Efexor xl (venlafaxine)

[marg]

hi i have had panic attacks on and off for years but the last one i had 2month ago was the worsed on ever i have tried getting better my self but its not working this time i have only been out of the house twice in the last 2month and that was just up to the top of the street today my doctor has given me efexor xl to take one a day 75mg it says on the box they are for anxiety and panic attacks i am just a bit botherd about taking them i don't like taking any thing but i feel iam going to have to i can't stay like this i have no confedence at the moment and all i am doing staying in the house and one had these tablets and did they help you marg

[MikeyT]

Hi
I too have just started taking prescription meds after trying to overcome the anxiety myself and for the past week have been suffering the side effects, but I have decided to stick with it.
It is difficult to be patient, but I suppose we have to be.
A friend adviced me to go onto prescription med, as a severe suffer himself, he found the venlafaxine, was the best thing he has ever tried.
He is still on a daily maintenance dose and he now works councelling drug and alcohol dependents.
So I hope this works for you.
Mick

[Alice]

hi marg
i suffer from panic attacks and agoraphobia too, im pretty much back to normal now, out of all the anti depressants and anti anxieties ive taken effexor has been the best. Im on 75mg a day too, ive been taking them since the end of May when i was in hospital and when i was severely agoraphobic. I didnt really expect them to work but they surprised me. Instead of forcing myself to go out, i found that i wanted to go out, and got enjoyment out of it. It happened without me realising really, id go up to the shop to get a paper and get back and realise that id been out forgetting about panicking. I did more and more and now i can do anything. i wouldnt say im 'medicated up' or anything, i think its just given me the confidence to try things, and the desire to go out and have some fun. I didnt suffer any side effects when i first started taking them and dont have any now.

I would recommend having some sort of therapy too, alongside effexor, effexor will give you the confidence to go out and try things, and therapy will show you how to deal with panic. Its a two way thing and both methods will help you in the long run in my opinion.

Good luck with it!
Alice

[Antipodes]

Hi marg,

I too am on Venlafaxine. I started on 75mg/day and have since moved up to 150 and then 225 mg/day. The amount people require for a theraputic effect differs from person to perosn. If you don't find any benefits in (say) 3 to 6 weeks, you should mention this to your therapist. I'm sure you'll have a at least on review anyway.

I have not found any side effects either. I did notice when I started and each time I increased the dose I had a small problem with constipation but it went after a couple of days - otherwise nil adverse side effects.

If you look Venlafaxine up on the internet, you will find some people just don't like it. period. It's not the med per se. The fact is we're just not all exactly the same. What works for me may not work for another. Hopefully in another x years, meds will be so much more effective.

I hope it all works out for you.

regards


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[bluebottle]

Venlafaxine should not be prescribed by a GP unless it is under specialist supervision.

I have know friends who have been on it and their weight has ballooned. Also they had real problems trying to come off of it.

I was prescribed it today by my GP. It wasn't until I got home that I realised what it was. I went into the surgery asking for a AD that didn't cause sexual side effects, and guess what, Efexor does. Needless to say, I don't want to be fat (fatter) and impotent and have retarded ejaculation. Been there done that on Lustral, never again.

I'm changing my doctor's surgery now. I have had enough of the mistakes my current one makes at my expense.

--
Blue -
"Your truth is better for you than someone else's. Just get to know what it is, so you can finally own it, and speak it."

[LisaS]

hiya,

i have been on efexor/venlafaxine for 7 months and its worked brilliantly for me.
i wasn't keen on taking ad's at all, but they have really helped me get my life back on track.
its all very personal as you can tell from your responses, but i can also say I haven't put on ANY weight at all and it is unusual to find an SSRI without any sexual side effects.

i'm sure there are +'ves and -'s to all the different AD's you just have to find the one that suits you best.

good luck

Lisa
xxx

"do not fear to hope...Each time we smell the autumn's dying scent, we know that primrose time will come again"

[Antipodes]

Hi bluebottle / Tony

When I was on fluoxetine (prozac) I was impotent and had inorgasmia. I didn't realise it was the med until I mentioned that side of my life was becoming a problem. Only then did it come out as a classic side effect! Grrrr - I was on that for 2 years!

I've been on several meds since then but am now into week 8 of Venlafaxine. I find no impotency/inorgasmia or weight gain issues. So, I don't think this is taken as granted side effect. If anxiety (rather than mood) is the issue and you want to wean off Venlafaxine, I found Moclobemide highly satisfactory. It just didn't do anything for my mood - but anxiety was quelled very effectively.

Just adding to a facet of this thread)

Antipodes