venlafaxine and thoughts of suicide

[Stefee]

hello ive been taking venlafaxine for about a month after coming off seroxat .my anxiety has gone through the roof and i am increasingly having thoughts of suicide .i have heard these are common side affects with this drug has anyone else had these feelings and do they go away thank you

[pulisa]

On behalf of my 23 year old daughter yes, her anxiety has gone through the roof and she is plagued by suicidal thoughts. She has been on the meds-maximum dose 225mg- since last November but I have got her down to 75mg as I have no faith in her psych and want her off this horrible (for her} med. I have to say that I would not recommend withdrawing from any med without consultation with a psych/doc-don't follow my example.

I think that her age is a factor re the increased agitation, She falls within the 18-25 "be careful" age range.

I would definitely contact your health professional and get some advice if I were you. Good luck!

[AnxiousBaker]

If you are having thoughts of suicide then you should get back to your doctor as a matter of urgency. An increase inn anxiety can be normal but in conjunction with suicidal thoughts, its not great.

[Stefee]

thank you for your replys

[SADnomore]

Hi Stefee,

Although I have read that venlaxafine among others may cause a temporary increase in anxiety, suicidal thoughts are not thought of as a common side effect at all. These are included in black box warnings for all SSRI-type drugs and are to be treated as a psychiatric emergency. Please immediately report your symptoms to your doctor or seek help at hospital.

I had a number of start-up side effects with ven, most were gone by 4-5 weeks (I still have some dry mouth months later). It seems clear that venlaxafine is NOT the drug for you. It happens. Fingers crossed you find the right medication very soon.
Marie. xx