New here - questions about Venlafaxine and the tiredness 🥱

[landisay]

Hi everyone I'm new here 👋😊 jumping straight in with some questions!

First some background -

I've been on 75mg of Effexor XL (slow release, one tablet in the morning) for a few months now and overall it has felt like something pretty magical from an emotional perspective. The down side is that my energy levels are pretty low.

I've been taking it easy and initially attributed my tiredness to the recovery process, but reading around I have seen that it can also be a side effect of the meds. I am waking up sluggish after 7 - 9 hours sleep, napping most days and find myself more easily wiped out by physical and social activities. I also get some nights waking up with restless legs/ legs that need stretching although I had that before this medication too.

I quit work last year so its not really an issue in terms of having places to be etc, but I am curious as to possible ways of managing this. I don't drink and I eat relatively healthily, although am looking at cutting down on sugar/ sweet treats to improve this!

I am going to book a review with my GP in the next couple of weeks and am wondering if he will suggest increasing my dose and whether that might help with the tiredness. Of course, he might not, but my anxiety brain can't help but pre-empt that a bit 🙈 I had a pretty bad experience on Sertraline (Zoloft) where increasing the dose up to 100mg and then 150mg coincided with general numbness/ worsening suicidal ideation and it took me ages to realise it could be a side effect of the medication. I definitely feel like I'm in a better position to have those conversations with the GP as a result but I really don't want to tinker with things without being aware of the possible effects, especially while I feel in a good place emotionally.

Questions -

* can increasing the dose of Venlafaxine help with the sleepiness?

* are there any other ways of managing the tiredness?

* is the tiredness just a trade off for a better emotional state?

* any other suggestions/ relevant thoughts to share?

Totally understand it's different for everyone but would love to hear people's experiences 🙏💖

[Chantel33]

Hi I am no venlafaxine I was on 300ml but have just taken myself down to 225 hoping to get off at some point. I really struggle with tiredness as well but I have a busy life and can’t decide whether it’s the meds or my life which is why I want to come off to see if that improves my health! I was on sertraline before as well and have had more suicidal thoughts since being on drugs. I just want to come off them all but am trying to do it very gradually twisting the GPS arm to do it with his blessing-he is very reluctant. The psychiatrist doesn’t think my physical symptoms are side effects from the drugs but symptoms of depression but I don’t really believe him. No idea why that is all underlined. That probably doesn’t help, I just replayed because it felt like your story was slightly similar.

[landisay in reply to Chantel33]

Thank you for your reply, it's great to connect with people who have similar experiences That's interesting the idea that the tiredness could be considered a depression symptom, rather than the medication. I'm not sure about that either but it's not something I'd thought of so I appreciate that.

For me de-busying my life was something that had come up as part of my journey into sobriety from alcohol and CBT therapy. I feel that I used commitments to give myself a sense of self worth and I had to peel a lot of it back to be able to move forward in a more healthy way. It's been a process! My CBT therapy coincided with the time I was off meds which was helpful in letting go of some stuff and being able to work with myself at what felt like a bit of a baseline. I wish you all the best on your journey with it!

[ChazBlaz in reply to landisay]

I am also on Effexor 150mg and have been on that and Wellbutrin 150mg for about 7 years. I noticed starting to feel more tired, but I thought it was due to my being a single mom of twin girls with no help, having moved house, unpacking 400 boxes, etc. Of course I was tired! But now I see your post and it makes me wonder…

The other thing I found out very recently, which is certainly connected to feeling tired, is that while all that was going on I have quietly gone through menopause and my hormones are at zero. Oh yeah and I was just diagnosed with ADHD at 47 years young, which explains a lot of the things that have gone wrong in my life so far (and continue to go wrong.) ADHD is exhausting because my attention is all over the place and my brain can’t stop trying to solve every problem and it’s like a dog chewing on a bone. I’m getting therapy and coaching for all this.

Transcendental Meditation is the best thing I’ve ever found for resting my brain, and has had more positive effects on my mental health than any talking therapy (which I studied and took part in regularly for 15 years) ever has. I thought about it for many years and then once learned how and I did it for the first time, my brain felt so different and much better. I do it for 20 minutes twice a day and I look forward to it because my brain can just rest then.

