115 patient evaluations for Venlafaxine

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Jul 29, 2005 (Started Jun 27, 2005)

  • Effectiveness
    None (for fibromyalgia)
  • Effectiveness
    None (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    None (for major depressive disorder)
  • Effectiveness
    None (for generalized anxiety disorder)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 225 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Like any other med, it works for some people really well while it doesn't do anything for others, or even has bad side effects. For me, there seemed to be no effects at all.
Cost: < $25 monthly

  • 0 helpful marks

May 2, 2014 (Started Jan 15, 2011)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for chronic pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Major (for peripheral neuropathy)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 75 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Stopped taking it in a.m. And now take at hs. Helps with peripheral neuropathy. Cut down on drowsiness in am.

Jan 12, 2014 (Started Jan 15, 2011)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for chronic pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Major (for peripheral neuropathy)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (dry mouth)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 75 mg Daily

  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 15, 2013 (Started Dec 30, 2012)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for social anxiety disorder)
  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for generalized anxiety disorder)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (night sweats, sweaty hands)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 150 mg Daily

  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 15, 2013 (Started Jun 01, 2012)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (emotional lability, lack of motivation)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 75 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: lack of emotion

  • 0 helpful marks

Mar 1, 2013 (Started Jun 03, 2011)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for depressed mood)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (sexual dysfunction)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 150 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Very difficult to withdraw from. Made me sexually promiscuous, a little known side effect.

  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 15, 2013 (Started Jul 01, 2011)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for agoraphobia)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (elevated blood pressure)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 75 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Monitor blood pressure, which may increase even after taking it for years. It generally made me calm. I forget to take it one day and I was very sleepy and groggy for a day. Going off of it was difficult: I had to do it very slowly, going down about 1 mg per day til I was completely off of it.
Cost: < $25 monthly

  • 0 helpful marks

Jul 1, 2010 (Started Mar 01, 2006)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for anxious mood)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 150 mg Daily
Cost: $25-49 monthly

Jan 24, 2009 (Started Mar 01, 2006)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for anxious mood)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 150 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Don't go more than 24 hours past your dosage time or the symptoms can be severe
Cost: $25-49 monthly

  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 15, 2012 (Started Aug 15, 2012)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for major depressive disorder)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 300 mg Daily

  • 0 helpful marks

Apr 18, 2013 (Started Mar 23, 2013)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Major (for major depressive disorder)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (constipation)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 225 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Taking this medication has changed my life greatly. I went from wanting to literally kill myself to being able to smile and laugh with my family and friends again. I have smiled more since I have been on this medication than since I can really remember. The only bad part about the medication is some insurances do not cover it and it is very expensive. It can range from 50 dollars to well over 100. If you have any type of Medicaid you have to get a pre-authorization.
Cost: < $25 monthly

  • 0 helpful marks

Feb 7, 2013 (Started Oct 04, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for generalized anxiety disorder)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia))
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (vivid nightmares, sleepiness, somnolence, apathy, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, tachycardia (fast heart rate))
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 24.75 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Effects both positive and adverse, both expected and unexpected, are pretty noticeable. Venlafaxine effects appear and fade much more rapidly than with SSRIs, and may change over time. By the time I stopped, I had been down to the lowest available dose of 25mg daily, which still seemed necessary for mood control, for a long time. It's been mostly helpful, and rarely burdensome except for the way it multiplies the effects of alcohol. Best unexpected benefit: mood control (less panicky/angry responses to cognitive dissonance). Intolerable imputed effect: Vividly unpleasant dreams, waking hyperventilating.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), sleepiness, somnolence, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, apathy, tachycardia (fast heart rate)

Mar 1, 2010 (Started Oct 04, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for anxious mood)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (sleepiness, somnolence, apathy, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, tachycardia (fast heart rate))
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 37.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Adverse effects now virtually disappear for me at 25 mg daily. This could change: some effects like the pounding in the ears at night or postural hypotension had previously disappeared at 37.5 mg; alarmingly rapid heart rate appeared over time at the same dosage (possibly associated with the transient hypotension). I'm still getting the good effects for the neuropathy, and the drug seems to act synergetically with cannabis in this area. The hypotension effect is probably aggravated by alcohol.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), sleepiness, somnolence, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, apathy, tachycardia (fast heart rate)

Nov 13, 2009 (Started Oct 04, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for anxious mood)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (sleepiness, somnolence, apathy, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 37.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Venlaxafine seemed effective (within limits) for peripheral neuropathy and positive for relief of depression. Physical adverse effects at this dosage seemed minimal if any. Unresolved: Did this drug bliss me out too much, keeping me passive and lazy? And did it make me more suddenly irritable? I quit because of a pharmacy restriction (ironically based on the fact that I was taking "too little" of the drug), and will resume the trial once I talk to my primary provider in about 10 days.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), sleepiness, somnolence, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, apathy, tachycardia (fast heart rate)

Oct 28, 2009 (Started Oct 04, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for anxious mood)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for depressed mood)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (sleepiness, somnolence, apathy, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 37.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Venlafaxine by itself seems both to increase my alertness and to bliss me out a little too much; I get lethargic at 75 mg daily. Even at 37.5 mg, I've added (after a bit of research) my previous low dose of bupropion (25 mg) back into the mix as a counterbalancing "upper". Although intermittent, I'm seeing some direct effects on the depression: e.g., posture as well as mood.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), sleepiness, somnolence, orthostatic hypotension, sexual dysfunction, apathy, tachycardia (fast heart rate)

  • 0 helpful marks
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Showing 10 of 115 patient evaluations for Venlafaxine