Do as the nice doctor says

Hi Ruby

I was fearful after reading negative posts about venlafaxine, but as I was feeling so rubbishy, I took the plunge! They made me quickly feel well again! I had no horrible side effects plus got my brain back again! As you may know certain ADs may suit some but not others. Give it a go, you deserve to feel better ASAP. Don't let negative posts deter you. I think venlafaxine is a great AD.

Good luck and please weigh up the comments eg. For/against and go with your gut feeling. Lastly you won't know until you give them a try ???

God bless xxx

My husband was on Venlafaxine 75XR for 2 months and the doc took him off on Monday due to horrendous side effects - slurred speech, dizziness, dry mouth, sweating I could go on and on and marked on file he's never to go back on them..Now just ending his second day without them he is feeling absolutely awful - far worse than the above side effects and had been told that as he was only on them for 2 months withdrawal would only be the odd headache. We are off back to the docs tomorrow .  There are too many people of different sites saying beware about these tabs - wish we'd known before

Different ADs suit different people, and unfortunately there's no way of knowing until you try. But just remember - people who are happy on venlafaxine are not as likely to be posting on the forums as are people who are having problems with it. Those who have been helped and recovering are probably too busy getting on with their lives! Venlafaxine with mirtazapine worked for me, with minimal side-effects but no-one on here can tell you what to do. It is your decision.

I have taken several different antidepressants over the years: Zoloft(horrible), Celexa and Lexapro (no side affects but no relief either)... Then my dr prescribed Effexor and that addressed all of my anxiety and panic issues. I take 75 mg now (initially I started at 150 mg)...

The downside to this med is it is a VERY hard to come off of....

I'm doing well on Venlaflaxine. Felt a bit rough for the first couple of weeks but nothing drastic.I have no side-effects to speak of and feel I'm getting my life back. As others wisely say, don't be put off by negative posts and do read the positive posts too. It's the only anti-depressant that has really worked well for me. Now only on 75mg, down from 225mg to 150mg to 75mg.

I would say that it was a good 6-8 weeks before they really kicked in although I did start to feel better sooner than that.

Give it a go with a positive attitude.

Good luck to you

Oh, also, I was on then five years ago for 12 years and I came off with no problem at all

I would suggest trying something else before these, the side effects are horrific and if you try to come off them quickly the side effects are debilitating! I have never felt so awful in my life and would strongly advise against these. As someone who has had issues with alcohol in the past, withdrawing from alcohol was a breeze in comparison. I hope you find something to help, take care.

Hi,

They have worked wonders for me  I take 300mg and could not function without it. It is worth noting the Venlafaxine like other ADs are not addictive. They may cause discontinuation symptoms but that is different. The NHS have a few good articles on this if you google it.

I get on with ven but not with Prozac and Sertaline. Of course what works for one might not work for another. While there are lots of people who struggle with discontinuation symptoms lots of people don't. I gave up ven for a week in a childish strop and other than beginning to get my old symptoms back I didn't feel too bad at all.

BW, BM.

Hi Ruby

Kind of surprised your doctor prescribe them for you. They can have some bad side effects, please see my previous posts because I was on them for 4 months only and coming off them was hard. I'm not saying it will happen to you but I would asked your doctor if there was any other drug you could go on instead.

Thanks

Neil x

 You are in control of your destiny and it is your choice whether you want to subject your nervous system to a drug that can cause oppositional changes in the brain.  The brain wants homeostasis so when the drug raises neurotransmitter levels, the brain makes changes to bring back homeostasis.  If you are planning on having children then this is NOT the drug to try because you must be OFF it at least 6 months before conceiving, could cause birth defects.  Problem is, coming off may take a very long time, and I know of several women on withdrawal forums who want off so that they can get pregnant, but had a horrible time with withdrawal so had to go back on...

Have you sought therapy to deal with the troubling thoughts?  Cognitive behavior therapy is very helpful.  This is commonly a response to stress or anxiety, and can be delt with by non-drug methods.

Hi

I have wanted to withdraw from ven for quite sometime. I'm experiencing brain zaps through The day due to withdrawal. I spoke with GP today who said I need to get this back into my system immediately which is going against everything in me.

I've managed so far to get to 60mg. But he has said to get back to 75mg. I have done this today and feel as though all the suffering endured was to no avail. I've given in. So if you are thinking of going on this drug think very carefully as its so difficult trying to come off.

Best wishes.