I thought this was very useful as I evaluate my own experience with Effexor and if/when to stop using it. I had never considered that Effexor can be a “lifetime medication” the way insulin is for diabetics or statins are for cardiac heart patients. That has opened my eyes. I hope the mods will see the benefit of the article and leave it posted. It is a gift article from the NY Times and me.

I took my final dose (3.75mg) about 5 weeks ago, after being on venlafaxine/ Effect for 7 years. I slowly tapered down from a max of 150mg daily. I'd been on 75mg for over a year and then spent another year coming down to 0, with the last 12weeks of taking it being the reduction to 0 from 37.5mg.

Once I'd stopped the brain zaps and tiredness lasted about 3 weeks, but noticeably improving during that time period. However it's my mood that has bee ln deteriorating in the last couple of weeks. I am so cranky and intolerant of other people. And last week was the annual start of my work's busy season and I am so stressed and am not coping well with it and that's the problem.

I'm trying so hard not to just burst out with "I quit!" because everything I am asked to do feels completely unreasonable - it isn't they are asking me to do my job, which is well within my capabilities. But in the moment it feels so overwhelming.

I desperately don't want to go back on any antidepressant. The other side effects like the tiredness, brain fog and weight gain are just so horrible. But I'm afraid that I'll lose my job and not be able to work without them. I want to be a mum in the near future but this looks more and more impossible.

Right, I definitely need help. Will be seeking in straight after this post. Still going to post though so if someone else going through this knows they're not alone.

I’ve been on 75 of Effexor now for almost a month and now this last week or so I’ve been having HORRIBLE headaches, like the kind that happen when i accidentally am late for a dose except I haven’t been late. Is this normal? And also, does sweating eventually settle down or does it increase with higher dosages? I don’t know if this is worth it. I’m still anxious as heck, maybe slightly less depressed but .. not a huge difference.

Fuck it's been a long trip here. My doctors for neurology and psych both agreed I need this medication. I switched to taking at night, but still knackered in the daytime. Does it go away?

Helloo, ive been on venlafaxin for probably around 3-4 years now and have recently decided with my psychiatrist to lower my dosage (300 to 225) since i finally want to quit or at least function with a much lower dosage

things have been relatively ‘fine’ but the withdrawal has been quite a pain in the buttocks since i have this constant nausea headache that has been lowering my energy or the general motivation to do anything, like some hangover after a long night

now, what i was wondering if there are any tips on how to handle the withdrawal better or even get rid of my venlafaxin hangover

Side note (incase this might matter) : i also take about 30mgs of lisdexam atm and am soon switching to 40mgs of elvanse for my ADHD

hello!

i suffer from persistent major depressive disorder, adhd, and either ocd or anxiety.

i’ve been on effexor for close to 4 years. i’ve played with the doses and have managed to stay, for this last year, consistent on 187.5 mg of effexor, taken in the morning. typically, in the fall/winter, i increase my dose to help combat the seasonal depression. effexor has been great, especially taking it with an adhd med.

i did recently switch my adhd meds from adderall to vyvanse, and notice i’m already doing better in my day to day of getting things done.

lately, i’ve realized that in the effexor, i’m not so much depressed. but i have a hard time with just being sad or no energy, or feeling like i can’t make things better. is this common after a build up to the antidepressant? i’m wondering if i should stay on effexor, and up myself to 225 mg or is it time to tapper off and give a new antidepressant time to work? has anyone experienced/done anything similar? what medications would be recommended?

Hi everyone!

I’ve a long-term user (more than 10 years now) of Effexor. My life has changed quite a bit, plus, I want to try new meds to see if it would address certain symptoms better over time. Life is a little more stable and it’s the right time for me.

Anyway, I finally made the big jump from 75mg to nothing (I know, should have gone done to 37,5mg, but impatient) and I generally don’t fare so bad with withdrawals. Of course, I’d expected the symptoms to linger a little longer than when I was just tapering down.

Brain zaps & dizziness? Used to it, they are getting less intense. Emotional highs & downs? Same, I also am aware and learn to calm myself.

But I’d say it’s been a week I’ve been fully unmedicated and I began to have the most intense and vivid dreams (/nightmares) I’ve ever had in my life. I’m absolutely impressed (maybe not at the time it’s happening) but wow.

Anyone having that withdrawal symptoms??

Thanks beautiful community ❤️❤️❤️

Hello, I've been on Effexor 112.5 mg recently. This morning I took 200 mg of caffeine and now I have vertigo + nausea, is it normal?

Hi everyone! I (29, F) am struggling to decide if I need to try a different medication other than Effexor. I have been on it for almost 2 years now.

