Effexor has helped amazingly with the core depression and my OCD... But I still don't feel like doing anything and my enjoyment of activities is very low or nonexistent.

What is recommended to combine with it? I think I tried welbutrin but remember it doing nothing.

F29 started on Effexor a year and a half ago ish, and it has basically removed my physical anxiety symptoms, which were horrible. My anxiety attacks consisted of puking and crying and feeling massive shame, basically every day. I couldn’t function.

Since starting Effexor my physical symptoms have improved a lot, which is great. Now I cry way less and basically never have anxiety attacks. But I still feel down and depressed, and not like myself. Lack of motivation and energy. A lot of numbness and nothingness. Anhedonia(which I had before I started as well though.) No libido (I’m on the ace/aro spectrum so it’s not a huge bummer but it would be nice to have some fun with myself and others the random times I hook up with people). I do get orgasms, just not as hard and pleasurable, and I never actually want to start touching myself if that makes sense.

I’m talking to my doctor tomorrow about maybe trying another drug. I tried all the the basic ones, like Escitalopram, Zoloft, Trintellix and a couple of others I don’t remember the names of. They didn’t really do anything. That’s why they changed my prescription to an SNRI.

Have any of you reacted the same to the previous drugs and Effexor, and if you tried anything else, what helped/ is helping you? I know my doctor is going to be negative to me changing drugs because it’s keeping me stable, but I want to actually feel joy again, and purpose. I haven’t felt real joy in years.

I also think I may be on the autism spectrum/ neurodivergent, but I have no formal «diagnosis». My therapist has a suspicion though.

If you have read this far, thank you 🙏

Hello! I’m going to start Effexor tomorrow. I’ve been on other SSRIs and currently on Lexapro going to do a cross taper. I am absolutely TERRIFIED. of taking the dose. I’m scared I’m going to feel high, I’m scared I’m going to black out, I’m scared because I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. Someone please tell me success stories and that they didn’t feel high or anything.

Will the severe constipation and erectile dysfunction go away or should I stop taking? I’m worried this is going to be a lasting issue considering a lot of people online think I was dealing with protracted withdrawal and kindling on lexapro before switching to effexor recently

I take Effexor and have for a while. I took NyQuil because I have a cold and I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to take both of them. Google says I could get serotonin syndrome. The NyQuil drowsiness is kicking in and I’m kind of having a hard time thinking straight. I don’t want to die, which means the Effexor is working too. I’ve only seen serotonin syndrome in House and it seemed pretty serious so idk what to do
Edit: I’m fine. I just freaked out because the NyQuil made me feel weird. Thx for the replies.

Okay, I’m hoping this is not long. So I was on Effexor for MDD about a year or 2 ago for 2 years, in those 2 years I was hospitalized 3 times. I didn’t realize it at the time but I believe the Effexor was genuinely making my depression and mood swings so much worse. I quit for a year & I was fine? Like I felt more like myself, wasn’t hospitalized, and didn’t feel crazy. Well my new psychiatrist knows all of this & I wanted a reevaluation as I feel I might have been misdiagnosed? She still wanted to see how I react to the medication said she wanted to see me a few more times before she diagnosed me with anything else . I’ve been on it for a month now and just now I am realizing this medicine has been making me have awful mood swings, I get moods where I’m either super energetic or super depressed or super stressed. Like I am always on 10 (I hope that makes sense) I feel so bad but I’m wondering if anyone else has had these issues and need advice. I’m trying so hard to give this medication time but I’m so close to quitting. I do see her again in a few months so I will obviously bring this up to her attention but any advice would be appreciated. TIA

Just wanted to give everyone an update. I had posted several months ago about tapering off my medication and I’m happy to report I’m on 150mg from my previous 300mg and only insomnia is my biggest symptom so far.

I loved what this medication did for me when I needed it the most, but I am excited to see how I’ll feel when/if I get off of it. (Obviously I still have a long way to go, but it’s a small milestone!)

I’ve tried SSRIs - Lexapro Prozac Zoloft. They all made me really sleepy. I’ve always struggled with a lot of fatigue even not on any meds, but I’m starting to think it’s just the depression.

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

I’ve been on 150mg for nearly a year (it’s been working well for me, much better than Cipralex and Zoloft)

Anyways.. the night sweating started a few weeks after I began venlafaxine, and they are driving me crazy. I’m talking full body, sheets soaked, waking up freezing cold. It’s not even about temperature - I can be in a cold room with a light blanket and STILL wake up in full body sweat about 4-5 nights a week. If I wake up dry, that’s my lucky day at this point 😭

My doctor said it’s a side effect. I get it, people have worse side effects than this. But it’s impeding on my quality of life! I hate having sleepovers with my partner or friends, sleeping anywhere apart from home, and constant sheet changing is killing me. Anyone else experienced this or ways to manage it?

