Effexor XR Long Term Effects - After stopping the drug

I dont know what we can do. I want to beat the living f**k out of the makers of effexor 1 by 1.

Exercise. Nicotine. Marijuana. Sunshine. Reading. All these help beat the anxiety, depression & brain fog. Stay completely away from alcohol (depressant). It is only bc I have an overwhelming desire to beat this, that I know can. 

Help! I'm still on it and I too have been on it for OVER 10 years! I started having serious side effects. It's been going on a year and a half! Doc upped my dosage and I am telling the truth when I say it felt like I was having electric shocks to my brain. Then they lowered my dose a half a pill and it's making me crazy! I am more paranoid than ever, and extremely depressed! It hurts so bad to try to come off this medicine! If I miss that little half of a pill, I am crankier than when I do take it... I am going to start weening myself off. I need to know if, I too, have extreme side effects. Thank you for your time!

It is somewhat encouraging to see I'm not the only one experiencing the Effexor effects. I started taking Zoloft after a significant loss of a loved one in 2011. I didn't plan to stay on it but I did. In 2015, my Dr. switched me to Effexor because he felt the Zoloft was not working as I was experiencing quite a list of symptoms, including hair loss, extreme fatigue, nausea, stomach issues, muscle and nerve pain....And more.
I decided to stop taking the Effexor this past May. I did it properly as prescribed and it was pure hell. HELL! I already had vertigo from extreme travel so that was horrible. But the bad flu symptoms lasted a couple weeks. Got through that, lost 20 pounds in one month which was scary although I'm at an ideal weight now, maybe almost a little too thin.

This drug has rocked my world. I have been successful in business and life in general but my brain is NOT ok. I am not a depressive person but my memory is seriously gone. Short and long term. It is beyond scary because it really seems I can't do what I could before I started taking the Effexor. If if weren't for hurting people I love, I'd probably just put an end to things. It really is this hard.
I am trying to remain positive but the fatigue and lack of memory is taking its toll on me. I am feeling incapable when it comes to work. I've lost everything about me that was good and there was a fair amount!! I have zero energy and can't seem to sleep well either. This is a small glimpse into where I am at because it's too much to put in here.
This is a dangerous and HORRIBLE drug and if you're considering taking it...don't!!!

I have read every post here. I have been on Effexor XR for almost fifteen years. I went through a horrible divorce after 30 years of marriage. My life was turned upside down and I couldn't cope. It seemed to "help" at first. I have been through many trials and tribulations in life, but the worst was losing my 29 year old son five years ago to PTSD related suicide. He was a Marine who did three tours in Iraq. My 30 year marriage ended when our son was in Iraq the second time. When my son returned home back in 2006, he was a changed man and suffered from extreme depression, anxiety, etc. as related to PTSD. His dad left me to deal with him on my own. On 1/3/12, he took his life after being home for almost 6 years. I have been in bed pretty much since my son passed away. I retired (BIG MISTAKE - too much time on my hands). I know I am going through the grieving process and will until the day I die but I have tried everything, and I mean everything, to try to get out from under this "curse" of what you all have been through regarding the Effexor. I think it's actually making my grief harder to process because my brain isn't working and I truly think I've lost my mind. I have tried to detox from the Effexor several times but my symptoms are so much worse not taking it. I have suicidal thoughts every single day but knowing what my son's passing by his own hand has done to my daughter and family, I could never take that route. I have isolated myself to the point, my immediate family has disowned me. Mental health issues don't get the recognition or action that they should. Reading through all of your remarks makes me absolutely sick to my stomach that we all "relied" on our doctors and drug manufacturers to put a drug out there that would help us. As I found out with the VA when my son was struggling, Pharma is probably the biggest business in this world. Veterans are handed bags full of pills and sent on their merry way. I feel like that's what's happened to us. I feel betrayed the world these days.

I took effexor 75 for 2 years, 20 years ago, and suddently, when my ears are blocked, my acid reglux coming up, the ENT want to give me a anti acid that block dopamin, and I read that dopamin inhibitors can give lifetime after effects... I suddently check effexor.. I lost my geand parentscand hugevfamilly drama when I started, to stop, I first took alf dose for 6 months, was feeling my brain freezing, shivering...after 6 months stoped, hollidays is a good time... yes I had foggy brain all this years, I get a gluten and milk sensitivity, strong paranoia, AdHa , but that was before I think. I think any substance that modify our body chemical balance can modify it. Reshears on wikipedia the after effects of dopamin inhibitors...they are just anti acid!!!

The only way to wean off Effexor XR is to see a psychiatrist. He will put you on prozac and then you will come off of that. Been on Effexor XR for years and that's what my psychiatrist did. I am off Prozac now for four weeks and no withdrawal

Me, I feel worse this past few months than ever

Was on it for two years. I took 1 year to ween my self off completely but yes I felt dizzy a lot but it finally went away but Lord it

Not sure if you still receive messages through this bc it says your post was a year ago, but I am right there with you!!!! Ruined my life!!!!!!!

