Is effexor xr making me go crazy?

[bryan]

I started taking it about a month ago. my doctor pricribed it to me because of my wife leaving me. Since I started taking it there has been 2 times I have snapped at her when she didn't desirve it. I have never been like that....I'm trying to work on my marriage not distroy it. I'm only taking 75mg right know. I also have headaches, Sleepiness, Sweating, Abnormal vision, clicks in my head, Confusion, and it seems to put me in an irritable mood. I also am having a very odd sex drive, sometimes up like unconrolable and sometimes its hard to get exited at all. and my ejaculation is not been right either. Can one med do all those things wrong?

[Brigid W]

Yes it can. these are all fairly common side-effects of effexor. Check out the forum comments. I would talk to your doctor about a change in medication before things get any worse. Please don't let your doc convince you to up the dosage, these side effects usually get worse with an increase in dosage.

[bryan]

Is there any documentation I can bring to my doctor or show my wife so she understands? I'm scard it might be to late, but want to try?????

[Brigid W]

This is from the EFFEXOR XR OFFICIAL WEBSITE maybe your doctor will believe it.

EFFEXOR XR may cause side effects in some people. In clinical studies, some people had to stop taking EFFEXOR XR because of side effects. Click here for important safety information.

In clinical studies, the most common side effects included:

Nausea
Dizziness
Sleepiness
Abnormal ejaculation
Sweating
Dry mouth
Gas
Abnormal vision
Nervousness
Insomnia
Loss of appetite
Constipation
Confusion/agitation
Tremor
Yawning
Palpitation
Tell your doctor right away if you have:

Increases in heart rate

Extreme confusion or seizures, which may indicate very low levels of sodium in the blood

Abnormal bleeding or bruising

Sudden, unexpected eye pain, eye redness, or changes in vision, which may indicate increased eye pressure

Symptoms of mania or hypomania, such as persistently elevated or irritable mood, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, hyperactivity, and rapid, excessive speech
EFFEXOR XR may cause an increase in your cholesterol. Your doctor may want to do blood tests to check your serum cholesterol periodically.

For more information on these and other side effects associated with EFFEXOR XR, talk with your doctor or pharmacist, or see the Prescribing Information.

What happens when I stop using EFFEXOR XR?
Symptoms are known to occur when people stop using EFFEXOR XR, especially when they suddenly stop therapy.

When people suddenly stop using EFFEXOR XR, they can get symptoms from stopping the medicine too fast. Some of these symptoms include:

Agitation
Anxiety
Confusion
Diarrhea
Dizziness or vertigo
Dry mouth
Fasciculation (muscle twitching)
Headaches
Hypomania
Impaired coordination
Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Nervousness
Nightmares
Seizures
Sensory disturbances (including electric shock sensations)
Somnolence (sleepiness)
Sweating
Tinnitus
Tiredness
Tremor
Unpleasant mood
Vomiting

[Brigid W]

Unfortunately, many doctors don't seem to be fully informed of these risks themselves. If you decide to stop effexor, you should wean off it gradually as the withdrawal is awful for most people. There are lots of great suggestions on the effexor withdrawal forum to help you.

I copied and pasted the info on side effects and withdrawal issues from the Wyeth Effexor XR website.

[Leslee]

Do a search for the effexor activist .org You will find tons of information on how to slowly wean off of effexor. You will find a lot of studies Wyeth and the rest of the industry do not want you to know about. The corruption in the drug industry is shocking and very dangerous. Please look beyond what you have been told.

[scarlett]

am currently embarking on effexor withdrawl journey. may last year out of the blue i developed panic disorder. i didnt know that this is what i had at the time. my mum rushed me up to hospital, and after tonnes of tests including an mri, i was told i was experiencing spontaneous panic attacks. i was perscribed effexor, and eventually reached a 450 mg/day dose, with still no full relief from my illness. my dr has wanted to change my meds for quite a while, however i had to get my head around it before i could agree. after 5 days i have dropped to a 150 mg/day dose and am feeling pretty good. i am having the eletric current feeling a bit and am feeling very tierd , but so far so good. i will be totally off effexor in 3 days and then after a 3 day break i will start on lexapro(i think that is what it is called). i have no choice but to do this quickly as i am terrified of going backwards with my illness. wish me luck. i am a little scared , especially after reading all of the posted horror stories. i would so appreciate reassurance from anybody who did not suffer as much as some of these people.