Experiences with Effexor/venlafaxine - tiredness in particular

[800msprint]

Hi
I've been on Effexor for 3 months now. Initial 2 weeks were pretty horrible but that has passed.

I'm left feeling just rather blah. I definitely don't fret as much. It's like the first couple of drinks. It just takes the edge off.

However I'm left just feeling completely zombiefied at around 3pm onwards. I'm not sure if really this is more to do with chronic exhaustion and having two young children or if the drugs are making it all worse. I don't remember feeling this knackered before. Anyone else? I'm struggling at times to sleep but this is normal for me. I've had insomnia since kids were born 4 years ago.
Dr said up to me. I'm staying on them as not sure I want to keep swapping antidepressants around but be grateful for any other experiences. I definitely do feel better than i did and I would much rather be knackered than how low I was.

I know it says 'can make you sleepy' but I don't find that myself. Probably the opposite, if anything! I think it's probably kids/insomnia making you tired. Are you on the extended release or twice a day tablets? Extended release is meant to be better for people with sleeping problems, but you have to take it in the morning or not at all (i.e if you don't notice you've not taken it til 2pm, miss a dose or you won't sleep).

Oh really ha! I'm on the twice a day ones - 37.5mg am and pm.

God it really makes me feel blah. Though more preferable than vaguely suicidal.

I take 300mg in the morning modified release.

I do feel sleepy but I take anti psychotics & anti epileptics too.

I still feel depressed at times & even suicidal but it lifts very quickly & most of the time I feel quite calm & fairly content.

I take it and do feel sleepy in the day sometimes, especially if I had trouble sleeping.

It isn’t bad if I keep moving or have people around, but if I’m on my own and sit down for a bit then I’ll often doze off.

Sometimes changing the time you take it can help.

I'm in them too op and am often exhausted in the day but I take a cocktail of other tablets for fibromyalgia and of course fibromyalgia in itself causes fatigue so I never know the root cause!

What I would say is that I go through cycles of being exhausted ( usually around a week ) and it passes, I'm not sure what to make of that but just saw a pp saying that the slow release one needs taking of a morning and I didn't realise that and often take it in the afternoon

It took me a while to get used to being on the venlafaxine after being on fluoxetine for a couple of years. They are good. Give it time.
Best of luck