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Beware of Venlafaxine - the evil drug

Posted , 10 users are following.

amy96363
amy96363

rI was a happy, determined, fit woman full of ambition but ran into a bad marriage and had one serious panic attack (I was a sceptic about panic attacks before it happened to me).  My GP put me on Venlafaxine.  Thereon my personality changed....suicidal thoughts, no drive, weight gain by 2.5 stone! Lethargy to the point that keeping fit was a chore for a girl who would run everyday and feel joy for life.  I hate my GP for putting me on this vile drug.  It has taken over my life.  I forgot to take it two days ago and just  decided that was it.  I want my life back.  Today I woke wanting to end my life....truly to just end it...hang myself or take a load of tablets.  Thankfully a friend saved me but what kind of grip has this evil drug gotten on me.  I understand I was not on a high dose (75mg once per day) and that what I am now experiencing is withdrawal.  This drug should come with a health warning as it will certainly change your personality, your life.  I will never take it again.  I want my old self back.  Please consider the above if you are about to take it as I hear nothing good about it and yet the doctors just dish it out to get you out their door.  Would my doctor care if I had ended my life today? No.  But he was happy to give me the drug which gave me those thoughts.  Totally irresponsible drug companies and doctors give this out because the truth is they do not know what the alternative is. 

0 likes, 37 replies

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  • jpm
    jpm amy96363

    Posted

    Hi Amy, My thoughts are the same.  It is the most evil AD going. But PLEASE don't lose heart . Joining into this forum can help as you will know you are not alone. 

    Thank God you are still alive and even though you cannot see the light yet , you will. Day by day.   The only answer to this is to come off it slowly like I am doing". I would certainly recommend you to read " Depression. The curse of the strong" by Dr. Tim Carruthers.An NHS psychiatrist who is very understanding. Easy to read, although there may be times that you couldn't be bothered to read. It will be worth it. About a fiver from amazon. Easy to read. Meanwhile, do not take alcohol ( it contradicts the AD' and makes things worse.)    I am down to the last 1/8 of a 37.5 Mg tablet twice a day as my Gp says that she wont give me anything more suitable until I am off this Ven totally for 2 weeks. That 2 weeks will be hell on earth as then my brain will be screaming for just a taste of it. But it will be worse hell if I weaken and go back on them. At the end of next week i have to be totally off them!!!! and  a fornight to wait before she will give me something more tolerable. Be strong and remember that some people have been given two + AD's which is much much worse for them as they have the contra effects as well as the individual side effects of each drug. Doctors, i agree, have absolutely no idea what they are giving out. What do they care they still get paid fat salaries and the perks ( freebies from the drug companies!) . Talk about the Hypocritical (!) oath they take. Keep positive, John

    • amy96363
      amy96363 jpm

      Posted

      Thanks John, I will look into the book you recommend.  It certainly does help to chat with others about such a thing.  I really feel that doctors should be berated in some way for their malpractice.  In the least, when they give this drug out, they should point out the consequences of taking it...I hung off taking anything for several months before I was given this.  I find it all unbelievable - this drug made me depressed!! I wasnt depressed before. Goodluck to you coming off them John and to every other person burdoned with this drug.
  • pam97442
    pam97442 amy96363

    Posted

    I know exactly what you are talking about.  I was on 150mg made me feel awful to the point I lost a terrific guy because I wasn't myself.  Depressed, hopeless and feared being with him.  I broke it off and now I can't try to get back with him until I'm off this crap.  I'm currently taking 37.5 three times a day the last two days and fighting to keep going.  This isn't what I asked for at all.  I needed something to calm me down and help me cope with being a caretaker.  It took over my life and I've had a week of fighting just to get off it.  My neighbors told me she's been on it for years since her husband passed and she goes off it sometimes.  Maybe our brains work different I know my brain does.  I can't function and my mind is still struggling with keeping alive.  
  • amy96363
    amy96363

    Posted

    Brain zapping and feeling sick but these symptoms wont kill me.  If I stayed on Venlafaxine I probably would kill myself!! I can take it, anything to get off you Venlafaxine! 
    • pixie22
      pixie22 amy96363

      Posted

      Hi to everyone in this discussion. I'm sorry you've all had these distressing effects on Venafaxine and I know each person reacts differently to psychiatric drugs.  For example, one of the SSRI group ( can't remember the name) had me reeling from lamppost to lamppost as if I'd been on the booze, and amytriptyline made me suicidal.  However, I do have to say a word in favour of venlafaxine for those people it suits, and I suspect there are plenty.  I can honestly say it saved my life, when all the other drugs had stopped working. I'm on 225mg a day, and have very few, very slight side effects. My psychiatrist has warned me it will be tricky to come off it, but while it's working, I'm in no hurry.  It enables me to get on with my life. I'm just worried that there might be someone who reads this discussion and is too afraid to try it, when it might work for them like it has for me. Everyone's different.
    • michael_37726
      michael_37726 pixie22

      Posted

      Hi

      Yes I agree with you but as with most ad's they are easy to start but hard to stop. Venalfaxine does work for some but not for others and if it works for you then that's great . My problem was that nothing worked for me so I was put on venalfaxine as a last resort but it didn't work ether. I just have to accept that I have to be med free now and find other ways to deal with it . I have tryed every antidepressant under the sun over the last 30 years so iv got to the point where I just give up with them. To be honest they have caused me more harm than good I have got liver problems from long term use of them so can never take them again anyway

  • amanda25783
    amanda25783 amy96363

    Posted

    I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering so badly.

    I was on Venlafaxine 150 mg slow release for many years.

    Please do be careful about stopping Venlafaxine rapidly - along with withdrawal symptoms, you may develop 'rebound' depression, due to a sudden drop in your serotonin levels, which can make you really unwell.  I would listen to the advice that jpm (John) gave to you, which I completely agree with.  I have read several of his contributions to this forum, and he talks sense.

    It concerns me that you are having suicidal ideas.  It is possible that these are the result of the underlying disease, and not just the Venlafaxine.  I am so glad that you have a friend to support you.  I think it is so very important to have someone to lean on through the tough times, who understands how dreadful it is, without being judgmental, or making you feel inadequate.

    Perhaps try to find a different, more enlightened and interested doctor?

    I hope that you feel heaps better soon.

    Take care x

     

  • mimimimi
    mimimimi amy96363

    Posted

    Hi ive been reading all day (almost ) about getting of venlafaxine, i wanted to go cold turkey but im afraid im going to loose it... 1 day in cut my dose in half, been on them for 2 months they did not help at all, so its been 2 days that im taking 37.5 twice a day, and im already feeling the changes on my body..how im a going to cope with this feeling I dont know. im afraid im going to loose my husband , weve been throug hell because i think he was cheating on me, i heard, so we just started getting back on a normal faze, but now i started again not trusting him, im a mess, i dont even know what am i writting,why am i mixing the stories..  in general anybody there that has been in a similar situation, pls help...
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