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Original poster

venlafaxine

39 replies

dreamadream1 · 29/12/2020 13:51

Hello

Posting for traffic, due to start new antidepressants tomorrow, I've been on citalopram for 13 years and they are no longer keeping me stable.

Does anyone have any experience with venlafaxine?

Thank you xx

OP posts:
Brighterthansunflowers · 29/12/2020 14:03

I’ve had several ADs over the years, Venlafaxine worked for me for quite a while. I think my GP had to play around with the dosage a bit and the split between morning and evening so I had a bigger dose at one of them than the other. But I found it much better than citalopram overall

Only thing I’d warn you about is not to skip even one dose. Every other AD I’ve had I’ve been ok skipping a dose or two accidentally. But venlafaxine I took twice daily and even missing one of those doses would give me a headache and start to feel emotionally wobbly.

Elle200 · 29/12/2020 14:06

I've been on it for years with no problems, apart from, as @Brighterthansunflowers says, missing a dose or two which will leave me feeling awful.

LibrariesGiveUsPower45321 · 29/12/2020 14:14

I was on it for a while a few years ago, wasn’t right for me, sertraline worked better.

I will echo others - you can’t miss a dose of it, and do not attempt to come off it cold turkey as I did. It was rough. Never had issues like that with other ADs

canigooutyet · 29/12/2020 14:20

I'm on it. Prolonged release works best for me, by the time we got to this, there wasn't many options left because of horrific side effects on some. It's gotten me through an horrific couple of years, although of course, it hasn't all be happy, happy,happy as at the end of the day they aren't magic pills.

I'm on a high dose and like pp, miss one and oh my. Although usually start to get side effects within an hour or so of missing it. Less than 24 hours and I start to go through detox lol.(yes really, happens when I end up in hospital).

Side effects can be rough, my psychiatrist recommended taking it at night to start with. I now take it in the evening as it's a time I constantly awake and usually eaten by then.

Bluebaubles · 29/12/2020 14:26

It was like hell on earth for me. I asked for help on here and everyone said to persevere. I did 7 weeks and gave in, no side effects coming off it. I felt as high as a kite and completely strung out. Everything was tense.

Bluebaubles · 29/12/2020 14:26

Another friend had the same reaction

ViciousJackdaw · 29/12/2020 14:28

I'm on venlafaxine, have been for years. It is the dogs bollocks! PP are quite right in that you should never miss a dose though.

What I would say is ignore any talk of 'addiction' and 'detox'. Your body gets used to its daily dose and if it is missed, the body notices and starts to tell you. When you want to discontinue the drug, all you do is reduce your dose slowly over the course of a month or so. That's it. It doesn't produce a high so it isn't something you're going to start scrabbling in the dirt for, there's no dark and evil slippery slope.

GlitchStitch · 29/12/2020 14:29

They work really well for me, better than anything else has. I have been able to hold down a stressful full time job since being on them which would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago. I take a high dose and also prolonged release.

Jaguarana · 29/12/2020 14:31

My 24 year old DS found it worked well, but it was an absolute bastard to come off. He says he'd never take it again.

Slightlyunhinged · 29/12/2020 14:46

They work really well for me. I've been on them a couple of years. Like a previous poster, slow release is best for me. I do try to take them at the same time of day so that I keep 'topped up'. First thing in the morning works best for me. The doctor did say they may make me sleepy and suggested taking them in the evening, but they don't do that to me. The issue I have is remembering to take it - if I'd had to rely on the pill for contraception, I would have a huge family by now!

alltoomuchrightnow · 29/12/2020 14:48

I was on it about 12 yrs then got taken off and put on Citalopram, and I miss the Ven which I feel worked a lot better.
Was hell coming off it... spaced out and dizzy

OliveToboogie · 29/12/2020 15:03

I've been on Venlafaxine for years. It works well for managing my depression but as ppl said if you miss a dose or let meds run oug withdrawals are horrific.

sadeyedladyofthelowlands63 · 29/12/2020 15:19

I took Venlafaxine for six years, and it helped me through a very rough time. Agree to not miss a dose, but I found stopping very easy - I cut the dosage back over two months, had very mild side effects (similar to the very mild ones when I started taking it, which lasted a couple of weeks) and then was fine.

Your doctor might need to play about with the dosage a bit - it took a few months before we found the right one for me.

Original poster
dreamadream1 · 29/12/2020 15:25

Thank you everyone.

