Venlafaxine side effects

[mollieyoung_27]

Myself and my sister have suffered with anxiety for years, not general day to day anxiety, we both just woke up one day (not the same day of course) having panic attacks which unfortunately have been a huge part of our lives. I’m on sertraline but my anxiety is definitely triggered by illness / alcohol / stress but on meds it is managable.

My sister has struggled more than I have as she’s had periods of being fine then long periods of panic. She got in touch with a therapist, came off of Fluoxetine and went onto Venlafaxine which has a horrid cocktail of side effects. She did 6 weeks and felt pretty awful so the doctor upped her dose, she’s now in week 5 of the higher dose and having awful fatigue, dizziness and nausea and really struggling day to day.

I just wanted to reach out here to see what other people’s experiences have been and is the horrible part worth it in the long term? I just want to help her how I can.

[fauxartist]

If your sister's doctor isn't listening to how your sister is suffering after two weeks of side effects...I'd get another doctors opinion.

[CL3V3R-G1RL in reply to fauxartist]

I agree with Fauxartist. Sometimes you gotta be your own advocate. Sometimes yes side effects can happen and it should dissipate with in 2 weeks. But if they don't, it even says on the insert for the drug. If side effects persists or you experience any of these side effects, contact your physician immediately. So if she's experiencing these and they have not gone away. Then talk to a new doctor.

Some doctors will try to convince her that this is the right stuff and give her another med to combat the side effects.

I been through this myself. Not for this drug but for another and I fought tooth and nail to get my doctor to change my dosage. Eventually I ended firing him as my doctor because he wouldn't listen to me. I went with another doctor and she listened to me and my concerns. She changed my dosage.

[mollieyoung_27 in reply to CL3V3R-G1RL]

thanks guys, she felt better after the initial first 6 weeks so i think it is helping, it’s the fact they doubled her dose so now she’s got to face it all again, its all about managing the side effects in this 6-8 weeks period - i know its so hard to find the right medicine for you and the side effects can be really brutal!

[fauxartist in reply to CL3V3R-G1RL]

Sadly, not all doctors have our best interests at heart.... whether it's because they are just ego driven, or pushing some script that a rep has them promoting. These things happen, unfortunately. A good doctor will assess your concerns and listen to you. Most doctors really only have what we tell them to go on at first....sometimes tests are not the right tests, and some meds are not really track record proven, everyone reacts to the same meds differently.... I'm very concerned to see Paxil being given out after it's very bad track record. I say that from personal experience myself, and what I've seen happen sadly when someone goes cold turkey stopping this drug. So with all the more proven SSRI's etc out there now, why pull this one back out other than to promote sales possibly.

[CL3V3R-G1RL in reply to fauxartist]

Yeah a doctor I had refused to listen to me about the side effects I was having with my thyroid medication. I would cry in his office and he would just blow it off because he "discovered" I had anxiety. Even though every year I lost my meds and clozanpram was on there and what it was for. He just blamed it on my "uncontrolled anxiety". I seriously blame him for ruining my life.

Anyways I fired him after getting nowhere with him. I got another doctor. While I was waiting to see her. I went to my dermatologist and she was young, probably my age. I asked her opinion about my situation. She told me "Most doctors will probably keep you on the same drug no matter what you are feeling and just give you something else for the side effect. But if it were me, and you said you were doing okay on the small dose, I would put you back on the smaller dose." Which kind of restore my faith in the medical community.

And then I met my new doctor and told her everything and she agreed to put me back on the smaller dose but monitor it for the next few months. Which I was fine with.

[fauxartist in reply to CL3V3R-G1RL]

Being your own best advocate is taking your power back from jerks that are dismissive and ego driven. I'm very glad to hear you kept moving forward and asking questions till you finally got the help you needed....it's inspirational to others here who don't feel they can do that. Just because someone has M.D. behind their name, doesn't make them any more human than we are... and most have their own issues too, believe me, I know.

[Hidden]

Hi, I am taking venlafaxine.

I didn't have as many severe side effects as your sister, but I gather it takes about 12 weeks to know if it is the right medicine for that person. I was all over the place with side effects and just feeling out of it. This all passed and my main side effect now is tiredness, sleepiness.

It is helping with my anxiety and feelings of panic, not getting rid of it, but allowing me to be more present at times when alone. And in a better place to focus on therapy.

Sertraline helped me, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects at the dose I needed to be on.

I think it was 6-8 weeks that the side effects started to reduce for me, except for the tiredness. Does your sister always have the tablets with food? My GP prescribed the modified release ones in 2 doses, 12 hours apart.

