Does effexor/venlafaxine help you?

[lostsoul]

I know not that many people take Effexor/Venlafaxine, but I just wanted to get an idea of how many people it actually helps. I know about the potentially nasty withdrawal effects on discontinuation.

But I'm more interested to find out if it actually does help people with their anxiety whilst they are taking it. I'm probably going to try this when I next see my phych as nothing else seems to be working and he has suggested it to me before. I've always been too scared to take it before.

The way I see it now is I have nothing to loose. I'd rather have a few good years anxiety free than suffer any longer. I'll cross the bridge of withdrawal when I need to.

[tom1]

It's one of the better anti-depressants for anxiety and depression out there. If your main problem is anxiety it can work quite well. Certainly for me it worked better than a lot of the other SSRIs out there. The only problem I now have is that it gives me quite a lot of side-effects from time to time.

If it works and makes you feel better, I wouldn't worry so much about any of the withdrawals.

[lostsoul]

Thanks Tom - Not worried about withdrawing from it. If take it for the rest of my life and I lead a normal (whatever that is!) existance I really don't care.

But dont want to take it, if it doesnt work-what sort of side effects do you have Tom, are they constant or did they go away over time?

Thanks for taking the time to relpy.

[tj0121]

I didn't get on with venlafaxine, but thats because i got one of the rarer side effects, just unlucky. I got terrible violent mood swings and anger, scary since i never said boo to a goose before! also dizziness and sleep probs as side effects, dizziness did ease off after about 2 weeks though.

withdrawal i am in now is hell, like nothing i've ever known before.

As for if it worked, well my depression did seem a tiny bit better on venlafaxine, but unfortunately for me the side effects were terrible, had i not gotten them, i think it may have helped me.

[lostsoul]

Hi all,

After a glitch with my recovery a week ago I decided that the mirtazapine I am currently taking is not for me so I've been put on 37.5mg of Venlafaxine for the first week then 75mg of Venlafaxine XR for the following week. Its day five now although I've not taken a full 37.5mg yet. I started by halving then each day I've added a little to the half (yes I'm a chicken!) so far no improvement other than I feel like I've drunk 100 cups of coffee!

But thankfully not any worse than before. I'm sleeping OK but thats probably because I'm still taking the Mirtzapine before bed although I'm being slowly tapered off this too.

I've got everything crossed it works. For me at least so far the side effects have been nowhere near as bad as I experienced after just one day with cipralex.

[scrivens12]

Have been on Venlafaxine 300mg for a couple of years...It my experience it creates more problems than it solves...A few weeks ago I decided that I'd had enough of this wretched drug and eased myself off it

as a result my anxiety levels have markedly decreased, I am a lot more active. For the first time in years I can go to the toilet without massive doses of laxatives and suppositories. I now have regained my appetite ( Venlafaxine causes Anorexia). Also for the first time in years I don't suffer from Impotency problems. My tics and nervous twitches (another side-effect) are gradually abating as are the frequency of panic attacks

If you tell the average GP that Venlafaxine makes you worse , not better; they just increase the dose

My doctor also had me on Mirtzapine, which gave me hangovers, and brain fog.

The side-effects , I could tolerate if this drug worked. If anything it made me worse