Effexor Side Effects

What I am about to share with you is my personal experience with the anti-depressant, Effexor XR. This drug was prescribed to me not for its intended use, but for menopausal symptoms. My physician did not advise me of the serious and potentially fatal side effects of this medication. I am guilty of not thoroughly investigating this drug before I allowed it to cross my lips. I hope my story will help you avoid the consequences of this mind-altering medication.

Wyeth pharmaceutical company introduced Effexor in 1993 to treat clinical depression and anxiety disorders. The generic name for Effexor is Venlafaxine hydrochloride, which is categorized in the phenylthylamine class of drugs. Other drugs in this class include amphetamine, methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA - also known as Ecstasy), and methamphetamine (aka "meth" or "ice"). In other words, they fall into the category of highly-addicting drugs that place extensive stress on your heart and liver.

I was completely unaware of the serious side effects associated with Effexor XR at the time it was prescribed for me. This past November, I visited my physician for my yearly exam. At the time, I had three health complaints: I was experiencing hellish hot flashes and having difficulty sleeping, which I contributed to menopause. I also had a nagging pain in my left side, which I contributed to an ongoing issue with pancreatitis.

My physician suggested I try Effexor XR, which I knew to be an anti-depressant. As a freelance writer, I have had many opportunities to conduct research on pharmaceutical drugs. As one who has autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia, I've conducted a considerable amount of research for my conditions and have been a medical guinea pig for years.

I'm very apprehensive when it comes to taking pharmaceutical drugs because I have had numerous adverse reactions to them in the past. I wasn't too keen on taking Effexor XR, but my doctor convinced me to give it a try for at least 30 days. The only reason I agreed to take it was because the night sweats were so profound and the insomnia so intense that I was on the brink of exhaustion.

Effexor XR is categorized as a Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI). It works by blocking transporter reuptake proteins for key neurotransmitters which affect your mood. In other words, Effexor alters your brain chemicals and stabilizes your mood.

My doctor provided me with a starter pack of Effexor XR and wrote me a prescription for a 30-day supply. With the starter pack I was instructed to take one 37.5mg capsule daily for one week. The second week, my dosage increased to 75mg daily.

The most common side effects of Effexor XR include headache and nausea. I experienced both symptoms within 30 minutes of taking the first dose. I ate some Saltine crackers and drank a cup of green tea, which seemed to ease the nausea, but did nothing for the headache.

At the end of the first week, I noticed I was feeling happier, more at peace. I also noticed I was more focused and could stay on task; something I struggle with daily from the autoimmune disease.

The hot flashes had all but disappeared and I slept through the night for the first time in years. I was beginning to think my doctor had been right and Effexor XR was going to be my miracle drug. Little did I know.

The Drug From Hell

The day I advanced to the 75mg capsule, things got a little weird. I suddenly had an urge to clean house, cook gourmet meals, write dozens of articles and felt as if I should don a cape and save the world. I believe it's referred to as mania in the psychiatric world.

My husband and daughter noted my exuberant behavior and suggested the Effexor dosage might be too high. I shrugged it off and said my body probably needed time to adjust and I'd be fine in a day or two. Besides, I was enjoying feeling somewhat euphoric and free. It reminded me of my hippie days, only this time it was legal.

During my Effexor trial period, we had some friends in town. We met them for dinner and drinks and came back to our house to hang out and catch up. Unbeknownst to me, you should never, ever mix Effexor with alcohol. It can kill you. My doctor never told me this. Maybe she doesn't know, but that's pretty damn scary don't you agree?

I consumed four margaritas over a period of five hours, so it wasn't like I was slamming them down. At one point, I went to the restroom, passed out on the floor and my husband had to drag me to the bedroom and hoist me up on the bed. I didn't remember a thing from the time we returned to our house after dinner, until the time I woke up the next day. Now that is scary!

I continued my Super Woman mania for an entire week. Once my sampler pack was gone, I picked up my prescription from the pharmacy and noticed the pink capsules were now white pills. The pharmacist informed me this was the generic brand. If I want the brand name, it will cost me an extra $40. The pharmacist insisted the only difference was the generic brand contained a different buffer. He assured me it was the same quality as Effexor.

