Effexor Forums (Page 3)

I guess you could say at the moment I am kind of freaking out and need something to focus on. I have been on Effexor for 18 years. I have a bathroom anxiety phobia? I guess you could say. I am not to sure if there is an actual scientific word for this but hopefully I am not the only one that suffers from it. Basically I am afraid that I will get diarrhea somewhere in public. Maybe in rush hour traffic? Maybe if I go camping? On a plane? Pretty well anywhere. I need to know where we are going, the way we are going there. If a bathroom will be around and where it is. That being said I haven't felt that way in 9 years.I don't actually have a bathroom problem like colitus or IBS. But for some reason when i was 16 i started having anxiety problems with it. I started taking a stool ha...

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Hi there I have been on citalopram for 6 years. I recently withdrew from that and started taking 75mg with 10mg of citalopram last week and was feeling ok. Now i have stopped the citalopram and am on 150g of effexor. For the last few days I have been feeling a lot worse than i originally was I am not motivated and feeling very depressed. Is this normal? will it start workinng. I really don't want to try another one I have already tried 4 different ssris. Fingers crossed this goes away ## You are most likely experiencing a bit of a double whammy, side effects from starting the Effexor, as well as withdrawal effects from stoping the Citalopram. It will likely take 4 to 5 weeks for things to settle down and for you to be able to tell how well this will work for you. The FDA lists its t...

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Hello, i have just started Effexor XR 75 mg this morning for anxiety and panic attacks. Took it 7 hrs ago. So far i feel ok, maybe slight nausea, a bit tired and dizzy. Could also be imagining these side effects as i am feeling very anxious about starting this med, but i have no choice in taking this treatment as i want to get my life back on track and feel normal and happy again. The thing is i have an interview tomorrow morning at 11 am for a job starting end of November. The dr told me to take this med in the morning but i'm really scared that i may start having side effects just before or during my interview. I have diazepam 5 mg which i can take before the interview to stay calm, but do you think it would be ok to take my 2nd day dose of Effexor just after my interview (about m...

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I know someone who started on Effexor Er 75mg a few months ago. Its one of they best meds she has been on but it gives her really bad hand tremors...help? ## It can cause that as a side effect, in some people that take it, according to the FDA, along with nausea, dizziness, headache, and weight changes. Has she consulted her doctor? It might not be the right medication for her to take.

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I was perscribed Effexor yesterday to treat postpartum depression and anxiety that I have been going through since I delivered my baby boy. I wanted to know if anyone had any other information on this drug. I am really hesitant on taking it since I do not want to become dependent of it and after reading some of the side effects I am really scared to take it. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks! ## it is non narcocic and not a controled sub. like you might think of such as (valium). it is an anti deppesent, disuss your feeling with your doctor, but it is not addictive ## Myrna:I use venlafaxine myself 150mg.But my best friend got prescribed the drug under the same circumstances as you, that was 3 yrs to date.But she regrets taking the drug, and to those say velafaxine isn't ...

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I've been on Effexor for 8yrs and have decided it's time to stop! My doctor has decreased my dosage starting and ending 150 all the way down to 37.5 and then nothing!!! The withdrawals are horrendous, zaps every step, can't focus, nausea, extreme irritability and blow ups!!! Please give me advice to help this!!! I would never, ever tell anyone to take this medicine!!! ## Hi, glad I saw this! I can help. I have been on Effexor for over 10 years and decided to go off about a year ago. The key is to wean off SUPER SLOW. I mean it's been a year now and I'm finally down to 5mg, reducing 1mg per week. I'd recommend going down 10mg/week for a few weeks and then 5mg/week and when you get to around 37.5, go down only 2mg/week. This slow reduction will keep the withdrawal ...

