Venlafaxine

[Clare2729]

I have been taking venlafaxine XL since 1st April. Started on 75mg and was still struggling with sleep. I increased to 112.5mg from 18th April. Since the increase I have been sleeping much better however I am experiencing the most awful tiredness unlike anything I've ever experienced before! This is despite sleeping much better at night. I also feel very shakey a lot of the time. The dr has said he would like to increase me to 150mg from 5th May. Whilst I feel my mood and anxiety have slightly improved I just know I can't cope with this awful tiredness long term. I'm trying my best to keep busy and power through the tiredness every day but it's so hard when your so mentally and physically exhausted. My question is has anybody else experienced these side effects and if so did they get better? If it did get better then how long did that take? I'm very worried about staying on this medication in the hope that the side effects will go and then they don't! I know this is an extremely hard drug to come off and I'm scared that the longer I stay on it and the higher I keep getting my dose increased then the harder it will be to come off! Could really do with some advice. Thank you. Clare

Anybody help????

I was prescribed the lowest dose back in 2012. 37.5? I remember struggling to keep my eyes open for a while a few weeks into starting it. I recall it lasted a week or so.
You're right. It's an absolute B to withdraw from. I tried once, failed, then did a bit more research and started again. I was successful but felt awful for a few weeks - nausea, brain zaps etc

I started it about 6 weeks ago, on 75mg. I was exhausted for about 10 days and couldn't wait to get to bed at 9.30. It wore off and I'm back to normal now. It seems to be working better than the citalopram
I was on before so I'm happy with it for now.

So do we think the fact it's been 4 weeks and I'm still as tired that it probably isn't going to stop? X

I remember being tired on it for a short time but it was 2004 so exact details evade me! I was on 75mg. It did work though

I'm on 225mg but don't have any tiredness side effects (well, I am tired but that's nothing to do with venlafaxine!)

I do find though that if I miss a dose, I get very drowsy and really struggle to wake up. But anyway, in your position I'd keep going for another couple of weeks and re-evaluate after that.

I've been on it for about a year or so, so hard to remember how long it took to get past the tiredness stage but increasing the dose took as long to get used to as starting it in the first place. Think it was about a couple of weeks in each case. No tiredness or other negative effects with it any more.

Have you stayed at the same dose? X

Natsku what dose are you on? X

Another side effect I seem to have is increased sense of smell does anybody else have this? X

I started at 75mg, went up to 150mg fairly quickly and more recently went up to 225mg.

Yeah my sense of smell increased to begin with, I think its normal again now (or maybe I just got used to it).

I just really recommend that you make sure you don't run out of meds at any point - I let my prescription run out and had to go 5 days without and that was horrible, felt like I was withdrawing from heroin or something!

One tip I heard from someone who is also on it, for when you want to cut down your dose towards stopping you can open up the pill and take away some of the little bits inside so you lower the dose much more slowly so hopefully preventing most of the issues with withdrawal.

Thanks Natsku, sorry did you suffer with the tiredness? Has this drug helped overall though and are you on the XL version so you take it all in the morning? Sorry for all the questions I've just been having a really bad time and ended up in hospital. I feel that mentally I've turned a corner on this medication (tried 2 others before) but the exhaustion is just awful and I know I can't stay on this medication if that exhaustion doesn't go. Really scared of the withdrawal the longer I stay on it if I'll have to come off because of the side effects! This is so bloody hard!

Yeah I had the tiredness really bad but it did get better after a few weeks. I take it all in the morning (having a dosette box right by the bed is really helpful to prevent you forgetting to take it as if I forget even for one day I start to feel quite sick)

I'm not too worried about coming off it eventually, the main thing is that it has helped me so much, I wasn't able to work at all or do anything beyond basic living before I started it and now I have a part time job which I really enjoy and take part in life much more and my anxiety is almost completely gone. Its worth it. I'll handle withdrawal when I come to it.

Though I only ever was on 75mg I found as long as I tapered very very slowly coming off it wasn't too bad. It did, like you say, help enormously natsku. I did have weight get but my opinion was so what!

To be honest if these work for me and the tiredness goes then I'll happily stay on them for life! I was on citalopram for 10 years but came off them in August because I didn't think I needed them anymore! Big mistake as depression and anxiety worse than I'd ever experienced before hit 6 weeks later. Tried to go back on the citalopram but it did nothing. Then tried sertraline which also did nothing so now onto venlafaxine which does seem to be doing something but this tiredness is unbearable and won't be able to cope with it long term. I think the dr will increase me to 150mg on Friday. Just hoping it all settles down so I don't have to wean off it. Great to hear your doing so well on it. Xx

The weight gain is one thing that bothered me about it but that's going to happen with pretty much any anti-depressant really.

I'm on the XL and it has really affected my ability to sleep properly. I feel that I sleep on and off but don't go into a deep sleep, so am exhausted most of the time. The doctor gave me some sleeping tablets, but I'm not allowed to take them every night. They help a bit. I'm going back to the GP because I can't continue being so exhausted.

What dose are you on and for how long? X

I was on a half dose to start with (37.5mg I think) and then have been on 75mg for about 2 weeks.

I thought I'd update you. I am coming of the Venlafaxine. I went to the GP and said I would rather go back to feeling low than stay feeling exhausted the whole time. I am now back to the half dose (obviously can't just come straight after them), whilst also taking a different type of AD. Obviously it's going to take a while, but I definitely don't feel as exhausted as I did before

Reading these reviews, I notice they were back in 2017, have you resolved your issues with the side effects you were all experiencing? I have been prescribed venlafaxine and have just had the dose increased from 75mg per day to 150mg per day. I'm on my first week of the 150mg and having several of the usual side effects such as anxiety,low mood but not tiredness. I do wake several times in the night even though I've been prescribed 15mg mirtaziine. On the whole this antidepressant seems to be slowly slowly improving my mood but just not fast enough!! I'm 75years old and feel I have lost 6months of my life, 6months wasted on this horrible complaint. Just need a bit of encouragement from some of you lovely ladies. Xx