New depression since starting effexor

Okay so I have officially been on Effexor for 4 weeks exactly. I thought it was going great... I felt good. Sort of anxious but no where near what I was. Side effects were minimal besides heart racing and frequent yawning for the first 3 days or so. Small things here and there that didn't really effect my day. Two days ago my boyfriend confronted me about how I seemed to be in the lowest depressing just about ever since he has met me. And we met while I was in a really bad place. So that's saying a lot. Then i thought about it, and realized I have actually had zero motivation. I go to work, come home. Lay in bed untill the next day. When I'm not working I'm literally doing NOTHING, This is NOT like me. I have no interest in anything, I have even considered not seeing him anymore Because "what's the point?". I am only at 37.5 on the Effexor. I go to the doctor tomorrow. Does anyone think bringing the dosage up would help this? It really sucks... I feel like this nightmare is never ending.

I have no experience on Effexor. I would talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. My only experience is short stint with Zoloft, I was like you, I didn't worry or have intrusive thoughts and I didn't give a hoot about anything else. Everyone says stick it out, I didn't, I wanted me and my life back. Doing pretty good now. I monitor my thoughts and try not let anxiety spiral out of control.

Hi! I have never taken Effexor either, but think you should maybe talk to your doctor about increasing the dose as I don't think you are even at a therapuetic dose at 37.5mg. I'm totally the same when I get home from work, am mentally exhausted and just want to lay on the bed and recover from the day at work. I try to make myself sit out and watch television with my partner, cook dinner etc, because otherwise I know that depression will definately set in. If you accomplish even the smallest of tasks it can lift your mood. I know you really don't feel like it, but it does help. Hope you start to feel better soon. xx

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Originally Posted by TwitchMcGee

Does anyone think bringing the dosage up would help this?

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As Mermaid16 has already pointed out, 37.5mg is a sub therapeutic dose for most. The venlafaxine adult therapeutic dose range is 75-225mg/day (up to 375mg for very severe depression in an inpatient setting).

It is not unusual for antidepressants to make matters worse at the beginning due to the initial increase in serotonin activity. Your experiences at this time are not an indication of the long-term response at therapeutic doses.