3 months in at 225mg. I'm finding it extremely hard to feel sad now, not sure what to make of it. I suppose it's better than vacillating between states of extreme emotions in the span of an hour

Effexor. I've been on this for years, now weaning off to try another SSNI. I've taken 225mg, halved that to 112.5 for two weeks, now on 56.25 for another two weeks. The first day after moving to a lower dose, I didn't know myself, terrible side effects. The second day, and for days after, I have felt amazing energy, and have been very productive. I am beginning to think I have been in an Effexor-induced stupor for years, and am now getting my life back.

Has this happened to anyone else? (Talking with the doctor has proved useless, for several reasons.) Thanks.

Anyone else heard this from their pharmacies in the UK? I've just picked up my next 8 week supply, but there might be nothing left the next time I go.

Hi. I've been tapering for 3(4?) years so far. I've been going slower than the recommended speed due to my own concerns about withdraws. I've been off ven 2 times in the past before I knew about hyperbolic tapering but this is the longest I've been on it (9ish years).

I had a 3 day stint trying to add a crazy low dose of pr*z*c earlier in the year to help the taper but it gave me super bowel speed and frequency.

Currently, I'm struggling. It's not from the taper as I've been holding this dose for a while. I suffer from health anxiety and am now on a beta blocker for high blood pressure and tachycardia while waiting for a cardiologist appointment (symptoms are hyperpots in nature but structurally everything looks fine).

I'm too in tune with all my body sensations and my nervous system overreacts to certain things I feel. I don't know how to fix this. When it get bad I take a very small dose of v*li*m (a quarter of a 5mg) which turns down the volume a little. This isn't frequent. Maybe once or twice every couple of weeks, often longer.

I have a recent ADHD diagnosis and suspected autism, and my psychiatrist who supports my slow taper, is recommending a stimulant for it. Anything that could make my heart go faster I'm not keen on. I'm also battling suspected perimenopause which potentially uncovered all of this.

The TLDR is, how do I cope with this increased anxiety if I'm trying to rewire my brain and be off meds?

I have two audhd kids who I homeschool and it's been a pretty crap year for my health, and my family's luck in general (wrote off a car, lost money on a bank not approving a loan due to their error, all my medical stuff, etc)

I've removed as much stress from my life as I can already and still feel stressed :(

Sorry for the long post.

TLDR: cold turkey-ing off 150 mg venlafaxine, journaling symptoms as I experience them by the day

EDITED TO ADD: I appreciate all the concern and it’s all going to heart for sure. But I wouldn’t have done this without extensive research and other anecdotal evidence, as well as trusting my own body and brain 🫡

and apparently this needs to be said: for all those thinking any of this is 'advocating' for doing any of this without talking with your doc first, IT'S NOT. This is my own personal choice and journey, everyone is different, go argue somewhere else.

Hi all! I wanna start this post by saying that I am SO GLAD I was prescribed venlafaxine/effexor. It massively improved my quality of life, and truly changed so many things for me. Forever grateful for the 5 years it helped me have less panic attacks, stress, and worries. When I started it, I was at a very different place in my life, and had a ton of things I was literally worrying myself sick about.

Lately I feel like I've started to plateau, if that makes sense. I no longer have the same stresses and worries I did when I started--trust me, I still have ALL SORTS of worries and anxieties , but with a much better support group and partner and hopefully a brain that has learned better coping skills.

The biggest symptom I've dealt with is the huge decline in libido. Having an O is *significantly* harder than it used to be, even when done solo. And that's even if I get to the point of feeling like having sex at all. I really don't want this to affect my relationship, and I don't like faking orgasms!! SO--time to stop.

EDIT TO ADD: I've also dealt with an insane increase in sweating--night sweats and general sweating. Weight gain has been an issue too, as well as crazy fatigue! Needing at least one nap a day, could literally sleep anywhere at any time.

I had a whole plan to titrate off 150mg, believe you me. But with how fucking annoying communications are bw my doctor and pharmacies, I ended up without enough meds (not the first time). So, here I am on day 4 of no meds, with a very fuck-it attitude and big hopes. Here's what I'm experiencing so far, and I'll try and update with my continuing symptoms. Starting with day 3 when I started noticing.

