Depression Blog.com

Effexor gave me my life back, I am off of it now and take St. John's Wort. Effexor also gave me an additional 38 pounds I didn't need.
But it was the best thing I have ever done. The weight will come off

Effexor can be good or bad, depending on who you ask. I was on it for 8 months for major depression. When I was depressed every little thing mad me cry a river. But I was capable of feeling happiness at times. After a month of being on 300mg of XR my depression cleared but it wasn't until much later that I realized what it really did - it blunts your emotions like all other anti-depressants. I would feel sad and happy at times but I was no longer capable of really crying or experiencing immense joy. Emotions like jealousy, anger, lust, love, etc,. almost ceased to exist inside of me. I had broken up with a guy I liked very much and I'd normally cry for several weeks over it but I think I only shed a few tears ONCE! When I went off the drug my capacity to feel emotion to the fullest came back. So this drug definitely DOES work, but maybe not everyone will like how it works.

I have taken Effexor for over 5 yrs now. It improved my life drastically and I had no idea I could feel this normal until I was put on this drug. I was even able to have a child while taking effexor with no PPD or severe relapse. This has all been while on 150-187.5 mg effexor TABLETS...just last month I was notified that the tablets were being taken off the market w/in 6months...I have tried 2x to switch to effexor xr/xl with absolutly NO SUCCESS!!! My body does not metabolize the capsules or the contents at all and I experienced a quick, devestating relapse of my chronic depression.
I have not been able to find anyone else who has experienced this difficulty with effexor xr vs effexor tablets- the company has had no other reports of my problem either.
Is there anyone else out there????

I cannot say that my wife doesn't say that she feels "the best" that she has EVER felt but I will say that she says this from the bed of another man with whom she LAUNCHED herself into a relationship shortly after our marriage and a few months after starting Effexor.
She seems to be living in this little plastic bubble of unreality where if it feels good to her then it is ok to do. No morals, no ethics, no respect for integrity or honor remain in her.
She and I were speaking last night and I finally realized that the woman I married is gone. I do not recognize this person.
I contacted Wyeth and they want to have me release her personal med info. I have tried to get someone from that company to meet with me. No anwer yet.
I have to say that I really do feel that my wife is gone - I may never see her again. Gee, thanks Effexor.

Anyone having sexual side effects, as in no sex drive, coming OFF of Effexor?

This is a message for Brian: It really sounds like your wife has bipolar disorder. Manic and hypomanic symptoms can be induced or made worse by anti-depressants. Take a look at:

http://counsellingresource.com/distress/mood-disorders/hypomanic-symptoms.html

Hope things go better. I take effexor along with other meds to control hypomania and really like the effexor. I don't really notice any side effects from it. I bounce off the walls though on anti-depressants alone.

Would not let my worse enemy take this stuff. Side effects while on were bad, weaning myself off was pure HELLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

For many years i suffered from depression, ligheadedness, anxiety, and social phobia ( wanting to be alone always). I was on zoloft for years, and as far as i am concerned it did nothing to help me improve. After having very bad tremors from Zoloft, i was put on Effexor 75 mg after 1 month of using lower dosages. I have been on the meds now for a year, what a change, no more tremors, no more anxiety, no more more social phobia, as far as i am concerned this medication has changed my life. Thank God for Effexor, mike

i have been taking effexor xr for almost a year- at first i found that my sex drive was dead so a doctor put me on zoloft- i nearly lost the plot completely - sure i had sex drive but i had hyper drive and couldn't control thoughts or emotions. i was prescribed effexor for anxiety related depression. i went back onto effexor- and since i can concerntrate and focus without emotional confusion.
I think when you have chronic anxiety- for me at least sex was an out let- my only out let- once on effexor i didnt need this as much and love became more of the motive for sex drive. Or genuine excitement not selfish release. I have felt myself again and i am so greatful. i am only 24 and i belive if i had not gone on effexor it my illness would have started manifesting in less reversable ways, i didnt want to be an ancious and depressed personality because i did know it wasnt me.

I find it so strange that so many people have stated that they gained weight on the effexor when in the first year I was on it I lost 100 pounds and I have been on it now for 7 years and have maintained my weight of 130 pounds and have had no side effects what so ever. All I know is my life became a normal one after being put on the effexor and not a constant rollercoaster of depression and panic disorder with suicidal thoughts or obssesive thoughts of death.

I have been taking effexor xr for about 4 1/2 years. I thought about going off the meds since a lot of things changed in my life for the better. I was on 75mg, but recently, my GP prescribed 37.5mg for 10 days and then told me to take it every other day for the next week. I started to do this and I had the worst withdrawal symptoms! Worse than my initial problem. I am staying steady at 37.5mg everyday but am feeling depressed and anxious. My doc prescribed lexapro (10mg) and told me to switch it with the effexor every other day for a couple of weeks and then just take the lexapro every day. Does this sound right? Is it normal to go back and forth like that?

Effexor made me feel great at first and after experimenting with Paxil and Zoloft and having terrible reactions I thought I had found the answer. During an especially hot summer I started sweating profusely several times a day, until I was dehydrated and had no energy to get out of bed. Because I also take thyroid pills I felt maybe my thyroid may be too high and causing the sweating. I finally convinced my doctor it was serious and he took me off the effexor. The sweats stopped in two days. Now I am on the search for an new medication for my nervous system that won't cause tremors, or shaking or other side effects. My Dr. is stumped. All serotonin uptakes seem to have the same side effects.

My husband has been on effexor for the past 8 years. In the begining it was great, no more horrible fights due to his built up anger, we could go out at night cause he was now okay in public and he had some self confidence back, however, he no longer feels any emotoin what so ever. He used to adore me, now I could pack up and leave and he would most likely not shed a tear? The only emotion he has is anger. He has wanted to get off effexor many times however the doctor would always tell him diue to work, our wedding,anything he could think of, it was too stressful of a time, then he would up his dosage? At one time he completley lost his sex drive, now it comes and goes? We are way too young to be dealing with this. I blame effor for many of our problems, his anger is semi-controlled, however if he it's 3 hours off schedule with taking his pill, all hell breaks loose. My question is why does his doctor constantly avoid taking him off, how bad is this going to be? Will I want to be married to this person once he is off the meds? I am positive the long term effects of this rx is not good, his anger is back, his mood swings are terrible actually worse then before the meds. Is there anyone else out there dealing with this? I feel the worse for my husband because he is trapped in a mental prison, he drives himself crazy thinking about going off it and how it would be.