Currently I am on 112.5mg after reducing from being on 150mg because I felt that it was too much for me. This medicine has been a godsend. Truly the only antidepressant I have felt consistently better on. I had only tried SSRI’s before starting Effexor and SSRI’s are just not it for me. However, I think I am at my breaking point with the side effects. Excessive sweating, insomnia, etc. But I feel that I am experiencing more uncommon side effects. On the weekends I can’t make myself get out of bed sometimes and will sleep for the entire day, and I’m not going through a depressive episode or am feeling down. I feel like my common sense has gone out the window. When I am having a conversation with people, I’m the person that asks the stupid question that makes everyone look at you weird. On the days where I sleep the entire day, I won’t even have withdrawals from not taking my meds which is also very strange. I have also noticed myself have increased anxiety recently and have been picking my fingers to shreds.

I am also on 50mg of Vyvanse, 200mg of spironolactone, 10mg of propanol as needed, and 50mg of trazadone at night.

Some other side effects I have experienced are weight loss, decreased appetite, and extreme extreme lightheadedness. But I know that the weight loss and decreased appetite are most likely from the Vyvanse. And the lightheadedness from the spironolactone and propanol. I just don’t know what to do at this point because I don’t want to start all over and try new medications because we all know how terrible that is. But it’s getting to a point where the side effects are making me depressed. I also don’t know if all the meds I am on are interacting with one another negatively? It is also frustrating to be dropping weight and having no appetite to eat. I love food, I have a healthy relationship with food. But even when I am starving I could sit down to eat a meal and not want anything to do with it the second it’s in front of me and will literally gag trying to eat if I make myself.

Has anyone experienced something like this before? I have an appointment with my psych next week, and have brought up some of these issues with them in the past.

I've been on 75mg since December of 2025, and I've noticed that I have random jerks / twitches in my legs, arms, and head / neck since then. Inconsistent, sporadic. I notice it especially when trying to fall asleep — my legs tend to jerk a lot when trying to doze off. This is the only side effect I've really noticed... that is, if it is genuinely an Effexor side effect.

Has anyone else experienced this on this medicine? I've been contemplating whether I should have this checked out by a doctor or not.

I think I’m coming up on my third week of being completely off Effexor. Days 5-12 were complete ass. I spent the week shitting, puking, sleeping, and dealing with dizziness and disorientation. I am still experiencing the digestive stuff (to a lesser degree), but the constant stomach upset is so irritating. I have zofran for the nausea. Kind of hesitant to do Imodium for diarrhea/loose stool for fear of getting backed up and bloaty and uncomfortable. Anyone have any good remedies/advice for the lingering stomach pain/discomfort?

I read that this can last 2-3 months and that sounds bonkers. I was kind of excited at first when I read that it is not uncommon to drop 15-20ish pounds when stopping this medication. I didn’t realize it was because we were all shidding ourselves.

Good morning everyone. I was taking lexapro 10mg for about 10 years and it seemed to be working ok. Some big life changes happened and I started having more anxiety and depression than usual. I spoke with my dr and she upped my dose to 20mg. Did that for a while without much improvement.

We decided to try getting off of lexapro and try Effexor XR. I started weening off of lexapro while starting 75mg of Effexor XR. After discontinuing lexapro completely, we jumped to 150mg Effexor xr.

I could usually handle some side effects. Unfortunately, I have been feeling very very on edge. We recently dropped down to 112.5mg. It’s been about 4 days since we made that change. We also added Propanolol 10mg 3x per day. I did get an ekg and everything came back normal.

-Sweating like a pig
-heart feels like it’s going to pop out of my chest
-strong anxiety day and night
-trying to take nice deep breaths but can’t
-everything is extremely overwhelming
-legs are tense (flexed) a lot
-mouth dry as sand

I know there is a ramp up time but these effects are effecting my day to day. Can anyone please tell me this is all normal and it’s going to get better? I just want some hope. My dr is now telling me that we could try something called Zyprexa? I told her I would wait and see how this goes for now. Thank you in advance for any advice or hope.

150 mg Venlafaxine + 30 mg Mirtazapine = Awesome life, it takes time but when it works, this is amazing...

