Effexor experiences

[SweetCuteness]

Has anyone had any experiences - good or bad, with Effexor? I was just prescried this today by my doctor, but I've been reading some horrible side effects and withdrawal symptoms. Any true life experiences would be great!

[Louiebug]

I cannot speak of personal experience, but my boyfriend's brother just stopped taking it. He said he is having a horrible time. They decrease your medicine slowly, but you still go through withdrawl. It has really been a bad experience for him. Hope this helps.

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by Louiebug

I cannot speak of personal experience, but my boyfriend's brother just stopped taking it. He said he is having a horrible time. They decrease your medicine slowly, but you still go through withdrawl. It has really been a bad experience for him. Hope this helps.

Hmmmm, well that makes me nervous.

[irishawk]

Generally, the reactions each person has with a specific antidepressant are drastically different. Give it a shot and see how you feel.

[BonamassaGirl]

I've been on Effexor, twice.

It made me gain 40 pounds on the low, 75mg dose. It made my skin smell. It gave me nightmares. It made me never want to be intimate w/ my husband. It did take my anxiety/depression away, but it gave me such a level, not- really- happy- but- not- really- sad general feeling, that I can only describe as numb. I went off the stuff cold turkey and survived withdrawals that I can only describe as worse than getting off heroin. For 3 weeks I had electric shock sensations going through my brain and body, I had the WORST and most horrifying nightmares, I had night sweats, I was so moody I was almost impossible to live with and there were many days I sincerely would have begged to go back on it just to take the withdrawal symptoms go away. I had headaches, crying spells, screaming spells, was so tired I could barely move (when I wasn't making everyone's life hell) and if you can believe it, I did this two seperate times.

NEVER AGAIN!

I finally learned to deal with my anxiety/ depression using natural methods, such as diet, exercise, and began meditating. The meditation changed my life. I've been off the meds for about 3 years and rarely do I ever have a spell of anxiety but when I do, I know how to deal with it myself.

I realize that medication may be the correct way to treat some people's anxiety/depression, but please for your own health- if you haven't tried other methods yet, please look into it. I know how it feels, I know what it's like to feel like you can't live another day feeling sad, or feeling like the anxiety attacks are going to make you die if you have another one, but trust me there are other ways to deal with it.

Also, there are other medications. Effexor is an SSNRI- which means it is a Selective Serotonin, Norepenepherine re-uptake inhibitor. It's a double whammy, controlling two different chemicals in the brain. Most others are SSRI's or Serotonin only. This drug, in my opinion, is really dangerous. I would NOT take it, especially if there are others you haven't tried, or haven't tried therapy. Therapy can help you cope. It can help you deal with it- for me, it was meditation, yoga and lifestyle change, but therapy is a great way to try.

Even though it's been 3 years since I've been off the meds, I've noticed changes in me, my memory isn't as good and every once in a while I get one of those "shocks" in my head. It scares me to think what the drug did to my brain-

I'm not trying to tell you this to scare you, but this is really what happened with me. Also, I've known people who cannot get off the stuff once they're on it for a while. They've ended up having to be on maintenace dosages for life. And there aren't any long term studies o this stuff to have any way of knowing wahat the REAL side effects are down the road. You can PM me anytime, like I said I don't want to scare you but it's the real story you wanted, and trust me- it's real.

Hope this helps you in your decision

[romeos mommy]

i'm currently on effexor. i'm stuck on it because the withdrawl nightmares are so bad i can't tolerate them. it's a crappy situation. feel free to pm me anytime if you need some help.

[StewiesMom]

My roommate/friend didn't have any side effects from it. She says it changed her life (she is reading over my shoulder right now). She didn't lose her sex drive. She said as long as you start out in small doses, you should be fine. Every drug has side effects and most of them are low risk/infrequently occuring. She didn't have any withdrawal symptoms either when she went off after a year. She has her Masters in psychology.

I was on Wellbutrin for mild depression/anxiety and it was awful. Most negative thing I think was that I lost my sex drive totally and I still have not fully gotten it back.

Good luck!

[JiggityJig]

I'm on Effexor for anxiety that I developed after a bad car accident, and general sleep and mild depressions issues.

I know all the horror stories you've read...I've read them too, and talked to my dr. about them. I really trust her, and she sd. there are far more success stories.

It has been great for me. I totally respect the other experience that was posted here, but for me personally, I feel CALM and in control, not numb (or overwhelmed and impatient, as previously). I've been able to gracefully handle a lot of situations that would previously have stressed me the heck out.

It hasn't hindered my sex life. I WILL say...I originally LOST weight on Effexor, but then gained it all back and then some. And from one time when I ran out, and thought I could handle going off cold-turkey....yes, withdrawels are the very devil. However, I cut back from 150 to 75 with no problems at all at one point.

I did have EXHAUSTINGLY vivid dreams that went on all night and left me feeling like I'd been in an Indiana Jones movie in the morning. This got better when I started taking my meds at night instead of in the morning.

Overall, FOR ME, it has been a good thing, and I do NOT want to go back to what I felt like without it. However, for other people it's a nightmare. Good luck!

[Safire]

I have a family member who is on it and it he has had great success on it. Previously he was very anxious with violent mood swings, now he's a cool calm and collected individual. Don't know about any withdrawal symptoms 'cause he says he never wants to stop it! LOL

[SweetCuteness]

Well I've been taking it for 5 days. The first day I took it at night and it was pure h3ll - the first night I took the 37.5mg pill and went to bed around 11:00 and woke up at around 2:30am. I woke up feeling like I was cracked out on something. I don't know what, cuz I don't do drugs, but it was horrible. I decided maybe I should switch to taking the pill in the morning (she told me to if in interupted my sleep). So I took it in the afternoon the next day (to gradually move to the morning). Abuot an hour after I took it I started getting the same feeling I had the night before, but it was much more mild and lasted about two hours. Since then, I've been perfectly fine. I'm much more perky and don't snap at my boyfriend... and it's only been 5 days.

I'm not taking it for anxiety, I have moderate depression which my doctor thinks it situational depression (I just moved away from my family from Oregon to Arizona to live with my boyfriend). I never felt sad at all - but I did lose interest in most stuff, I was always exhausted, and very irritable. We'll see.

My doctor is going to try to ween me off of the pills after 3 months to see how I'm feeling without them. If I'm better, I'll be done, if I'm not, I'll stay on them I suppose.

[Connie]

My sister was on that and they weren't helping her, so she weaned herself off of them. She had horrible withdrawal and even had to start back on them for a while just to take a break from the withdrawal. She constantly had like her skin was crawling all over her body...inside and out. I know there was more, but I can't remember now. It took her months and months to get over those withdrawals! She says it's the most horrid awful thing she's ever had to deal with!

[RowdysMom]

My husband takes Effexor (75) for mild depression after becoming suddenly and unexpectedly disabled. He has done great on it - no side effects whatsoever. Of course, he has never tried to stop taking it and I don't expect that he will stop - being disabled at age 55 was/is no picnic and I can see that he feels much better after starting Effexor.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, though - if he decides to go off, he and I will be prepared for the side effects.