View Full Version : Venlafaxine
hi everyone, my doctor has told me they are changing my medication from propranolol to venlafaxine i have looked it up and i'm worried as most the comments i have read are not good. i was wondering if anyone is taking this medication and is feeling better for it. my doctor called this morning because he didn't tell me to stop my propranolol so it's a good job i didn't get my new medication yesterday or i would have taken both together. if anyone could please tell me their new experiences from taking this medication please let me know as i'm scared to start taking it.
hi im on day 9 , iv been given 37.5mg per day once normal release . had 2 much better days so far .... wat dose u been given? x i was too scared , but unless u try u wont know i also read shit loads of bad stuff which did not help!!
just take it and se ehow u go it didnt make my anxiety any worse than it already is hun, wat u taking it for mines gad ocd and depressioncaused by both previous conditions. x
chappers1980
07-01-12, 22:15
You can take both at the same time as they are not the same kind of drug. Proprananol is just a betablocker that controls the adrenaline and doesn't affect any brain chemicals. Venlafaxine is a SNRI so it does a lot more. I only take proprananol when i'm having a particular anxious event.
See my previous posts, they should help x
Hiyer,
I have taken venlafaxine for 13 years now. I am only on 37.5 mg a day, and don't need to take it but am having trouble with withdrawal symptoms when I reduce any further. originally I was on 225mg a day and it certainly worked for me, after having no results with some other medications. Had no side effects at all from taking it. I have posted about this a few time before, as have others, if you do a search for venlafaxine lots of things should come up.
Carys did you gain weight on this drug?
Nope, none at all. I literally have had no side effects, not even the apparently common ones that many people get when you start them. They can cause BP rise and cholesterol rise over time, but have not had that either. The only problem I had was when reducing them, it had to be done incredibly slowly and I did get side effects.
Yes I know from taking seroxat in the past, some meds are very difficult to come off and have to be tapered very slowly.
Did the drug eventually cease to work with you after such a long time? Sorry, don't mean to be nosy but wondered why you're coming off them. Thanks for any info. X
No, its fine, you ask away !
I just don't need them any more, I haven't needed them for quite a few years. I feel recovered, bar the odd panic attack here and there. I have developed coping strategies and am a different stronger person than I was back then.
I was put on them 13 years ago, and I started reducing them after 2 years of taking them. I have gone from 225 mg daily to 37.5 mgs daily and have been on 37.5 mgs daily for the last 8 years at least. I have tried to even slowly reduce further than that over the last few years, but it gives me horrendous withdrawl symptoms within hours of not taking them. My GP (who is fully supportive of me coming off them) thought at first it might be some sort of psychosomatic reaction to not taking the one tablet, but often I just forget and then I only know I've not taken the tablet by the fact I develop withdrawl symptoms. He then agreed, after doing some research that the strange sensations were listed as a withdrawl side effects. The thing is I just need to find the time when I can just 'put up' with the withdrawl, but I am busy with so many things in life that finding a few days to just get off a tablet comes low on priorities.
It doesn't bother me too much though at the moment, I will deal with it if and when I find time :wacko:.
I am convinced that venlafaxine helped me get my life back under control. I was actually hospitalised for 6 months due to depression and anxiety and it was venlafaxine that got me going again. There were various meds tried and this one worked for me.
Happy to answer any more questions.....
Thanks so much for sharing.
Well after five years medication free going back on meds has been a huge decision. I've been taking citalopram since November 1st. 10 mg... Then 20, 30 and now 40! It's just not working properly and I don't understand why. I really am so disappointed. My gp has talked about venlafaxine with me, but I keep saying.... "Just a little while longer..." but I think I've really given them long enough to work.
I think the trouble is that different people find different things work for them, and so some 'trying out' may be necessary. I was on dothiepin before venlafaxine (I think it has a different name now?) and a few other assorted things, but this certainly made a difference.
Good luck to you. :D
Well I have just been started on them (well tomorrow) .
I've been told to take 37.5 in the morning and one at night. Is this the normal way of doing it.... Twice a day?
Thanks.
