Long term effexor side effects?

[osmfmly]

So Sorry, I am new to using this type of messaging. I believe the question was about side effects. I am tired, but I do not know that it is due to the medication or just my normal jittery nature! The worst side effect that has continued is the loss of libido. It seems to have gotton worse over the years.

[Kilsally]

weight gain for me, alos seem to have alot of spots on back and chest sinc estarting venlafaxein 9 months ago and since capsules were changed to venlalic 225mg xl tablets have been getting what i presume is indigestion or heartburn which i never had before .............. foggy head / dizziness and extreme headaches even if i miss one dose which is relieved within half an hour of taking med.

[cliffkelly]

I have been on Effexor for about 6 years. It has been very good to me. The only side effect I had was headaches. Now I'm on Effexor and Wellbuturin. It is much better.

[charmer]

venlafaxine (effexor) started out as a wonderful medicine for me. it gradually showed unwanted side effects that outweighed the benefits. when i decided i wanted to get off the stuff it was hell. i could manage a day without it but by the second day i would feel awful and have to take another one. i went from 150mg to 75mg which was ok but i couldn't get off it completely my doctor wasn't very sympathetic so i tried to lower my dosage by separating the capsule and emptying out half of the little balls and clasping the capsule back together and taking what i thought would have been about 37.5mg. i know it was i dodgy thing to do and my doc wasn't impressed when i told him but it helped me to get to a level where i felt near normal. what happened helped me feel better in myself and seemed to keep my body happy that it was still getting a little bit of the effexor.
in the end though i was given nefazodone to replace the effexor and that was much easier to get off. they were tablets which could be broken in half and i managed to gradually take less until i came off it completely.

[leilabanks]

New to this site.....
I've been taking venlafaxine for 9 years now. Was given it at 18 and none of my G.Ps have given me any help or motivation to come off it. I am a pharmacy student and I am aware that it has ever changing NICE guidlines about length of treatment etc but can anyone give me anymore info? I know in the scheme of things it is a relatively newish med (as opposed to say aspirin) - what is this doing to me?!?!?!
After years of taking 300mg daily I have managed to wean myself down to 150mg daily but it's been so hard. My body is physically dependent on it and if I haven't taken it within 2 seconds of waking up I can FEEL it. If I miss a dose for a couple of hours (say take at 11am not 9am) I am ruined, may as well write the next few days off. I am not exaggerating and it scares me on a daily basis. One night every week or so I lie awake and worry about what this is doing to me. Also, if I were to get pregnant etc.... scary.
I am aware that I am a changed person.
I work full time in a busy pharmacy at the moment and have done for 7 years, and I see this all the time.
G.P.s need to address this type of issue instead of simply dishing out meds every 28 days.
I waited 11 months and 1 week on my local PCT counselling service for 1-1 time ( can no longer afford £20 per hour private counselling)
I think this is disgusting. If someone comes to you for help as they are suicidal the OBVIOUS thing to do is to NOT do anything for 11 months bar the odd "still waiting for your place to become available- very busy service" letter...!!!!
Why do drug addicts and alcoholics get rent, free prescriptions, council tax, free needles, free methadone etc. from working in a pharmacy giving free stuff out to people who aren't trying, don't pay for anything, don't work, getting off their heads for free (we are paying) makes me even unhappier.
Are they more important than us phenomenally unhappy people who are trying to change their lives and carry on working and pretending life is fine.

I am very sorry to rant, but 9 years of worry is pouring out.
Never felt like anyone else understands.

[kleebz23]

Hi Leilabanks,
I have joined this site today as I want to try and come off Venlafaxine also - I am on 75mg a day which is a low dose but i think i have been on this for nearly 8 years now, if i forget to take one tablet i get dizzy, sweating and just feel odd.
I mentionned coming off this to my GP who was little help and said to take one every other day then stop - well reading up on this - it does not seem very easy to come off this type of AD?
I dont want to take it anymore, I don't know if the problems are still there underneath the medication but I am scared to stop taking it incase i turn into a horrible, moody person to be around. What if it affects everything?

[erin31]

As someone who is coming off effexor for the second time I can tell you that for me it was not easy. The first time I came off effexor I suffered terrible sickness and diarrhea along with shivers, headache, a severe cold which lasted for well over a week and yep those terrible brain zaps.
This time around I am taking 5 htp and it really has helped cut down the physical symptoms especially the brain zaps. I also took travel tablets for a couple of days which stopped the sickness.
I am though extremely weepy and have sudden feelings of extreme anger although I find a 50mg dose of 5 htp taken immediately I feel the anger rising helps me greatly.
I have not had a cold at all this time and wonder if that is also down to the 5 htp. I have though read that many people take Benadryl to ease cold and flu symptoms.
I think the important thing if you are coming off effexor is to be aware that although some people do not have any withdrawal symptoms others have many and that withdrawal in a lot of instances will last weeks.
If effexor is working for you and you don't feel confident about coming off then maybe the time is not yet right for you.
If you do decide to come off please keep us updated.

