Experiences of venlafaxine?

[PurpleLovecats]

Just started this, 75mg twice a day. Any experiences?

Honestly ? It’s the reason I’m still here able to type this. I had psychosis caused by bipolar and the venlafaxine was to treat the bipolar when I had the psychosis under control. I took it for 12 weeks and it did fuck all, then one day I woke up and I didn’t want to kill myself and I could get in the shower without feeling like it was a marathon, I could brush my teeth without psyching myself up for hours. I washed my hair and I dried it. I was on a huge dose at the time-450 (treatment resistant) and if I missed a dose I knew about it.

side effects - take the dose at the exact same time every day or you’ll get brain zaps, sounds weird but it’s like a shock across your body, my pupils are large on it, also it can make you yawn a lot at the beginning I’m talking probably 10 mins a day usually at night of solid yawning then it stops! It also stops me sleeping but I’ve figured it out now, I take it at night because it’s slow release it works during the day and then is wearing off for bed so it sounds a bit upside down and the pharmacist In hospital questioned my logic but when I asked her to prescribe zopiclone then if she was going to force me to have it in the morning she relented.

I’ve probably scared you shitless, but I can 100% say that I’d have killed myself in 2020 if I hadn’t started it when I did. It was hard to get through the first few weeks but I promised my mum I’d try to get better. I’m glad I did

I find it a decently effective antidepressant. It makes me need to pee more though. But apart from the brain zaps(which i only get if I take my dose late) and that i don't have any side effects. It did effect ny libido a little at first too. But that passed.

Thanks both of you. I’ve been taking it at slightly varying times but no brain zaps thankfully, they sound horrible! I’m on a low dose sertraline too at the moment though. Mine is for anxiety as the sertraline stopped working. Am hoping it might stop the angels that visit me though and talk to me all the time although my old MH team said that I wasn’t psychotic so they are probably real.

I think I must have tried all the antidepressants that are on the market with no good results, then I had Venlafaxine prescribed. it has made me put on weight in fact i am on 3 that have that problem so I have got quite big but its a small price to pay really it works for me i have been on them for years

Best one ever.

Oh interesting! I hope I don’t put on weight. I’ve put on 5 stone since I started my MH medications.

Hi jumping on this to wonder how you’re getting on with the VEN- I started 10 days ago and am scared to up dose or stop them! I feel like I’ve gone down a rabbit hole with online info and scared myself so much only taking 37.5 MR

I’m on Duloxetine which is very similar to Venlafaxine in quite a few ways - brain zaps, heat intolerance and subsequent extreme sweating, sleep issues, all the same side effects. However I too would not be alive today if it wasn’t for my AD.

For anyone who’s not experienced brain zaps and is worried, I would describe it as you know when you’re over tired and you kind of do a double take and you’re like whoa! Omg I’m tired… That. There isn’t really a zap it’s more of a very brief instance of dizziness.

I’m on Duloxetine which is very similar to Venlafaxine in quite a few ways - brain zaps, heat intolerance and subsequent extreme sweating, sleep issues, all the same side effects. However I too would not be alive today if it wasn’t for my AD.

For anyone who’s not experience brain zaps and is worried, I would describe it as you know when you’re over tired and you kind of do a double take and you’re like whoa! Omg I’m tired… That. There isn’t really a zap it’s more of a very brief instance of dizziness.

I am ok but my hallucinations are worse. I’m plagued by angels anyway but now seeing random insects, orbs floating around, moving furniture etc.