I'm currently inpatient and have been put on venlafaxine and just wondered why peoples experiences were of it? Any side effects, was it helpful etc?
Thanks!
It was awful for me. Didn't help a drop and then the withdrawal was an utter bitch. I have heard that it's helped some people loads though. I guess don't dwell on it, otherwise you'll subconsciously feel things that aren't there. Keep an open mind and see how it pans out for you.
It was the only antidepressant that was able to drag me out of the depths of a truly terrible depression. I took it with a mood stabiliser though as it's known for triggering mania in people with bipolar disorder if taken alone.
The withdrawal when I came off it was awful though. If you are going to come off it's really important to do it gradually and don't just stop (like I did).
There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: 'This glass is half full'. And then there are those who say: 'This glass is half empty'.
The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: 'What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!
I have been taking the extended release lowest dose for close to 4 years now. It has been the only drug that has actually leveled me out enough to not feel beyond sad and suicidal. Saying that, I hate it. My body is super addicted to it, and if I don't take it at the same second every day I will go into withdrawal. My advice to you is be structured around taking it, and if you miss a dose take one as soon as possible, and if you are about to run out make sure that you fill your script before you are completely out. The withdrawal even just a missed dose is absolutely brutal for me.
If I wasn't so scared that I would start feeling awful again, I would try the weening off process but I am not ready for that yet.
Best of luck with it.
life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself.
Had my first dose last night and the side effects were awful :( I had to lie down for about 2 hours, I felt so dizzy, sick and 'wired', went to bed at 12.30 to try and get a good nights sleep and couldn't sleep till about 4am an woke up countless times so gave up and got up at 6! I know it takes a while to settle down but this is horrible. Had my second dose around half an hour ago and I can feel it kicking in, I just feel like I'm on illicit drugs or something, it's not pleasant at all. :(
I hope they wear off soon and it starts to help! Thanks for your experiences and advice xx
Have second hand experience of the withdrawal coming off it, as I saw an ex go through it, and it was really horrendous for him. But it's hard to gleam anything from hearing about other people's experiences when you start a new medication as it could be completely different for you.
Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do you want?
I'd take it in the morning too, if you can. It made me feel 'wired' aswell. I think I'm right in saying it's similar to some respects to amphetamines.
There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: 'This glass is half full'. And then there are those who say: 'This glass is half empty'.
The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: 'What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!
it helped me so much when i was on it.
i had built up to a rather high dose before it really took effect though.
i think most medications make you feel awful the first couple of times, its a totally new thing entering your body, so its likely to make you feel a bit odd.
give it a fair chance
:)
I'm fine! Totally fine. I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, 'cause really, I'm fine!
I've been on worse medication. I'm actually a little unsure of how much I can remember while taking it which is kind of funny in a bad way, considering the most reported side effect is amnesia. I was on it long enough to suggest that it worked a little better than the previous few meds did. Saying that there came a time where it didn't really do much for me if anything. I must have came to a conlusion with doctors that it wasn't the best thing for me.
Withdrawal/coming off of it: Immediate withdrawal can be very difficult to deal with. I remember not taking a dose for two nights, while walking to work the next morning buildings infront of me would look as though they were swaying. That same morning I was sick 4 times before lunch time. If you are coming off of it at anytime (I know it's early days yet) then make sure combined with doctors help you do it properly.
Medications work well for different people - venlafaxine could help you a great deal and things could be more manageable from before.
Everything passes, everything changes. Just do what you think you should do.
I had to take it at night and it made me very very high and then when I woke up in the morning I had massive pupils and kept asking people if it looked like my eyes had grown, I thought they'd swollen. I was only on it for a week and when I came off I got very strong withdrawal symptoms. I'd say treat with caution!
It helped even out my mood and boost my energy levels, so it's been working pretty well for me. I think I took a few weeks to settle down to it, though.
It has made me very tachycardic, which has sometimes been difficult but now it's not too much of a problem.
I skipped a dose or two once and it definitely made me a bit shaky, but I've also had my dose reduced and not noticed at all.
I know some people who swear by it and one or two in particular whose lives it has quite possibly saved. It was the only med that took them out of the depths of their depression. For me though, it was horrible. It made me more unwell. Everyone is different though and hopefully you will see an improvement on it.
Well this is my fifth day on venlafaxine, I take it at 8am and 6pm. I don't feel quite as bad as I did but im wondering if I'm just getting used to it? I'm really struggling to sleep and having to take lorazepam to try and switch my head off. I find my body is tired, and although I'm not thinking of anything in particular when I go to bed, I just cannot switch off! When I do manage to fall asleep I'm constantly waking up, tossing an turning and it's becoming a nightmare!
My pupils are HUGE constantly, and I can't sit in one place for longer than about 10/15 minutes. Im constantly in my room, out into the day room, into the dining room, sat in the alcove then back again.
Another thing I've noticed is I've hardly eaten anything. My appetite had gone downhill anyway but this past 4 days I've not eaten much. The thought of eating is starting to become daunting, like I'm scared to eat. I couldn't imagine eating a meal. I dont know if this could be linked or if it's something separate? I'm drinking plenty so it's not an issue yet.. But I can see it becoming one. I also lose weight very slowly which I suppose is a good thing. I was a size uk x around 7 weeks ago, my jeans now fall down to the point I can't wear them so I'm guessing I'm now around a x? Is this unhealthy?
Argh I just feel so wired constantly, really fidgety and they're doubling my dose tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. Ugh!
Thankyou for your replies :)
Last edited by [Purple_Rain] : 27-12-2011 at 08:10 PM.
Reason: Please do not post weigth lost, clothes sizes or food lists. it is againts the rules
If it was me I think I'd check in with a doctor to say just how hyped it seems to be making you feel. The symptoms you're mentioning remind me of mania (not that I'm in any way suggesting you have that, just saying it sounds as disruptive as) and what with the weight loss and stuff.
Perhaps another medication would suit you better, or you'd at least perhaps get an idea of when you can expect to feel more settled. Must be quite agitating to be so wired. x
Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do you want?
Loss of appetite was a bad side effect I also experienced. Yet they kept me on it for a year! [feeling sick all the time for a year is no fun...] I'd tell them all this asap.
I found taking the evening dose of regular release Venlafaxine made it very hard to impossible for me to sleep. I was switched to modified release (Venlafaxine XL) for that reason, so I take one dose in the morning and sleep ok. Maybe that's an option for you?
They doubled my dose this morning and it made me feel that awful I didn't get out of bed until 4pm. Saw my doctor at 5 and he reduced the dose back to what it was because it's disagreeing with me so much. I ache all over so much, my back is killing me. I'm half tempted to start refusing to take it.
Will I get bad withdrawal when ive only been taking it for a week?