Side effects were nightsweats and abnormal uterine bleeding. Reduced 150mg dose gradually over 4 months, but still got so sick I couldn't work. I took my last tiny dose 7 weeks ago and I am still too sick to work. What a nightmare! No one told me about this. Even the updated drug insert by Wyeth is inadequate. Is it true, some are permanently maimed by this drug? I have debilitating dizziness, vertigo, nausea, flu-like aches in my muscles/joints/skin, no appetite, brain zaps. It's like permanent motion sickness. I can't even move my eyeballs from side to side without paralyzing nausea and dizziness. All the doctors I have spoken to are clueless--they never heard of effexor discontinuation syndrome! Wyeth needs to get the news out there!

I took effexor for a period of about 4 months and during this time felt little, or no improvement in my general state of mind. My depression is that which manifests itself in feelings of no self-worth, feelings of self hatred and no desire to do anything (including washing and clothing myself). Thoughts of self harm and suicide often enter my head and I would consider myself to be bipolar (This has not been confirmed by a GP). During the time I was taking this medication I felt irritable (more so than usual), nauseous constantly (which did, I am happy to report, result in weight-loss.. though obviously not the best way to do this), muscle spasms in my face and arms and a rapid heart beat. This is not an anti-depressant which worked for me and I am now much more positive taking Cipralex (or lexapro in the U.S.) I experienced no side-effects, other than a little appetite loss, when I began taking this. For me this is incredibly unusual (I generally experience every side-effect imaginable). So for now with the help of Cipralex I am feeling, for the first time in 10 years, a little more positive.

I was on effexor for 3 years, during this time i smoked alot of marijuana. I felt good for most of the time, i even remember feeling super-charged, but i also had uncontrollable agression and wreckless behaivior. Also when people would talk to me i had trouble paying attention to what they were saying, i usualy had my own thoughts going on. Effexor made me careless and cold-hearted. when i stopped taking effexor (because i wanted to trip on mescaline) i sank into severe depression and guilt, 70 days on and still very depressed. God help us please...

Hi there

My boyfriend has been on efexor xr for 6 months he has recently started tapering off and has been off for 2 weeks now, Can anyone tell me what the side effects of coming off the drug is?
And how long it takes to flush out your body?

Hi, I've been taking Effexor XR since about 2001. I can remember distinctly one morning waking up in a fog and it has never left. Thought it was a menopausal thing, but there was such a distinct change in my mental function that I cannot forget the experience. Across the past few years, since taking this drug I have become abnormally forgetful and have difficulty finding words while I am speaking. I am the intellectual type, who used to be very articulate. Now I know I look very spacy to others and have gotten looks when I don't remember discussions I may have had a fews days before. Sometimes I will even ask questions that have already been discussed! Very embarrassing! My job performance has suffered, as well as my reputation at work. As a result, I have had more bouts of depression, less enthusiasm for a job I once loved, anxiety, worry and paranoid thoughts that others don't like me at work and are talking about me and see me as inept. My doctor finally told me yesterday that this drug can cause "dull cognition." Oh my God. I am substituting mild retardation for anxiety. Help!
I am concerned I am losing myself by taking medication. Yet if I go off I'll turn into a nasty witch. I have also gained lots of weight, but this could be from the bouts of depression. Thanks for listening. Anyone else have these cognitive experiences? Linda

I have been on Effexor XR for 3.5 yrs( now on 375 mgs!) and the only lasting side effect I have had is SWEATING profusely..I wish I knew how to get it under control- but otherwise, I am reliatively normal and able to lead a productive life !

i have taken effexor for 1 week and feeling more depressed then when i started it - can effexor make u more depressed and can you see good or bad results in only a week?

I have been on effexor for one year this week. I moved up to 150 XR around six months ago. I was in the midst of a nervous breakdown and had very bad pain from scoliosis. It got rid of most of the pain and stopped the breakdown. Over eight weeks of side effects were horrible but worth it to stop my back pain that the breakdown--I couldn't even talk to my teenage son without fear before. Now my personality has changed and I want some advice on something I can do before I ruin my career. I am just too flaky for words. I love elephants, so I tell new co-workers at my new job I want a pet elephant. If I was 20 okay, but I am almost 50. I don't want the pain back. But, I want to be the sophisticated, thoughtful, super-illegent, reserved person I am naturally. Can anyone give me some ideas that will help me? I don't want to lose another job.

I would like to see the drug EFFEXOR taken off the market. I have been taking it for about 6 months now, and there is absolutely no way that I can get off of it. I have been reduced to taking 35mg a day from 150mg. My doctor told me to wean cold turkey. This cannot be done. The effects are terrible. Vertigo, Dizziness, Nausea, Drymouth, thoughts of serious depression. It sickens me to think that I cannot get off of a drug that I want to.. It is running my life and I need off of it. However I cannot deal with these side effects of coming off of it. I cannot drive because I am so dizzy, I cannot move around alot because the feelings of vertigo is way to intense to handle. I have to keep taking the drug everyday to feel better (not emotionally, but physically.) I started taking EFFEXOR to deal with Post Partum Depression when I had my son in March 2006. I didnt think I would be on it this long, and emotionally I am fine now. The longest I have gone without it is 4 days and after that long the dizziness, nausea, vertigo is so bad that I cannot even bare to function... so I just give in and take the pill.

I am on day four of my effexor withdrawl. I have had very bad headaches. The effexor didn't even help me so having to go through the withdrawl makes me a little upset. I will try prozac as soon as I get off of this horrible drug. I wish I had never taken it. I was only on it for two months.

I have been completely off effexor now for 4 weeks, I haven't had any bad withdrawal symptons but I don't feel any different either. I thought I would be feeling really well, Im not too bad but i was just expecting to feel different. I have got a lot energy, I find it hard sometimes to sit down and relax and i have a very short fuse and i get so irritated. I have been on effexor for 4 years, if this sounds familiar to anyone could you please let me know, really i just want to know how long will it be before i will feel the benefit of not taking this tablet?

I have been on antidepressants since I was 18. Now I am 37. I have taken all the well know drugs...Prozac, Zoloft, Buspar, etc.. I have taken Effexor XR for about a year. If I missed a dose, I would feel like someone was shocking my head and face. It was terrible. I would turn the car around and go back home if I forgot to take a dose, even if I was going to be late for work!! I was terrified to miss a dose because the shocking was a freaking nightmare. Finally I decided that I wanted off it! Not because of the shocking as much as because I have gotten FAT! I have been off Effexor for about two months. I have felt like shit. I have been depressed, lethargic, hopeless etc.. I really just want to lie in bed in the dark and sleep all day. Actually I did do that for four days straight. I am on Prozac again. I hope that I can get it back in my body and start feeling better. I am working on my second Master's Degree. I hate school now. I don't want to go. I have quit doing my assignments. I can't seem to make myself care about any of it! I don't know what is wrong with me or what I need to do. Nobody understands how I feel. I have never felt this way in my life. I know it is because of the Effexor being in and out of my system and my body is in shock of some sort. I wish I had never even heard the work Effexor!!