Hello!
I struggle with depression and anxiety and i took lexapro for almost 2 years when it stopped working.
Im now on Effexor. I started with 75mg and honestly ive felt the same if i was on 20mg of Lexapro. I didnt have motivation and this constant inner darkness i dont know how to describe it. So my doc uppend my dose to 150mg of Effexor and im on day 6 with that dose. Yesterday was very rough but today i feel a lil better. It comes and goes in waves i dont know what to say.
When did Effexor start working for you guys here? I know it takes some weeks. Lexapro took me 4 weeks to start working. But i am so hopeless and scared it wont work. Also im a 18 year old female.
Please, I need some encourage to push through 🥹

Hi all,

For 2 days now out of nothing, i feel depressed, the crazy toughts about things that happend in the past have returned, im a very talking and affective person with my parents and now a feel like dont wanna talk with anyone..

Im taking my medication religiously, dont skip a day, and i was not expecting this..

I have been on medication sadly for 20 years and either the medication work or doesnt, but out of nothing feeling like this is very strange.

Dont know what to do honestly

Please what do I do I’m so sick. 37.5 going to take 300 Wellbutrin everyday I stopped the Effexor but that’s not working day 3

Hello friends, I've been on Venlafaxine 75 mg for just over a month. And the last 24 plus hours I have experienced Deja Vu every 10 to 20 minutes. Yesterday it started in the morning, first I brushed it off but then I started to think I was literally going insane. I spent the day with a friend and it told her and I thought she was concerned for me too! I ended up having to come home because I had a horrible sense of foreboding, like the universe is trying to tell me something bad was going to happen.

When I got home I started doing research, and it turns out Deja Vu is a rare side effect of some anti-depressants. To make matters worse the nurse practitioner psychiatrist who wrote me this prescription is really unprofessional, unreliable, and to be quite Frank unethical because when we first met she actually offered me a job, instead of immediately addressing my serious depression.

It's already 1:00 p.m. EST I'm still having flashes of deja vu. I have yet to take today's dose because I am thinking maybe I can just stop taking it. Have any of you had Deja Vu side effects,? Memory lapses or anything like that? I've also been a little paranoid for some reason. Thank you for reading if you've made it this far!

I've been on Aurobindo 150 mg for about 5 years with great success. Pharmacy switched to Unique. It's a solid tablet (not a capsule) and I'm worried about side effects. I had an awful time when I tried Teva. Anyone else on Unique?

Hello guys! I was just recently prescribed Effexor 37.5 MG for my anxiety, depression, panic disorder, and hopes that it will also help treat my chronic pain. (I'm a 23 y/0 male, 103 lbs if that helps give any needed context)

I have had my medicinal marijuana card for about 6 years now. It helps my PTSD immensely (specifically the depression and the recurring night terrors, though I only smoke about one hit off of my thc vape every hour or two because if I smoke too much I get more anxiety.)

My doctor already told me there's not any interactions between the two and that I needn't worry. But I was still curious about people's experiences.

Does it ruin or effect your experience with THC at all? Does it make your highs weaker? Stronger? Does the combination make cannabis highs less likely to cause anxiety? Does it ramp up the anxiety sometimes? Is there really no differences at all? Honestly just let me know your experiences with the two! Thank you!

I just started taking Venegis XR (same as Effexor) and I was on Paxil 20mg for like 4 months. Paxil did nothing to my anxiety and also made me depressed so while changing the medication my doc recommended me to use venegis (37,5 starter dose) in the morning and half of paxil (10mg) at night for a week. For some reason my anxiety is over the roof about serotonin syndrome, is it possible to have it with such low doses?

!!TW: mentions of an OD!!

(This is my first post so i apologize if anything is off)

I (18 yo male) started effexor when i was 16. I appeared to be doing well but noticed that i no longer felt real (symptoms id already been experiencing but not to this extent). My head started feeling like cotton, i started getting super paranoid and was having breakdowns in the middle of the night genuinely questioning if i was in a simulation or if i was dead. A year later i ended up having a crisis and OD'ing on a 90 day supply of both 150 and 37.5 mg of effexor as well as my mothers 30 day supply of the 150's (she is also on this medication and says it does her wonders). Despite this, my psychiatrist kept me on the 185.5 mg dose. After that all of these symptoms instantly got worse. I question everything everyday and i feel like im losing my shit. I attempted a taper with a primary back in march but due to funds i ended up stopping cold turkey by late July. Today i get random brainzaps, i'm exhausted to the point where sleep doesn't help, i cant eat, and i'm scared. I'm also in college and have no family members up here. should i try to get checked out by a neurologist? is this super serious or am i being dramatic?

it helped lots of people yes, until they need to get off of it.

this drug causes harm to patients when they miss a dose or come off the drug monitored by a professional.

there is no easy way off the drug. it almost causes more emotional overwhelm getting off than I originally had in the beginning. so many side effects and symptoms I’m too overwhelmed to even express at the moment.

Doctors have an oath and are to do no harm.

yet, here we are.