Yes, the doses are generally split equally morning and evening for this form of venlafaxine, as it has a short life. (or whatever they call it)
hi catya im on 37.5 1 per day at the mo im on day 11 at the mo , day 12 tom , but may increase to 2 a day ......but some people i know have took the 75mg together ... there s dif ones apparently slow release and normal mine are lil peachy ones wats ur s hun?
xx
Yeah, The little peachy tablets, which used to be shield shaped when they were made by effexor, are the 'normal' ones lol
hi everyone thanks so much for your info it has been very helpful i have been 37.5mg to take twice a day. i will give them ago like you say everyone is different. i have been given them for gad and depression. i'm just a worrier when it comes to certain things when i get new medication i always read up about it. i always seem to see the negative instead of the positive. thanks for the replies really grateful xx
Hiyer,
I have taken venlafaxine for 13 years now. I am only on 37.5 mg a day, and don't need to take it but am having trouble with withdrawal symptoms when I reduce any further. originally I was on 225mg a day and it certainly worked for me, after having no results with some other medications. Had no side effects at all from taking it. I have posted about this a few time before, as have others, if you do a search for venlafaxine lots of things should come up.
Carys. You say you're on 37.5 per day. Do you split this dose? Do you feel withdrawal from not taking it consistently during the day? Or is yours the extended release tablet.
I just daren't take mine today, so have ended up taking my citalopram. Oh dear :scared15::scared15:
I have it slap bang in the middle of the day with my lunch, so every 24 hours. When I was on 2 x 37.5 mgs per day I had it split morning and evening. When I was on 6 x 37.5 mgs (!!LOL) I had it split equally morning and evening. I am not taking the slow release, no, and yes I do start feeling withdrawl at the end when it is 'running out' in my system.
Bless you, I am scared of new meds as well ! :huh:
Oh dear.... I'm so annoyed at myself.
From what I've heard about this drug it does help very resistant depression and OCD, but I'm so scared of the side effects if, say I was a little late in taking the evening dose.
I know this is because of my withdrawal off seroxat. I just found that horrendous and vowed I'd never go back on medication again.
I believe venlafaxine is supposed to help hot flushes too? Hmmm... well that's me, slap bang in the middle of the menopause!
Even thinking of taking the med is bringing me out in one.... : ( xx
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hi everyone thanks so much for your info it has been very helpful i have been 37.5mg to take twice a day. i will give them ago like you say everyone is different. i have been given them for gad and depression. i'm just a worrier when it comes to certain things when i get new medication i always read up about it. i always seem to see the negative instead of the positive. thanks for the replies really grateful xx
Let us know how you are doing. Good luck.... you sound just like me.
I tell you what else it helps.......migraine. It was only recently I realised this. My daughter started suffering classic migraine and I had not had one (well, not a full blown one anyway, but had had some instances of vision loss/aura and nothing more) for.....errr......as long as I had been taking venlafaxine. lol Apparently it can be used in migraine treatment.
I don't blame you being worried about withdrawl, but you just need to weigh up how much you are suffering now with how much the 'possible' withdrawl might affect you. For me at the time of starting it I would have tried anything and everything as I was so ill.
how long does this stay in ya system them girls? i take 1 37.5 mg at 8 am only??? will it not keep upping ya levels on this amount? pharmasist as said 37.5 is not under the therputic dose.
any idea s ? x
I thought 1 x 37.5 mg was below the usual dosage level. I believed, and bear in mind that I am no doctor/pharmacist, that the usual starting dose was 75mg daily divided into two doses ?! I thought it was roughly a 12 hour 'in the system thing' ??
---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 13:30 ----------
Petram I think you must be on the 'extended release' version, as it appears that is that is the usual dose when starting for anxiety/panic disorders.
Mind, you've said you are on the normal version and not the slow release version, so maybe check with your GP to see if he/she has you on the right dose and isn't mixing up with the slow release version ?
no they def are not xr , just normal lil peachy ones , and when i called pharmacist to question upping at the 8 day stage , she said it was too soon in the bigger scheme of things and how 37.5 was not below theraputic dose n had some paitents get stabled out on that amount, well , im due on this week and normally i get very low ocd and anxiety goes through roof if it does il be upping to 75 mg .
ty for the reply , and also my sister got put on the same today same dose for 2 weeks then to return back to gp .
ty for reply will keep ya posted .
