I'd like to warn others against taking this drug. I've previously used Zoloft, Cipralex, Seroxat. None of them gave been very effective, and Effexor did not do any better. But side effects are much worse. Apart from the usual libido issues you get severe and debilitating withdrawal symptoms including dizziness and electric zaps to the brain. I would advise anyone to exhaust all other options before trying Effexor.

dwm74

USA

This drug should be taken off the market!  If you are thinking about going with drug to help anxiety or depression, Think again!  I must say, it helped me, I was no longer nervous and I could handle myself in front of a crowd of people, which is why I started taking the prescription in the first place.  But when I looked into it and realized how bad of a drug it actually was, I quit cold turkey thus giving me the worst case of vertigo I have ever heard of!  I could not stand up straight, I could not eat, I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eyes it was the craziest feeling I have ever had.  The worst part, it lasted about three days and that was with me only the meds for about a month and a half!  Think of someone who has been on it for months or even years!

kristina0418

Verona, KY

My Doctor prescribed me Effexor X.R. .. 75 mg and I take 3 capsules every day. This medicine  can be extreamly dangerous and addictive. The side effects are endless and if you miss just 1 dose, you feel horrible, sweaty and out of control. I KNOW one day that the Health Department WILL take this OFF of the Canadian market due to it's side effects. IF your doctor does prescribe this for you......read everything you can about it before it is to late and you are stuck on it, or you have to go through with-drawls ( 3 to 4 days ) which will scare the heck out of you.

cfmt

Scottsdale, AZ

I have been on effexor for almost One Year.  When I take it regularly, it serves its purpose very well.  I can control my emotions and feel more level headed and less emotionally charged.  There have been a few times I have gone somewhere, or ran out of my prescription before being able to pick up my refill and those days are NOT pretty!  I am prescribed 150 mg a day.  It says it can cause odd dreams, but for me when i take it regularly I have no dreams. (which for me IS odd because ive always been an active dreamer)  If i go 24 hours without my pills I am ok, but getting into 48 hours is when my head starts ringing, I get super irritable and dizzy, sick to my tummy, and just feel out of it.  In someways I am more afraid of what i am like when I do not take my pills then what I was like before i even started taking them.  I am not looking forward to come off of this medication.  At this time I am receiving a great benefit from the company that manufactures, and due to low income receive free mailed to me pills.

supermans4ever

Aurora, CO

I started suffering from depression due to chronic pain..  Effexor really did help my depression symptoms for a long time.  I took it for a year and a half without to many terrible side effects, and i do reccomend to some that my not be gettign what they need from thier antidepressant.. Talk to your doc asap if your meds are not working..  Ask him/her if Effexor will help your depression symptoms.  It helped me some, for much longer then most have..  If you feel you are getting feelings of constan sadness, want to hurt yourself or others..  Pleas talk to your doctor, not just about effexor but about anythign to help yourself with depression. It can be brought on by stress, kids, first time mother, and sometime just life in general NOT just from chronic Pain..  Get the names of many meds and see if one may help you..  I tried MANY prescribed meds..  none worked til I found Effexor..  Maybe it will help you too.

TracyHanks

De Witt, IA

I know each person, who has depression, has different chemical make up. With my depression I also have anxiety. I have found Effexor XR helps me along with some other medication to control my clinical depression. Depression is a chemical imbalance in a person. It takes chemicals to help balance out that problem. Effexor XR  works the best for me. It seems to work better when taken in the morning. I'm told this is more of an upper drug. I also noticed that I don't have as much anxiety while on it. I enjoy being able to enjoy waking up, as I am a morning person. If you have depression either clinical or seasonal with anxiety, I suggest, even urge you to talk to your doctor and even a psych doctor to find out if this product is a fit for you.