I'm very good with my tablets and never forget to take them as I take strong antihistamines and vitamin D for autoimmune disease so have them in a pill box.

I have to take one in morning and one at night for first week and then 2 in morning and 2 at night the following week.

My depression has suddenly floored me and have been feeling rock bottom and contemplating horrible things so have had an urgent referral to psychiatric team too.

I'm really hoping after a couple of weeks on them I start to feel a difference xx

OP posts:
Original poster
dreamadream1 · 29/12/2020 15:27

I've also tried sertaline and another one I can't remember which made me put on a lot of weight they took me off when they realised I'd put on 2 stone in 2 months x

OP posts:
Yoffel · 29/12/2020 16:00

Has anyone experienced weight gain with it?

Janeaustensquill · 29/12/2020 16:06

Slow release has been great for me. I do have some jaw clenching with it but it wears off. It also makes me hungry so I gained weight. But I feel
very well on it - it was a life saver for me.

Hotpinkangel19 · 29/12/2020 16:09

Been amazing for me, and I've tried a few. I did go cold turkey once I found out I was pregnant and that was a bit rough, but honestly, it worked for me x

TornadoOfSouls · 29/12/2020 16:09

It’s been life-changing for me, better than any of the others, and I’ve been on a few. No weight gain. Libido less affected than by SSRIs. I agree with PP, be careful not to miss a dose. Last time I forgot I was vomiting by lunchtime.

My opinion on anti-depressants is that if you need to take them, you should not be worrying about getting off them again. Venlafaxine isn’t prescribed as a ‘first resort’ anyway. Don’t even THINK about reducing or stopping Venlafaxine alone - get help from your doctor.

Good luck Flowers

TornadoOfSouls · 29/12/2020 16:12

Hotpink my comment about coming off wasn’t aimed at you - cross posted.

OP, I felt a difference from my first dose. You might have to wait a bit for the initial side effects to wear off but in terms of mood/anxiety it was as though someone had flipped a switch. I couldn’t believe it.

NiceandCalm · 29/12/2020 16:27

I was on it for several years and although it worked very well initially, it numbed my emotions too much for me. Agree with pp, I lived in fear of being late/missing a dose - I felt shaky and my brain seemed to pulse - it was awful. It would take hours for it to pass if I was late and days if I accidentally missed one. No weight gain though. Libido not affected.

Hotpinkangel19 · 29/12/2020 19:31

@TornadoOfSouls

Hotpink my comment about coming off wasn’t aimed at you - cross posted.

OP, I felt a difference from my first dose. You might have to wait a bit for the initial side effects to wear off but in terms of mood/anxiety it was as though someone had flipped a switch. I couldn’t believe it.

It's fine! Looking back it was a stupid thing to do, but my mum was dying, I'd just found out I was pregnant and I was terrified irrationally that taking it would kill my baby 😔 I did however speak to my GP and tell her so I had advice, and I'd never advise it to anyone!
pam290358 · 29/12/2020 19:47

I’m switched from Citalopram, which caused several problems, to Venlafaxine, which I found much better. The drug works on balancing the dopamine levels in the brain rather than serotonin levels, so a lot of the side effects present with SSRI drugs are resolved with Venlafaxine. A lot of GPs don’t prescribe Venlafaxine as it’s not widely known. Give it a go, but remember to take it regularly as you will get unpleasant side effects if you miss a dose. The initial first few weeks while the body gets used to the drug are the worst - fatigue etc, but it doesn’t cause weight gain and it doesn’t affect your sex life. Hope you feel better soon.

Londonmummy66 · 29/12/2020 22:30

I've been taking for years - they make me feel nauseous about an hour or so after I take them so my GP prescribes metroclopromide to go with them. Like PPs I find the slow release dose better. If I miss a couple pf days I find I get a "tracing" effect when I move my head - is if it takes my brain time to catch up with my body which is weird.
They can be a bit of an anticoagulant so you may find some changes to your period and that you bruise more easily but nothing to worry about.

Curlygirl06 · 29/12/2020 22:41

@Yoffel

Has anyone experienced weight gain with it?
Quite the opposite. I had it for a while, as it's supposed to be very helpful with menopausal night sweats, mine were horrendous. It made me not feel like eating, had to force myself, gave me horrendous constipation and didn't bloody work for the night sweats! Annoyingly another woman was using it for the exact same thing and they were fabulous for her.
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