Effexor: Anyone have side effects?

Hi

Do any of you have any side effects with the Effexor?? Weight gain,etc.....

Hi Deedee

I've moved your post here to the Desert Oasis so you can get input from women who use Effexor who are also not using HRT.

s

Hi Deedee

I have been on Effexor XR for close to three years now though not due to hyst. The only side affect I have noticed is weight loss is a bit harder but still doable.

I will not be able to take my HRT after the first of the year due to clotting factor so I'm glad to know that a drug that I am already on can help with the menopause symptoms.

s

Donna

After many different pills for depression effexor was the only one that helped. I have not noticed any side effects.

I've been on effexor for four/five years since prozac ceased to have any effect on my depression (originally PND). I gradually gained an enormous amount of weight and have had a great deal of difficulty losing it - recently discovered glycaemic index diet ("good carbs") and have lost 10lbs in the last month. It's a fantastic way of losing weight and eating healthy.
The only other side effect I have noticed is when I accidentally miss my tablets - 12 hours after missing ie 36 hours since my last dose, I get hot sweaty headaches, nausea and start to lose my balance and then start to feel a bit panicky (which is not part of my original symptoms of depression). I've discussed with my doctor lowering the dose and coming off altogether, but the depression returns when I lower it and I don't think I could face the withdrawal effects, so he seems to think that I should stay on it indefinitely. Bit wary of this as it sounds too much like the valium of old but will face that when I've got through my op and got all that out of the way.

I have been taking this medication for about 4 years, and I have no side effects. If I miss more than 2 days of meds, I do feel a little shakey and wierd, but I take it 2 times a day due to one dose giving me headaches.

I have friends at work who take it for menopause symptoms, and I am hoping it helps mine. I started it due to some depression but I think all along it helped with my peri and now my surgical meno.

It is a very good drug for those who can take it. I have not gained or lost weight because of the medication. Most I know have lost a few lbs. But there are always a few who do gain. We are all different.

Good luck, I do know this is one medication that Dr's use for menopause either regular or surgical.

Mary Kay

I have been on effexor xr for about 6-8 months after prozac stopped working for me. The big side affect I noticed on effexor is getting the shakes sometimes, mostly when first starting it but sometimes now and then still. I am up to 225mg after a gradual increase of it starting from 75mg. One big lesson I just learned the past week - do not go completely off the meds at once! I changed jobs so lost my insurance for 3 months until the new one kicks in, and thought I could do without the effexor since it's $300/month without insurance. BIG MISTAKE! I started getting vertigo and was off balance for 3 days, until I called my doc office and got some samples to use for now. Within the hour of taking the meds again the vertigo was gone! I understand now why they tell you not to go off if it all at once and not without doctor's consent. If you can't afford it (as in my case) ask for samples...if it's a temporary thing they may be able to accomodate you.
P.S. Added note...I've post op for 1 yr 4 months and have had no HRT whatsoever. Am dealing with hot flashes, but nothing to terrible. And I've been so happy being pain free since then and still do the happy dance every time I pass the "woman's monthly" section!!!!
Good luck to everyone

Hi...

I take Effexor for long-term depressive symptoms, which started with a major depression in 1995.

I started with Paxil, then used Serzone for a long time. I eventually went in search of a better alternative because of side effects, and learned many new drugs had come on the market. I tried Celexa for two weeks (NO sex drive or ability to orgasm...no thank you!). I have been using Effexor since January 2002, I am at 75 mg a day.

I have had no weight gain that I attribute to the Effexor: my weight battle began at 18, and I am now 45. It is not as hard on my stomach as the Serzone was, and the effect on my libido is not nearly what it was on Paxil or Celexa. Other women I have talked to experience what I have experienced with Effexor with Paxil or Celexa.

As tedious as it may be, trial and error is the only way to learn what works for you.

As an aside, for me, I know my depression is linked to hormones, because the hormonal corrections attempted for ovarian cysts would render me suicidal within a very short period of time despite the meds. Since menopause symptoms began last summer, I have reduced my use of Effexor, and can now skip several days without the symptoms returning. However, now that I have just been thrown into surgical menopause, it's a whole new ballgame!

Interesting to read everyone's experiences, as I am in the process of transitioning off Celexa so that I can start Effexor. I can't be much more "blah" and neutral than I am at the present time.
bliss

Dear ladies,
My side-effect with effexor was constipation which was a real problem for me because I had a rectocele. I have lowered my dose to 37.5 mg. and that seems to be working well for me.

Monalees
TAH/BSO for endometrial cancer/complications: ruptured bladder & abdominal bladder repair Dec/02; Anterior & Posterior repair surgery, Oct/04/synthroid for hypothyroidism