Venlafaxine and sleep patterns

[quote:df76a46740=\"cd990003\"]Started taking venlafaxine yesterday morning. Was worried about having nightmares but I wasnt asleep long enough to have nightmares so I needn't have worried.

I am a long term user of fluoxetine, recently changed to mirtazapine as fluoxetine no longer effective. Mirtazapine chosen because I wasnt sleeping. However weight gain on mirtazapine was so great changed to venlafaxine. Does anyone know if this restlessness and broken sleep pattern is likely to improve over the next few weeks?[/quote:df76a46740]

I have been taking venlafaxine for just over two months and my sleep has become disturbed, I've suffered from this problem for many years and was also prescribed mirtazapine this time last year which resulted in me having the best regular sleep that I've had for many years and feeling like a normal person - go to bed, go to sleep, wake up in the morning, function normally! The downside was weight gain and my pdoc recommended I change from citalopram & mirtazapine to just venlafaxine,this is my fourth change of medication within the past year! Am now taking venlafaxine, zopiclone for sleep although these aren't very effective and diazepam!

Hello ash

I have been on venalafaxin for 8 months, started on 75mg plus then had to take Temazapan to help me sleep at all, then venalafaxin was increased to 150mg and I then had to take regular Diazapan to reduce the side effects that occured for several weeks, doctor never mentioned any of this. They wanted to increase my venalafaxin to 225mg when I last saw NHS Psychiatrist, I said I want to get off them so I am working down much to their dissaproval to get off hopefully, still take Temazapan to help get off to sleep. Hope this is of interest ash.... All the very best....Rob

Hi

I can not decide whether Ven is doing me any good. I am om 150mg and have been for about 6 weeks. On my last visit to the GP he said that was thinking of putting me up to 225mg. I have days when I am really up and the life and soul of the party and then other days I feel dreadful and wonder what it would be like not to be here and battle through the day!

Is this normal to feel so up and down? This is my second major bout of depression in 5 years. This has lasted over 6 months this time and it doesn't feel that it is going to end any time soon.

I am having difficulty sleeping, which I am finding very frustrating. I have always been able to sleep any where and now I feel tired all the time and want to sleep.

I keep thinking that I am making all this up and it is all in my head. Everyone keeps telling me how well I look but in relatity I feel that I am walking on a tightrope and depending on which way the wind blows depends on how I feel.

Does the depression lift at some point? Do I really need to go up to 225mg? Does the need to drink disappear? Is it Ok to have morbid thoughts? I feel that this is endless.....

I started on Ven 150mg slow release approx 4 weeks ago after citralopram 60mg and quetiapine(as required) for about 1 year. I have suffered night sweats and strange dreams for the last couple of weeks but the last 3 nights I have started itching and having really strange feelings in my legs hands and arms and am really struggling to sleep because of it. I don't know how to describe them really, only that I want to keep clenching my fists shaking my arms and standing up to reduce the strange feeling in my legs. Today has been worse as I have had it in my hands all day and it is starting to really bug me.

Does anyone else seem to have anything similar????

I have read lots of posts on this site now and want to stop taking the Ven.

Please reply if you concurr.

My sleep patterns have been turned upside down since I started this med. I hardly get a few hours sleep at night but as usual the doctor says that it will pass (months now).

Hey there,

I have been wondering also because I started on Ven last night and I had a really bad nights sleep usually I can't get to sleep but then I sleep through all day, but with the Ven I got off to sleep fairly quickly but kept waking up and tossing and turning but the upside is I got up at a normal time this morning which is good for my self esteem but I am hoping the bad sleeping patterns won't stay around for a long time as I feel a bit like a zombie already :S

I've been on 37.5 mg Venlafaxine for 3 months and it has stabilised my moods tremendously but i am suffering from insomnia as a result of it. The insomnia does get slightly better over time but is still a problem. My GP has recommended that i take my dosage first thing on a morning which i'm trying now.

Wow, after reading these comments, why was I just prescribed Venlafaxine to help my chronic insomnia??? I am totally confused now! Apparently it causes insomnia...