Dazed and Confused in KY

Hi!
I began taking effexor in Aug.06 noticed some hair loss shortly after. By the end of September
noticed my hair receding and coming out from the
root. I have always had very nice thick blonde hair. It is now Jan., and the hair loss has become extreme....not sure what i am to do. If
I should stop the medication i know I will become
very ill. I am really getting very anxious about
this and can safely say i am freaking out. help
Is anyone on this med and experiencing this also?
I used to be on the tablet form of effexor but they discontinued it and was put on this capsule
form. Cannot sleep, I have no apetite but am putting on weight. I checked with the pharmacy had them look it up in their big book they have
about side affects. They said it did not indicate hair loss as a side affect. I guess if
they did none of us would be on this med.

I've been on Effexor Xr for 4 yrs. In the begining it made me feel wonderful. Out of the Blue I stopped responding. I am now experiencing sucidal thoughts, crying outburst,agitation. I'm Bi-Polar I was on it to slow the mania. I didn't have these problems before. It's been atleast 3 weeks since this all started. My doctor put me on Celexa. I'm not the person I use to be. It has totally changed who I was. This drug in my opinion isn't something I would have taken had there been more information about it when I started taking it. My relationships are all in jeopardy. Has anyone else experienced this did these feelings ever subside?

I had been on Zoloft for 6+yrs., when my doctor got the great idea that effexor may have a side effect of neuropathic pain relief. It doesn't! Now I'm off Zoloft, and on effexor xr 150. All I'm feeling from it is troubling side-effects. I get headaches every day that I can't beat back in any way, I sleep on average, 2-3 nights out of 5, and when I do sleep, it is fitfull and full of nightmares. I'm so irritable that I can't even function in groups. All I want is my Zoloft back. Sure, there were initial side-effects, but they soon disappeared, and made me feel better than I had for almost 30 yrs. Sleep patterns were normal on Zoloft, and I experienced NO headaches. It seems to me unethical to switch me from a drug that my psychiatrist prescribed for good reason, and with good results, simply to test for beneficial side-effects (my gp's idea). When I saw the long list of potentially adverse side-effects, and realized that any one of those may also appeared, I felt like I was being unnecessarily used as a test subject for my gp's entertainment or theories. Now I read all the damning evidence that it's all but impossible to get off of, I am very angry with my gp and no-longer trust his judgement, or his ethical code.
Isn't one of the first things on the Dr's list is to cause no harm? Now, he wants to try carbamazapine - to see if it has any beneficial side effects for neuropathic pain, then I get to try Pregalbalm - two more of what I call "goober drugs." The ONLY good news is that if I retain some amount of mental functioning, and these drugs don't have the side-effect they're looking for, mt neuropathic pain will be treated with Sativex - a cannabinoid based drug, which I greatly look forward to. I want to quit smoking tobacco, but I think it will be most difficult, if I'm still smoking marijuana. The hoops one has to jump through for this medication, I can tell you now, are simply not worth the trouble. If you need marijuana, just smoke it! Much easier!!!

I sadly took effexor 6 years ago, only 75 mgs daily, for 4 weeks !, almost instantly my sex drive disappeared, I started after 3 weeks to break the capulses up and wean myself off. Then the brain zaps !!!!. Well guess what, 6 years later i am still without any libido at all !.So after many visits to a Psychiatrist, endocrinologist and a neuro surgeon, I am told that i am suffering from an hormone producing pituitary micro adenoma. Did effexor Damage my brain ?, well it is a brain stem drug and your pituitary gland and hypothalmus are the most important glands in your Brain, they produce your body's endocrine Hormones, so if you are suffering with weight problems, suspect your thyroid [loss or gain] overactive or lethargic, if you are excessivley sweating, have developed Headaches, eyesight problems , Diabetes and or sexual Dysfunction [Too little or too much sex drive] latter leading to promiscuity, seek help from a Endocrinologist, all can be caused by damage to your pituitary gland, I can only say that i was perfectly Physically Healthy before i took this drug, and knowing Wyeth, this may not stay posted too long. IF YOU ARE TAKING EFFEXOR SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP !! WHEN DECREASING DOSAGES OR CESSATION OF THIS DRUG. Or just pick a different drug to begin with!!!!!!!!!. Good luck and bless you all .

I have been on Effexor XR 75mg for about 2 years now and this is after being on Lexapro for 4 or 5 years. Do they work? I haven't felt the really low lows I have felt in the past but here is the BIG drawback: our health insurance coverage keeps changing (apparently we make TOOOO much money-HAH!)and there are the prior approval problems and every plan charges a different amount, etc., so the long and short of it is I have run out at times and the withdrawal stinks! I am cold, hot, jittery,I fall asleep at the wrong times and can't sleep when I want to....Have I mentioned the sexual side effects? I know I am not the first person to say this but I almost prefer the deep dark depression and excessive misery. Now if I can only find a month or so so I can withdraw...

i have been on effexor for five years, i have gained weight but i can not blame effexor~ i was very unsure about going on this drug, i talked to my husband my two teenage kids my mother in law and other family and friends~ they all felt that if i thought that is what i needed to do for myself it was my choice, i was never a big believer of meds to regulate your feelings and emotions! but, i do swear by the drug, i am on 150 mgs.~ in the fall of 2006 my husband had one of his many anger exposions! we had alot of comotion at our house, police were called and it was a horrible night, well my husband ended up in the county jail. we have been together for twenty some years~ we have two kids and a grandchild on the way, needless to say when my husband came home,i told him, meds for your chemical inbalance or you need to move on! it was out of control, what was i teaching my kids? anyway for the most part i do believe in effexor, but when i am ready how will i get off? it makes me worry, and the same with my husband who has major anger issues with out the drug! HELP!

It seems a little odd to me, that over a year ago I went into the doctor for a slight bit of anxiety and here I am now, possibly permanently damaged. A non addictive, subtle anti-depressant/anti-anxiety. Sounded perfect for me. Little did I know as I began to take those tiny pinkish pills from their little blister pack and swallow them that my life may never be the same. For about a month, I felt great. A whole new person. Then I felt no different than before I started taking effexor (little e, for I have no respect for that drug).

