Venlafaxine - timeframes help!!!

[Mils33]

Hi,
I'm going through a period of severe depression and anxiety- currently hospitalised. I have been on Venlafaxine now for about 6 weeks, started at 75mg then 150 and I'm now on my 9th day at 225mg. The problem is I'm just not getting any change at all from it. (Luckily no side effects either) but my mood and thoughts are as bad if not worse. I want to know if it has taken people longer than this for it to work? And if so how long and how did you know it was working? I keep being told it's the best drug for me after trying other ssris. I'm also on mirtazapine but that seemed to stop working for me. Help please

I was on 550mg of venlaflaxine and no effect. But I have had success with citalopram and sertraline.

I think therapeutic dose only starts from 150mg (so consultant told me) so you’ve prob got a bit to wait. I found it took ages. A couple of months. I was on max dose mirtazapine as well, (then other things too after another episode)

I found I knew when it started to work when I had brief instances in the 24hour period when I didn’t want to die. I might want to run away from everything instead! Or I might notice that the sun was out, and it looked nice outside, before descending back into doom a few minutes later. But those brief instances gave hope, and it was gradual improvement from there. But I remember being an inpatient and thinking things would never ever get better. I think the thing is, if you’re really unwell, it’s quite a hole to get out of. I hope you start to see an improvement soon.

@dangermouseisace Thanks for the detailed info. I also heard the dose needs to be quite high to be theraputic so may be I need to give the 225 more of a chance. I just literally don't have any different feelings and like you said just spend the whole day ruminating and wanting to die. Do you think then that it was the venlafaxine that caused that gradual improvement? Or have you had anything better since? X

I like you was hospitalised and on mega doses of venlafaxine but it didn't help at all. Mine was very drug resistant even when mixed with quetiapine at high quantities also. I was just catatonic!

Realise this isnt t helpful but I saw someone come in and start venlafaxine and improve dramatically in 2 wks

Mine didn't become effective until I had been on 225mg for a while. I also needed to take the birth control pill continuously to avoid hormonal swings, but together they help a lot.

@FirstAidKitNowPlease did anything help for you at all?

@WhoWants2Know Thanks for your reply, when you say a while how long ish are you talking?

Mils I think it was the combination of venlafaxine and the mirtazapine (I was on 45mg of that too) plus being on sleeping tablets too for a while, so that I actually got a break from my brain for 8 hours a night, they helped. M And the whole being in hospital where they feed you and you can't have alcohol probably helped. Although hospital is bloody horrible. How are you finding it?

I was also put on it in hospital for severe depression and anxiety. Pretty catatonic. It probably the 7th drug I’d tried by that point? Despite the truly grim side effects, it seemed to kick in fairly quickly. Went from 37mg to 225mg by the time I was discharged. A couple of months later when I felt my recovery had plateaued, I asked for an increase. Have been on 300mg for many years now and can’t imagine coming off it.

Can’t say this with any certainty but it does seem to be a drug that kicks in fairly quickly if it works on you. I ask how long you have to stay on it before weaning off and trying something else. Because it’s so hardcore to withdraw from, you don’t want to take it longer than really necessary.

@dane8 nearly 5 weeks in hospital now. They only have it max 2 weeks between increasing dosage and I'm now on 300mg but still without any change. So in total I've been on it about 7-8 weeks. Do you still think it could work if I give it much longer?

@dangermouseisace finding my current hospital awful. I was placed somewhere far away to begin with because of beds and thought I wanted to be nearer home but the one I've come in to is awful & I don't feel like it will help me. But still having suicidal thoughts. I'm wondering if the medication is making that worse x

The annoying things are these kinds of meds is that it can be very much hit and miss. One might work amazingly for one person, and then not at all for another. Some people need to try several doses/meds/combinations before they find one that works for them - and the problem is you have to give each dose a good 6 weeks to see if it'll work for you, so unless you hit lucky the first time, it's not always an easy fix.

But what I am sure of is that you WILL find something that will work for you.

Sertraline was the one for me and, surprisingly, quite a low dose.

I went from being anxiously 80% of the time to about 5% of the time (which I think is normal!) and responding to situations appropriately. It changed my life, and you will find the meds that change yours :).

Patience is the toughest thing in the world, but it's all we've got..

@LindaEllen so true. The waiting is excruitiating. I still believe there's a med that can help me but I've just got a gut feeling this isn't the one because I haven't even felt the slightest of difference. I feel like the hospital doctors just want to keep adding other stuff on top rather than try other ssris for example. They suggested I go on lithium next which I'm reluctant to

That sounds shit OP.
A depressed relative was put on lithium and says it saved her life. She came off it eventually. But I hope something else works first.