Effexor?

[EastCoastChris]

Need some input about effexor. Thanks for sharing.
Fran.

venlafaxine (oral)

Pronunciation: ven la FAK seen
Brand: Effexor, Effexor XR

What is the most important information I should know about venlafaxine?
• Do not take venlafaxine if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days.
• Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Venlafaxine may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.
• Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion while you are taking venlafaxine.
• Do not stop taking this medication without the approval of your doctor.


What is venlafaxine?
• Venlafaxine is an antidepressant medication. It affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression.
• Venlafaxine is used to relieve symptoms of depression such as feelings of sadness, worthlessness, or guilt; loss of interest in daily activities; changes in appetite; tiredness; sleeping too much; insomnia; and thoughts of death or suicide. Venlafaxine is also used to relieve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
• Venlafaxine may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.


What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking venlafaxine?
• Do not take venlafaxine if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor ( MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days.
• Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have
· liver or kidney disease,
· heart disease or high blood pressure, or
· seizures or epilepsy.
• You may not be able to take venlafaxine, or you may require a lower dose or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.
• Venlafaxine is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether venlafaxine will harm an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.
• Venlafaxine passes into breast milk and it is not known if it will affect a nursing baby. Do not take venlafaxine without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.


How should I take venlafaxine?
• Take venlafaxine exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain the instructions to you.
• Take each dose with a full glass of water.
• Take venlafaxine with food or milk to lessen stomach upset.
• Each Effexor XR capsule should be swallowed whole with fluid and not divided, crushed, chewed, or placed in water.
• Do not stop taking venlafaxine without the approval of your doctor. It may be 4 weeks or more before you begin to feel better, and you may require continuous treatment for quite some time. Talk to your doctor before you stop taking this medication.
• Store venlafaxine at room temperature away from moisture and heat.


What happens if I miss a dose?
• Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next regularly scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next one as directed. Do not take a double dose of this medication.


What happens if I overdose?
• Seek emergency medical attention.
• Symptoms of a venlafaxine overdose include seizures, fast heartbeat, drowsiness, and confusion. Other symptoms may also occur.


What should I avoid while taking venlafaxine?
• Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Venlafaxine may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.
• Avoid the use of alcohol. Alcohol may increase drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion while you are taking venlafaxine.


What are the possible side effects of venlafaxine?
• If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking venlafaxine and call your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical treatment:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
· seizures; or
· an irregular heartbeat or severely high blood pressure (blurred vision, headache).
• Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take venlafaxine and talk to your doctor if you experience
· drowsiness or dizziness;
· nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain, or loss of appetite or weight;
· mild tremor, anxiety, or agitation;
· headache;
· insomnia;
· dry mouth;
· abnormal ejaculation;
· sweating;
· blurred vision; or
· yawning.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.


What other drugs will affect venlafaxine?
• Do not take venlafaxine if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days.
• Venlafaxine may increase the effects of other drugs that cause drowsiness, including other antidepressants, antipsychotics, alcohol, antihistamines, sedatives (used to treat insomnia), pain relievers, anxiety medicines, and muscle relaxants. Tell your doctor about all medicines that you are taking, and do not take any medicine unless your doctor approves.
• Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with venlafaxine. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines.


Where can I get more information?
• Your pharmacist has additional information about venlafaxine written for health professionals that you may read.

 

Fran,

My doctor put me on a low dose of effexor for hot flashes. It made me NUTS! I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I didn't like the side effects of the weight gain and the screeching halt it put to my libido. When I went off of it the side effects were bad too. It was like withdrawal from some illegal drug! With that said, I know a lot of people that love it! It's just like anything else - it all depends on the person.

Stephanie

 

I take 375mg of Effexor XR (a pretty high dose). It has it's good points and its bad points, but overall it's a pretty good AD. It does have a fast clearance rate, so you can't skip a dose. If you come off of it, it has to be titrated very slowly. It does put the brakes on libido, but a little creativity and patience can counteract that. /importthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Effexor can cause mania in BiPolar (BP), and I experience some mild breakthrough mania on it....on the other hand, it turned Robert into a raging homocidal maniac. It comes in two forms, time release (XR) and regular release...I definitely recommend the timed release if you have a choice. Take it with food - it causes horrific indigestion.