After several months, I actually started having panic attacks! Horrible panic attacks that I had never experienced before. I was convinced it was the medication, since why would I suddenly begin to have these panic attacks, not to mention all the info I read about people developing Panic Disorders while taking effexor. I went to see my doctor, told him what I was experiencing. He simply brushed me off, saying he already gave me a prescription for a year, to keep taking it and if I sill had problems after even more time that we could up my dosage. He gave me Lunesta, and said maybe that would help. This didn't sound right to me at all.

After STILL having panic attacks, now EVERY night, I went back. This time my doctor said alright, Im going to give you wellbutrin, stop taking effexor tomorrow and start taking this. I asked him if it was alright to just STOP, since I read otherwise. He assured me that since I was just "Switching" that I would be fine. Two days later I thought I would die. Nothing made sense, I couldn't think, I was so scared. So I went into my doctors office, unscheduled. The secretaries were very sympathetic, the nurse however blew me off. She said the doctor had said that it would be normal to experience "FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS" while discontinuing this medicine. I said I had never experienced a flu like this and she told me I was just having a panic attack.

The "Panic attack" never went away. Its changed bit by bit, but even though it has been 5 months since I stopped taking effexor my life is still in chaos. I can hardly function, can't think straight, my days pass and I barely know whats going on thats how confused I get. I feel like I am now simply surviving, and not living. I wonder every day if I will ever feel normal. The fuzzy head, the eye pressure, headaches, nausea and all that jazz.. Brain zaps fortuntly stopped, but I wonder if the other things ever will. I have read reports of people being permanently damaged. Damaged for life. My doctors are convinced that it can't be effexor, that effexor is a godsent, so I continuously go in and am tested for an array of possible problems.

I'm 24, just married before effexor, and had just purchased a house. Had wanted to have children as soon as possible, but I fear I will never be capable of raising children since I am barely capable of taking care of myself. I can honestly say that this is a feeling and situation I wouldn't wish on even my worst enemy.

I have been on effexor months ago for severe anxiety and depression. I came off it after a couple months and felt really good, more like myself. I still have sleep problems so sometimes I take 5htp, trazadone or clonazapam for sleep. I have been feeling numb for the past couple months, somedays it lasts all day long. Wondering if this is from the pills or from my depression? I dont know what to do.

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Effexor Has ruined my life.After 1 year of taking the drug i lost the plot ended up in prison.now i refuse to take any meds(scared).Now i battle everyday with the war i feel my body inflicting on my thoughts and emotions.But looking at my children still makesw me smile so all is not lost

I had taken effexor a year and a half ago. started out with 150 mgs and it helped to relieve the severe depression i had been experiencing b4 i took it. after about a month i was put on 300 mgs. at that time i began to experience bad headaches. and after a few weeks i woke up one morning and i had become completely numbed by the medicine and also became impotent.. those 2 side effects have caused me to become more depressed than ever. i mean its been a year and a half since ive taken it and the side effects still have not worn off. anyone with any info on what i can do or how long it could take til the effects ofthe medicine are flushed out of my system??

I quit effexor xr cold turkey after taking it for five years. Side effects have been HORRIBLE, with the exception of one.

I had a nonexistent sex drive while on effexor. It has been a week and I want to have sex all the time. I have become multi-orgasmic and want it up to 3 times a day.

I have wanted it with my husband and women. The vivid fantasies are great. Before, I couldn't even keep my mind on what I was doing.

Has no one ever considered a Naturopath for any of these conditions?...and maybe natural supplements like B vitamins, primrose, st.John's wort, calcium (believe it or not) etc? and perhaps a change of diet and lifestyle (exercise) as well? ...instead of these highly addictive meds with astronomical side effects that can hit you at any given time...and possibly rendering you with more issues than ever before? I understand that in the most dire of circumstances perscription drugs are a good intervention source but I cannot believe that long term this is the answer and refuse to jump on that epidemic bandwagon. I am not giving up on other viable avenues.

Within weeks after starting effexor i was homeless and my family was broken up. I was risque and totally not myself. Thanks effexor. I understand its different for everyone, though. So, based on my experience, I think that the entire family should be told to be on the lookout for different behaviors than usual in those trying new psychologocial meds, no matter what med it is. If I had had that, things might very well have been different.

I was only on Effexor for 6 months and it was the worst time of my life!!! It was even worse than my depression alone!!!!!! My eye balls felt like they were going to burst out of my head...it was hard to read books when the print and the paper felt like they were continually moving in and out...My stomach had numbness feeling...I had nausea...I couldn't sleep and I ended up hallucinating. I did not know if i was dreaming or awake and ended up in the hospital who told me I had bipoler disease!!!! My hair was falling out...I was sweating like I was going through withdrawls yet I never missed a dose!!!!! I wanted to just die.

Since i've been off I have no more sleep problems, the hallucinations went away. The unbearable sweat problems went away, my eyes feel a little better. But I still have problems with the numbness on my stomach and have now turned to pins and needles. My hair also continues to fall out. And my deppression seems a little better only because its nothing compared to what i went through with the Effexor.

I was on effexor for about three years. At first I felt like it was really helping me a lot, and recommended it to anyone who asked. The only problems I had were night sweats and loss of appetite. Over time I became pretty casual about taking it, and would forget to every now and then.. However, I could never REALLY forget to take effexor because when I missed more than two days I would start feeling these awful physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. My moods would get crazy and I would feel dizzy and nauseous with a terrible headache. Once I realized it was causing this (in addition to realizing that the drug was turning me into a total zombie with no emotions) I tried and tried to stop taking it but I just couldn't deal with the withdrawal.. Eventually I tapered down my dosage to 35 mgs and just quit cold turkey. It's good to be myself again.

Please, Please don't take effexor. I have spent the last two years with severe insomnia which I believe was caused by effexor. Six months after stopping effexor I am still having brain shock (shivers). I also have a continuous ringing in my ears. Please don't take this drug.

After going into deep depression in 2004,I was put on Effexor.At one point I was taking 300mg a day,and the Effexor did the job. The side effect that I knew of was being tired,and ejaculation problems. As time went by,I thought that my vision was going bad due to me being in my late 40's,and that I had glaucoma.Towards the end of 2008,my depression was gone,and I had been healed emotionally from what had caused the depression in the first place. I tried to get my doctor to lower the dosage,but he never would. As of early January 2009,I went to my family doctor and he prescribed 1 month each of 75mg,and 37.5mg,so I could get off the Effexor.As soon as I started the 37.5,I noticed my vision was extremely better. One of the side effects,although only 6%,is blurred vision. I never knew,but I was part of the 6%. I can now see three times as far ahead of me,with a very clear vision.Part of that is that my new prescription,I believe,is stronger to make up,for what I was able to see with blurred vision.Point is,I never knew about the blurred vision,until recently.If your eyes have been getting worst since you started Effexor,it might just be the Effexor,and not anything else.

