Hello all,
I started on Venlafaxine 75mg XR nearly four weeks ago and it has been a mixed old bag of feelings since then.

I straight switched from Citalopram 20mg, which just wasn't working so well any more. Have been on and off Citalopram for about ten years and I think it lost its effectiveness for me over time.

First week on the Ven, fairly uneventful, some very minor wobbles, plus a bit trippy.....patterns seem to move around a bit, not obviously but when staring at them. Also a bit tired in that first week.

Second week was increasingly more agitated and angsty. Really felt a bit bonkers. More energy though, which has persisted.

Third week was a bit calmer, agitation seemed to settle a bit.

Will be four weeks on Tuesday and this last week has been a mixture of ups and downs. Daytimes a bit gnarly and evenings seem to be calmer. Mostly increased anxiety. And a bit of an increased heartrate.

My sleep throughout has been a bit disturbed but was worse in the second week. Also, crazy dreams in the second week. Still dreaming but they seem to be less vivid, now.
Although my mood is still not where I'd like it to be, I do feel like I have a bit more energy to get things done, I seem to be out and about a bit more.


Any words of encouragement greatly appreciated, I'm a bit scared of it not kicking in fully and I'm quite knackered by all the ups and downs. When I'm having a bad day, I keep ruminating on thoughts like 'It's not working' or 'It should be working better for me by now.'
It does seem to be keeping me afloat, though, in the face of some bad family news over the past week, so I hope that's a good sign that it's started to work for me.