venlafaxine - any experiences?

Former Member

I posted a while ago about how I had been prescribed citalopram. I didn't get on with it at all - hideous panic attacks at night, racing heart and skin on fire, hugely disturbed sleep. I went back to GP who said to try sertraline. Had exactly the same experience. Really disturbed sleep and horrible anxiety at night, including urges to harm myself and my partner, which I've never experiences before and did not like at all. (Am also taking propranolol but that didn't help with these side effects at all.)

So I went back to GP, mainly to say: I don't think I want to do this. I would rather deal with my anxiety and depression through other means. What I actually said was: I don't think SSRIs are for me, to which she said oh, there are other drugs that aren't SSRIs, wrote me a prescription for venlafaxine and sent me away.

Now I feel rather confused and not sure what to do next. My instinct is just to throw all the meds away, and I really don't feel like I want to try the venlafaxine after my horrible experiences of citlopram and sertraline. But before I make any decision, I thought it might help to hear if anyone has any experiences of venlafaxine? Good/bad?

Former Member

Have had Duloxetine which i think is in the same family as Ven. but didn't like it, was more depressed/ suicidal. Withdrawal was horrific. I found the SNRI's did not have the same 'boost' as an SSRI. I would highly recommend that you see a psychiatrist if you wish to take medication as they can listen to you more and work out what med/ med combo is best suited to you. If you don't want meds however, perhaps a herbal remedy would be of benefit like St John's wort or 5htp? Try increasing the amount of general exercise if possible. Take time for yourself and be kind to yourself. Depression hurts like hell, so take it easy. Perhaps write a diary on paper or computer- gets it out your system. Perhaps request to have some counselling and talk it all through. Remember, suicidal ideation/ homicidal thoughts and actions are serious and can land you in serious shit (I know, believe me). If you feel worse, call doctor immediately. I hope this helps a little, although I know it's not directly related to Venlafaxine. sending you my best wishes.

Former Member

Venlafaxine was horrible for me. Made me excessively paranoid and did sod all for the depression and anxiety it was prescribed for.

But then, Sertraline has been the best drug I've ever been on.

It's all going to depend on how your body reacts to it.

Former Member

Yeah like Franki says, everyone reacts differently. I had awful side effects on venlafaxine but it did me a lot of good, too.

Patient.co.uk is a good source of info on drugs prescribed by gps in the UK.

Former Member

Withdrawal is awful. And I found it great for the anxiety - I was very agoraphobic at the time but it did nothing for the depression. Same with duloxetine which actually had worse side effects.