Venlafaxine: I've just been prescribed this and I'm feeling afraid of it

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Doctor has just advised me to switch from sertraline to venlafaxine, because the latter is more likely to help with troublesome depressive thoughts/preoccupations and problems with focus/concentration. But I am nervous.

Can anyone with experience of venlafaxine give me any reassurance (or warnings)?

I'm particularly afraid of:

-- Nausea/vertigo
-- Withdrawal difficulties
-- Feeling so physically ill or fatigued that I can't enjoy exercise

Exercise has been like an anti-depressant for me, an incredibly important way to reduce stress and lift mood. So I would be very wary of taking any meds that would make it less available to me. Might dizziness and nausea be bad enough to stop me doing yoga? Might venlafaxine cause fatigue that would stop me doing spinning classes?

I am also scared of weight gain.

I've used a ton of other anti-depressants in the past, without unmanagable side-effects or withdrawal issues. But venlafaxine seems to present so many people with problems.

I did have two very awful episodes of vertigo several years ago, which may or may not have been associated with the sertraline I was taking, and I feel frightened of going through that again.

I'm very grateful for anything anyone might feel able to say.

I've been on SSRIs and various other things for years and venlafaxine saved my life.

I wouldn't be without it now, I'm a different person and my life is better than I ever thought it would be.

I really didn't get on with sertraline or citalopram at all, but I love and adore venlafaxine.

Sertraline made me gain far more weight. I probably weigh 10lb more than I did before any drugs at all, but I'm also a lot older now.

Hi I'm on venlafaxine and it's been a godsend to me. I was crippled by intrusive thoughts and it has given me my life back tbh. The side effects were uncomfortable for a couple of weeks (nausea and sweating) but they subsided quite quickly. I also started on the lowest possible dose and then increased after 4 weeks which meant that the side effects weren't too severe. I haven't gained weight on them (actually lost a bit) and feeling mentally better has given me more energy and I'm out and about more etc.

I took it a few years ago too for severe PNA and when I stopped I did a staggered withdrawal gradually decreasing the dose and it was no issue. My previous experience with them led me to ask for them again this time as I know they work, I would definitely recommend trying them.

Interested to hear the replies you get OP.

I’ve been taking fluoxetine for 5 years. Was extremely effective at reducing depression (although not so much anxiety) for 4+ years but I’m feeling low again lately and like I did before I took it, so have a meds review coming up and interested to know if anything else might be more effective.

I tried venlafaxine briefly some years ago and it didn’t agree with me at all. Felt very sick and drowsy. However, I didn’t ride it out as you probably should do when adjusting to a new medication. I stopped taking it as soon as I started feeling crappy.

It did take me about 6 weeks to start levelling out to be honest, you do feel quite groggy for a bit.

So worth it though. The only side effect I'm not keen on is the night sweats, but I had them a million times worse on sertraline, and it's not every single day.

But compared to how I was before, being a hermit trapped indoors having panic attacks, scratching my skin off and self medicating with whisky, I'll take the night sweats!

I mostly feel like an actual normal human being now, so much so that I forget about anxiety.

Might as well try it OP?

As said upthread, it saved my life. for you OP

Thanks very much for the replies so far. They are reassuring and positive. I think that the information generally available online about medications can sometimes overemphasise the bad experiences , because people who just feel a bit better, with no huge side effects etc, are perhaps less likely to post online about their meds.
So it is good to read the posts here. I'm glad for all of you that have improved on venlafaxine. And, Americanah, I hope this thread is useful for your decision-making too.

I did well on it but struggled lots when coming off it!

Not really suffered any side effects from venlafaxine as far as I can tell. It gives me energy and motivation. I have heard its one of the hardest to come off though, but I'm not worrying about that at the minute. It's definitely the best antidepressant I've been on for bringing my mood up rather than just making me feel less depressed

Oh yes the night sweats! I forgot about that. They were bad for me at the start but wasn't sure which drug was causing it (I'm on three different ones) but since I switched to slow release venlafaxine they have become a lot less frequent.

Could I ask, almostdivorcedeeek, what sort of difficulties you had with withdrawal, and how long they lasted? Thanks x

I am on venlafaxine and Sertraline. They have saved my life. Definitely.

I had been on venlafaxine in the past and had come off it when pregnant. You need to come off it under GP supervision so they can taper it off slowly. My side effects were feeling like I was having static electricity shocks a few times a day inside my body, and a headache. Have to say though, with tapering it I was off it within two weeks, with no issues.

It is a bloody good drug that works in a slightly different way to Sertraline. Side effects will.calm.down within a few weeks, and nothing is a shit as having poor mental health anyway.

Good luck

Dh is on venlafaxine. Saved his life. He exercised like a demon on it and no weight gain. He’s been coming off it slowly. He was on another one before that that did bugger all...

I have no problem with exercise on VF OP. I cycle 8 miles each way to work every day, and do yoga twice a week. I don't feel monged out of groggy.

Once I got through the first 6 weeks of feeling weird and spaced out (I experienced teeth chattering and judders) it's the best ever.

Thanks very much, everyone. Lots of really reassuring experiences here.

Feel free to PM me OP if you want to chat about dosage.

Thanks sneaky. That's v kind. Planning to start on Thurs, after I've tapered down from the sertraline, so I;ll see how it goes.

I've booked a couple of days off work to make the start-up easier.

Hi there.

I was on venlafaxine for quite a while. Within the first hour of taking the first tablet I was sat in my car throwing up into a bag. Just wanted to warn you so that you can go gently with yourself initially. This did ease over a few weeks. I also used to wake up freezing cold and wet from night sweats. It didn't make me drowsy but also didn't help with the sleep problems.

It worked to a certain extent and was the only one that didn't cause weight gain for me.

I had to come off it when I was an in patient as it gave me a high heart rate and BP - as much to do with the fact I took too many several times before admit, but they still got a bit excited about it and changed me to fluoxetine.
My in patient time is a bit hazy but I don't recall tapering it down - one day I took it and then the next I was taking fluoxetine and don't recall any horrid effects. I was on lorazepam regularly which I guess might have helped?

I hope the side effects arent too bad and it helps you xx

Thanks very much, Welshy. That's helpful. I'll keep a sickbag handy!

My GP practice has an in-house pharmacist. Might go and chat with her.

Hope you are feeling better these days, Welshy xx

Am on day 2 now, and nothing bad whatsoever apart from feeling a bit drowsy. So either I'm quite lucky or the side effects are taking a while to to hit me. I was all psyched up for feeling lousy!

I slept quiet badly last night, but that isn't very unusual for me.