The following day, I took the generic Effexor. I went to take a shower and at some point in time, I completely zoned out and started having a conversation with Jesus. I'm dead serious. The man was standing right there in my shower and we were having an in-depth conversation about life. I think it was about the time the water started getting cold that I snapped out of my "vision" and came back to reality.

This is something that has never occurred in my lifetime, so I found this challenging to mentally digest. Was I really talking to Jesus or was the Effexor making me hallucinate? I'm thinking it was the later.

About 30 minutes later, I felt completely out of sorts. My skin was crawling, I was irritable, my heart was racing and I was feeling extremely anxious and panicky. I was almost to the point of hyperventilating, when my husband walked into the room and noticed I was in trouble.

I explained to him that I thought I was having a reaction to the Effexor. That I was hallucinating and having conversations with Jesus in the shower. You can probably imagine the look on his face. I asked him to keep an eye on me until it wore off, or if symptoms worsened drive me to the hospital or call 911. I even went so far as to give him the prescription bottle in case medical professionals needed to know what I had taken.

My heart was racing. I was sweating profusely. I rocked back and forth in a chair, than paced like a caged animal because I simply could not sit still. I felt as if I was coming out of my skin. I clenched my teeth so hard that I actually popped off a crown. That led to a trip to hell, which is a whole other story.

This incident happened on a Saturday, so I spoke to another physician who was on call for my regular doctor. He insisted there was no way the generic Effexor could cause those symptoms, but told me he would call the brand name drug in for me if it would make me feel better. I'm sure he had the preconception that I was a "nutcase" since I was being prescribed an anti-depressant. And it probably didn't help that I told him I was talking to Jesus in the shower.

Before I went to the pharmacy, I decided to conduct some research on Effexor. I needed to know if this was really a drug I wanted to put in my body. What I found was downright scary.

First of all, it's a well-known fact that anti-depressants can make depression worse for some people and cause increased risk for suicidal behavior. Effexor, like all anti-depressants is required by the FDA to carry a black box warning.

Effexor XR comes complete with a 53-page manual. Thirty five, yes that's 35, of those pages are dedicated to the warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, drug abuse and dependence and over dosage of this medication. In my opinion, this is a huge red flag that screams Do Not Take This Drug!

If you take any medications to treat migraine headaches and mix it with Effexor it can kill you. The condition is known as Serotonin Syndrome and it occurs when the body has too much serotonin. According to the FDA Public Health Advisory, "Serotonin syndrome symptoms may include restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, fast heart beat, rapid changes in blood pressure, increased body temperature, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cases of death have been reported."

According to Wyeth's Patient Insert for Effexor XR other side effects include: nausea, dizziness, fatigue, sweating, dry mouth, insomnia, loss of appetite, constipation, agitation, tremors, palpitations, loss of sex drive, nervousness, abnormal vision, increased blood pressure and increased cholesterol.

More severe side effects of Effexor may include increased heart rate, seizures, extreme confusion, abnormal bleeding or bruising, eye pain, eye redness, changes in vision, mania and hypomania.

As you can see, Effexor is not a drug to take lightly. It literally works by rewiring your brain. While it is not intended for long-term use, many patients taking the drug say it is excruciatingly difficult to stop taking and comes with an entirely new set of withdrawal symptoms.

There is a tremendous amount of information available online about Effexor and its many side effects. Type in "Effexor Side Effects" at your favorite search engine and you'll be amazed by what you find. I strongly encourage you to thoroughly investigate this medication before you decide to take it.

Personally, I have chosen to discontinue Effexor XR. It caused me a great deal of mental, physical and emotional pain in the two short weeks I took it. I was an emotional wreck for five weeks after stopping this medication and suffered from excruciating TMJ pain caused by the intense clinching of my jaws. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I had continued on Effexor XR for months or years. I'm just grateful I found out this information before I became hooked on this drug.

Sources:
www.fda.gov/CDER/Drug/antidepressants/default.htm
www.fda.gov/CDER/Drug/advisory/SSRI_SS200607.htm
www.wyeth.com/content/ShowLabeling.asp?id=100