Effexor for Mental Health: Share Your Experience

Wow I hasn't considered sexual side effects 😬 I'm a guy so libido isn't really a thing for me and idk if it works similarly for whatever the other one is called. I just started a month or two ago because the Escitalopram I've been on for years hasn't shown to be helping my depression and I can't take any higher dosages. I was cross tapered onto effexor and it was kind of unstable with mood swings and depression. I don't tell anyone this but a lot if it has to do with girls and dating, although I'm not sexually active or anything, and I have been feeling in the pits lately like in the last week or so because I'm finishing weening off the Escitalopram. I also didn't know I had to eat with it but I have noticed that on the days I haven't eaten anything till supper (I never have lunch so when I skip breakfast) I have very little energy and just want to lay in my bed all day and it's hard even getting myself to take a shower. This seems like mostly women and I'm sorry if this is weird for yall but does anyone know if this has similar effects on men? Admittedly I do do porn sometimes because it fills that void for the moment but I try not to, not only for moral reasons, but also because it makes me even more depressed immediately after because I can't get that stuff in real life. I don't really consider it as being sexually active though because I don't have a partner to do anything with and I don't do porn that often (or try to) but I do think I might have early ED (at 29) because I don't have erections like 11 times a day which is apparently normal, more like every 11 days if that. I did muster the courage to talk to my doctor once who had a blood test done and I don't have low sperm count but I heard it could also be heart related and I know I have an extremely weak and low stamina heart and have for years. Again I'm sorry if this is offensive. It's really embarassing for me to bring up even anonymously but I wax wondering what other people thought, about ED and if effexor effects men sexually. It seems to be helping my depression slightly better than Escitalopram but I might not be taking it correctly it seems.

I've been on many ADs but venlafaxine was the only one that ever worked for me! My recommendation is make sure you have enough meds in stock as the withdrawal and brain zaps are totally awful! Much more emotionally stable

I've been on effexor for 19 years. I do think the withdrawals are horrible...I know within a few hours if I miss a dose. Brain zaps, nausea and headache. I don't really have side effects. It does work. And it works well imo.

Honestly haven’t had any side affects and it’s worked really well for my ocd.

After spending close to 8 years on Effexor it stopped working. The problem was I was very addicted to it and it was one of the hardest drugs to ween myself off of.

I’m currently on the max dose for effexor and I have a love/hate relationship 😂 It does help, but I have a lower libido and I definitely cannot miss a dose or I get brain zaps pretty bad

Physically, I was tired alot. Labido was low. When it did happen, it was hard to orgasm (for me). Withdrawal was difficult when stopping, as well as forgetting a dose.

I started a couple months ago and it’s the best antidepressant I’ve ever been on. No bad side effects at all for me and I’m seeing so much progress in my healing especially noticing that my depression basically disappears for the most part and my anxiety is lessening more each week since I’ve upped my dose. The only sexual side effect I have is that I’m less in the mood to do things but it never decreased any sensations I just feel like I have better things to do haha which is not typically how I am but I feel like that’s just what happens to me when I take antidepressants in general. The only advice I will give is to make sure you eat before you take the meds (my stomach is messed up all day if I don’t) and take them in the morning as I’ve been told they can make it hard to sleep for some people if taken at night.