I don't know if it's too late to post here but I was reading this and just had to add my 2 cents. I have just been prescribed effexor 37.5mg with an increase to 75mg in a week and then 150mg two weeks after that. I took my first one on friday night and saturday thought I was dying. I have had the most horrible reactions to this Rx and odd ones too. I have not had the "shocks" but it started out with the flu symptoms. My body was so achy I really did think I had the flu till I looked it up online. And tremors, dizzy, nauseous, irritability, loss of appetite, "open head" feeling, muscle cramps and spasms, and the strangest is my joints hurt. It feels like (I can only guess at this) arthritis. It makes it difficult for me to walk. I kept taking the medication after saturday because I wasn't able to contact my Dr. to discuss with him and I am so depressed that I am desperate for some relief. Woke up sunday a bit better than the day before and today has been a little better than yesterday. I talked to him today and he suggested to take 1 every 2 days. He doesn't want to abandon this Rx for treatment yet as he said it is very effective. I hope this helps. I am also very worried about having to come off this medication as I've read somewhere that it is the most difficult to drop.

I have taken effexor for only 5 weeks and decided that the side effects were deepening the depression I experienced. I don't want to scare anyone with the effects of my coming off of the med even after a short amount of time...and I don't think these are related in any other way other than bad timing, but in case it is...I thought this should be brought up...Here it goes... Two Friday's ago, I took my last dose of 37.5mg of effexor as a step down from 75 mg. I had only been on the med for 5 weeks, but the doc thought it necessary to step down so I did. Friday afternoon I started having what I equated to side effects of coming off the meds...dizziness. This got worse every day after taking the last dose-so much so that I would have trouble keeping balance. I called my GP doc and he told me to contact the psychiatrist to see if this could be from coming off the med. I got the reply from the psych that it is "possible." The following Tuesday morning, I drove myself (I know...not smart, but needed to keep focused on something) to the ER having extreme dizziness, excrutiating headache and numbness from the left side of my face, down the neck, shoulder arm and hand. I also had mild numbing in the left leg. After numerous tests over a 2 day period (an overnight stay at the hospital) all tests showed up clean and they couldn't say if it was from coming off of the med or; and at 39...this scared the heck out of me...I had a mild stroke (a t.i.a. they called it). I saw my psychiatrist this past Tuesday and after a 45 minute med check appointment (which we all know is usually only allotted 15 minutes) including some fast paced med reference research...It was determined it "could" have been a withdrawal symptom, but not listed as a possibility....needless to say...we still have no idea. As it is, I am being treated as a person having a mild stroke and put on low-dose aspirin therapy My reason for bringing this up? I want anyone who is on the med and thinking of coming off of it to really discuss this with your docs. I would hate for anyone to have this happen and their not knowing what "could" possibly happen. It was pure hell, and I wish this on no one...I am still having side effects from this "episode" as the doctors are calling it. The dizzin

MRB, Thanks for your reply! I have been on effexor for 3 years and believe it has helped me greatly without any side effects I am aware of. (I don't consider what happens if a miss a dose a side effect) I agree with you that this is the most helpful drug of its kind that I have taken. My doctor did recommend taking it in the morning but I workout in the morning after taking so called "fat burning" supplements that increase my metabolism. I know most doctors frown upon them but that is why I don't take the effexor in the morning. I am concerned with potential interactions that may be harmful and/or lessen the effectiveness of either pill. Thank you again for your post! I appreciate it! gr8fl

Hi gr8fl I was interested in your post because I am also on 150mg of Efexor (venlafaxine) a day. I am taking a modified release version which I undestand can cut down on side effects. I take it first thing in the morning rather than last thing at night. I don't think that I have ever missed a dose so don't really know what effect this would have on me (I have been on Efexor for about 2 years). I do know that other people on this medication can have the sort of effects you describe if they miss a dose, so what you are experiencing sounds a preety normal response. I have also read that some people can have a severe reaction if they miss a dose but I should think this is unusual. With my Efexor is a patient information leaflet that explains that if a dose is missed it can be taken up to 12 hours after you would normally have taken it, so it might be worth your while asking your doctor or pharmacist if you could do this. Presumably you didn't get a leaflet with your medication. I live in the UK, and we normally get these leaflets with medications of any kind. Speaking more generally, I have found this antidepressant the most helpful of any I have ever taken, and bearing in mind what others in this discussion have said I did have some initial side effects but most of them disappeared over time, and the remaining ones are quite minor. You don't say how long you have been on Efexor, or whether it is helping you. If you are new to it you will probably find it takes a few weeks before you start to feel really better. If it doesn't help you, as I am sure you know, there are several dozen alternatives that can be tried and it is highly likely that something will help. I hope the above is helpful and perhaps you will let us know how you are getting along. Best wishes MRB

I take 150 mg of effexor before bed each evening. If a miss a dose I experience dizziness and nausea starting around the afternoon of the next day. Does this happen to anyone else out there?

electrical surges up the spine? one hundred percent totally related to drug. it is a side effect that I have had with that drug and other medications for depression. it feels like it's related to the level that 's in your system and when you are getting dosed v when your body has tapped out. that is my feeling about it. but my knowledge about it is that it happens more often when going off of meds or when you miss a dose, etc and I have heard this described by many people. if it ever happens again and your doc says it's your imagination, INSIST that they research with something that doesn't come from their drug rep.

I took effexor for about 9 months and hated it. I kept having these feelings of electrical surges run through my body. When I told my pdoc he didn't believe it was the effexor and wanted me to see a neurologist. He also wanted to take me off of wellbutrin even though I had been taking it for years without any problems. I told him I had done some research on the net and found out many other people had experienced the weird electric surge or shock feelings while taking effexor. He still didn't believe it was the effexor. Anyway, I took myself off effexor (it was a PAIN to get off of too...it really had to decrease my dosage in small amounts, for a very long time), kept the wellbutrin, didn't see a neurologist and found a different pdoc. Since stopping the effexor I haven't had any of those odd feelings. Anyone else have those feelings?

Hi! I have been on Effexor for a year. I was on 150mg for about 8 months and then had a relapse of my depression. My specialist increased my dose to 225mg and 6 weeks ago to 300mg. She said now that I am at 300mg dopamine is affected too. I have experienced nausea, vivid dreams, increased sweating, tingling, dry mouth and luckily some help with weight loss. I do find since my dose has been increased that I don't sleep as well. 1 week ago my doctor started me on the lowest dose of risperdone before bedtime. I hope that helps. kutikat29

Effexor was a nightmare for me. If I missed my dose by even an hour it could ruin my day. If I took it at 8 one day and slept past 8 the next, I might not wake up for hours and hours. I gained a lot of weight, sexual dysfunction, etc. The absolute worst thing was coming off of Effexor. If you took every bad thing that has happened to me along with the depression and rolled it into one it would not touch how bad coming off Effexor was.

I've been on Effexor since 2001 with little or no side effects, it's been the best medication I've taken for my depression so far, I'm in the midst of a relapse right now and rather than switch my meds my doc upped my dose, hopefully this will be the silver bullet it once was. Regardless of what you read or hear, only YOU can know if your meds are the right combo for you, keep an eye on it and stay in contact with your doctor, keep your chin up and know that things will get better. Scott