Venelafaxine positive experience please

[Catsservant]

Hi all has anybody taken venelafaxine or is still taking it, my doc wants me to switch from citalopram after 12 weeks and not much improvement. I’m terrified after reading the horror stories of this med, especially withdrawal. My illness is depression manifesting as physical anxiety symptoms rather than low mood etc. thanks

Hi, I switched from Sertraline to Venelafaxine and honestly I’ve felt great, no side effects as I started to feel really ‘bland’ on Sertraline. X

Thanks for that, did you direct switch or cross taper them. Did it help both anxiety and depression. He’s keeping me on citalopram for 3 more weeks to give the increased dose Tim to possibly work. But starting me on pregabalin for physical anxiety symptoms first xx

Yes a direct switch, but I’m only on a very low dose. I just feel normal on it, if that makes sense?? But no anxiety. I hope you feel better soon x

Thanks x

I’m on it! Had poor appetite for the first 2 weeks when I started, but haven’t looked back since! I’m on 75mg/day. Zero problems whatsoever.

I am on a high dose of venlefaxine. Went from being hospitalised and very very unwell to functioning and returning to work in 6 months. Honestly absolute wonder drug for me. Absolutely nothing else had worked. I take it for severe depression, OCD and also struggle with PTSD (not really sure it particularly helpful for the PTSD) but it did treat everything else to a point i could engage meaningfully in trauma therapy which was positive for me.

First 6 weeks or so increasing dose i felt a bit fuzzy headed, dry mouth and headachy but nothing major. I do find it harder to orgasm which isn't ideal but not impossible and for me the benefits worth it.

If I miss a dose or am very late taking it I do get withdrawal quite quickly so important for me to take it at a regular time etc.

I've now been on it almost 3 years and I've not had a relapse or return of significant symptoms.

I am on 300mg a day but the doses are generally higher for OCD rather than depression / anxiety. So I'd not expect most people to be anywhere near that.

Hi, my experience is from a few years ago but Venlaflaxine saved my life. It helped so much with my OCD, ptsd anxiety and so much more. It gave me the headspace to be able to work on myself through counselling cbt and dbt. I was on a high dose so coming off it took a few months of slowly decreasing (but it wasn’t that scary, i just felt a bit like i got tingly arms and neck sometimes) but i tried so many medications and Venlaflaxine was the best fit for me, im so thankful for how it helped me at one of the hardest times in my life. Good luck OP

I've been on and off it for 25 years. All I know is every time I stop, the mental anguish is awful. I treat it as i would insulin as a diabetic - it keeps me well. I'm only on 75 mg but I have been up to 225.
If it's needed, you'll know.

I am on it for PMDD, 75mg a day. For me it’s wonderful. It really helps my emotional dysregulation.

The initial settling in period wasn’t great I felt nauseous a lot but now I am fine. I take it in the morning though or it prevents me from sleeping. I do struggle with sleep anyway though.

If I miss a dose I get a headache and if I don’t remember quick enough I feel really spaced out and weird. I just make sure I keep spares in the car and in my work bag. (I am forgetful)

Venelafaxine is the only medication that helped my mum who was seriously unwell with depression and anxiety for 7 years. She was hospitalised 3 times and sectioned once. She went through many other drugs first and several courses of ECT and nothing helped for long until she tried Venelafaxine. She’s now incredibly well, it’s remarkable. She’s on a low dose of it now and I hope she never stops it.

Dh is on 75mg a day, it’s fine, no side effects. Only downside is he gets funny sensation ms after a few hours if he’s missed a dose and it is not the easiest prescription to fulfill, periodically he struggles (or rather I struggle as it seems to always be me running around) to get it as Boots can’t get it in the format he uses

going on and off 🎢 and I did gain weight however they did help massively 💖 I came off ven as we were TTC and now on duloxetine with an almost 2yr old snoozing beside me

I’d say it saved my life. At my worst I was on 225, now 75. I did not find reducing hard, but getting off it entirely seems hard. Withdrawal is very difficult.

I always thought it was a last resort type drug if several of the others (SSRIs) hadn’t been effective. I know people on Venlafaxine who do find it to be very helpful, but the withdrawal can be exceptionally difficult. I’m not medical but I’d think a different SSRI (Cipralex, Sertraline for example) combined with the Pregabalin would be the natural next step. Happy to be corrected though.

I'm pretty much the same, 23 years or so. Currently on 300mg, but have been higher and at lowest dose. It's horrendous if you miss a dose, so make sure you get your prescriptions in time.

Hi op I’ve been on Venlafaxine for over 8 years now and have been on 225mg from the start. I switched from Fluoxetine and was prescribed it after being officially diagnosed with OCD aswell as anxiety and I take it as 2 doses, the 150mg tablet very early am and the 75mg tablet mid afternoon. I also think it’s saved me! My OCD was so severe I could barely leave the house unless I had cleaned every inch of it which also affected my dc’s being on time for school etc. I would give it a chance honestly. Good luck 🤞

I take 300mg it gives me dry mouth, high blood pressure, excess sweating, can’t orgasm. Need to drink plenty of water and as others have said if I miss a dose I feel like death. It’s not enough on its own and I take 600mg of lithium too. Though quite frankly the combination doesn’t work anymore. I struggle with organising myself, I forget things, I say the wrong thing and have lost friends, I was in trouble last week for oversharing at work and making someone uncomfortable, I don’t sleep, I hate my life and would rather not be here anymore. I’ve told my physiatrist he’s still on about lowering my dose. I spoke to a GP and she gave me a long list of things to try for lack of sleep. I can’t even begin to look at them it’s too difficult. Guess you can say it’s not working for me.

Thanks ladies, I’m paying privately to see a psychiatrist so he thinks I have treatment resistant depression. This ssri don’t seem to be working for me so the next step is to change to venelafaxine after a few weeks after staring the pregabalin xx