[rosiethebear]

I have been on Effexor for many years. About 3 years ago while I was on 225mg I decided to reduce it by half. I was in pure hell for two months. Nausea, vertigo, extreme anxiety and of course depression. I was desperate but could not get a proper mental health care professional to talk to. Finally I got an appt to see a psychiatric nurse who I could "talk" to who did more harm than good - how these unqualified mental cases get that kind of position is beyond me. She was so negative and had a combattant attitude and was more interested in giving her opinions about the world than listening to mine. I felt suicidal after seeing her. I finally got an appt with a psychiatrist after many weeks - I could have killled myself 20 times by then. He told me what I was experiencing was my mental problem NOT withdrawal systems. In spite of my despair I decided his advise about increasing it again was not happening. I rode it out - luckily I wasn't working at the time and could just stay home and sleep a lot. I then knew this was powerfully addictive both physically and mentally. I read a blog which someone (I thank her to this day) suggested to go slow and take 2 - 1000mg of omega 3 salmon oil at lunch and 1 - 1000mg at supper time. It helps a lot! So I went from 75mg down to 37.5mg and suffered a little for two weeks. That was 2 years ago. Now I felt ready and have been reducing the 37.5mg by half. I open up the cap and dump the grains into a tiny bowl, wet my finger and take half the grains. Its going good and I,m just about ready to finish up completely. You just have to take the bull by the horns and do it slowly so long as you don;t have anything traumatic going on in your life right now. Don't forget the salmon oil! You will be amazed how much it helps! I can tell you - I will never go on another head medication ever again! I have high blood pressure now - possibly as a result of taking effexor. Accept yourself. Society is not normal - you probably are! Love yourself as you love others. Don;t fret the small stuff. We are supposed to learn how to deal with human emotions. A lot of people have anxiety in certain social situations (public speaking for one), suffer from stress - it is normal part of life. Today's western society pulls us out all the time. We need to turn in sometimes and some of us need that more than others. Our society is run by left brained extroverts so naturally introverted right brained people are going to feel odd - revel in it! Get into meditation and give yourself time to ponder the mysteries of life. Everyday stop and admire nature, a forest, river, sunset, stars and moon and realize you are a special part of something bigger!

[Lostwentways]

I have been taking 150mg venlafaxine for 7 years along with 10mg temazepam, sometimes 20. I recently moved and the new practice was keen to get me off both of these. They stopped the temazepan pretty much immediately and stepped me off the venlafaxine. The draw down from venlafaxine was not too bad and I managed to drop the drug completely for about 3mths. I thought I had got away from it ok, but gradually I became more and more anxious and depressed and then my life really fell apart so I went back to the GP and explained the situation and it was decided as venlafaxine had worked before I should be put back on a reduced dose, 75mg.
The anxiety and depression is getting much better, but I have been hit again by chronic insomnia. I am wide awake but have not slept for 4 days. I am trying some over the counter meds tonight; there is no chance of my new doctors prescribing temazepam. I will be back there on Wednesday and explain the situation and see if the GP has any ideas.
The one thing that had worked this year was the kicking off the meds, but coming off the medication revealed a psyche that was really rather damaged and afraid. I saw it all too clearly when off the meds for a month or so. I have cause to be worried as some of the financial and personal decisions I made whilst taking the drug have been unfortunate. Whether I am to blame or the drugs, I do not know, probably a combination of both.

[ktq]

Hi, I have stopped taking all my meds progressively and am struggling through withdrawals. I was on Paroxetine for 6 years and it lost its effect. P Doc put me on Pristiq which nearly sent me mad and twice attempted suicide. Hospitalised with further severe side effects, then had to go cold turkey. I'm also withdrawing from Lamictal, which is equally frightening. I have been reading - slowly - Whittaker's book on psych drugs and how they help for a while, but seem to not be a long term benefit - and monsters to get off!! Rosiebears comment about the doc saying it was her illness and not the drug withdrawal aligns with my docs comments. Whittaker argues it is the drug convincingly! MY hubby says even though I am suffering withdrawals he can begin to see the 'real me' coming back. I suffer from anxiety, depression, OCD, mania, chronic headaches........ I just wanted a pill to make it all go away. I am so confused and so concerned that how I am now is the result of drug induced changes in my brain that I will never be better. When I started on Paroxitine all those years ago I was only mildly depressed. Now I have so many other debilitating problems I don't know what to do. P docs just want to try more drugs till "one works - there are over 26 we can try!!!" I can't think straight, have loss of memory and am angry mostly and withdrawn from social contact. I sleep most of the day (and night) with little motivation for anything! I am so reluctant to stay on the drug bandwagon, but I'm scared that I'm now in the drugs clutches I have no other answer. Is there any light at the end of this tunnel?