HELP please- major new side effects from 75 to 150mg

you can mistake increased anxiety with depression early on. also, when you are starting or increasing a med, you tend to alternate between the two states. the meds bring you out of depression, into anxiety. after a while with the increased anxiety, you go back into depression. as time goes on, anything up to 3 to 5 weeks, each state lessens, then the depression stops, and the anxiety remains at a lower level. All being well, it gradually reduces, and hopefully goes away. thats the typical process for starting a med, and can take up to 12 weeks and more. increasing a med, can produce a similar effect.

thanks nigel, remind me again what does are you on? what side effects did you have and when did they do away? and how long did it take to get depression/anxiety relief?

i was on 35mg for 2 weeks, 75 for 2 weeks, then 150mg for 10 weeks. first signs of improvements came after being on ven at 10 weeks so had been on 150mg for 6 weeks by then. increased to 187.5mg, that was a big improvement, and a further improvement at 225mg. then over 6 months went up by 37.5mg ending up on 337.5mg. doses over 225mg, just maintained my state, didnt get any better. 3 months ago, had 15mg of mirt added, and dropped ven to 267.5mg. the addition of mirt quickly got me to my best state in years. feel no need for further increases. if you get to 225mg, and still not right have mirt added. there is a flaw with ven above 225mg, which mirt deals with.

i see. what about side effects? what did you have and how long till they cleared?

hi.. i have been on 112.5mg for 3 months. 4 days on 150. omg. very anxious. bad headaches. short of breath dizy and tired.

off back to dr in morning. i started taking tablets for stress 8 months ago and pain associated with it, not depression. I think the tablets are causing my depression.

Going to ask if the dr will sign me off work for 2 2 3 weeks so i can go cold turkey.

going up to 150mg seems to reach a threshold where side effects really begin to ramp up.

hi Ajf223, im in the same boat with the 150mg. im on day 19. i hear so much good about this drug once people get on a therapeutic dose, but formany there's a price to pay with regards to side effects. i figure im half way there to my body adjusting, im going to stick it out. its worth it to get to the other side

depression was awful. take a small dose of diazepam, so apart from depression, no initial side effects, until i got to 185, thats when increases of 37.5mg initially ncreased my anxoety for 3 weeks, before going down. happened like clock work above 185mg.

sorry, 187.5mg

hi nigel, well then that's good news for me- im a couple days away from hitting the 3 week mark at 150. maybe side effects will finally subside soon

Hi ..I was only on 75mg for 5 weeks, 112.5mg for 5 weeks, doc upped it to 150mg 6 days ago. I've also got nausea, headache, fuzziness and my mood is very up and down throughout the day, like I'm totally unstable. I feel awful on waking every morning with anxiety but docs given me diazipan, by the early evening I always feel fine?? so bloody weird!. I was fine on sertraline for years until I had an operation and it stopped working...

Hi Ajf223...I'm been on 150mg for a week and am now feeling suicidal for the first time, depression in the pit of my stomach is so bad, cutting back down to 112.5mg today, my docs not available till tomorrow, getting off this stuff...

Hi sue22066

We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologies for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.

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Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.

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sorry about that post, i just woke up feeling so awful and was wondering if it was all worth it but shouldn't of said suicidal..I will contact my GP tomorrow about dose reduction or changing meds as side effects are just tooooo much but Thankyou for caring!!

Hi...what did doc say? are you coming off them? I'm talking to my doc tomorrow..150mg is horrible..want to come off em too??

thanyou sue22066 i though i was posting to myself and knowone was actually interested.. Doctor wants me stay on them, but have a plan of action now..which is a relief ..swapped to 75mg in morning and the same at night to see if that helps.

i took 1st 75 mg this morning i dont feel stoned and no headache, still short of breath and chest pain but its early yet. Also joined mood cafe as dr recommend me for this.. this is really interesting. hopefully it will help.

sue 22066 just bare with the tablets they do help . my partner is a psychiatric nurse...do what the dr says .. the tablet unfortunately make a difference

i really dont want to be on anything as im stronger than this...but i have had to admit they are helping which considering how i was brought up is really hard to say ...

Hi...Thanks for that, I will be talking to my doc tomorrow, I may just need to stay on 112.5mg, I have definately deteriorated on this dose of 150mg. I m taking the prolonged release once a day in the morning not the instant one. I know it's only a week on 150mg but God, depression scares me so much and now it's worse than ever, especially on waking, I usually feel much better by the evening and then it's back next morning with vengeance. so weird!

what you are experiencing is completely normal. it happens to most people at varying degrees. tends to happen more when you get near your required dose. its usually temporary, and dies down after 2 or 3 weeks. to come out of depression, most people then have to go through anxiety. id strongly recommend anyone needing a dose increase in ven, to increase by 37.5mg at a time. if your dr thinks you need 150mg, and you are currently on 75mg, then do 112.5mg for 4 weeks, or until you get over the initial increase in anxiety. will take longer to get where you need, but it will be easier to deal with.

Ni Nigel's advice is very good. unfortunately I am suffering through the 75 to 150 jump and wish my dx had done this incrementally with 37.5. its now 3 weeks on 150 and the nausea is finally receding. it does get better. hang in there.

well done on sticking with it. i know its not easy. completely messes with your head, why am i taking something thats making me worse? you should expect improvements over next 6 to 8 weeks. if you need to go up again, even more important to stick to 37.5mg increases, as it starts working as a snri above 150mg, which is a little more difficult to deal with. now youve been through it, should make any future increases or changes to deal with. someone on here told me getting onto an anti depressant dose can be one of the hardest medical issues to deal with. drs dont realise how difficult it can be. well done.

Hi Nigel, doc started me on 75mg for 5 weeks, 112.5 for 5 weeks, now 150mg for a week but am worse than ever so awaiting call back from doc????maybe need to stay on 112mg for longer where I felt I didnt need the diazipan but mood was very unstable...will see...thanks for caring mate!

your mood swings were from ven starting to bring you out of depression. your dr sounds like they know what they are doing, with the half increases and time theyve given between increases. most people have to go through mood swings then anxiety, as part of recovery. use the diazepam to get you through it. taking a benzo while trying to sort out an anti depressant, is temporary, to get you through worst. when the anti dep is working, stopping the benzo is easier, as the anti dep takes over. its different to taking a benzo on its own.

so im entering my 7th week overall & 4th week on 150mg ; side effects have lessened..... is it realistic to expect some therapeutic benefit soon?

omg do not please go cold turkey no matter what! theres a venlefaxine withdrawal syndrome:( ive been on 150mg daily for 3 or more years and on anti ds for 9 years so far. i missed a few days- 4 or so and was so ill i was hearing things did not sleep for 3 nights or more, had electric shocks and numbness in feet hands and legs.. venlefaxine is amazing stick with it trust me! it will settle down. i have Borderline/ severe anxiety / depression/ opiod addiction- on Subutex so i dont ever withdraw.. another story..

ive tried lexapro( does nothing) - escitalopram, fluvoxamine, and Paxil( that was insanely anxiety causing and the worst) venlefaxine is the best of the selection plus i have ADHD and prior eating disorders and well most things.,

you are a champion getting this far and increasing quite quickly. The worst thing to do is change now.. i would honestly only do this in a Detox/ rehab or hospital setting and ive been through most horrible things and that was the worst .,

take care, cat

hi i tried reducing omg i was ill. went from 150 to 75. for a few days. Dont want to go through that again. Dr has me on beta blockers for the anxiety wow they dont half help.

hi sue,

how are you managing on the 150mg?