Venlafaxine, has anyone had any experience of this drug?

[Anothershittydayinparadise]

I have been prescribed this today by a hospital menopause specialist.

For various reasons I can not take HRT (she wants this to be a last solution for me) but from everything that I read it seems to be mainly prescribed for hot sweats which I don't suffer from much, atm. I have also suffered from diarrhoea prominent IBS for decades which was under control but has been dreadful since peri started and is getting worse. I am concerned as all the anti-depressants I have tried in the past have exacerbated my gut issues.

However, I am riddled with high anxiety, very low mood and crying all the time so need something as nothing else I do helps and I am struggling with life right now, (I live a very healthy lifestyle but nothing is helping).

Some of the online reviews say this drug is really hard to come off from.

I'm on it 150mg a day. It's great and I love it. It took me years to agree to taking it as I know what the withdrawal can be like, but then I became so depressed that I needed a change of class of antidepressant as the ssris don't work on me. I'll be on it for life in all likelihood, so haven't tried withdrawing. I used to take paroxetine which also has a bad withdrawal and it's okay if you do it gradually.

That's really good to know. Tbh, if it works for me I probably won't be keen to stop taking it as I have suffered with poor mental health since I was a child.

Hi OP. I was recommended venlafexine to help with hot sweats as HRT was at top dose and not working.

When I looked into it I realised it would be a bad idea to start even at a low dose of 37.5mg.

Why was that?

I’ve been on 29 years. Wish I never started it

I was told it would be very very hard to withdraw from.

I started taking red clover etc instead which made a positive difference.

Plus I now sleep under a feather summer duvet with no cotton duvet cover. Which is a game changer. I think the cotton was making me too hot.

I've been on it for 21 years. Went on it when SSRIs stopped working.

I've found it very helpful for anxiety but haven't made any serious attempts to come off it. I figure it is better not to try and rock the boat if things are reasonably stable.

It was a weird on to start on. There are some side effects that made me feel slightly dizzy and as though someone was pushing my head backwards but iirc that only lasted a few weeks.

I know it can be a problem drug but the benefits have outweighed the issues for me!

I was on it for about 4 years. It saved my life after other anti-depressants hadn’t worked.
I was on the highest dose eventually and weaned off very slowly. It was fine 👍

I've been on it for about 15 years - it literally saved my life after SSRIs didn't work. I am trying to wean myself off it slowly and am now down to 37.5 a day which is enough to keep my moods stable.

Tbf, it's uncomfortable to come off it, it's not impossible and you don't find yourself stuck on it. I was made to go cold turkey on paroxetine whilst in hospital, and nothing can be worse than that. At a low dose 37.5, it's obviously going to be easier to withdraw.

I have taken it for over 10 years, now weaning down slowly from 300mg (currently on 75mg). Its a harsh drug, but it stopped my suicidal ideations and helped me live again. Just dont forget a dose, the head zaps are painful.

It is uncomfortable coming off, though it did its job for the time it was needed. It kind of numbs you down a bit whilst on it, or at least it did with me, so I wouldn't like to have stayed on it long term but looking back I'd still choose to go on it for the length of time I did.

I’ll made me sweat like crazy. Also if I took a dose late it would really impact my bowels and I would need to urgently use the toilet.

I've been on it for a few years for similar reasons to you - I had breast cancer so can't take HRT. I'm only on 37.5 mg and I find it helpful. As a pp said though, the feelings you experience if you miss a dose are nasty!

I have been on this for 29+years.have crept up to 150+37.5 over the years.I still get low mood then other times feel great.I think it depends on life itself in general how you cope but the Dr once told me I have become psychologically addicted to them as i was afraid to come off them many years ago.Now I see them as part of keeping me balanced and take each day as it comes.If it's a choice between going through life constantly depressed/anxious not being able to function I would readily choose this medication as I believe it saved my life when I couldn't take any more.

This is what I want to avoid. I have daily IBS/diarrhoea which takes over my life. I found Sertraline made things worse, I am very keen not to go down that road again.
I have been offered Escitalopram by another doctor and wonder if that may be better for me?