Hey hey, I've been on Effexor XR for a little over 4 years now - 350 mg. I know that everyone works differently, and despite what Effexor has done for me, I would have never gotten on it if I knew all the side effects. If I miss a dose, I have hardcore withdraw that knocks me on my arse. It's pretty comparable to heroin withdraw - puke, get the sweats, diarrhea, dizzy, hallucinations, just really cloudy. I simply cannot operate when I miss it. Also, my other problem with it is that every 3 months or so, I come down pretty hard for a week or two. I didn't realize it at the time, but the shrink is telling me I should stay on it for life. ARG! I've gone through the whole guinea pig thing too - Zoloft, Prozac, Depakote, Trazadone, Xanex, Ambien, etc. While the Effexor has kept the depression away for the longest, I just think the side effects are rotten. For the first year almost, I felt like a zombie (think someone mentioned that too). It took me a long time to snap out of that. I do realize Effexor has great qualities, but I'd be very careful with it and make sure your doc knows what he's doing. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
I've been on Effexor XR for a little over 4 years now - 350 mg. I know that everyone works differently, and despite what Effexor has done for me, I would have never gotten on it if I knew all the side effects. If I miss a dose, I have hardcore withdraw that knocks me on my arse. It's pretty comparable to heroin withdraw - puke, get the sweats, diarrhea, dizzy, hallucinations, just really cloudy. I simply cannot operate when I miss it. Also, my other problem with it is that every 3 months or so, I come down pretty hard for a week or two. I didn't realize it at the time, but the shrink is telling me I should stay on it for life. ARG!
I've gone through the whole guinea pig thing too - Zoloft, Prozac, Depakote, Trazadone, Xanex, Ambien, etc. While the Effexor has kept the depression away for the longest, I just think the side effects are rotten. For the first year almost, I felt like a zombie (think someone mentioned that too). It took me a long time to snap out of that.
I do realize Effexor has great qualities, but I'd be very careful with it and make sure your doc knows what he's doing. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
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