Hi there! About a month ago, after a fresh round of health anxiety cropped up, I started taking Effexor XR, gradually increasing to 150 mg (I reached 150 mg around June 23rd). On June 25th I went to the doctor to get a referral for something and they took my blood pressure which was 170/110. I was instructed to follow up with my doctor, and a week and half later it was the same. The only change in my life since last year, health wise was starting this drug (last year my BP was 110/78).

I was on Effexor for quite awhile in my late teens/early twenties. My mother remembers it raising my blood pressure (I vaguely remember but not specifics).

I went to the doctor to discuss, and he'd never heard of Effexor increasing someone's blood pressure, but agreed I should taper off to see if it comes down. If it does, I'll look at Lexapro (which I was on while pregnant as I couldn't take Effexor while pregnant and was having severe anxiety).

Has anyone ever experienced hypertension as a result of Effexor? I'm curious, as I have found some stuff on Google, but the doctor said it really wasn't the norm.

Also, I'm curious if anyone has ever switched from Effexor XR to Lexapro, specifically when dealing with health anxiety, and what they thought about it. Thanks for any input!