venlafaxine anyone
 

Just wondering if anyone has been on venlafaxine? I am just changing from mirtazipine to venlafaxine and just wondered what to expect really!

Thanks

Yes.
But I did it the other way round - venlafaxine [efexor] to mirtazapine. So I'm probably not the gal to ask!

It depends on what you're looking for - venlafaxine is generally not a sedating medication, for example.

I was on venlafaxine for a year and they gradually increased me on to some crazily high level of it before deciding it wasnt work and discontinuing it.

The worst thing I found with venlafaxine, which I think a lot of people have found, is the side effects. I have inherited low blood pressure, I have an ED so my blood prssure is low cos of that and then they give me venlafaxine which lowers it even further. I often found myself being sick, going so white and dizzy I had to sit down and all the while I was in hospital they were constantly monitoring my blood pressure. But I tended to find that after the initial few weeks, that would settle a bit ( I was on and off a lot because I was naughty and didnt take them when I should)

The other negative is some people find its a bitch to get off it- bad withdrawal symptoms.

However try it with an open mind. Like all ADs, its finding the one that suits you and your body and what may be a complete diaster for one person could really make a difference to someone else.

I didn't like it, I didn't like the person I became on it but it might work for you.

Marte

I understand (although not from personal experience, never been on it) that the withdrawal is quite bad when you eventually come off it.

Hmm.... the mirtazipine works really well for me (apart from the uber weight gain) so I think that this type of chemical whatever does what is says on the tin for me moodwise.

But I am worried about the side-affects/coming off it... thanks for all the replys though.

Does anyone know what it's going to be like coming off Mirtazipine?

I swapped from mirtazapine to venlafaxine . No problems coming off the mirtazapine at all apart from a little bit of insomnia

jill

It didn't do anything for me. But the withdrawal rather sucked.
I know people who it has worked for though. I hope it helps! :)

I was on it for a month so dont know if it had really kicked in, but my suicidal tendencies rocketed. I didnt have to many side effects such as headaches/sickness which sometimes come with AD. I generally found apart from extreme suicidal thoughts at times i was kind of neutral like i was neither happy or unhappy until my episodes. Sorry if thats no use.

Oh :( I'm worried now... I can't take SSRI's because they made me very suicidal... what if these do too?

Can't sleep either :notsure:

Hun im sorry didnt mean to frighten you, that was just me and at a time that anything was setting me off. Give them a go and if anything gets to much go back to your gp. All ad have different effects on different people, i know my friend was on them for a while and she got on fine with them so its down to each person really. good luck, Pm anytime xxx

I used to take it
It didn't really work alone for me 'cause my mood floated too much, but it did work associated with Topiramate.
I didn't have many side effects except for the dry mouth and kind of light head sometimes and it never made me suicidal, on the contrary, it lessened my suicidal feelings.

I should echo what was said above, though, the withdraw REALLY sucked

Hey,

Try not to worry, I have been on this med and just looked in my pharmacology textbook. It says that Venlafaxine is a NSRI and that the way it works is similar of that to the trycyclic anti depressants. The only difference is that it carries less serious side effects than the older anti depressants. It came off it cos i found lithium helped more but i really noticed the difference after i had stopped it.

Thanks guys. Here goes nothing!

Venlafaxine isn't an SSRI, it's in the same class as Mirtazapine, it's an SNRI.

Nope.
Venlafaxine is an SNRI.
Mirtazapine is a NASA!

Yeah I just found that out on wikipedia!. I always thought Mirtazapine was an SNRI, don't know why.

Hence why the ven. and mir. combo, which I was on for several months, is known as 'California Rocket Fuel'. :P

just thought would say ive been on it for bout 18months. it was helping then had to increase the dose. i tend to feel light headed sometimes and a bit spacey. other times i get like pins n needles across my head.

sorry for jumping in

lou