Anyone have any experience on Venlafaxine

[lizmum5]

Hi long term lurker first time poster, my anxiety and depression not great atm, I've been taking estilopram now for 6 years, no longer helping and on the maximum dose, my dr wants me on Venlafaxine but I've heard side effects not good and coming off them not good, I'm worried but maybe that's my anxiety, does anyone have any experience with Venlafaxine? Thanks

Bump

It worked very well for me but I lost a lot of weight, and my BMI was on the border of being underweight anyway at the time I started on it. Coming off it is horrible. Really really horrible but I found I it easiest with the smallest dose tablets and I would break it into little pieces and have one of those small pieces as soon as I started to feel jittery until eventually I had weaned myself off.

Good luck and I hope it helps or else you find some other medication that works for you.

Yes it was not good. It triggered mania. Though it should only do that if you are pre-disposed to bi-polar. People say it totally changed what I was like. I don't remember coming off it being a bad experience but I was switched straight to something else.
What else have you been tried on?

I've been on multiple SSRIs and have always gone back to venlafaxine.

No switchover period is ever going to be nice, but you need to give it 12 weeks or so to level out.

I got on horribly with citalopram, and recently had a couple of years on sertraline, but have now gone back to venlafaxine. It's definitely my SSRI of choice.

Thanks for replies I have only been on estilopram and olanzapine, but last few months have been hell really in a dark place , but I know there no
Longer working for me, have health anxiety and depression and finding it harder to leave house , only doing the school runs, no one to talk to really apart from my dr who's keen for me to start Venlafaxine

Give it a try OP. It honestly improved my life so much.

Thankyou I'm so glad it worked for you

I've been on VF 75mg for a few years after Fluoxetine lost its efficacy. It's been great for me. Only downside is the immediate effects if you miss talking your dose - quite significant dizziness/swimming head. Other than that I'm really happy with it.

I've been on 225mg for nine months with major recurrent depression - it does help but withdrawal can be an absolute shit. If your GP is supportive, then I would say take it.

I've been stable on 75mg for over 5 years now but anytime I try to reduce I always get awful withdrawal, even the tiniest reduction makes me feel nauseous and as a pp has said, swimming head, dizzy and what I can only describe as being able to hear my eyes move. I take it at night and if I forget, I know as soon as I open my eyes the next morning.

It saved my life, OP - like you, I'd maxed out on escitalopram before switching. I've been taking 300mg with 15mg mirtazapine for about 4 years now fairly stably, after spending a couple of years at lower doses. Worry about the withdrawal when it's time to come off - when you're in the spiral of being able to face less and less, it's a quick slide to not being able to do more and more, unfortunately.

Thankyou so much for replies there seems too be more positive than negative and I have nothing to lose with how I am feeling , is it best to take with food? And what time of day? And yes my go is very supportive x

I take mine when I'm in bed, but for no real reason other than that's a more regular time than when I get up! I seem to think the first couple of weeks I did take them after eating, though, as otherwise I'd feel ropey for a bit, but that definitely isn't the case now. Maybe try after dinner, if you usually eat around the same time?

(I don't know if this is the same for everyone, but I notice massive differences in side effects between brands - the ones from my last doctor, I could easily go a day or two without taking them with no bother - now I'm on whatever the pharmacy has, and usually multiple brands at a time: some I get withdrawal symptoms if I'm just a few hours late )

Thanks Hefzi can I ask did you have any side effects when you first starting taking them? Sorry just so anxious of feeling/ being sick ☺️ x

I’m on 75mg (hopefully being upped tomorrow as I’ve been in this low dose for months and it’s not working now) and take it first thing in the morning. It’s the only one I get on with, I can actually do things on it. I have treatment resistant depression and since I moved to this 6 months ago I’ve seen a massive difference but I now need a bigger dose.

Yes Roland dr will put me on 75 to start then said within 2 weeks he will up it

I found the slow release version much easier to get on with than the others. This may be worth investigating with your GP. They were the fourth AD I tried and were great although, like others, I did find I had to come off them very slowly to minimise the side effects

Hope you find something that works for you.

I take 300mg a day, have been taking it for 6.5 years now. I'll probably be on it for life. I have bipolar disorder and also take lithium.

Venlafaxine makes me constipated, so I also take movicol every day. It definitely hasn't helped me lose weight unfortunately.

It make me nauseated for the first few days and dizzy, and then it was fine.

Venlafaxine works for me. I was on the highest dose for a while and it made me sweat a lot. But not being suicidal meant that the sweating was worth it! I'm gradually reducing my dose at the moment and haven't noticed any side effects.

Worked for me and I had no issues coming off it.

I'm so pleased it has worked for you all I think I will give it a try I have to take it alongside my current ad then wean off that,

Hello
I take 150 mg a day and have done for three years
I did attempt to change to another drug and followed dr instructions but it was too fast ...the coming off.... it before starting a new drug...that I had to have a week off work and go back on it ...
It helps me and I don’t think I have any side effects but I do take HRT too !!