Venlafaxine

[AnxiousAlicia]

Has anyone had any success with bad anxiety with 75mg of Venlafaxine please? If so, how long did it take to kick in? A month and I’m still feeling pretty rubbish. Thank you!

I totally agree. I’m just praying it will work for me! x

Hi again everyone, sorry to be needy but this is the only thread I know where everyone is on or has been on venlafaxine. I’m finding some pockets of calm in the day from time to time now so I’m hoping that’s promising but honestly the mornings are still awful. I wake up shaking. Is anyone (or has anyone been) in the same boat and what would you advise? It starts the day so badly for me and I’m exhausted before I’ve even begun. Does the dosage eventually even itself out over the course of the day or is there something else I can do? Thanks so much!

I think the best advice would be to speak to your GP, it might be that they prescribe something additional for you to take in the morning at least short term. They know you best. There could be many reasons for you to wake up shaking, even low blood sugar if you aren't eating much. Anxiety makes you overthink everything. Perhaps write a little list of what you are most worried about and speak to your GP so you don't have to worry about forgetting anything.

Please please do not try to adjust/decrease/increase the dose without medical support.

Being able to notice small pockets of calm in your day is huge, that's really positive.

Thank you, I hope so! xx

When you say shaking, what do you mean by that? I found I was wobbly, trembly in the mornings but not with anxiety, just a bit foggy wobbly, but then Ive been like that most of my life to be honest. Its not so bad now

Just shaking with anxiety really, internal jitters, breathless etc. X

Oh yes that awful morning anxiety. I would just recognise it for what it is, morning and anticipatory anxiety and know that it wears off throughout the day.

I am taking 267.5mg venlafaxine & 40mg propanalol up to 3 times daily, I absolutely know about it if I miss either. I suspect your morning jitters are down to the timing of your dose and would advise a conversation with your dr about both that, and something else to take the immediate edge of the acute anxiety.
This is the first combination to have worked for me, but it’s taken months to reach the right dose. I’m approaching a year and I would say it’s only in the last 2-3 months I feel properly settled.

Yep I think you’re right, I need to name it and acknowledge that it’s rubbish but hopefully will pass. Maybe I was naive in thinking it would disappear altogether. Thank you 🫶🏼

Did you keep having to trial going up? I have just been prescribed the same amount of Propanalol for a couple of weeks to see if it helps so will try it. When do you take your venlafaxine, morning or night? Really glad you’ve reached a point that works for you! x

Yes, it’s taken a long time. On the higher doses, it would feel effective quite quickly then seem to lose effectiveness, so we would increase again.
Most days I only take one propanalol, but it’s good to know the option is there for more if required.
I try to take mine in the morning, a consistent time of day is really important but I’m not fantastic at that tbh as my routine varies. If I forget, I get very jittery as the day goes on, and if I completely miss a dose the next day is very difficult and I feel extremely jittery / somewhat manic.

I find my anxiety is worst in the morning so wonder if it’s just wearing off as I too take it then with breakfast. I tend to be a lot calmer in the evenings. Im hoping a low ish dose might work for me as I’m not sure I could cope with the extra sweating etc on a higher dose! Are you worried about if you ever have to come off it or do you manage to not think that far ahead? That’s my main issue, I’m such a ‘what if’ panicker x

Yes, and depression. Anxiety is not gone but a whole lot better where I can enjoy my life

I was told by my GP that the anxiety side might take longer to settle, and it did, went from having a nervous breakdown, extreme elevated anxiety due to prolonged difficult life circumstances to pretty normal emotions. I do wonder if your dose is enough though. I did manage on 75mg once it kicked in, it was about 8 weeks in I'd say before I started to think I felt more normal. I think adding another 37.5 dose might be an approach given bodies are different and your anxiety is pretty embedded.

I get that you are worried about coming off the drug, and I agree it's not one where it's easy to miss a dose although all that happens to me is I get tingling lips and face and feel a bit odd, but there are lots of protocols on how to taper very gradually, I mean over months or years. Many GP's don't know about these or how to taper this drug so it's worth looking at those. I'm tapering off and then I've stopped at times where stress has risen again and I'm happy I'll be able to get off it again.

I would go on it again though if I ever get in that non-functioning state again, it does seem to work every effectively and I like knowing it is out there, if that makes sense.

I hope this or something else works for you, I think this will work as it gives your body a bit of time and space to start calming itself down, and you can use other things (nature, meditation, adjust life) once that's been achieved but it's so hard to do that when your adrenaline has been running high for so long. I'd also recommend Self-Help for your Nerves by Claire Weekes, very old but full of great wisdom of how to live with anxiety. You can get the audiobook and hear her lovely old-fashioned Australian Queen's English accent speaking to you.

I do get what you mean about the “what if” of coming off it. Being truthful, I try not to think about that.
I have a problem with anxiety right now, and that needs addressed. If the medication creates another problem in the future, I’ll deal with it then. I was always very much of the mindset that I wanted to be on minimum doses (of any medication) and definitely didn’t want long term dependency. However my brain and body have other other ideas, and this is a need whether temporary or long term.
I know it’s easy to say to push the thoughts away, especially given the problem is with anxiety, but on balance I will take the peace now and take a risk on the future.