One question to you is, whether you are male or female, have you had your hormones checked? I know how my lack of hormones is making me tired, and my partner also had low testosterone and needed a nap every day until he got on testosterone creams.

What and how you eat can be a factor too. Many people have found that by mastering their blood sugar levels by intermittent fasting or following a ketogenic-eating lifestyle has helped them reduce their inflammation, and lose extra pounds that had been slowing them down. Many studies have shown that inflammation is linked to depression/ anxiety.

Get into a habit of taking a good probiotic every day. Your gut health is very important for manufacturing seratonin and dopamine.

Also have you had your micronutrient levels checked? Many vitamin deficiencies have a side effect of tiredness. Yes, tiredness could be a side effect of depression or medication, but you can only benefit from making sure that your body is getting what it needs to function properly. Some medications can even cause deficiencies. Contrary to what many people seem to think, my experience has been that body and mind are not separate. Stand back and look at the whole picture. I hope this helps! Hang in there. 😊

[landisay in reply to ChazBlaz]

Thanks for this that's all great info! Not surprised you were feeling tired sounds like lots going on 🤗

I have had blood tests taken periodically to check for thyroid issues and nothing has come back but I have another one scheduled in. I will check what they test for and ask they do as much in terms of hormones and nutrients as is available.

When I spoke to the doctor last my dose was increased to 150mg and while it has helped with the tiredness a bit I have lost the nice chilled/ blissed out vibes I had on 75mg. I have managed to book a face to face appointment with my doctor this week to discuss this. I have also wondered about ADHD/ ADD so will mention that too.

With the ADHD diagnosis, what difference has that made to your treatment out of interest? And what was your previous diagnosis?

I used to do intermittent fasting but fell out of the habit. Don't really have any weight to lose at the moment but will look at it for maintenance as I think the health benefits stack up. Have recently been drinking more kombucha too for gut health but it's not something I know a lot about, aside from it being important.

I am also trying to reintroduce a daily meditation practice as I have found that helpful before. I am generally interested in a lot of Buddhist and yogic philosophy and practices, as well as sound therapy. I find committing to it daily difficult but I am approaching it with an open mind and doing what I can!

[Janesarah in reply to Chantel33]

Venlafaxine is known as a side effect to cause suicidal mania as other ones do, doctors drive me mad, i asked one doctor how will i feel coming off venlafaxine and going on a new med her reply I don’t know its not my area of expertise!! 😅 then why the hell are you telling me what to do with my meds lol

[landisay in reply to Janesarah]

How frustrating! And definitely doesn't give much confidence in the advice...

When I wanted to come off Sertraline I spoke to 3 different doctors and they each said something different. My current GP is OK, he admits that this stuff is all a bit of an unknown/ trial and error and I appreciate the honesty!

[Hidden]

Good morning my darling this excessive tiredness eventually does pass! I’ve been on 300mg of Venlafaxin for years now. Without them my life feels it’s not worth living and I can’t function. I’ve tried many other antidepressants and combinations over the years but this is most effective. Please just give it time but be honest with your practitioner about how you feel. Your body will adjust to the tablets. If your mind is feeling in a better place it’s worth it I’d say. You’ll maybe tick along nicely mentally on the dose you’re on but trust me you’ll know if you need to increase the dose. Please don’t be anxious about the tiredness when I started on them it was as if I’d been smacked round the head with a baseball bat! I was just so extremely tired. On the dose I’m on and I can still hold down three very physically and mentally demanding jobs. You’ll get there just relax. We’re here if you need us! Big hugs and love 🍀❤️😘xx

[landisay in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply, that's really reassuring! For now I am happy enough with my slower pace of life so there's no rush. Still though, patience can be such a hard virtue to practice 😆

[Janesarah]

