Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Mental health

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Original poster

Did Venlafaxine change your life for the better?

142 replies

Crispsmakemehappy · 14/10/2022 09:29

Venlafaxine prescription sitting a few days now and I’m unsure what to do. I’m AD free as week now but scared to try these incase they make me have suicidal thoughts like others have….

Tell me your positive stories please, I know they are meant to be horrendous to come off and needs to be done at a super slow pace.

TIA 😌💐

OP posts:
Fraaahnces · 25/10/2022 13:51

If you’re new to Venlafaxine it does take a few weeks to settle into it. I have noticed that if I ever forget to take it, I have bloody surreal, disturbed, emotional dreams and wake up feeling exhausted and stressed, but I am fine the next night when I take it again. So weird. *I am not taking it for depression or anxiety but for menopausal symptoms.

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 25/10/2022 11:26

Day 3 - very emotional yesterday and ate everything in sight after barely eatting. Going to take my 3rd tablet soon.

Is weight gain a side effect? I thought it was weight loss🫤

OP posts:
Deguster · 24/10/2022 15:06

I can imagine that it might feel better to suffer a bit in the short term to stop using a tablet that was clearly not for you. (I sympathise - I put on a lot of timber in about a week on Mirtazapine and went cold turkey). The medical advice would always be to do it sloooooowly though, as in 37.5mg less per week (or longer if need be). During my IVF I did 35.5mg a week and didn't notice until I was down to 75mg when I got low-grade brain zaps. I actually got pregnant at that level but continued to taper when I could reduce further without noticing iykwim.

MinervaTerrathorn · 24/10/2022 13:17

Deguster · 24/10/2022 12:51

@MinervaTerrathorn no wonder you struggled - tapering is much less likely to cause trouble.

OP - I think your anxiety will be exacerbating any side effects. It will be barely detectable in your system yet!

I didn't feel like I had a choice, I couldn't go on feeling like I was. Thought about taking a lower dose to take the edge off my withdrawal once I'd quit but I couldn't make myself do it.

Fraaahnces · 24/10/2022 13:04

Bloody love the stuff. Not only has it improved my general well-being, a happy side-effect was that it totally stopped the break-through hot flashes that oestrogen gel didn’t quite stop entirely. WINNING!

Deguster · 24/10/2022 12:53

@ThatCheeseIsMine me too on Mirtazipine. I used to crave sugar and thought I was diabetic at one point. Now that IS a horrible drug imo. Apparently invented to encourage the elderly to eat. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My dad took it fir years and was skinny until he died. Horses for courses innit.

Deguster · 24/10/2022 12:51

@MinervaTerrathorn no wonder you struggled - tapering is much less likely to cause trouble.

OP - I think your anxiety will be exacerbating any side effects. It will be barely detectable in your system yet!

ThatCheeseIsMine · 24/10/2022 12:24

There’s probably no effect yet - this is your anxiety talking. Can you distract yourself with activities/work/exercise/tv etc?

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 20:05

Don’t feel good at all. I don’t think I can pull myself out of it this time at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 19:14

@ThatCheeseIsMine i can’t stop panicking, what if this doesn’t work or makes me worse? I couldn’t go on

OP posts:
ThatCheeseIsMine · 23/10/2022 18:18

Crisps don’t panic. Coming off a low dose after a short time shouldn’t be a problem. Just give it a chance though!

ThatCheeseIsMine · 23/10/2022 18:17

Well done Crisps and good luck! Yes you can take it in the morning tomorrow and then at the same time each day - I actually take mine last thing at night though.

re mirtazapine omg. It didn’t do that much for me mental health wise but I piled on weight immediately. I was so hungry all the time, for the most carby, high-calorie food. Everything I ate felt like it was the first thing I’d eaten in weeks and I just scarfed it down. Never again!

MinervaTerrathorn · 23/10/2022 17:56

I came off 375mg cold turkey. So it's not impossible. Though I was very young and stupid and also desperate not to feel how they made me feel anymore. The withdrawal effects like the brain zaps were scary, I assume it would be easier with a lower dose.

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 17:29

What else could I try that’s not as hard to get off??

im really panicking now and regretting taking this….

OP posts:
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 23/10/2022 17:07

try to avoid Mirtazapine though as in my experience, and those of anyone I know who has tried it, it causes MASSIVE weight gain. I refer to it as the lard tablet)

Interesting. I found Mirt one of the less greedy one. In rank order of scoffing

Paroxetine
Chlomipramine
Amitryptiline
Sertraline,
Venlafaxine
Fluoxetine
Mirtazapine.

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 16:59

@Athenajm80 how long did u take them before ‘the crazy came back’? I am so worried that I started them and this happens and I can’t get off them. I am so adamant Adhd meds would be better for me, but chances are slim doc would prescribe them unless I’m officially diagnosed?

i feel like I’ve no one

OP posts:
Athenajm80 · 23/10/2022 13:25

It will be fine. Try to not worry too much (easier said than done I know!) or you'll be panicking about every little twinge or feeling.

As for timings with taking them, I am useless at that. I have tried everything including alarms and reminders on my phone, but I still manage to miss the occasional dose, or take it a few hours out of sync. Just try to be consistent and don't panic if one is slightly later or earlier than usual.

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 12:41

And down it goes…..I’m nervous 😕 hope I’m doing the right thing

OP posts:
Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 12:30

@ThatCheeseIsMine can I take it now? Them from tomorrow take it from 9am?

OP posts:
ThatCheeseIsMine · 23/10/2022 12:13

A hand here Crisps! I'm one of those who love Venlafaxine and I'm on a low dose. You are doing the right thing to try it - you could feel SO much better soon. Fingers crossed.

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 23/10/2022 12:00

About to take my first Venlafaxine, am I doing the right thing? Hand hold needed

OP posts:
Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 22/10/2022 18:13

@Athenajm80 ur right. It can’t be any worse than I’m feeling right this second. I don’t want to be here at all. Tomorrow I take my first tablet

OP posts:
Athenajm80 · 21/10/2022 23:19

I'm not a psychiatrist/psychologist/doctor, but based on my experience, I'd say try them. If you're on a low dose then the withdrawal if you decide not to stay on them is not going to be as bad as for other posters, including me, who were on higher doses.

If you already feel like who would miss you, then can things really be worse? What works for me won't necessarily work for you and vice versa. You've had a fairly even mix of positive and negative stories here which shows that it is entirely variable and unfortunately nothing that anyone can predict. It may be a miracle drug for you, it may not, but as the Dr Pepper ads used to say "What's the worst that can happen?"

Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 21/10/2022 22:16

It believe I have ADHD, i think I need medication for it instead of AD

OP posts:
Original poster
Crispsmakemehappy · 21/10/2022 12:14

@Buteverythingsfine see I wouldn’t mind staying low and waiting that time if I knew eventually it would work in 4/6 weeks, I need something, I’ve barely got out of bed this week.

OP posts: