1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Venlafaxine

venlafaxine uk

Posted , 6 users are following.

tony01126
tony01126

been on 225 mg venlafaxine but have been going up and down at the moment very down

has any one been on venlafaxine and another antidepresent at the same time

if i go to dr and tell him i wish to come off venlafaxine and try another anti depresent do i have to totaly come of venlafaxine before getting another antidepresent

 

0 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

Prev
  • liz05654
    liz05654 tony01126

    Posted

    Hi Tony,

    i was on venlafaxine 225mg for 7 years and came off it cold turkey last July.

    it made me numb, in every sense. I couldn't "feel" anything. Happiness or sadness. The worst side effect was the constipation. I could go 3 weeks without going to the toilet. I could only go with the use of laxatives.

    when I came off it, I went through hell. It was awful. The brain zaps were the worst.

    i was ok for about 3-4 months, but I then went downhill very badly. I was full of anger, not something I'd experienced before. I could have literally killed someone. It was bad, very bad.

    i rang the mental health crisis team one day, after trying to take my life with pills.

    i am  now on 4 meds. 

    Sertraline, quetiapine, pregabolim and Zolpidem.

    i feel ok. But not good. The sleeping tablets are the best thing ever. I look forward to going to bed every day. It's the only thing I think about. That oblivion of sleep.

    when I asked my psychiatrist about venlafaxine and going back on it, she was very reluctant to re prescribe it. That says a lot about that medication. It's not good. And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

    hope that helps.

    i can envision a lot of medical malpractice cases involving venlafaxine.

    liz

    • denise3b
      denise3b liz05654

      Posted

      So sorry Liz I meant glad you are ok now. This an awful thing to live with. Take care of yourself and thank you
    • liz05654
      liz05654 denise3b

      Posted

      Hi. Just to add further info. I put on 28lbs on venlafaxine and no matter what I did I couldn't lose it. That in itself made me depressed and is o e of the reasons I came off it. No diet or exercise helped at all. It was as if my body had completely slowed down in every way.

      Since coming off it, I've lost all the weight, and more, without trying. So I def think the venkafaxine was the cause.

      When I went back on meds, sertraline to start, my anxiety went through the roof. I couldn't leave the house at all. I was convinced something bad would happen. So I was prescribed diazepam, which to be honest didn't make much difference. And the doctor only let me have it for 2 weeks because it's so addictive. I've now been given pregabolim instead, which has helped enormously.

      I am sure everyone is different and people react to diff sets of meds. But my combination is working for me now. I feel more alert than when I was on venlafaxine and more alive, if that makes sense?

      Still have bad days but I'm getting there.

      Hope this helps

      Liz x

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.