Did Venlafaxine change your life for the better?

[Crispsmakemehappy]

Venlafaxine prescription sitting a few days now and I’m unsure what to do. I’m AD free as week now but scared to try these incase they make me have suicidal thoughts like others have….

Tell me your positive stories please, I know they are meant to be horrendous to come off and needs to be done at a super slow pace.

TIA 😌💐

Ooh @Crispsmakemehappy I thought of another thing that helped - I found the capsules quite tricky to swallow, particularly the larger ones / bigger doses. Venlafaxine also comes in tablets (which I much prefer - you don’t get the weird sensation of the stuff inside the capsules rolling about as you swallow <har, that’s a terrible description, it’s the only ‘sensory’ thing I’ve ever got the ‘ick’ about) 👍🏻

Just for balance.

I was on 375mg and I've absolutely no memory of about 4 years of my life after my daughter was born apart from looking at photographs. I constantly had compulsions to steal, to my knowledge I didn't but I was mortified to feel like that. My family were so worried about me they didn't know what to do. My exH called my DM once at 5pm when he came home and found me delirious.

Coming off them was the worst thing I've ever experienced. The brain shocks were the worst.

I'm glad to read that others have much better experiences. To this day I can't bear thinking about it and feel so bitter that they threw these drugs at me - 8 stone and 5 ft - at the highest dose with no warnings.

Oh@ReginaPhalangee I’m so sorry to hear this. Really sounds like a nightmare😢 did they start you on that high dose?

They started me on 75mg and just kept raising the dosage. I believe 375mg is as high as you can get. Please don't let this happen to you! It was only when I googled it that I came across all of the (anecdotal) stuff which I know I'd been feeling but wasn't made clear to me.

I would say no.

20 years on.

Be prepared of the withdrawal side effects that will start as soon as you have missed a dose.
They are SO hard to get off.

I had a meltdown in the pharmacy as was 1 day into withdrawal.

I've always said that I wouldn't wish the drug on anybody.

Crisis teams have asked me to get off. GP has asked me to get off.

Once you are on you are on.

Do not take them.

225mg daily.

They keep me stable, because the withdrawal makes me very unstable.

I don't even know a true calmness now.

Saved my life, not a question. Been off them about 5-6 years now.

@ReginaPhalangee im so confused what to do. Do you take anything at the moment?

Crispsmakemehappy

My DW was so so depressed to the point of suicide. She had been prescribed Sertraline, Citalopram etc. Nothing had helped.

When she started taking Venlafaxin, she felt better so quickly.
She has been taking them for several years and this, along with some psychotherapy, has changed her life for the better.

She asked me to tell you this and urges to try them.
Don't run out of the pills, you will need to maintain the dose.
Good luck.

If it's anxiety and intrusive thoughts - definitely not.

These are prescribed for major depressive mood disorders.

No, no.

Have you tried Sertraline? That wasn't around before I had Venlafaxine.

The crisis team wanted me to try it but no, I can't even face trying to get off these.

All that said, it hasn't changed my life for the worse.
I've still got stitched up in hospital through SH. I've still behaved like a depressive arsehole.

I'll not post more. Sorry. I do hope it works for you.

At least if you have the hard tablets you can come off and nibble a bit everyday to ward off the effects.

I was on 75mg for 10 years, 150 for 5, and now 225.

I do think your body becomes used to it and you need to up.

I've been on 225 since lockdown.

My last post didn’t post 🙃 truely confused what to do now.

So citalopram for 12 weeks…nothing

then onto the devil aka fluxotine for 5 weeks - NEVER AGAIN

i don’t think SSRI’s agree with me….

prescribed mertaxapine and refused them

so now onto these…..I’m just so so worried then send me crazy like fluxotine.

@Blahburst glad to hear they helped u too. What dose did u begin with and what dose are u on now?

I worked up to 225 before they started working then slowly reduced after about a year. Took them for about 5 years and off them altogether for about 5 years now. I had already tried sertraline which was a disaster for me.

@Crispsmakemehappy I have had periods of no medication and have tried a whole range of different types. I'm currently on citalopram and propranolol. This works for me at the present time, it hasn't always.

Just wanted to make sure you had a balanced view and I'm so glad to read the positive stories around venlafaxine. I just know I never, ever can get those lost years back.

I take them for Health anxiety, OCD and intrusive thoughts/magical thinking.
They work better than any other for me.
They gave me my life back

That's good.

I'd say they stole my life. I am a slave to them and their side effects now. Especially excessive sweating for years. High blood pressure and dental problems.

I can only say how it has affected me, like everyone else can.

For me too, it was the only option after trying all others.
The crisis team called it a 90's drug that's very hard on your system, and it is, if you forget one dose.

I just don't think it's the one to go straight on to.

I've always said I wouldn't wish it my worst enemy.

Hi OP, yes I tried all sorts of others over the years- sertraline, citalopram, fluoxetine. They made me feel awful. Venlafaxine is the only one that has ever worked for me. Like the previous poster, it's helped me so much with the anxiety and intrusive thoughts, and what I call "thought" OCD.

For me, no.

dose was increased up to a high dose. Felt numb, but could not enjoy anything. Took 3 attempts to come off them. Eventually had to take the little bits out of the capsules and wean off over 6 months.

I was also on 375mg venlafaxine, at only 19. Luckily I was only on them six months or so, but I have huge gaps in my memory from that period as well. They made me like a zombie, I couldn't feel happy or sad. I quit cold turkey as I decided I'd had enough.

Such mixed reviews. I’m so confused and scared to try them. I really don’t know what to do

20 years on Effexor for me. (The generics are less effective because the ex. release is generally not as good and I’ve had much of my GI tract removed). They will prise my Effexor from my cold, dead hands. It’s a miracle drug afai am concerned.

I came off it without any problem while pregnant with DS. Reducing by 37.5 mg every week or so was easy. Cold turkey is not.

Venlafaxine was the third AD I tried after paroxetine and citalopram. Paroxetine made me feel suicidal and citalopram did nothing. The first week on venlafaxine was a bit rough - I felt drunk, like the floor was on a slope, and absolutely exhausted. After that, it really helped. I don't know how I'll ever get off it though. I've been on it for 7 years and feel utterly crap if I miss a dose.

Thank you for all your replies. It just works for some and not for others. Just like how fluxotine did not work for me, quite the opposite but yet it works fantastically for a relative. I’m still unsure what to do and my anxiety is making me overthink it. I need something though. Has anyone any other AD suggestions? Maybe I should just try this one and not go any higher than the initial dose?

Maybe I should just try this one and not go any higher than the initial dose?
You may be lucky and that does something, but it did nothing for my depression or anxiety until I was on a high dose, which also had the bad effects too.

Are there any other treatments available to you?