Venlafaxine how long does it take to work?

[Nietz93]

Hi everyone,
I have been put on Venlafaxine XL 150mg. It's been 19 days now.
The initial side effects have gone, but I still don't feel the full benefit of the medication. How long did it take for you to fully work? I would really appreciate hearing other people's experiences.
Thank you

I had chronic debilitating anxiety a few years ago. So bad that I couldn’t drive and had to stay in the house or at a family members. I was put on Venlafaxine. I had pretty bad side effects for the first couple of weeks then I did start to feel a bit of a lift and it was probably about 6-8 weeks before I felt the true benefit. I’ve been on and off it several times over the years but symptoms started to come back and I’ve now accepted that I will stay on it for the foreseeable future and have no plans to come off it. I know everyone is different but it has been a good drug for me. The only downside I would say it that it has an incredibly short half life and missing a tablet or being very late taking it causes side effect which are physically quite unpleasant. Good luck to you and I hope you feel the benefits soon.

Thank you for your sharing your experience. I really hope it will work for me too. Fingers crossed!

I forgot to ask, what dose are you on?

I have been on it for 4 months first at 150 mg but then moved to 225 mg and 300mg. It's not done a lot for my depression but also my depression hasn't got as bad as it previously had so they think it is somewhat helping but not enough to lift my mood. My depressions are generally fairly tricky to treat. It's only now at 4 months that they have started to discuss alternatives so I'll be having a second antidepressant added in. My consultant said she usually sees the significant improvements at doses between 225 and 300mg.

Dh takes it, 75mg been on for many years. Don’t forget to take them, he feels really weird when he does (too often)

Thanks for sharing your experience. My GP has also added quetiapine 50mg XL to help with insomnia but he said it also help with depression and anxiety. Let's see

Antidepressants generally take about 6 weeks to reach their effectiveness. You’ve got another 3 weeks to go until you might feel the full effect.

When you say XL do you mean XR extended release?

I’ve been on venlafaxine for at least 20 years I think. 225mg.

Yes, I know it takes better 6-7 weeks to reach the full effect. It's just difficult to be patient when you are heavily depressed 😔 yes, mine is extended release

Full benefits, 2/3 months. It was def a life saver for me. That said getting dosage right took a while, im on 375mg max dose. After the first 2 weeks of suicide mountain every day got slightly better. X

I'm really pleased to hear that it's helping you! Hopefully it will help me too! 🤞🏻

I’m on 37.5mg in the morning and 75mg at bedtime.

Is it extended-release or immediate-release?

I'm on 75mg slow release and it took a couple of months to fully realise the benefits but it has been a life saver for me. I've been on Fluoxetine and Sertraline previously and am diagnosed with PDD (Persistant Depressive Disorder) but I see Venlafaxine as a necessary drug for me. It's powerful - forget to take it and I feel it pretty much straight away with 'brain zaps' . I know I'm on it for the foreseeable future.

Thank you for sharing your experience with Venlafaxine. I have been on 150mg for about 3 weeks now and my emotions are a bit more in check - I'm not constantly feeling on edge. But I still don't have any motivation to do things. Hopefully that will come in the next few weeks. Some people benefitted from a higher dose 225mg for motivation and energy.
Doest Venlafaxine make you feel motivated or it just "stabilises" your mood?

Op just remember you are in the vicious cycle, the meds will help break it, once the mood is stabilised, the motivation will follow.