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607d

hello all. I recently started zoloft, and had to quit because of terrible side effects. now I am going to try effexor...anyone on that or has tried it?

Top reply
    • Skipeople

      606d

      I JUST finished tapering onto Venalafaxine (Effexor ER) from years on Lexapro and it has been a game changer for my depression. It made me more anxious at first and some sleep issues, but my depression was helped tremendously. Like others said, withdrawal symptoms can have quickly, so make sure to never miss a dose! And taper off extremely slowly if you come off of it.

    • Sukie

      606d

      I'm been on Effexor XR since Oct. 2015. I wouldn't change it

    • uhnyeiss

      606d

      I tried zoloft like 4 years ago and had a horrible reaction to it, my pupils got massive and I was talking and no one could understand what I was saying and I couldn’t stop throwing up. I tried effexor a few months ago and it made me have a major panic attack and I thought I was dying, so they put it on my allergy list. my mom takes effexor though and it works wonderfully for her!!

    • midnightcoffee

      606d

      Zoloft made me super sick. I couldn't keep anything down for 3 days. Doc ended up marking it as an allergy on my chart so nobody prescribes it to me anymore.

    • Skipeople

      606d

      I JUST finished tapering onto Venalafaxine (Effexor ER) from years on Lexapro and it has been a game changer for my depression. It made me more anxious at first and some sleep issues, but my depression was helped tremendously. Like others said, withdrawal symptoms can have quickly, so make sure to never miss a dose! And taper off extremely slowly if you come off of it.

      • Cece7

        606d

        @Skipeople I feel like some are instructed to go down doses too quickly when quitting. my psychiatrist said that there shouldn’t be much difference in withdraw symptoms when coming off Effexor compared to others but that it’ll just take longer to do it

        • Skipeople

          606d

          @Cece7 Yes, I feel like doctors and psychiatrists have patients come off too quickly. I had a friend that literally got down to counting the beads from the capsules when coming off of it.

    • Mik16

      606d

      Effexor I had many physical symptoms as was as physiological when I would miss even one dose. I was on it for a few years, it worked well, but when changing doses and coming off Effexor I was sooo sick

    • Cece7

      607d

      I should mention if I’m having a rough day I also take hydroxyzine which helps to calm me down when my symptoms are too strong for the regular medicine to help all the way

      • HoneybeeBunny

        607d

        @Cece7 does the hydroxyzine knock you out? I've been given it for my chronic hives then again for anxiety and then again for insomnia 🤣 the way I see it, it makes sense I can't be anxious if I'm knocked out lmao

        • Cece7

          607d

          @HoneybeeBunny so I only take 5 mg at a time which limits the drowsy effect I’m sure. I usually take 1 of those if I need my heart rate or something to go down and if it’s not doing enough I’ll take another and usually 10 mg total is enough to calm most of my panic attacks. I do notice I will start to get tired the more my panic attacks calm down but if I’m like still struggling I’m not tired at all. Haha

    • Cece7

      607d

      I had side effects from zoloft and switched to Effexor too! I felt like it worked so much easier, no side effects at the moment and I’m at the highest dose now; and I felt like zoloft really made my brain feel foggy and now it’s clear if that makes any sense. I hope you luck out with it too!

    • HoneybeeBunny

      607d

      I was on effexor for a while 18-21 for me it worked for a while but after a year or 2 it started making me really sick and caused vivid nightmares. But I've also got friends who have been on it for over 15 years now and it's been wonderful for them

    • theindividualist

      607d

      but i also used to work retail pharmacy and dispensed a TON of it, so i know it works for a lot of people, too.

    • theindividualist

      607d

      i was on 225mg daily of effexor and it worsened the symptoms of my bipolar disorder to the point where i was yell-talking all the time and couldn't calm down. coming off it took weeks/months and was the worst experience of my life

    • laceyandme

      607d

      Ive try both. Zoloft did nothing and effexor made me suicidal worse

    • JingleP

      607d

      Currently doing the best on Zoloft but I’ve tried Effexor once. The provider made sure to emphasize that it can cause more withdrawal so you really don’t want to miss a dose. Hope this one goes well for you!

    • darkstarrynight

      607d

      I used to be on Zoloft but the side effects were bad for me too. So I had to come off, and I agree. I went on it for anxiety reasons, and it really didn't help.

    • Noname_

      607d

      I was on 150mg of Effexor for years and I think it helped for a while. I had no side effects, even when I missed doses, but Effexor is known to have potentially strong discontinuation symptoms, including “brain zaps”. I also took it with 80mg of Prozac (which is an unusual combo because of the rare but serious interactions between the two that can cause things like seizures and death). The combo of the two helped me for a while- and unfortunately I’m back on the treatment-searching-train, BUT, I’ve been on 13 different meds in my journey, and Prozac and Effexor was the only combo that seemed to do a dent (and lorazepam for times of bad anxiety). Good luck, I hope it works for you!

    • geminigal

      607d

      i adored effexor when i was on it, but i noticed if i accidentally missed a dose i would feel withdrawal symptoms. with having cyclic vomiting, i would struggle with my medicine coming up and then i would get even sicker from missing the dose. that was my only side effect, and if i didn’t have CVS i would still be on it!

    • Chesbro99

      607d

      I'm on effexor and had felt soo much better. No side effects

    • doglover2899

      607d

      I am currently on Effexor (since March of this year) and have had no side effects. I actually started sleeping a lot better.

☝ This content is generated by our users and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision

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