Starting Venlafaxine tomorrow - Good News Stories Please!!

[Bookworm13]

I am starting 37.5mg of Venlafaxine tomorrow (Thurs 1 Dec) and hoped that you may have some good news stories/advice for me please?!
I was on Sertraline for a year and ended up titrating to the 200mg dose three weeks ago, but it just stopped working. (I suffer with anxiety)
My GP is currently tapering me off the Sertraline and as I say, I start taking the Venlafaxine tomorrow.
Did you have any side effects and how long did it take for you to notice a difference?

Thanks Haribogirl.
Day 6 today and feeling rough with anxiety from when I woke up. I am seeing my GP (she's lovely) at 2pm today for a catch-up.

I felt anxious yesterday morning when I woke up as well but it very gradually eased later on in the day and I felt much better by early evening. Had a great weekend though.
She did remind me that with any new AD, it takes a good 3-4 weeks to start kicking in properly.
Any hints or advice from anyone would be gratefully received! X

Well, just got back from seeing my GP.
She said to take my last 100mg of Sertraline tomorrow (Wed) and then from Thurs, I've to increase my Ven from 37.5mg to 75mg (two tablets a day morning and eve with a 12 hr gap between each one.)
She is seeing me again on Monday morning for another catch-up.
I explained about feeling anxious yesterday & today and she said that was to be expected, seeing as I am on low doses of both Sert and Ven and my body is trying to deal with it!
I just want to feel like me again!!!

I've been on venlafaxine for 4 years. Currently on 225mg. I also take lithium.

I echo what everyone said about not missing dose. I also find it makes me constipated.

Thanks HuckleberryGin - will make sure I drink lots of water and eat plenty fruit and veg!

Venlafaxine has changed my life. For the first time in 20+ years, I feel normal, happy; I've had two decades of moderate and severe depression, PND, anxiety and panic attacks. All gone.

I'd been on amytriptaline, fluoxetine, escitalopram, others I've forgotten, had CBT, group therapy, a mindfulness course and been bounced around various services, none of which helped at all.

Finally, I insisted on a referral to a psychiatrist.

I've been on it for 18 months now and after some tinkering with the dose, I was upped to the dose I'm on now (375mg) about 8 months ago with a view to adding something else on top (possibly lithium) but I haven't needed to.

I cannot tell you how relieved and happy I am to have it. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. I thought I would never feel like this again.

Thank you for that NeopreneMermaid! Delighted to hear it!

As I say, my GP has told me to start taking 75mg as from Thursday (two 37.5mg tablets a day morning and eve with a 12 hr gap between each one.)

She said some people think this is a better way of taking that dose as it is more consistently and evenly spread with two doses, whilst others prefer to take one 75mg dose.
She said we could see how I get on with the two 37.5mg doses and if I wanted to in a couple of weeks, switch to the one 75mg.
I would really appreciate any views on this from people who are/have been on the 75mg dose of Ven and what they think.

Hi
Hope your feeling ok, and as good as can be expected under the circumstances.

Just to say if your struggling, then put the increase off maybe another week
If you've got few se then an increase will make them more intense for you
X

Thanks Haribogirl!

Well, I've been on Ven now for 9 days (7 days at 37.5mg and 2 days on 75mg) and fingers crossed (so far) I've only had minimal side effects.

I've felt a bit yucky about 1.5 hrs after taking the morning dose but it goes quickly. I'm not sleeping great either but it's manageable.

I started taking the 75mg yesterday, split into two separate 37.5mg doses morning and evening and am having a catch-up with my GP on Monday morning to see how I'm getting on with them.

If things continue to be ok, I think I'll stick with the 75mg separated doses for now.

How are you getting on? X

I've found that the sickiness that you get with it goes if you have the modified release tablet.

Yes it's the MR capsules I take and it is nowhere near as bad as when I was on Sertraline.

I was on it for a few years but unfortunately found it eventually stopped working for me

Are you on one dose or is it split between two doses a day? Whatever dose I was on it was always split, and I would know if I missed a dose as I'd get irritable and headaches and dizziness

I had it after duloxetine and the increase in energy was brilliant! Not sure if it was a side effect of the duloxetine that had me in bed at 9 every night, but on venlafaxine I had normal adult bedtimes!

Thank you!

Well, it's day 12 of Ven and day 5 of being on the split 75mg dose. Not feeling so great today after having a great few days.
My anxiety is high after alot of family issues yesterday afternoon.
I stopped taking the Sertraline on Thursday, so I don't know if it is a side effect of that.
Had a catchup with my GP this morning and she is seeing me again on Thurs. She said I seemed better but that I could go up to the next dose 150mg if I felt I needed it.
I've only been on the 75 mg dose for five days.
How long should I give this increase to work and what did you all do? X