Hi ive been on the full dose of venlafaxine 375 mg for 18 months! Sadly the sleepiness does not get better you just get used to it although i do not work either so nap ect, i am starting to wean off them as they cause me to have suicidal manic episodes every few months and i am going back to my old meds paraxotine as they suited me! I have honestly not benefited from venlafaxine yes i have good days but I don’t go out on my own ect which drives me insane as i am very independent and always worked ect, its trial and error and sertraline is the worst for numbess and suicidal thoughts as venlafaxine has had its moments with myself and i have never wver felt like that vefore in fact ive never felt anxiety and panic attacks like i have off venlafaxine its so strange, my doctor wouldn’t listen when i kept asking to switch as I didn’t feel any benefit from them and now i have to wean off them and start again!! Citralopram and floroxatine would probably suit you as they have more positive patient reviews, unfortunately the sleepiness you get from all anti depressants but some are so much worse the venlafaxine makes me feel like i have tunnel vision and could sleep standing up, i hope this helps and venlafaxine is also the worst one to come off!! No matter what the doctors say the patient reviews people have said venlafaxine is horrible to wean off

[landisay in reply to Janesarah]

Hope you can get back onto your old meds soon! Why were you moved on to venlafaxine in the first place?

[Janesarah in reply to landisay]

I’m starting to wean off tomorrow, because my old doctor was an idiot and didn’t listen to my consistent symptoms i had for 10 years 🤨 but hopefully will get back to myself soon

[kosmo_20]

Hi Landisay. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)and also MDD and was placed on Effexor XR 150 MG back in January 2021. While the medication greatly improved my anxiety and depression (I can even drink coffee again), I did experience drowsiness and fatigue. It's definitely a side effect of the medication. I was so sleepy and drowsy that I reported it to my doctor who lowered the dose to 75 MG a few weeks ago. So far, although it's only been a short while, things are better. I still have some fatigue and drowsiness but it's not as bad as it was before and my energy levels are a little higher. I also recommend watching your diet and exercise to help your energy levels. Be sure to monitor carefully and report all side effects to your doctor. Also, to me, having less energy is a tradeoff I am willing to make instead of crippling anxiety. There are very few medications without any side effects but sometimes they subside over time. Best of luck. Don't give up hope, especially if the medication is working.

[landisay in reply to kosmo_20]

That's good to know, thank you! I also feel like, for now at least, being tired is a price I'm willing to pay after a few years of feeling so terrible. I knew it wasn't great at the time but now I'm a better place I can see how bad it was. Glad to hear you're doing better too!

[MEZB]

I was put on venlafaxine 150 with bupropion 150 about four years ago after a very bad suicidal event which put me into the psych ward. It truly was a life saver. I have managed to quit drinking alcohol (three years ago) and one would think I'd be doing great. I mostly am! The worst side effects I endure are nightmares, talking in my sleep and waking up feeling like I was run over by a truck. Those sleep issues, in my humble opinion, are what causes my fatigue. I don't know if you have considered this. One thing worth mentioning is I walk 5-6 miles a day and I eat very healthy. About a week ago I started to reduce the venlafaxine to 75, (under the supervision of GP) which I did rather abruptly without any problems. Unfortunately I'm still sleeping badly and am starting to consider reducing or getting off Bupropion.

[Chantel33 in reply to MEZB]

See what I don’t understand is that I was put into hospital after a bad suicide mission to recover physically and they did absolutely nothing about my meds. They did not change them at all...I was so confused by that. So I’m obviously fine ha ha. That has made me think the meds don’t really do anything, if I want to have suicidal thoughts I can. Fortunately at the moment I dont’t but I’m slowly reducing meds in order to come off them because what is the point if I’m committing suicide anyway?? But maybe it was a different state to you. I was 100% sure I wanted to die, it was all very logical, i wrote the note and goton with it. I didn’t feel ‘not in my right mind’ and I can remember it all. No alcohol addiction was involved. But right now, I’m thinking

How can I possibly thought like that, I have 4 lovely children to look after-how could I leave them??? So my logic is obviously different from what it was...

[landisay in reply to MEZB]

I also quit drinking about three years ago - go us! 🥳 For me the mental health stuff really started to surface after that. In hindsight I think it was always there but alcohol was a coping mechanism or a way of masking it all.

So pleased to hear that overall you're doing well. You'd think after all that exercise you'd get a good night's sleep! It's not surprising that you're feeling tired after being so restless at night. Hope you can find a solution to that soon.

[GoFigure42]

My experience with Effexor was that it was a benefit but I also experienced some lack of energy. I did find taking it at night worked better for my energy. I also found even moderate exercise like taking an30 minute walk boosted my energy level.