I had been on Effxor, then ran out of the pills and now am having severe shaking and nervousness, it has been three weeks and i am not much better, do i have permanment damage to my nervous system, i am in bad shape

I have been on effexor xr 75mg for 4 years. i am now at the point i want off. i am not sure it is working. cold turkey does not work. i cant make it past the second day with the terrible side affects, so this is what i am doing. i can not say this will work for others or even recommend it. since i take the xr capsules, i take 10 granules out each time i take it. i am down to only having 25 granules left in the capsule and havent taken it in 2 days. the dizziness is so minimal that i think i might be able to make it at this point. hope this helps.

Effexor was prescribed to me, I took my first dose and immediatly there were side effects. I woke at 2am with a sick burning sensation like a blow torch had been ignited at the base of my skull. I was sick to my stomach directly after the first sensation and then I had my bowels empty. I had heart palipitations with hot cold sensations. I also experienced issometric like muscle contractions where my whole body would tighten and go slack. My hands would clench into fists and curl in. The worst of all the sensations was the constant suicidal thoughts. I went to the hospital when my household woke up and the doctor on call told me to stop the medication for the week end but to continue taking the prescription on Monday and wait out the first initial responses to the medication. I was devistated and went home and quit the medication cold turkey and with only one tablet I experienced withdrawls for three days! I'll never take another antidepressant ever again. I would like to know if anyone else has ever experienced a response to this medication similar to mine.

I've been on effexor for a couple months and am no on 150mg/day (75 morning, 75 night) and have noticed my depression worsening. I'm planning to get off it tomorrow (have an appointment) may help some, but made me more depressed, anxious, and less hungry.

I am trying to get off effexor xr and feel absolutly like dying. and it has only been 2 days...wish I Never would have heard of this drug.

I have been on Effexor since February or March 2003. I was place on Zoloft first and Clonazepam. The Clonazepam made the difference. I was also placed on Trazadone for bedtime. I made an amazing comeback. Once I saw my Pschiatrist she then placed me on Effexor and weaned me off of Clonzepam. I had recently given birth in 2000 and 2001. I did not have PPD. I ask myself now if thats the reason for my illness. I suffer from forgetfullness, anxiety, not being able to stay focus-the weight gain does bother me , but not as much as forgeting and being focus. I have had panic attacks while on the medication. I am goin to talk to another Psychiatrist to see if there is another one i can take.I asked my primary doctors' assistant about Lexapro and he suggested for me to see a Psychiatrist.

The doctor started my 93 year old mom on Effexor in place of Lexapro. The doctor told us of the possible side effects of sleepiness, unsteadiness, etc. My mother took her first pill yesterday at about noon and swears she felt those side effects by later that day. Is that possible?
Your feedback is much appreciated.

i'm not sure. my doc put me on topamax three days ago then last night i started effexor xr 37.5. ill up both those meds in about a week. due to sudden very bad mood swings, anger, my husband is constantly ready to leave me. we are trying very hard to work things out god i hope we do. we are taking a break this weekend from each other to help. i think i was doing ok on the topamax, i found myself slightly mellowed under stress, i just started the med. its still hard to tell but after my first dose of effexor i kinda think i had a good day. had some anxiety end of the work day today but once i got home i'm ok now. no real side effects i think. umm im not hungry, very thirsty, i can see very clear, ill keep posting. let ya know

I have recently, about 2 months now started sweating profusely as I sleep it continually wakes me. My hole head/hair, top of shirt and pillow will be drenched. I awaken, wipe the puddles out of my eyes, flip pillow go back to sleep....this happens at least 4 times a night. I am 42, female, being medicated for bi-polar, anxiety and restless leg syndrome. My body does not sweat at all just my head/face. Should I be concerned? I briefed my dr., she shrugged it off.

My husband and were both on Effexor and now are off. Side effects for him were, loss of sex drive (very quickly). It did pick him up while he was on it though. Myself, well on lose dose, my sex drive escalated, i just wanted it so bad and all the time and when i did get it, i wanted more. Once on high dose, the drive was still there, but could not climax, well found it very hard to reach. Effexor picked me up too while i was on it. Both my husband and I have since weaned ourselves off the horrible things and havent had any for 5 weeks now and, we both suffer the occassional brain zap, mood swings, light headedness. my husband has absolutely no sex drive at all,and my sex drive has gone through the roof again. All i want to do is bonk him, and it is starting to send me mad as i am a person who likes to be emotionally connected with my partner. It is effecting me from all angles causing me to lose self esteem and confidence, and now i am questioning myownself. The effects from this medication is now starting to brake down and tear our marriage apart all because of the side affects from taking it for the short time we did. Will my husband ever get his sex drive back? Can some PLEASE tell me if he will and how long is the waiting game. I only hope and pray this medication has not made him impotent permantly.

I have been off and on effexor a few times,coming off effexor 75mgs I feel a little dizzy,less motivated,make decisions lethargicly(or more conservatively) and interact with slightly more anxious/nervous.The world matters less on effexor equal to up to 1 beer.Being off effexor is a fun challenge!,I will again be more proactive in manageing my feelings and actions.Life dosent change with effexor only how I experience it.If i feel anxious or depressed then i must also be conscious of the way i would like to feel and must also have the recognition of the opposite feelings, behaviours,beliefs and outcomes needed or i could not actually be aware of that state.I was diagnosed with anxiety/clinical depression/ICD/OCD etc so i put myself through toastmaster/competitive bodybuilding/ acting/business/investing/pick up artistry lol etc Make life what you want forget the shrinks.