 

about all i can say is oldest difficult child takes it and its a wounder drug for her. if she skips it shes a raging bi%&# /

but i guess it's like all medications what works for one may not work for another

 

[TenderHeartBears]

I didn't see the side effect my difficult child experienced listed on the info you posted, so wanted to let you know about it. 24 hours after starting it - after taking his second dose - he became mildly itchy all over and I noticed light pink splotches. The next morning (he did not take a 3rd dose) he had bruises all over his arms, torso, and legs. I contacted psychiatrist who said it is an uncommon side effect - forgot what she called it. The bruises cleared up about 72 hours later.

Kat

 

Missed doses will cause stomach cramps and dizzy headed feeling. Yes, it must be titrated down verrrrry slowly, slower than the docs tell you to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
Of the 4 AD's I have experience with, this was the only one that cause weight gain.

 

My son was on it for 3 weeks about 2 years ago (age 5) so he was REAL young, but it was when his diagnosis was still ADHD/ODD. It made him manic. He was doing flips on the monkey bars at the park (normally he HATES the monkey bars). When we weaned him off of it, it took a LONG time for all the effects to go away. Some people that have gone off of effexor describe it as "brain bounce"(the withdrawal effects). I do know one mom who takes it for depression and it works great for her, and her son is diagnosis BiPolar (BP), and he takes geodon at night and effexor in the am (unusual combo for BiPolar (BP)) but it works for him (he's 14). As said above, different medications work differently for everyone!

 

welp both difficult child and I tried it at the same time. She has done wonderfully since being changed to it( I switched her primarily as it was one of the two antidepressant drugs known to help with the Intermittent Explosive disorder). She has had more weight gain(didn't know that was a side effect) but generally has done sooo much better with the rages on it. ME however HATED IT. I felt sooo bad on it the whole time. Couldn't sleep, very draggy very tired etc etc. Went back to PRozac and am much better now. SOOO Again just depends on the person. You know Addie is our EFFEXOR QUEEN!! BLUE

 

[anotherday]

My difficult child was on 37.5 mg of Effexor. It did improve his mood and reduce his anxiety.

After about 6 months it seemed to have lost it's effectivness. His dose was doubled and when no improvement was shown we stopped it.

Elise

 

[Kyle's Mom]

This was a wonder drug for me. I just went thru lifes ups and downs in La la land.

But here is the great but... It caused these electrical zaps in my head when I would even be late taking a does by 4 hours. It was a nightmare getting off of it.

I was on it for a year. During that year, life sort of straightened itself out and I decided to go off.

Just happen to be when I went to see the shrink about getting off, there happen to be the drug rep in the office. The shrink called in the rep for me to talk to. She did agree that at that time there was nothing in their literature about this, but they have heard from enough people that have had this that they were rethinking about stating this in their literature.

I thanked her for taking the time to talked to me and said "Thank the lord for the pharmaceutical companies!!!!!"

Well any way, It took me 2 months to wean myself off of it. It even got to the point where I was taking the caps apart and removing the little beads and counting them down. I have never in my life had this much trouble getting of a drug.

I have taken Xanax off and on for 7 years and heck that is a piece of cake getting off of compared to Effexor.

I have an appointment tomorrow and need to get myself back on something. I have no clue what I am going to ask for. I think I will take a survey.

Take care,
Naina

 

Naina,
that is how I weaned off too!
husband thought I was crazy opening the caps and pouring out so many "little balls" .
It took me about a month.

 

[Kyle's Mom]

Well thank Goodness Dragonfly, that I am not the only one out there that did that. Sometimes we do things that are just plain nuts, but then we find others that have been there done that and we don't feel quite so crazy.
Thanks for sharing,
Naina