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How long does it take 150 mg Venlafaxine to help you start feeling better

Posted , 3 users are following.

patricia85842
patricia85842

I was on 75 .mg Venlafaxine for 3 weeks but it did nothing so my GP increased it to 150 11 days ago.  I seem to feel worse each day.  Has anyone had this experience and how long did it ake before feeling better?

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • lizzyscure
    lizzyscure patricia85842

    Posted

    Hi Patricia, 3 years ago I had severe depression and I was prescribed Venlafaxine after other drugs failed. I was on 225.mg from the start.

    Now, I had the slow release version and it took well over a month for me to feel any better and even then the improvement was very slow but it WAS consistant. I know it seems forever but give it a bit longer to work. Am now back to my old self free of anti depressants. Hope this helps.

    regards Lizzy

    • patricia85842
      patricia85842 lizzyscure

      Posted

      Many thanks Lizzy for your reply and advice.  I will give it a month though it is very hard feeling like this every day.  So pleased that you are now back to normal and free of drus.

      Pat

  • lizzyscure
    lizzyscure patricia85842

    Posted

    Hi Pat, they were the worst months of my life so I feel for you right now. It seems forever waiting for these drugs to take effect, all I did was stay in bed day after day. I wish I had known about these forums then. Knowing that so many people have the same feelings and problems would have helped. So I do hope my experiences help you. I was assigned a psychiatrist through the hospital, although he did a find the right drug for me after several failures which took months and sent me to a day centre where the staff were useless, there was very little other support from the medics. Just a weekly interview and no practical help. I always came away feeling no one listened. The best therapy for me was talking to others that had suffered from this illness.

    It will get better, keep talking to anyone who will listen. Regards lizzy

    • patricia85842
      patricia85842 lizzyscure

      Posted

      Hi Lizzy

      Like you if I haven't got to go somewhere I spend all day in bed.  I'm getting nothing done as I just can't face doing anything even themost simple of things.  The tablets seem ti be affecting me worse each day.  I go back to the doctor next Monday but I wonder how I will get on till then.  I don't know what she will try next as I have tried quite a few ADs.  The year is going by and I spend my time trying out a new drug and having to wait weeks each time.  Thanks for getting back to me and it does help

      Pat

  • Di25
    Di25 patricia85842

    Posted

    Hi pat 

    have you tried coming off them maybe it's your body telling you that you don't need them anymore as I was like that but sometimes it's the side effects that cause the tiredness now drug free after 20 years x 

    • patricia85842
      patricia85842 Di25

      Posted

      Hi Di

      Delighted to hear you are still drug free.  I can't come off them as I will just have the depression they have still to cure it.

    • lizzyscure
      lizzyscure patricia85842

      Posted

      Hi Pat, I agree with you about needing the drugs to combat the depression. I couldn't have recovered without Venlafaxine. I have found a diary that I kept at the time. It was a bit hit and miss, somedays I wrote pages and pages then nothing for days. but it does remind me that it did take me about 6 weeks to feel any better.And something else which I had forgot. Like you, I felt I was getting worse before the pills took effect.
    • patricia85842
      patricia85842 lizzyscure

      Posted

      I too keep a diary when I have a new bout of depression though this time each day seems the same so I don't always write it,  I am interested to hear it took about 6 weeks to feel any better.  Did you feel bad the whole time or did you have some days when you felt a bit better.  I have had no  good days but I read that you should have some good parts of  the day.  It cheered me up to hear that you felt worse before you felt better  as that is what I am feeling and just can't imagine feeling well again.

      Many thanks Lizzy.

      Pat xx

  • lizzyscure
    lizzyscure patricia85842

    Posted

    Hi Pat, No I didn't have good days and bad days or good parts to the day, it was very subtle for me. I just gradually felt better. Others have suffered side effects when first taking Venlafaxine, but I think I felt that ill l never noticed. Lizzy

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