[mollieyoung_27 in reply to Hidden]

thank you for your response, she did feel better after the initial 6 weeks but the doctor upped her dose so she’s going through it again! she is splitting when she takes her meds - your note is really reassuring so thank you!

[Hidden in reply to mollieyoung_27]

Mine was also doubled later, not quite so soon as your sister as that is how I had a bed reaction to Sertraline, so I delayed increasing the venlafaxine that soon. My GP was happy to be guided by me.

It's hard to be patient when you need help quickly. That's how I knew it can take up to 12 weeks to have it's full effect sometimes too. I've just passed the 12 weeks on the higher dose and it feels the right dose for me.

[rbbmessenger]

venlafaxine has helped me bearable side affects. I do feel sick if I miss a dose

[SayNOtoPanic]

Hope she feels better soon. Definitely follow up with the doctor but I know a few people and close relatives who use it and they had a hard time six to eight weeks then smooth sailing.

[mollieyoung_27 in reply to SayNOtoPanic]

she defo felt better after week 6 on the lower dose, so she’s hoping to feel even better week 6-8 of the higher dose - she is excited to feel better

[zqb95v]

Ultimately when it comes to taking medication you need to balance out the pros and cons as NO medication is totally risk free and without side affects. Personally my rule is does the medication and side affects improve my health or does it make me feel worse than my health problem. If it's worse then I stop taking it, simple as that. Remember you and you alone decide what drugs you allow into your body not the doctor; after all you have to live with the consequences not the doctor.

[Hidden in reply to zqb95v]

Great advice zqb95v! Not always easy with mental health issues as at least for me, clarity of thinking is hit and miss, so I take my time making any decision. It's a balance certainly.

[zqb95v in reply to Hidden]

Yeah, severe Mental Health problems are are real problem as the medications prescribed are usually very powerful with a long list of debilitating side effects. Especially difficult when it isn't yourself but a close loved on.

[jjpeabody]

Yes, these medications and trying to find the right one with 4-6 weeks before you know if it will work for you is tuff. How people react is different on top of it. I've never had an SSRI work by itself. Maybe trying Celexa/citalopran in combination with low dose of Trazodone might work. Also, buspar is another add on drug you might try with an SSRI. Good luck.

[mollieyoung_27 in reply to jjpeabody]

Hey - this is an SNRI so not sure if it works the same as SSRIs with being able to take other medicine - I can get her to check with her doctor and see if they recommend anything. Thank you

[jjpeabody]

I understand, buspar might be the one to try in combination, and/or duloxetine (SNRI) with low dose buspar might work. The SNRIs likely have more side effects than SSRIs. Good luck

[mollieyoung_27 in reply to jjpeabody]

Thanks for the advice!! Yeah, she was on SSRIs for years and SNRIs are defo hitting harder.

[jjpeabody]

I think the secret may be combination therapy at low doses to start, probably with SSRI. Over and out. Take care

[Astro_potato]

This probably isnt the most encouraging post, but it is honest. I was on venlafaxine XR for 20+ years, and it worked well until I had a medical episode earlier this year and had to switch to a different anti-depressant. The withdrawal symptoms were hell. I do not wish them upon my worst enemy. It has been nine months and I am still dealing with lingering withdrawal symptoms, nausea being the worst. I've lost 57lbs total, which wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to me, as i was overwight, but when I say thinking of food sometimes makes me vomit, I mean it. I wish I had never been put on venlafaxine.

[SayNOtoPanic in reply to Astro_potato]

So sorry to hear this Astro. Ughhh that’s frustrating especially when it served you well for so many years. I think the problem with it is that it can mess with blood pressure but when it works for people it tends to really work. I know quiet a few people on it and they’re horrified of the thought of ever switching it cause of the side effects.

[LoveforAll41]

Howdy mollieyoung. I was on venlafaxine for a couple of years and liked it. I had been on fluoxetine for a few years and was always tired. I guess a big one was sexual side effects too.

Anyway, on venlafaxine I didn't have the exhaustion that I always had with fluoxetine. I am about to go back on venlafaxine because I am not doing great. I always think of drugs as a patch and helping get into really deep therapy to help us change the way we think. It is crazy how different all the drugs can be for people. Going on and off is rough but it has been worth it for me. Every dose adjustment was kind of crazy, I had all the physical symptoms of severe anxiety but not the mental anxiety 😜. Sounds like things are going well so I hope they continue to do so and your sister can really get that brain plasticity going and change the way she thinks and ditch the meds. ☮️