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its worrying me now a bit grrrrr , saying that only day 12 , have to see how i go i guess x
Sorry, didn't mean to worry you. It won't harm you even if the dose is lower than usual, better than having it too high too quick. Take care
np x did u not struggle to sleep on the 2nd dose in the eve or was u ok hun ? x
No, no struggling with sleep, well not because of venlafaxine anyway...sometimes I turn into an insomniac for a week and then revert to normal sleeping again. :roflmao:
Ok.
Well I took the plunge last night and took my first one. Been wide awake most of the night though. Don't know how much that was self induced panic as I was so scared to take one.
Also, sometimes I've been taking 20mg amytriptyline to help sleep and I forgot to ask the dr if I could take these with an SNRi.
Hmmmm. A day of googling ahead now. Will let you know how it goes.
Carly's, I know it was a while ago, but can you remember how soon you felt some improvement from venlafaxine? Thanks.
---------- Post added at 09:11 ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 ----------
Oh no..... It's changed your name? Sorry..... Argh!
I did type Carys xx
I am really sorry Catya I honestly can't recall a time scale for improvement, I was really ill at the time and in hospital, but I know it wasn't a magic cure and it took effort on my part as well to work on my ways of thinking.
I should think the lack of sleep was being worked up about taking it and lying there 'waiting for something to happen'. Taking new meds is a blimmin nightmare for me and I would probably have my eyes wide open with fear for most of the night lol
I took Venlafaxine for a few months some years ago and am just about to restart. I know all meds affect different people in different ways but my experience was very positive. Sure, I got some side effects, worst on starting and stopping (nausea, a bit light-headed), but I weighed this up against the reason I was taking them and it was definitely a good move.
I'm the worst for doing a mass of research before I start taking anything new and, for me, it's a sure-fire way of getting all the side effects as I'm looking out for them and then convince myself I've got them.
Yes Pipkin.... couldn't agree more!
In this respect, sometimes, we can be our own worst enemy. Thanks for the timely reminder. lol...
hi u felt on ya 1st 1 catya??
i had few palps ext , but when ya suffering with it ya dont know wats u and wats the meds...grrrr , my sis took her 1st 1 and was exactly the same as me u n many others scared to take... however she felt sick n really shaky for a hour or 2 then was ok.......im on day 14 . keep us uptodate and gl ya be fine hun xx
So scared of this drug .....
Have you felt positive effect from it yet?
hi all
i was on this drug (for several years) some time back for depression. I didnt realise at the time that anxiety was behind this so cant really tell you if it helps with that but it certainly did help with the depression.
i know what its like to be frightened to take pills although this is a fairly recent development for me. Just taking a B-vitamin was a problem the first time and it took me 5 hours the other night before i was finally able to take some sleeping pills. This was despite the fact i hadnt slept for three nights and needed them. I was frightened of what would happen if it went wrong etc...
Regarding the venlafaxine/effexor i can tell you it takes a while to build in your system, possibly a few weeks. I can also tell you it caused increased sweating in me when i used to take them (apparently its called serotonin syndrome). It also caused long term ejaculatory impotence - ie, it took me a long time to ejaculate. Both of these persisted for all the while i was on them as i remember.
Its effect seemed to be as a mood regulator. In that i was unable to become too upset (or too happy i think) as when this happened there was the sensation of what had been a building pressure/tension/fluid reaching a certain threshhold then dispersing/dissipating within the brain. Several years after coming off of this drug this same process still seems to occur. I do not appear to be able to become as physically upset (or happy) as i used to. I do not want to overly scare anyone but the impression i have is that a permanent physical change has been made and i cannot discount the drug as being responsible.
I say this because i want to underscore how important it is not to stay on a drug any longer than you need to. Im sure short term this stuff is fine but please use whatever respite you gain from it to start making the changes needed so you can abandon this chemical crutch sooner rather than later. I didnt.
I do not remember any withdrawal symptoms but i was only on about 37.5mg or 75mg which i dont think is much.
Hope this helps
Hassaan
Are you on any medication now Hassaan?
hi catya , yea kinda it come in waves though i can be okay for a few hours then begin to feel shitty, but i got my period at the mo and that is normally the worse time for me personally , im hoping by the time i finish getting into next week when all hormones have settled il see a mosre steady improvement . how u doing ??
xx
im on day 15 ..
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sorry meant more... lol x
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