I had been on effexor for 6 1/2 years. With my doctors help, I started weaning off effector XR 150mg, very slowly last winter. I have now been off effexor totally for about 6 weeks. I noticed that by the time I was down to 37.5 mg every 2 days that I was having nightmares. Almost every night I would have a nightmare that involved someone in my family, living and dead. Now, after 6 weeks without any effexor, I am having major panic attacks, a few brain zaps still left and I have flashes of images of things that I fear. Example: I am afraid of heights. Now I have images that flash into my head of being somewhere high and falling, or of family members being in dangerous situations due to heights, and other fears such as drowning. I have told my doctor twice that I feel that being on Effexor has in some way damaged my brain. I have never had fears this debilitating that I would actually become anxious that danger is iminent. I would like to know if there is any information or study out there that these were side effects that were not told to doctors and patients who were given this drug. There are too many examples that I have read for this to just be coinsidence. I would like to know if there is a class action suit in the Ontario Canada area. I would definitely be into making sure the effects and after effects of this drug are known to the general public. If I had known there is no way I would have taken it, as I have had other antidrepressants over the years that worked far better and I wasn't on them near as long as effexor.

I managed to stop high dose (450mg and only 60kg body weight) cold turkey using a combination of Valium and pramipexole (Sifrol) to manage the withdrawal side effects. I still have ongoing neurological symptoms even after several years of not taking this appalling drug. The upside is the neurological symptoms are not as bad as they were when I was on venlafaxine.

My reason for starting Effexor was mainly due to perimenopause-very bad peri menopause. I was told that I would be on this drug for about 10 years, long enough to get through menopause. I started the tapering process last September, which I found painless and effortless until it came to coming off the lowest dose of 37.5mg. I first just stopped it altogether and it was horrible. On the third day I couldn't take it anymore and started looking online for advice. I went to every other day for 1-2 months and because of what I found online, THANK YOU TO THIS PERSON, I found out that I could take the capsule apart and decrease the dosage by eliminating some granules each time. It took 8 months to do that. I've been totally off it now for just over a month. I've noticed that I have some of my feelings back, which means I'm tearing easier again. This isn't so bad because before while taking the drug, I thought that I wouldn't be able to cry, and at a funeral that, for me, was not normal. What I noticed since is my moodiness, irratibility and flat feelings which is how and why I found this site. At the time, taking Effexor saved me, not that I was suicidal, but I couldn't handle life's stresses, and frankly, quality of life sucked. I had to put up with side effects like weight gain and constipation which thankfully have been reversed. I've lost 20 lbs since I started and am now back to my normal bms! I DO NOT want to go back to taking this drug but my being bitchy to my closest friends and family is starting to wear on me. I'm taking evening primrose oil which has helped but I'm still not where I would like to be. I guess my next step will be to find a naturopath who can help me with this. Good luck to anyone coming off of Effexor but remember to do it SLOWLY.

After 18yrs, I began the horror of discontinuance. Tapering of 225mg too fast due to how insurance would allow dosage, I was off in a couple months; that was a year ago. I now have chronic nausea, chronic diarrhea, intense stomach pain, chronic chest pain, rapid/racing resting pulse, weak heart (with no other risk factors), loss of taste (at times)...the list continues. All things I didn’t have before stopping the drug.
I joke when I see the drug recall/lawsuit commercials and say, “someday the f***ing drug will be on here”. Up side, my skin, nails and hair are amazing.

StuJor71 Hell yes! I focus better when I’ve had marijuana (I have ADHD) and I have been on 300 mg daily Effexor XR for 10 years. About 4 months ago I went down to 150 mg daily. After reading all of these posts I don’t think I will take one ever again. I’ve recently experienced a very noticeable loss of short term memory, being off balance I’ve done for a while but now I have dizzy spells. Since I’ve been prescribed Effexor XR I’ve been fatigued, forgetful, trouble concentrating my quality of life is not what it used to be. I was diagnosed bipolar1 major depressive side, ADHD and OCD. I’ve known all my life I had OCD but never had difficulty concentrating, remembering why I came in a room for and such but since I’ve been on Effexor XR 300 mg daily I felt a little foggy as to having already mentioned something, what I was talking about mid sentence disappears, can’t think of the word I want to say and it becomes like charades or a TV game where you guess the word they’re describing.
Jesus Christ, this is like an epiphany!!!
Yes there are other things that are different mentally other than those things.
Once I had forgotten my meds for a few days and was violently puking, pooping sick af then I remembered to take it. After a few days I felt better. Thie first time I went to 150 mg from 300 I got sick, this time I haven’t felt bad physically. Omg, I’m done. As someone who wouldn’t take aspirin for a headache prior to this I am so done. Bless all of you and I wish us all the best of luck in the future.
Thanks
MT in Tennessee