Fushia

Moberly, MO

I suffered from daily headaches and multiple migraines a year. 14 months ago my Dr. put me on 75mg of Effexor XR daily and since going on the drug I do not have daily headaches and have not had a migraine in over 13 months; This drug gave me my life back. My husband also takes this drug but for anixiety. While this drug is commonly used for depression and anxiety it works well for people like me who suffer from migraines. Prior to using Effexor we tired a blood pressure med (didn't work). If you suffer from headaches and have tried multiple other drugs ask you Dr. about Effexor XR.

pqqh99

Elgin, IL

When I was finally, officially diagnosed with depression after at least three years of living with it and not realizing that was the problem, Effexor XR was the first medication my doctor prescribed for me, and at least at first, it worked incredibly well. I honestly felt like I was coming back to life after having been dead for years, and I had a couple weeks in particular that were really great (unfortunately they may have been a consequence of accidentally taking a higher dose than I was supposed to). I spent about a year on Effexor, I think, and several months in, I realized that its effectiveness had been gradually wearing off. I don't know if that's because of the drug itself or because of my reaction to it, although it's happened with later antidepressants my doctor tried me with, so it's entirely possible others wouldn't experience the same effect. While it worked, it worked very well, and it was the best of the four I've tried so far. Effexor does have some unpleasant side effects when you first start taking it--I was nauseated for a while, but it wasn't bad. I also read horror stories about heroin-like withdrawal symptoms, but I actually had no such problems tapering off it once my doctor and I decided to try something else.

messofme

Anchorage, AK

I have been clinically depressed for about as far back as I can remember and have been on prescription medication for my depression since I was 18.  I was put on Effexor XR two years ago and of the many different prescriptions I've taken for my depression, this has by FAR worked out the best for me. It took a while for the dosage to really take effect, but once it did, life felt completely different.  I have mood swings quite frequently (I am bipolar), and once I started taking the Effexor, that stopped.  Suddenly, life was worth living for, despite the fact that I had just dropped out of school, was unemployed, was single and had just lost a baby...despite all of the negative in my life, I felt positive, for once.   Since then, I have turned my life around -- I am married, have a career and have a 6 month old son, and I feel I really owe that to the Effexor XR.   HOWEVER, I had to stop taking it while I was pregnant, and since going back on, they came out with a generic, so my insurance decided to stop paying for the brand name - only for the generic.  The generic hasn't been nearly as effective, and i've started having bad mood swings again and bouts of depression (I'm in the process of trying to switch meds, yet again).   The only negatives of the Effexor are really the price (it is quite expensive, especially now that my insurance won't cover it) and I did have some vertigo when I quit taking it for my pregnancy, but didn't experience any of the other bad side effects other people complain of.  I have been on six different anti-depressants before Effexor XR, and it is, so far, the only drug that has worked for me.

yazscogin

Austin, TX

I had topped out on Prozac but was still severely depressed, so my ARNP put me on Effexor. She said that it worked on two neurotransmitters instead of just the normal one (this was back about 7 or 8 years ago when that was new).  It definitely made a difference. I didn't keep having to have my dosage upped every couple of months, which was a problem with Prozac. And it made things seem far more manageable. I didn't hide under the covers at the thought of dealing with bills or chores or errands.  Obviously, this worked really well for me. I did still have to go on other medications in addition -- later we found out I am Bipolar II, one of the symptoms of which is building up a tolerance to anti-depressants -- but I've stuck with this one as my main anti-depressant for years. That said, this is not a drug you should just fling yourself on. There are definitely some side effects you need to know about: 1. Dizziness: If I don't take my meds by 2 or 3 pm, the world spins just about every time I move my eyes. Not pleasant. So, if nothing else, you need to make sure you DO NOT run out. Otherwise, you become too ill to go pick up the meds. 2. Tapering down: It's apparently one of the hardest meds to get off of. You have to taper down VERY slowly. Like months and months between steps. At one point, I was asked to stop taking the 37.5 mg (which was in addition to my 3 75-mg pills) and, even when they added another anti-depressant in, I had a very, very rough month or two. I felt like I was standing at a cliff, watching a tsunami come at me. I wasn't hit hard yet, but I had this feeling of impending... not doom, but being swept away maybe? 3. It's pricey. Very Very Pricey. You need to have insurance or you cannot afford this drug.  That said, it has made a huge difference in my life and has kept me anchored for several years now. If you're severely depressed and other medications aren't working, it may be worth risking some side effects, if it means becoming functional again.

humptydumpty78

Phoenix, AZ