Still having increased anxiety on venlafaxine after a month:(

[shadowstriker]

Hi guys does anyone have any advice I have been on this dose of venlafaxine (75mg morning + 37.5mg at night) for a month all it's done is made me more anxious and also constipated I would of thought the anxiety would of eased off by now should I give it longer? I am really thinking of going to A and E because I can't cope with this any more!

[Lindyl]

I changed from mirtazapine to venlafaxine last week about an hour after i'd took the venlafaxine my anxiety went through the roof didn't sleep all night went straight back to mirtazapine the next day and within an hour of taking it my anxiety calmed needless to say i wont be trying venlafaxine again.

[nicola1980]

Hi, stick with it i know how hard it is but venlafaxine is very good when it kicks in, 4 weeks isn't that long although i know it must feel it for you, i felt absolutely dreadful when i first started it but then eventually i started to feel better, you may need your dose increasing slightly, its a bit of trial and error getting the dosage right, i didn't notice a big difference until i was on 150mg and then i started feeling better x x

[shadowstriker]

Thanks Nicola and lindyl venlafaxine is a hard drug to come off because it has a short half life when I was on it before and tried stopping it I had a lot of brain zaps feels like your head is being electrocuted :( my consultant is wanting to put it up to 150 and then add the mirtazapine hope it works but don't think it will

[Pipkin]

You have to have faith that it will work - that's half the battle. It's worked before and it will again. Give it time and read some of the positive posts on here from people whose lives have turned around because of venlafaxine - I'm one of them.

Definitely don't worry about withdrawal - focus on getting better and cross that bridge when you come to it. I've come off it twice before and it's manageable.

Pip

[shadowstriker]

It never worked last time I was on 225mg for 6 months hope it works with the mirtazapine

[Pipkin]

It never worked last time I was on 225mg for 6 months hope it works with the mirtazapine

I can't really see the logic in putting you on a medication that didn't work when you took it previously for 6 months. It might work with add-on meds, I suppose.

Pip

[shadowstriker]

I know lol but I have a new dr better than the one I had he said I should try the combo because I've been on most the anti depressants he said he's giving me it because my depression is difficult to treat getting bored of taking meds now and them not working the only one that did help was citalopram but the 2nd and 3 time going back on it it made my depression worse :(

[shadowstriker]

Just some feed back for you guys I saw my dr today he's reduced the venlafaxine to 75mg then wants to increase it to 150 from the 75 he wants to see if the modified release on its own is ok because he thinks that me being on the 2 different forms of it might be the problem I don't remember it being this bad last time so maybe the normal form is too stimulating for me

[GBFast]

After a hugely stressful period, with increasing anxiety and increasingly severe depression, I have gone from 40mg of citalopram (for 10 weeks) with no success, to 75mg of venlafaxine (for 3 weeks) with no success (probably a bit worse then when on the citalopram) and just doubled the dose to 150mg.

Is this drug supposed to act helpfully for anxiety and depression?

How patient do I need to be for an improvement in one or the other, or both? (Given I got nowhere with citalopram for the ten weeks I was on it, I don't think I can face another ten weeks with no improvement, at least not without the help of something to take the edge off things.)

[shadowstriker]

Yes it's supposed to be good for anxiety with depression it's a snri the serotonin would be for depression and the noradrenalin for adrenalin I have been on venlafaxine 150 mg for 3 months not done anything but make my anxiety worse my dr says my depression is getting better but it isn't he has added another antidepressant called mirtazapine so I'm on 2 he thinks it will work mirtazapine is supposed to be very sedating but it doesn't sedate me but I'm only on 7.5mg then after a week I have to take 15 mg.

[0rosey0]

Hi,
I just started on 37.5mg effexor xr this morning, and already am feeling a pressure inside my head. I hope it does go away, as i really need something to help with the crippling anxiety and have tried many meds in the past 2 years and either they havent worked or the side eeffects are too hard to handle.
I hope you are feeling better,

[shadowstriker]

Same problem here been on many antidepressants and they have not helped my dr wants to add lamotragene to my mirtazapine and venlafaxine to see if that will help just feel like giving up been suffering since the age of 13 now I'm 25 :(

[0rosey0]

It sounds hard for you. I have had it about that long too, but mine started when i was older. Hoping the lamotragene is of benefit to you. Do you go to therapy too, i find that even more helpful often then medication.
wish you well

[shadowstriker]

yes once a week just quit both meds a few days ago the new dr im seing said i rely on pills to make me better so i said shove them up your ar.. lol but got bad withdrawal doing cold turky :madness: