Anyone have experience of venlafaxine after side effects with other antidepressants?

[PhoenixRisingSurviving]

Anyone have any experience of taking Venflaxine?
Experienced adverse side effects with other antidpressants - Prozac, Mirtzapine, Sertraline, Citalopram, no joy just worsened intrusive bad throughts.
I am 46, PCOS PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome 2 tweenie children loving husband
I have been tested for perimenopause menopause, went on HRT Evorel patches but worsened my depression. PCOS is linked to symptoms of depression anxiety and mood fluctuations. Due for peri/ menopause symptoms blood test Tuesday at GP and already have Mirena Coil fitted 2 yrs ago due to PCOS.

Anyone have any experience they would be kind enough to share? Please be kind as my depression anxiety and panic is so severe I am currently under NHS Home Treatment Team. I have had periods of mental recovery 2 yr periods.

i am on venaflalaxine now after my sertraline started not working.

I had bouts of depression, but a couple of years ago i felt I was having a breakdown - to include suicidality. so upped my anti depressants was given antipsychotics and dbt.

I am now just on venalaflaxine, after recieving my autism/adhd diagnosis - i wasnt emotionally unstable or depressed, I was burnt out and autistic. Now I have a neurodiversity coach, I take venalaflaxine and am more proactive when i notice signs which mean im in overwhelm and or heading towards burnout again.

So short story long - sertaline etc were'nt working because i wasnt depressed as such -

I have been on this for years . This was after trying out so many different ones . I had and continue to have no side effects at all . However if I go for more than two days without I do notice the difference. Don't intend to come off them . I have tried other therapies and for me , the drugs do work as they should.

Venlafaxine was helpful for me. But it did have side effects and was hard to taper off. My GP put me on Brintellix more recently and it’s been amazing, my anxiety at an all Time low without the weird side effects of venlafaxine. I have a similar profile to you.

Thank you so very very much for replying. I have friends who identify as neurodiverse and have suggested I show some signs but at 46 yrs old I doubt whether in rural Wales I will get a diagnosis and unsure what it would achieve. There is limited support in rural wales for individuals who identify as neurodiverse or have mental health conditions in my area.

Can I ask what dosage are you on? I am crossing over on 10mg amitryptine and Venflaxine 37.5mg to start today. I can relate somewhat to what you refer to as a burnout or relapse. I have done DBT in the past depressive relapse. I have had various potential diagnoses in the past from Generised Anxiety Disorder, Severe Post Natal Depression, possible Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD - husband contests this which I agree).

How did you find accessing a Neurodiversity coach in the UK or are your based abroad? Feel free to private message as I value any support any MumsNet members can give me. Want to work on myself.

I am currently reading "Mind Power" by James Borg as in the past I have found it helpful but would also welcome any other recommendations.

Again, thank you for reaching out and replying to my post x

I was on Venlafaxine for 11 years, and 18 months of that was spent tapering off the 75 mg dose. It had no positive effect on my mood.

I'm on 150mg

I got a late diagnosis because it was that or my life, I actively ended up going private because for me i couldnt live with being a failure anymore and i needed one last answer.

there is no support out there after diagnosis, but the difference in being kind to yourself, in understanding yourself, allowing yourself to access reasonable adjustments, be supported are what made it worth it.

I just found someone through my local therapist office - i said i needed a new therapist as the last one left, we had worked through mental health/trauma, and i just needed someone in my corner to help me find better ways to cope - so when I was in burnout recently she helped me realsie it wasnt my fault and we looked at what might help, we've also looked at different sensory tools, we discuss capability/capacity and she allows me to just explore learn about what i need with her support.. i could do it without support but then I wouldnt know what was working etc, or have an accountability conversation checking im still doing these things that help support me pre-meltdown eather than having to fgo to bed for a week because im worn out

My dh is on 187.5mg. He was on 250 for years and they've just reduced it to this, I hadn't realised he was on such a large dose till I read this. He's also on 10mg Olanzapine and has just had to stop Mirtazapine as it was causing him seizures. He's been absolutely fine on the Venlafaxine.

Thank you so much for your support also. I am crossing over taking 10mg amitryptine with 37.5mg Venaflaxine to start. My husband keeps my tablets as I suffered seratonin shock syndrome and unsure whether it was due to an accidental overdose due to medical confusion between GP and psychiatrist when prescribed Olanzapine and mistake with correct dosage.
That's another I will never take again.

Did you experience any side effects and is there any truth in what some comments on other forums have suggested in it being necessary to take it at the same time every day? I've seen a lot of positive reviews and some negative reviews on the forum, but i suppose everyone's brain chemistry is different, what suits one person may not suit another.