I have taken effexer for three years. I have suffered from panic attacks since I had 2 major surgeries within two years and found out upon my second surgery I was hypothyroid. I suffer with profuse sweating and do not even like to leave my home. Isn't that a "catch 22"? I don't know what to do and I certainly relate to your problems.
thanks for listening,
DonnaKay

i was on efexor for about 2 years decided to come off since then i have become irratable and argumentive,,,,,sometinmes i can't stand myself....hated the weight gain but if i don't go back on them ia ma farid my marriage will end

it's been my experience that doctors do not like to discuss any negative effects of any kind of prescription drug and i guess i kind of understand why. but, unless someone can prove otherwise, i will continue to believe myself to have been permanently damaged mentally and physically by Effexor. i started taking it 3.5 years ago for depression associated with the withdrawal of hydrocodone which i had to take for about six months because of an extended painful illness, i was not, nor have i ever been a drug abuser. as for the long term effects of Effexor, the person i was 3.5 years ago is gone, probably never to return. i was successful and now have lost everything, including myself. my business is gone along with most of my money. twenty years of church going just faded away. i've alienated my family, lost all of my friends and have made the lives of the people i now live with a miserable hell, all in the span of 2 to 3 years. and, i find it difficult to even care about these events. i have become a blank nothing with a startlingly dangerous temper. i don't care about anything anymore and i absolutely live completely out of character. i have tried unsuccessfully to get help and at this point i can't afford to buy good professional help. i am certain my condition cannot be merely counseled away, i don't need wake up to some new set of facts that will change my life. no one i talk to in the medical community seems to give a damn. and, i may even be forced to seek disability, as i said there are physical problems as well. my life has been turned upside down by this drug. i have been off of Effexor for about 7 months and nothing has improved, i believe the damage to be permanent. i was getting progressively worse while on Effexor and after i spent several months researching the drug on the internet, i stopped taking it. in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, Effexor is a very dangerous drug. there is more credible information on the internet supporting my claims and beliefs than can be researched in a life time as well as independent and class action law suits and petitions to the fda to remove the drug from pharmacy shelves. as one might imagine, there is much more to this story, but this is the gist of it. if there is anything that can reverse the damage i would like to know about it.

I've been on effexor for about 8 months now, and I take 450mg in the mornings. I finally went to see my GP last July knowing I had depression and seeking help for a serious drinking problem. She started me on Pristique and referred me to a psychiatrist. The Pristique was great, I instantly mellowed out, lost all urge to drink and totally fell in love with my children all over again instead of yelling at them. But then I started to wonder if I had early onset Alzheimers - I kept forgetting things (such as which side of the road to drive on) and couldnt keep a coherent chain of thoughts in my head and kept vaguing out mid conversation. My Psych switched me to Effexor which was fine - no major side effects - but I didn't have the same happy vibe either. I feel like my emotions are dulled - although i did manage a bit of cry at leaving my old house today - and my sex drive is definitely running at only 50%. Just recently I have noticed my hair is starting to come out in handfuls. I do get lightheaded if I forget to take the pills and I have regained my old need for a drink (or 6) around 5pm. I have heard so many stories about how hard it is to get off Effexor that I'm really nervous now that I may be trapped. There is no doubt my life is a lot better on anti-depressants, in fact it has transformed everything including saving my marriage, but I miss the old creativity and passion I used to have - and I'd really like to keep my hair as well. I'm not interested in trying any other drugs, in fact, if I can stop the hair loss I wouldn't mind staying on Effexor if I had to. But I do hope one day I may be able to be myself and be happy without any medical assistance.

I have only been on Effexor for two days now, but I feel weird, jittery, nervous. I decided to throw it in the garbage. I think it's wiser for me to try changing my eating habits, take vitamins and supplements, and start exercising again...along with lots of prayer.

Do you know what medicine/s get rid of : Depression,nerves break downs ,head -aces ,swollen burning hip pain ,that has no aspirin added to it & that does not give cause health problems ,that may be over the counter medicine ?

Don't take effexor. It made me develop post ssri sexual dysfunction (PSSD). I have no sex drive and am impotent even though I have been off of it for 2 years (I used it for just under a year). I never had these problems at all before even at the peak of my depression. It also gave me brain fog which continues to this day. I was way better off before I took this drug.

I recently switched from celexa to effoxor. o was only on celexa for a couple of months, but had not energy. Everything else was fine. My Dr suggested we stay on celexa for a few weeks to see if energy came back. Still notheing... So he switched me to 75mg twice a day effexor. I was immediately happy with the energy I had. However, after a week I noticed I was more paranoid, agitated, and irritable. On the 13th of February, I was preparing dinner when then kids came in. they were being loud, as usual, but this time something was different. I became immediately irriateted to the point I felt like I was going to blow up. I had been feeling this way for a few days but it got worse every day. I immediately left the kitchen and went to take a nap. When I got up, I completed dinner, sat dow with the kids to watch the Grammy's, and everything seemed fine. Then, I took my meds, the other kids got home, and we were going to have some cake and ice cream. After all was said and done, my wife and I got into a small argument. I seriouslty mean small. there was nothing to be really upset about. But all of a sudden, I blew up. I blew up like I never have before! I started yelling and screaming, using awful language,saying things that were indescribable now, and even hitting people. I even burst through a door when she locked me out. I experience rage like I have never seen. I am 35 years old and have never had a history of this. Now I have lost everything, my wife, my kids, my life! I do not want to blame anyone or anything for my behavior. I just want to know if anyone else has experiences such rage, or loss of control with this drug. I am only looking for an explanation.

in the meantime I am meeting with lots of counselors and other professionals to try and make sure this never happens again. I really don't know what to do now. I am not depressed, but i am not going to continue on this drug until I have answers. I can deal with headaches and nausea. i cannot deal with the loss of my wife snd children!

Do not try to go off of Effexor without your Doctor prescribing a low dose of prozac. I was on 225 mg for 7 years. Gaines 60 lbs, sweated bullets with little exhertion. Have now been off of it for over a month. IT took about 3 months to wean down. Am still taking 20 mg of prozac. The sweating has stopped, I am sleeping so much better and loosing weight gradually. My mood is ok, but I am always irritated about something. Working on that part myself. Effexor needs to really tell ppl what it does to the body after you go off of it. It worked well for my panic and anxiety but now that I am off of it my joints aches so bad i feel like i have arthritis. Doctor said that it can take up to 3 months to subside. Glad I am off of it.

I have been taking Effexor for over a month now for major depression. I was feeling so overwhelmed with my dad going to jail and other problems I was facing that had me crying and having anxiety attacks often! Now I am back to being me. I haven't felt this way in years and my husband and friends have noticed too. I have been able to maintain my weight and be my silly-self again. I feel awesome! I have tried many other anti-depressants and this is the only one that has worked for me. I am able to deal with things normally now and take life for what it is. Problems happen but it is okay. It isn't the problems we have to face.. it is how YOU deal with the problems that makes YOU who YOU are!

Been on effexor for 4 months now 75mg 2x day. Was on savella had bad suicide experiance phy took me off savella. Put me on
12.5mg 2x day and 25mg topamax at bed time for blackouts and nightmares, migraines. Still feel like crap. Don't want to get out of bed most days and I'm in pain all the time. Nerve damage in left leg and hip muscles lock up. Fibramyaltia and severe bylateral clubbed feet. Also on flexeral,gabbapentin,I need a way to feel better every drug just makes me sleepy.

