I've been on Effexor for a few months and it hasn't done a thing for me. I'm on 225mg's with major physically painful panic attacks and lots of suicidal ideation, and sever IBS. I don't do ADL's. I have a really good therapist and I've been doing CBT on myself for years, I was a former mental health clinican. I have PTSD after workplace bullying and no income for the last 6 months but the psychiatrists keep throwing more and more pills at me and think that they will work and get me back into the victimising workplace. I suppose that's better than signing me off for insurance so I can get an income while I deal with the trauma and get stronger.
Yes! It is the very best antidepressant I have been on.
Effexor XR did not work for me. At all--and I've been on it (mostly at the 150 mg level) for 6 months. I am tapering off of it, as I should have at about the 6-week mark. If it hadn't helped by then, it wasn't going to. Dumb doc I had should have known better; instead he kept trying to "augment" it with various things that only made me feel worse (e.g. terrible anxiety).
I think Effexor is a great AD if you are very depressed. I found it effective. It's coming OFF Effexor that stinks. I'm doing that right now because I want to have a baby. I also found the libido to be an issue. But, it depends on the level of depression.
I do not think my depression was severe enough to warrant Effexor (it was given to me as Pristiq initially). I think I could have pushed through it or maybe tried prozac?
But, I think it's a great drug if you're really depressed and generally, I don't think the side effects ON Effexor are any worse than any other. Just plan to stay on it.
Effexor has saved my life!!! I have tried Paxil, Lexapro and Celexa for my generalized anxiety/panic disorder. With Effexor, I have no residual anxiety as I did when on the other medications. I have heard of the awful side effects when coming off of effexor but as long as you do it in a slow and controlled manner, it should be fine. I plan on staying on effexor though because it has helped me gain my life back!!!
I second what whodunnit said to you. It's like this with Effexor...Hum, yes it's withdrawls are bad, well yea it has side effects, but on the other hand just how bad is your depression. I don't know about you, but I will suffer ANY side effect not to live my life in hell everyday.
It's a damn good antidepressant. Did you knwo that Effexor is the top selling antidepressant in the world? Sales of 3.6 Billion in just one year. Not Million, but as in billions. You know why Effexor XR is the #1 selling antidepressant in the world? Because it works when so many other medications fail to produce relief.
Effexor is also a very time tested and safe drug. Even at high dosages it is time tested and absolutly proven safe.
Will it be rough when and if you every stop Effexor. Yea it will be, but I will take the 4 years of remission that Effexor gave me and say thank you got and thank you Weith for making such an effective antidepressant. That's 4 years of a productive life and I savored every day of it and am thankful for it.
I sure just wish it still worked for me.