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I have recently moved & started to see a new FP. I have been on a low dose of WellbutrinXL for years, Xanax to help me sleep & Vivelle-Dot patches for hot flashes. This new doc wants to switch me to Effexor. He says it'll help with the anxiety/sleep issues and hot flashes. I've been researching Effexor (which I haven't started yet) and have read some scary stuff regarding the side effects and also the addictive quality to it. It seems coming off it is very difficult. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences with these two anti-depressants...............
I take the generic version of Welbutrin and I've like it so far, but now that I'm doing less (I was going to school, interning and holding down a job), I find that it gives me headaches and supresses my appetite too much, to the point where the TASTE of food is unappealing. I'm actually asking my Dx to lower my dosage tomorrow. The biggest issue I have if I don't take it is complete lack of energy (almost like I have the flu), and NO motivation to do anything. I'm hoping that by lowering the dose, I can get rid of the side effects while still maintaining the positive properties of the drug.
I don't know much about Effexor, but if it turns out that it's not working out for you, could you just tell your Dx and go back on your old meds?
I'm on Bupropion, (generic wellbutrin) and I haven't noticed any of those things. It's working well with helping me to smoke less. It's not as good of an anti depressant as prozac, but, doesn't have the side effects that prozac does either. I wish it did suppress my appetite, but, no luck there! I don't know anything about Effexor either, but if it did all those things, I'd give it a try. I try everything to help me sleep. The thing about reading the warnings on these meds, I take quite a few meds, and every one of them say scary things regarding side effects. I look at it like this, if I didn't take these meds, I would not be functional, not to mention in pain 24-7.
Wellbutrin made me extremely irritable and angry. You can't just stop Effexor as you could have a seizure; you have to taper off of it. Cymbalta has been known to cause suicidal thoughts in people who never had that problem before.
I'm on Bupropion, (generic wellbutrin) and I haven't noticed any of those things. It's working well with helping me to smoke less. It's not as good of an anti depressant as prozac, but, doesn't have the side effects that prozac does either. I wish it did suppress my appetite, but, no luck there!
Yes, I should have mentioned I take Buproprion, the generic version of Wellbutrin (my ins. company surprised me with that one went I picked up my refill!). I started on Prozac many moons ago, very reluctantly, but I had such severe PMS symtoms I couldn't live with the person I had become anymore, much less subject my small children & husband to it! It made a huge difference in how I felt. It minimized the PMS symtoms & I felt like "me" again. But, after many years on it I think my body got used to it so we switched me to Wellbutrin. That didn't work as well & I went on Lexapro for a couple of years & gained 20 lbs. My doc denied that it would cause weight gain when questioned about it. I researched extensively & discovered it does something to your metabolism so we switched me back to Wellbutrin. I lost the weight over a year's time! But, it doesn't quite work as well as the Prozac or Lexapro. So now Effexor (which has been around quite awhile & is pretty heavy duty from which I've read) combats depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, & hot flashes. Which would take care & eliminate eventually a few meds I'm taking (I think this is the mind set of my new doc). Yes, I've read Effexor is very hard to get off of, highly addictive, someone compared it to getting off of Heroin (side effects). So I'm scared to attempt the switch. I haven't gone back to see the new doc again to question him more on Effexor (he's somewhat intimidating to me, unlike my old doc, kind of like....don't challenge my authority!). Yes, I know if I don't feel comfortable with the new doc I should find another one......my husband likes him a lot & he comes highly recommended...... I'm afraid since I'm so homesick & somewhat being stubborn on liking anything in my new state/town, that nothing is going to please me at this point. I loved all my established docs back home! So I guess I'll give him another try or two & see how we mesh. But, I appreciate everyone's viewpoints......love to hear from someone that's been taking Effexor.....where are you?
Some years ago I took generic prozac to help with hot flashes. I read that effexor was hard to get off of although it was recommended to me first. With the prozac I quit taking it after a couple of years, no side effects, nothing. My DDIL is taking effexor and it's working well for her, hope there are no problems later.
Buproprion (Wellbutrin, Budeprion) is considered an atypical antidepressant. it is generally more activating than other antidepressants... That's why if some people take it late in the day, they may have problems sleeping, or may find it makes them irritable.
Effexor (venlafaxine) and its isomer Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) inhibit the uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. That is how they derive their antidepressant benefit. There is also some effect on GABA, which is probably how they mediate anxiety. These tend to be less "activating".
Withdrawing from ANY of the SSRIs (Prozac, etc) or SNRIs (Effexor) can cause a withdrawal syndrome that often consists of nausea, vertigo, and other symptoms that can last for days. That happens sometimes even with the most careful tapering.
Wellbutrin actually lowers one's seizure threshold. So just taking the drug puts one at a very slightly higher risk for seizures. We're talking hundredths of a percent here.
All these drugs are metabolized through various pathways in the liver. Depending on what medications you take (Rx and OTC), your diet, your genetics, how much alcohol you consume, etc, you may do better or worse with one med or another.
It's so much more complicated than most people realize. I am licensed to prescribe these medications but if one of my patients needs more than one medicine, or fails more than one, I refer them to a specialist - psychiatry or, hopefully, a psychopharmacologist. There are so many variables to be considered, and so many available agents that I prefer to let the experts handle it.
One last piece of advice - it's what we call "The N of one" problem. That is, these drugs have been studied in thousands of people for safety and efficacy. But they have never been studied in you. You are the "N of one". You may experience a side effect that no one else has experienced. You may not respond to a drug that 95% of subjects studied responded to. Just keep it in mind when you get a prescription for something new - be hopeful that it will help you, but also be aware that you are a brand new subject for this continuing post-market analysis.
Oh, forgot to add, there is some good evidence for Effexor helping with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. This class of drugs isn't addictive in the sense that opiates (morphine, heroin) or benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium) are - they do cause a physical dependence, much like the dependence that people will have on caffeine or nicotine. We all tend to throw around the terms "addicted" and "dependent" like they're the same - they're really not. It's true, if you take Effexor, and decide you want to stop it, you might have some physical symptoms coming off of it. But you might not. Keep in mind that a lot of people who post online are the ones who have had bad experiences - you rarely hear about the ones who do just fine.
Oh, forgot to add, there is some good evidence for Effexor helping with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. This class of drugs isn't addictive in the sense that opiates (morphine, heroin) or benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium) are - they do cause a physical dependence, much like the dependence that people will have on caffeine or nicotine. We all tend to throw around the terms "addicted" and "dependent" like they're the same - they're really not. It's true, if you take Effexor, and decide you want to stop it, you might have some physical symptoms coming off of it. But you might not. Keep in mind that a lot of people who post online are the ones who have had bad experiences - you rarely hear about the ones who do just fine.
Thank you Yellfire, the info. you posted has actually made me feel a bit better about switching to Effexor.
I didn't read through this entire thread, because frankly I don't think you should ask other people's opinions on these drugs. Everyone reacts so differently to them you cannot take what works for one person and expect it work for you. My GF started on Luvox CR which my doctor had been talking to me about switching. So I did.
I had the 10% side effects from the drug which were horrid. Shortness of breath, anxiety attacks, dizziness, among many many others. If what you are taking is working why are you thinking of switching?
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Yes, I know if I don't feel comfortable with the new doc I should find another one......my husband likes him a lot & he comes highly recommended...... I'm afraid since I'm so homesick & somewhat being stubborn on liking anything in my new state/town, that nothing is going to please me at this point. I loved all my established docs back home! So I guess I'll give him another try or two & see how we mesh.
But, I appreciate everyone's viewpoints......love to hear from someone that's been taking Effexor.....where are you? 