However, having tried all else which has failed, magnifying and exacerbating my depression symptoms and anxiety I feel i have little to lose given i am on alternative daily visits from the NHS Home Treatment Team as not sectionable. My anxiety levels during relapses have been through the roof despite being proactive with mindfulness exercises, DBT, CBT, counselling.

Is anyone able to describe the difference taking Venaflaxin have made to their lives?

Thank you for replying to my post. If you don't want to post about side effects please feel free to DM, but I feel as a mother (infertility struggles PCOS) having exhausted all else I feel I have nothing to lose if it will make a difference to my life. My old GPs have all retired and the current GPs have never met me nor know my history except what is written perhaps on medical notes.

I have very limited support, few living relatives and friends live away and have their own families and commitments. Thank you so much for posting, I haven't heard of Brintellix.

Thanks for your reply to my post. Can I ask what dosage did you go up to?
I am on 300mg of quetiapine a day also, I'm hoping with a combination of medication and when ready transferred over to the CMHT for further and tailored support and access to talking therapy.

I think this is just the starting dose of Venflaxin for me and its a case of see how it goes. I have tried all else so feel i have nothing to fear trying as a last resort.

My husband holds my medication and have been advised to take it every morning at the same time. I have seen on some other USA forums some people are on much higher dosages to 250mg Venflaxin, I think over in the USA its called Effexor. Thank you for replying to my post, you all make me feel supported as I have little support, just me my husband. My mum is local (who believes you can snap out of it by keeping calm and carrying on 85 yrs old), my older sister who shares the same view. My husband's parents are completely unsupportive and judgemental although his siblings and parents are more caring.

It does help me. My only side effect is insomnia. Without another medication to combat that I’d be awake three days, crash exhausted and then about the same again.

You have nothing to be ashamed about taking these meds. My dh was a full time teacher who had a complete breakdown and psychotic episode. He was unrecognisable and the meds have given him his life back. It's taken 7 years of severe depression, anxiety and suicide attempts to get where we are today. We are also a small family unit, dh, me and our son. You soon find out who your friends are when someone had mental health issues. We haven't seen some family members since he became ill, it's as if he doesn't exist anymore and others think he's making it up as he basically just couldn't cope with his job and is happy now as he can stay at home all day. He'd give anything to be back to his old self but just the fact that he gets up in a morning, showers, takes his meds and eats breakfast is enough for him. The meds are there to help and I'm so glad they do. People who have never experienced mental health issues have absolutely no idea how difficult it is. Be kind to yourself.

I was diagnosed with Major depressive disorder last year, which I think is clinical depression in old money. I’ve been on Citalopram, sertraline and another one but the name escapes me. I ended up having to see a psychiatrist as I had a breakdown and was having very dark thoughts. I’m on 375mg and the psychiatrist is considering adding something else. It seems I’m quite resistant to medication. If I miss a day or two, I feel awful. I dread coming off of it but to be honest with my history and diagnosis, I think I’ll always have to take it at some dosage.

I tried to send a PM but it didn’t work. My side effects on venlafaxine were nothing compared to how bad I was feeling so it was worth it for me. I had to go up to a high dose before it started working. I had sweats, nightmares, feeling a bit flat and it has left me with other long term effects. I put on weight. But I don’t regret it. I also suffer PCOS and similar related issues so your posts resonate. I recommend giving it a try. 37.5 is a very small dose though.

I think Brintellix is new. It wasn’t around when I was on efexor. It is not an snri and I’m not sure how it works but if efexor doesn’t suit you I recommend asking about it.

I never went above 75 mg per day.

I was on 75mg , then 150mg and then added 37.5mg to that which is what I take now . This is over a number of years . It's all very well for people to judge and think anti depressants are some awful things but they don't have to live with my alternative. Through no fault of my own , without help I am very very low with dark depressing thoughts . My reaction time was almost immediate within two weeks and the feeling of well being was life changing for me . While I still have problems as nobody is without I can cope .
My doctor was so patient and understanding. When I was struggling to come to terms with medication perhaps forever , he told me that I wouldn't deny myself insulin if I had diabetes and that Efexor replaced my depleted serotonin .

I was on sertraline for 18 months and changed 8 weeks ago to venlafaxine (anxiety, depression, PTSD), I started on 37.5mg and now on 150mg, may increase more at next psychiatrist meeting. I did not have any side effects starting velafaxine, when I started the sertraline I had lots of side effects and the first month was awful. With velafaxine I am feeling clearer head and have more energy so am starting to do things which I haven't done for years.

However I have been struggling with sleep which seems to be an issue with velafaxine which then makes my anxiety worse. The GP has given me some medication to help with sleep which has been great as then I have no anxiety after a proper night of sleep.

I am also finding hypnotherapy good for my anxiety, it took quite a few sessions before I felt the benefit and I persisted as I really trust the lady. I stopped counselling as I felt talking was just going round in the same circles so wanted a break, but I will go back to it in a few months time.