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BLONDE PANIC
31-05-08, 01:19
Could anyone tell me if they have been prescribed EFFEXOR also known as VENAFLAXINE??????
if so what is or was your experiance with them?? Do they help??:wacko:

EmilyJane
31-05-08, 08:31
Hi, I take them and yes, Venalfaxine is Efexor.
I used to take 300 mg a day but am down to 75 now. The are an anti depression mdication with anti aniety properties. I found the only noticeable side effect was excessive sweating, not nice.
I didn't really notice that they helped but I knoiw many people they do help.
They are difficult to withdraw from, a lot of people get what is called 'the zaps' like electrical impulses surging through the body. I have felt them in my head and though unpleasant, not as bad as a panic attack.
I hope you get on well with them. They take about 3 weeks to start working and you may be prone to side effects to start with, these should disappear within 4 weeks.
Good Luck.
Emi

EmilyJane
31-05-08, 08:34
sorry about all the typing mistakes, my keyboard is bent and some keys are a bit stiff, I have to press really hard on x's so no kisses from me too often LOL

jo61
31-05-08, 15:40
I've just come off them with great difficulty - withdrawal was a nightmare. They didn't do much for me but I know people who swear by them. As with all antidepressants they work for some people, not so well for others.

Good luck and keep us posted

dogue
31-05-08, 17:33
i was put on them and did nothing for me iam now on duloxitne 20mg no p/a,s but get bouts off feeling sorry for myself

vladimir3d
31-05-08, 18:04
I was on 300Mg, it lost its effect on me in 2 years. And yes, Zaps are disturbing, I had them, I did not like those spasms that they caused at all.

karen34
07-06-08, 21:15
hi i have been on effexor for 7 yrs now, my dose varies from 75 to 150 mg, usually on 150 mg in the winter months when i get very depressed and lethargic, tried to come of them once but got to 37.5 mg for 4 weeks and felt really sick all the time and started crying loads again so up went the dose again, seems to to the job for me and no side effects.

stronger
02-07-08, 04:53
Thanks for your posts. The information is excellent.

I struggled with crying and powerful anxiety attacks and depression .
I was Rx'ed 75 mg for 30 days (after 5 days of 37.5mg) ... the crying stopped.
The anxiety attacks and depression improved.
The side effects were many : 3/4 drop in libido, dry mouth, sense of smell increased significantly, going for a pee twice as often, noticeable brain zaps every 2nd day, picking at cuticles started for no good reason.

Now at 150 Mg since 3 weeks and although the anxiety and depression are improved, I expected better results.
Side effects are a mess : I fainted twice (once I passed out while standing and landed on the outside of the bathtub and fractured ribs) and nearly fainted 5-6 times which I recuped, brain zaps are hourly (I don't even react to them anymore since they don't bother me that much) , tinnitus, libido is down to an occasional erection and no feeling. But the worst is I pick at my cuticles non-stop until they bleed and it's disgustingly ugly.

I have a doctors appointment after 5 weeks of 150 mg. Hopefully things will have improved significantly and I won't have to start all over with effexor withdrawl and ramp up on another drug.

kristay1988
03-07-08, 04:06
I was on it for a couple of years, no side effect (except sexually), it worked great, no "zaps" never even heard of them. I think it was 150mg, every day. Happy, great sleep schedule, no worries!! I felt back to my old self! I had been struggling with panic attacks, anxiety and a little depression.But, if i missed it more than once, i would get that feeling back. I've been trying to get off it now, for about a month i was perfect, now for about 3 weeks i've been struggling with depersonalization. I would have stayed on it if not for the sex thing and for the future if i want to have a kid. I would def recommend it! I was also on lexapro before this, for about a year and a half, then it just stopped working, otherwise that was good too.

MyNameIsntRich
24-07-08, 03:08
I am shocked there arent so many more horror stories with effexor on here. I have been trying to get off this poison for 2 years now and wish there were a way i could get off. I am at a stable 1/4 of a 75mg pill a day. thats as low as i can go before the horrible withdraw starts.

Aloe20something
24-07-08, 03:21
effexor has been the best AD ive found so far for myself. it is the only one that hasnt evoked higher panic, or made me manic. Also, it made me lose weight! so that was wonderful too! i think, in the beginning i got bad stomach cramps and insomnia as side effects, but they went away. I must admit, i am not looking forward to ever having to taper off of these suckers, i hear it can be rough!

stronger
05-01-09, 18:27
My update to this (hopefully someone will find it helpful.)
My doctor dropped my dose to 112.5 mg of effexor and that was successful in that emotionally, I'm still good.

Brain zaps frequency had progressed to almost all the time and that has gone away completely...
Libido is still non existent : If I work at it long enough I'll get an erection but that's half the battle since climaxing is a lot more work, an hour or so. Viagra completely takes care of the erection problem but not the inability to climax.
Recently I've getting shivers, like when you're damp and cold, even when I'm warm...not very disturbning by any means, but odd.
Sleeping was easy too but a good night's sleep is rare. I found that smoking a bit of weed before bedtime gives me the best nights of sleep I can remember.

Overall, I find I'm much more alert and 'normal' than I've been in years. I'm due to wean off to 75 ... 32.5 ...0 mg starting in April.

Puye
05-01-09, 22:38
I am on Effexor 75mg a day; and have been using it for about 10 years on and off.

By slowly reducing the dosage over a one or two week period, I found the withdrawal easier. That means: I go to half dose for a week, then half that dose for a week.

A year and a half ago I was changed to Cymbalta. This is almost twice the cost of Effexor. After a year on Cymbalta, I was forced to come off of medication for economic reasons (I became unemployed). Cymbalta was at that time fort me, easier to come off of than Effexor was.

But, of course, these medications work differently for different people.

Southern_Belle
05-01-09, 23:46
I tried to go on Effexor and I don't know if I was allergic to the stuff or what but I was sick as a dog on it and had an unbearable migraine and upset stomach. I could not take it!

Laura

cantcarryon
28-01-09, 00:38
I have been on Effexor XD for about 9months now, my dose has slowly increased and am now upto 225mg daily and am only just starting to feel any effect from it. I have'nt had any side effects really except for an increased appetite

gabbi
12-05-09, 13:48
I Tried Effexor for one day. Within 1 hour all senses were magnified, I could not even tell whether my bath water was too hot or too cold. Three hours later the paranioa started. Two days later I am still recovering. The feelings of self worthlessness are awful. Don't know if anyone has had same experience. Needless to say I've stopped taking it.

tom1
12-05-09, 23:25
Seems like gabbi it really wasn't for you. I had a similar experience with Prozac, but sometime in the future I'd like to have a 'go' at it again.

stronger
07-06-09, 14:41
Overall, I find I'm much more alert and 'normal' than I've been in years. I'm due to wean off to 75 ... 32.5 ...0 mg starting in April.

Off effexor since 4 days, after weaning.

The downside :

Waves of sedation to the point of dozing off,
Crying for no good reason (I'm a 50 yr old Canadian male for pete's sake, the crying is so wrong :shrug: )
Anxiety

It's almost as if my mood swings went back to pre-treatment levels ... under the 'normalcy' bar.

The upside :
Libido seems to be getting back to normal (woohoo!:yesyes:. )
Happiness is at hand
I should mention, I got hit with some bad news (*) during the last legs of 32.5mg and the difficult career and financial situation which is one of the roots of the depression persists ... the perfect storm, eh!:scared15:

*- the bad news is broken heart related. In the long run it'll be OK, but right now a Struggle (yes, capital 'S').

Hopefully someone will find it helpful. I found it helpful to post.