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I am a person with clinical depression [past 30 years] who takes 150 mg of Effexor XR daily. I have done therapy in the recent past for a few years and concluded it when my therapist and I mutually agreed it was no longer needed and just went to medical maintenance with a psychiatrist, which was going great, but he just closed his practice for health reasons. I am having trouble finding a physician or private psychiatrist to just prescribe me with this medication and see me maybe twice a year for a med-check to make sure all is still going well. All the facilities want to require me to be in therapy at the same time, which doesn't fit my needs or situation. My personal physician does not feel comfortable prescribing psych meds. Just need to find someone in Pittsburgh who will and who t

I am on 150 mg, I have been taking it in the morning as my dr said to, but I can't focus in the mornings at all, I feel really sleepy and I start to feel myself by the afternoon around 3p. Should I try to change it to the evenings when I take it? When does everyone else take it? ## I have been on 150 Extended Release for a few months; if I take it at night I cannot sleep; the pharmacist recommended taking it in the morning. I also have morning blahs but also a bad habit of hating to go to bed, like I'm going to miss out on my "free time". So it's my own fault not keeping a good sleep schedule. I found it helped to have a friend or "assistant" to do things with in the mornings to get me motivated. Once I'm up and showered, I'm fine. We switched to Effe...

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It has been 6 months since I stopped taking effexor. It is really hard to think back of all the details because the last 6 months seem very foggy in my head. I had a bad drinking problem and wanted to stop drinking so my doctor gave me something to deal with the alcohol withdrawals for a couple days. Then I was immediately prescribed effexor for depression and social anxiety. I thought to myself what could it hurt trying this stuff? I started at the lowest dose and didn't feel like it was doing anything, so of course a month later I was taking the highest dose of 300 I believe it was. I was taking effexor for 4 months when I realized that I had become completely numb and very irritable at things that would never usually bother me. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted t...

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hello, my husband is on Effexor and he recently ran out and he started very scary. ive been raeding on the side effects of going without for a few days and this is terrible. is there anything that will help with the pain or something i can do as his partner to help him. he is angry all the time i dont know if i should be there for him or leave him alone? ## Unfortunately, those can be side effects of stopping it abruptly. Why didn't he see his physician for refills? Other withdrawal effects, as reported by the FDA, may include fever, chills and rebound depression. It may take a month, or so, for them to all ease off and for him to feel better. There really isn't a whole lot you can do, though if he has body aches/pain, a hot shower or bath may help.

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I have been on pain meds for years from my doctor and never had any problem, ever. All my urine tests came out the way they should, but my pain has gotten so bad and because of the new law my doctor sent me to a pain clinic. My first visit was great. But the next time I came in I was in for a shocker. My new pain dr, came in ask how I was and then told me he will no longer see me because in the urine test from my first visit tested positive for pcp. WTF!!! I've never taken that my entire life. I really don't even no what it is. How could this happen and what should I do? He didn't believe the truth. I even said test me again right now, but he said no and good bye. Is there a way I can prove my innocents and find out how this happened, and what I can do now? I know with my pa...

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Withdrawing or tapering off Venlafaxine (37.5 tab 3 daily, 1 am., 2 night. This experience is what I imagine going to an opium den must be like. Pay your $$, get a pipe and be in a stupor for the next 6 hrs. Then in the evening, more or less recover only to experience insomnia, of course, been in bed all day! Wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how long it took to get back to fairly normal. Doing this on my own with help from partner. GP dismissed side effects. ## Hello, Julie! How are you feeling? Yes, you can experience withdrawal effects, anytime you stop one of these types of medications. As listed by the FDA, other withdrawal effects may possibly include nausea, dizziness, headache and rebound depression/anxiety. It usually takes about a month to improve, if it contin...

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I've been off Effexor now for 1 solid week but when I Started Tappering off I had the zapping things going on in my head when I moved my eyes left to right .. I can't stand it I'm gunna go crazy if I can't figure out what is going on and how to get rid of them . Any one else had this happen to them is there something I can take to subside this or when will it stop ? ## anybody suggest a brain scan ? ## I took Effexor a few years ago and I had the symptoms when I went off of it. Don't know if there is anything that can be taken to lessen the symptoms but they do fade over time. Took about 4 weeks for them to completely disappeared. ## @Czara, Based on my research, it sounds to me like the length of time it takes for the brain zaps to subside may vary for each individu...

