such is life ... I think my depression now is really tied up with my circumstances, coming to terms with years of illness and my weight.