Venlafaxine - is anyone on here taking it? What side effects did you get and how bad were they?

Question

Ive just been prescribed venlafaxine for depression so would like to know a bit more about it and what side effects to expect.

Answer 1

Hi i've been on and off it for 2 years,
Firstly what form is it in,is it modified release or is it a small white tablet.
What strenght is it in mgs.
Can you add some more details please.

For me 37.5 mgs [little white one] made me a sick as a dog,I'd feel sick-Nauseous and extremely tired.

75 mgs modified release is the capsule.
It gives you the 'jitters' but they wear off after a few week.Do not drive within the first week-They make you grind your teeth and you can't sleep.
After 4 weeks,you will feel better and gain some energy and strength.They are brill after a few weeks.

A word of advice-Never ever stop suddenly taling Venlaflaxine.You will be ill,sick and almost delireous.You will have the worst 72 hours ever with severe depression.You have to be weaned off it slowley by your GP reducing the dose.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Exactly the same symptoms as you and more.But it will ease off a bit soon (im not sure how long you`ve been taking them,did you say?). Anyway,dont feel tempted to stop using them because of the side-effects even though i sympathise with you when you say the dreams seem so real,i know exactly how you are feeling.Only i did stop taking them and i only ended up prolonging all the bad side-effects coz i didnt feel any better when i stopped which made me worse.The horrible dreams still continue for a while after stopping untill the medication is right out of your system,but if you just continue taking them your body will get used to the drug and thats when you1ll feel the most benefit. Good Luck & Take Care.

Answer 3

It's actually a commonly prescribed atypical antidepressant. I have been on it and know quite a few people who are currently on it. It was quite effective for me in treating my depression and social anxiety. The down side was that it killed my libido and it has significant withdrawal symptoms (so it should never be stopped cold turkey.) A long time ago - 13 years- I was on the regular release tablets and the withdrawal symptoms would start if I was even an hour late taking my meds. Years later I tried the extended release version and did not have that problem.

Answer 4

You should only be prescribed venlafaxine as a last resort, since it is highly addictive (sorry, "has a very strong discontinuation reaction"- i.e. withdrawal symptoms). The reason for the "strong discontinuation reaction" is its short half-life in the body (only 11 hours). It should only be prescribed to people who need to take such medication for the rest of their lives, since it will be next to impossible to get someone off it once they have started.

I was given it for depression by a doctor who wanted to "try something new" - i.e. use me as a guinea pig. It made me manic, and I almost lost my job and my marriage. Eventually I came off it, but I went through hell to do so - the worst depressive episode of my life and I am lucky to have survived. I still get flashbacks, for example shorter but very intense depressive episodes that only last a day or two instead of the usual 3-6 months.

And as an epilogue, when I reported the manic symptoms to the doctors, they simply offered me lithium. In spite of the fact that the mania was iatrogenic, and I had no previous history of bipolar disorder.

Answer 5

I'm not taking it myself, but one of my close friends was prescribed it for depression associated with schizophrenia. He coped very well on it, having had problems with other antidepressants. The only obvious side effect he found was that his eczema got slightly worse.

However, it is apparently not intended for long-term use, as it has been found to cause some heart problems; my friend was eventually taken off it, as he was found to have an irregular heartbeat.

So, in a nutshell, Venlafaxine seems to be one of the better antidepressants on the market, but, if your depression is associated with a permanent condition, it is essential that your heart is checked regularly.

I hope this is helpful, I don't want to make it sound like you are DEFINITELY going to have problems with this drug, but my friend had been taking it for ages before someone at the hospital realized that there might be a problem.

Answer 6

hi chez i have been on venlaxafine for a few years now and i have to say i feel better but let me tell you that when i first started on them they were prescribed in tablet form and for the first few days i was vomiting after i took them and had the shakes so i started taking just before i went to bed it was ok then but now i am on the modified release capsules and i dont get the shaky feeling like i did with the tablets also when i tried to come off them i stopped and it was the worse thing you can do because of the withdrawal symptoms one of them is feeling over emotional for no reason the sickness and feeling generally unwell because to come off them you must be weaned off slowly so now i am back on them and feeling fine so good luck and you will feel better once it gets into your system

Answer 7

strong stuff ! but I'm sure your docs feel you need it

http://www.medicinenet.com/venlafaxine/article.htm