All I can say is - extreme anxiety. I have butterlfies in the stomach and there is no reason. I am so nervous 99% of the time - 24 hrs a day. Ive been told this is a side effect and it will subside. I am having panic attacks - nerovous, shaking. I hate to say it and cant beleive I am saying this but the depression wasnt as bad as the nervousness. My main problem is recurring thoughts- shocking guilt over "nothing" but now I have a worse racing mind and feel worse as I am not in control of my own mind which seems to haunt me with my own weakness. Recurring thoughts. Ive had efexor (one f in Aust) 3 times, the firs ttime it was so good. But this time and the other times I have hell on it. Nervousness is too severe. Its been constant for two weeks. Two weeks might not sound like much, but butterflies in the tummy and jittery and shakes and waking at 4.00 each morning with butterflies is horrible. When will it subisde. And today I feel so low, again. I went to a bbq and didnt care I just wanted to get home and got agitated there and walked off. I was shaking why - I dont know.

I've recently come off Effexor which I was on for 6 months and on a very low dosage. I have had a few withdrawals like dizziness etc but I've also realised that I'm becoming very negative about things. I'm not sure whether it's because I've come off too early or too quickly or whether it's other things in my life that are making me feel/act this way. It's very confusing.

I took effexor for a short time about 4 years ago and it totally killed my sex drive. With a new guy in my life I went to something else (?), however I my moods got worse and I didn't feel like me. Well I'm single again and thought I'd go back to effexor again. I work out 4 times a week, eat a balanced diet, my recent Dr check-up shows everything is great. Now I'm having extreme hair loss on the sides and top. At first I thought it was from having hi-lights done but I stopped 6 months ago and my hair still isn't growing. I'm convinced by everything I've read that effexor DOES affect hair growth in some people. It's sad that you have to choose which side affect you're willing to live with when you need to rely on a medication to survive each day. I also wish I didn't need it, I've tried but the meds do make my life better....sigh

To the man who mentaly and emotionaly lost his wife to effexor.... thank you for sharing your story i was on effexor for a year when i decided to get up leave my boyfriend of 9 years and start a whole new relationship with someone else... not to mention taking our 4 yr old son with me and away from his dad... i literally had no sense of compassion i was cold living in my own little world not even my mother whom im very close to could talk any sense into me. ill i could say was NO when he bagged and pleaded for me to stay i was completely emotionless. 3 months later i realized what i had done and thank god he took me back were now in counselling

Tonight, I searched "Effexor", "can it worsen your depression", and reached this website. I was prescribed Effexor for panic attacks and depression. This has been and on an off thing for years. Due to family situations etc., for a couple of nights I forgot to take my "Effexor". Each morning after, I felt better than I've felt for a long time. I am now, without the blessings of my M.D. am attempting to get off Effexor. Reading the several posts on this site. Yes.
night sweats, lack of interest for intimacy, total wipe out of normal emotions...happy, sad, caring, etc. Depression is horrible, but this is not the answer. God bless us all. Do our docs know what they are doing or are they in the hands of the pharmecuetical giants??? The perks are amazing....prescribe my drug...see you in Hawaii.

What kills me here is when people say they want to see Effexor taken off the market. Really! Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't mean it isn't equally effective for someone else. I had minimal side effects while taking Effexor, of course,just 37.5mg helped me to get past negative thoughts and emotions related to severe panic disorder with agoraphobia. I was also less angry and aggressive. If I missed a dose, my family could tell. I did sometimes feel a bit jittery and a bit compulsive, but I'd take that any day over panic attacks. I was taken off Effexor in anticipation of my current pregnancy and guess what...I am now suffering from panic disorder, have a small radius to drive called my "safe zone" and am depressed for the first time in my life. I will immediately resume treatment once I have my baby. Effexor for me was a life saver!

I personally have spent years struggling with depression and anxiety.I not want to suffer the ordeal of leaving Effexor XR again. well what happened was that I lost my health insurance Work.

OMG i'm still remember, me shaking like a fish out of water in the bed,feeling like electric shocks coming out from my brain, was terrible !!!

But to be honest, it worked fine, i was much less depressed. The only downside was the weight gain and loss of sex drive.

Conclusion: I'll keep a good diet, exercise, and keep fighting with myself. 0 Meds!!!!

I've been on effexor XR 150 MG capsules since 2008 .Now out of the blue my doctor refuses to refill them. So far I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms. I've not idea why she won't refill them. I started talking them for PTSD and severe depression and suicide attempts. I'm no longer depressed or suicidal. I'm afraid these things might come back because I'm no longer on this medication

hiya all for the last 6 mth i started feeling nothing a lack of care for my self , in the last 8 weeks i have started to cry over mad shit , i feel up set all time i have nasty feeling in side me feel mad then sad then cry and it repeat at lest 4 to 20 times a day , i feel numb some times but to day i got soo angry with in my self i had to lay down an close my eyes my head hurts soo much i had to shut my eyes an 4 hr 20 mins i was a sleep for , i live with my girlfriend witch she loves me an there for me just i feel im waiting for some bad to happen as it all ways does in my life, i know i need help but i do not want to talk about my problems but but to day been harder than most and i feel like im losing her an my life not worth live in , i in last 6 mth i stop going to work cuz was all ways tired an feel can not be ass to move or do any thing i miss my job an the ppl i work with ,i having mood swings 24/7 i can not sleep and feel scared but do not noo of wot ... i know im getting worse but just do not want to talk about my problems it easy for me to write on this blog be cuz u do not know me or see me or my face ,when it is time to seek help ??? ty ~R~

It sounds as if I could have written the post by Linda from July 2006. I would love to see what she did and how she's doing now. I've been on Effexor Foote 3-4 yrs and lately feel depressed. Have always felt the foggy feeling. Maybe I should get off of it.

I have been back on effexor for 4 yrs now. The first couple years were great: increased energy, felt happy, more social, lost 30 lbs - was no longer obsessed with food. The other side effects - trouble sleeping (trazadone helped), made my impulses worse (finances), agitated, constipation, Quick to Anger!, Clenched jaw, trouble communicating. I went from the 37.5 to 75, then to 150. At one point it was upped to 300 but it made me too wired. If I miss a dose my appetite increases and I start to fell quite depressed. The good effects have decreased and I am back to my food obsession - the quick to anger is not good! And I should be filing for bankruptcy soon. So I have had mixed results but it did get me out of my '7 year slump' where I was unable to help myself.