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Need to know what it is light pink capsule with letter W and numbers 75 in burgndy print inside small cream colour beeds ## Does it also have the imprint "Effexor XR" anywhere on the capsule? Only asking because I did locate what would be a match to your pill, if it does. A pinkish/cream colored capsule marked "W" on top, "Effexor XR" in the middle, and "75" underneath, is identified as Effexor XR (75 mg). Learn More: Effexor Details I hope this helps! ## Yes. it does have effexor xr under a large W

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Hello, I started taking Effexor solely for anxiety about 7 years ago (75 mg). At the age of 23 I decided I wanted to attempt life without a medication for anxiety. My doctor cut my dosage in half (37.5 mg). Although I feel like I am doing ok with the half dosage in the area of anxiety, I feel different than I did before taking Effexor. I am extremely irritable, I don't feel like myself, and just feel (for lack of better terms) BLAH! I am so worried that I either have to stay on Effexor 75 mg for life or live this -blah- life. Has anyone ever experienced these feelings after decreasing the dosage? I have been on a half dose for about a year and the feelings haven't gone away. ## You might want to go back to your doctor and explain this. Perhaps tapering in smaller increments? If ...

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I have been on Effexor xr for 15 years, started at 150mg for about a year & was like a zombie, switched to 75mg where I've been for the past 14years, I've gained so much weight it is killing me, my doctor did every diagnostic - thyroid, PCOS that could possibly make me gain after eating right & running 5k a day. The scale stays the same or rises, we did a hormone evaluation & came to the conclusion that for lack of a better word my metabolism is shot, which can be a side effect of long term Effexor use. She's cut me down to 37.5mg for 2 weeks to wean me off. I am terrified of the side effects when I stop. Are there any suggestions that may make it easier? ## Effexor weaning is a very long process. I started it a year ago at a dose of 75 and the highest (after onl...

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Anyone having digestive issues while on Effexor / Velafaxine> ## Most medications can cause digestive issues, because many tend to be harsh on the stomach and increase stomach acid production. Other side effects, as listed by the FDA, may possibly include nausea, dizziness, headache, dry mouth and weight changes. What types of issues are you having? You may be able to take something such as an antacid to mitigate them.

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Alright, I've finally decided I'm never going back on an AD again. I was first on Zoloft for about a year, tried a different one just cuz it was making me aggesive, forget the second one I was on but made me way too tired then went to an SSNRI effexor, was on 150mg for about 7 months, loved it, made me feel so much more in control of everything, then I decided to go up to 225mg and that's when I started noticing that my personality was changing, I didn't really feel myself, and I was more in my head than I ever have been. I was on 225 for a few months thinking it might change, but after losing a relationship with someone I had because of the way I was acting and knowing that it was because of me being in my head cuz of the pill. I cut off cold Turkey which was a horrible...

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I just started 37.5 mg of Effexor a week ago and I am also weening off 10mg of celexa. I just feel so so so weird! Just BLAH. Wanna lay around and have a short temper and disconnected. Anyone else experience this? I just wanna be reassured somehow ## Hy there,i have just started Effexor for 3 days now,first day it was good,the second started with a panick atak,and today i woked up with fear,fear of taking the pill!I took the pill and my doc prescribed me Xanax,1/4 taken too today,I am dizzy,i feel not normal,and i am tired of all this!I hope is just the begging ugly and then it will be OK!So help us God!good luck to you ## Hello, Kayla and Lori! How are both of you ladies? Kayla, you're most likely experiencing some minor withdrawal symptoms from weaning off of the Celexa, coupled w...

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I am currently on 75mg of effexor, it's been about 2 weeks. I was on 37.5 mg before that for about 2 weeks also for anxiety and depression. My doctor prescribed me for having "vaso vagul attacks". When I become really nervous I get a weird feeling in my stomach, begin sweating and fainting. I wasn't experiencing any side effects at first, just recently I've started to become so anxious and depressed. I literally cannot get myself out of bed and I feel constant hopelessness. I also have trouble sleeping at night, I lie in bed for hours as my mind races before I finally fall asleep. I've also been feeling physically ill the last couple of days also- fever, stomach aches, extreme fatigue and dizziness. Has anyone else experienced this? Or can anyone reassure me that...

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