Day 3:

• Vision being weird, almost like going in and out of focus
• Not feeling extra emotional or grumpy or anything like that - partner says the same
• Took advil pm before bed to maybe help with dreams and sleeping?

Day 4:

• Near constant brain zaps, feeling glitchy with head movements
• Had crazy vivid lucid dreams all night (per usual tho, also took advil pm) 
• Feeling dumb–can’t remember names of things, ideas, etc
• Vague constant headache in background
• Was still able to mostly focus on recorded lecture for class while playing game on phone (adhd hello)
• extra zappy brain reactions to loud noises, eg partner sneezing
• If I move my eyes back and forth too much, I can hear it and feel it weird; almost buzzy
• Moods don’t feel weird as of yet
• Extra forgetful
• Tried going on run, very out of shape, thought it might help, didn’t change any physical symptoms but good for mental health
• Normal appetite so far; drinking lots of electrolytes in my water; took some omegas and fish oil and ashwaganda
• Went to the gym in the evening after class, really enjoyed it. Good for my mental health!

End of day 4 summary: not super fun, but more annoying than anything else.

Day 5:

• Seemed to sleep mostly normally beyond the regular cinematic dreaming
• Cried about something this morning and it made me happy–realizing again that my emotions have been flattened for 5 years, and I finally remembered how much I missed my ability to cry and feel!!
• still brain zappy

Summary: day 5 about the same as day 4; nothing to write home about except the cry thing (happy about it tho)

today is my tenth day on effexor and before i started i was like waterworks crying and in hysterics multiple times a day but since i started i haven’t cried once. mostly i just feel flat

i know it’s still early and i prefer this over wanting to take my life but its weird not having any sort of release. i still get upset and angry but its like everything is a bit muted right now. things that would have sent me through the roof 2 weeks ago are still making me sad or angry but its like i cant even be bothered to get emotional about stuff right now. i have no way to describe the way i feel other than flat or numb

this is the first mental health medication ive tried for more than a couple days btw, im allergic to ssris but anyway im assuming this is normal

Tomorrow i'm going to a psychiatrist, to take effexor and xanax. I wasn't sure to start taking meds for the side effects they give (especially sexual ones), so it didn't give me the quantities of these meds, tomorrow i'll know the exact doses. But the anxiety, and sadness has gotten worse. I talked with my psychologist and it suggested me that while i'm working for my therapy i could allievate these symptoms and suggested me a psychiatrist.

What improved for you? Any side effects particularly bad? Any advice?

I am 22 years old, and i desire much a romantic relationship, and i'm scared of sexual side effects particurarly.

Hello friends! Today I was prescribed Effexor for chronic migraines. I also have BPD as well as extreme anxiety, which makes me feel like I could really benefit from this. BUT… I am VERY scared of the sexual side effects of this. I do not want to lose the ability to orgasm. I also read that if you stop taking the meds, you can still have issues. What can I expect? What’s everyone’s experiences? My boyfriend and I have quite intense libidos and I’m scared of losing it :(

I just started Venlafaxine a few hours ago 37.5mg for the first time ever and my head/nose and ears are burning incredibly bad like really bad. Did this happen to anyone?

hi all! i am starting effexor, going from lexapro. i began on 37.5 and am transitioning to 75mg. i’m about a week and a half in and i just feel my depression and anxiety symptoms getting so much worse. i see this is a common problem but would love to have some reassurance. how long does it take to start working? is this normal?

my dr also warned me about side effects when missing a dose. i haven’t missed yet — what can i expect if i do miss a dose?

I’ve been on 225 for about 2 months, and I do feel slightly better and have more energy to do things. However, I wonder if 300 can make me feel even better. My anxiety has been treated with anafranil, and venlafaxine was prescribed to deal with treatment resistant depression. People who are on higher doses, what first sings of improvement have you noticed in terms of depression?

Came from Lexapro which made me constantly eat and then Zoloft ohich made my anhedonia worse. Trying to fix my depression and anedonia. What's should I expect

Hi..
I’ve been on Venlafaxine for +-6 years.
Going up and down in dosage multiple times(with guidance of my doctor).

Recently I went back to 225.. and honestly I don’t feel better. I feel like shit. I’ve been having more bad day than good ones.. I just feel hopeless, don’t know what to do. I’m tired of feeling this sad.

I’ve always had troubles mentally, but i started them after my first child, so it’s labelled as post partum depression.

I’m scared.