Effexor has helped ruin my life. I've been on it for 10 years because I attempt suicide every time I've tried to get off of it. "Bridging" hasn't worked. I absolutely lose my mind when my doctor tries to wean me off of it. The brain zaps that run down my back are unbearable. I scream and scream due to them. I cut small chunks of flesh off my legs. I definitely can't keep a job. While on it I am totally numb and stupid. I flunked out of college right after I started taking it, tried to go back later, and flunked even worse. Now I can't go back. I sweat constantly and profusely. I also twitch constantly. I'd rather die than continue living like this.

Hi all. Plucked right out of cornfield new to this formun (although have been reading posts awhile and absolutely information e). Anyway six years ago prescribed 150mg. A day. 75mg. Out the gate. Took it on my own to quit. Had all systems from h... depression still the same and crying spells back. Any ideas since I think all SSRIS are bad for most? Sincerely janet57. Hope all are hanging in their

Why is effexor 150mg making my deppression worse.

Do not ever start this horrible drug!!!
Doctors should face jail time for prescribing this drug. My vision was ruined, my skin had new spots popping up every day, my hair fell out, my gums receded and teeth got loose, and the constipation was terrible. The doctor said nothing about how hard withdrawal will be. This drug ruined my life!!!

I was on Effexor for about 6 months. I had to get a sleep study done, so I had to taper off Effexor very quickly, within 2 weeks! I was taking 75mg dose, went down to 37.5mg for a week, then stopped!! I had the worst side effects from coming off this! Had hot and cold sweats, didn't feel like doing much. Anyways, I decided that I would stay off the medicine because of how bad the withdrawal was! I actually ended up being prescribed Provigil for ideopathic Hypersomnia. I have been off the Effexor about two months now. I have been experiencing irritability, depression (which I think has been getting worse) and daily headaches, some that are migraines! I thought the headaches were from the new Provigil I take. I was thinking today that maybe I should get back on something for the anxiety/depression. I'm not sure now if this is withdrawal symptoms or if it's my symptoms returning. I don't think I want to restart the Effexor after reading all these posts. I just don't like feeling the way I do. Constant worry, even when there is nothing to worry about. Headaches, irritability, and depression! What to do?! Also, I have been stressed lately and not sure if that is really the cause.
Thanks all who read this!

how much can i take before i end the hospital

Somebody please tell me there is a way to stop the withdrawal vertigo and zaps from effexor ...i had to give in and take the pill somebody help me guide me i want off these damn meds... i am furious

I hate this awful drug Effexor but in all honesty it does have a good and bad side.
I have been on it for nearly fourteen years and it has lifted my depression but it has also made my depression much worse.
I feel that now it does not do posituve for me,it makes me often have worse depression.i hate it and wish dearly that i had never been put on it.im going to ask my doctor if i can switch to another antideoressant,maybe sertraline (Lustral)as I used to take it for nearly three years before I was foolishly put on effexor.the worst thing i find about effexor is that awful combination of sedation and depression which for me has become so unbearable in recent years.I should mention that I am also taking the antipsychotic zyprexa which is highly sedating so this for me is a marriage made in hell. I would do anything to switch back to Lustral and am going to ask at next appt.

STAY AWAY FROM EFFEXOR!

TRIED GO OFF TWICE ONCE 12 YEAR AGO ESSENTIALLY OVER TWO WEEKS - Huge mistake no idea then it would launch me into severe depression worse than before and steal 11 months of my life ultimately having go back on and should never have been given as much to start, what ever happened to lowest theraputic dose Dr Lochner? and telling me in advance advance the ups and downsides up front, i should've been concerned when you told "we don't really know how exactly it works but it does". Fast forward I tried going off again last Jan - slowly, but not slow enough which means for some people never coming off. Two and half months of slow taper isn't even close when youve Been taking for 20 years. Now I'm screwed over next three months after tapering I crashed and though other meds have been tried they ultimately made worse and have shocked my brain silly - my nervous sytem is completely gone in toilet losing cognition hearing eyesight smell and feel aged 16 years in six months with no end, it's messed with sleep, energy levels memory, erratic blood pressure all the time, dry nose mouth internal tremmoring now too, Akathisia like internal angst agitation. Their answer is "im not being treated" yeah well now I can't even take effexor or anything anymore not even bp meds are being tolerated, and worst of all I have lost sensory feeling throughout my entire body. Im sure this does happen to every single user, but I think the longer you take the more you are exposed to serious potential problems especially if combining with other meds or any alchahol or pot the latter two I definitely caution strongly against I used alcohol with and would never do so again despite them telling you that you can have some with it. Please anyone knowledgeable I need help now I don't know what to do am desperate 503-819-4772 if you have real knowldege pertaining to please contact me asap! Please!

I have been on Effexor for 4 years now. My doctor started me on 37.5mg Effexor along with 25mg of Seroquel. My advice to anyone is NEVER EVER TOUCH EITHER OF THESE!! Within 1 year, I gained 40 pounds. I stopped taking Seroquel about 2 years ago cold turkey, and let me tell you it was the worst few weeks of my life. I have tried to stop taking Effexor (I'm on 150mg now, was on 300mg but managed to cut it in half) however I get the grueling side effects within 24 hours of not taking my dose. I feel like the past 4 years have been foggy; almost as if I've been floating by like a zombie.

My daughter had all the horrible symptoms she passed away on Jan. 4th 2014. If you start to have the uncommon symptoms contact your doctor immediately and insist on a full blood workup. My beautiful intelligent 28 year old daughter was robbed of raising her then 3 year old son that my husband and I now are raising...her doctor did nothing to help her other than tell her the medication wasn't working yet and up the dose 3 times...Rest in Peace my beautiful Brandy.

I have always been thin. When I started Effexor, at age 45, I wore a size 4/6 pant and a small top; within 7 months I was in a size 16/18 pant and an XXL top. I went from 117 pounds to 190 pounds (I'm 5'7"). I am so miserable I do nothing but think of suicide!!! It has been ten years now and I've held on because of the kids, but now they're grown and on their own and I see no point in suffering any longer. What is the point in taking an antidepressant that ruins your health and body? My blood pressure is high, my cholesterol is high, and I have no hope.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I only stayed on Effexor for one year. My new doctor took me off of it; she said all the doctors in the practice call it side-Effexor because of the awful weight gain and side effects.

I have been taking Effexor for just over a month.
This past weekend (Fri., Sat. & Sun.) I started vomiting with dry heaves from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hour. Dizziness has been a constant problem. can not wait to be rid of this drug!