More threads by making_art

Retired

Member
The Canadian product monograph lists tachychardia* as a relatively infrequent side effect, but is nevertheless listed. Any unusual cardiac activity should be investigated to rule out other causes, and to determine if a dose adjustment of the Effexor might be required.

Is this occurring with the immediate release or Extended XR release tablet?

Has blood pressure been monitored and have there been any unusual changes?


 

W00BY

MVP, Forum Supporter
MVP
I did experience them on effexor I was taking the slow release quite a high dose though
225mg/per day

I also used to get vertigo, swooshing in my head when I moved my eyes left to right (still do get this sometimes) and it wrecked my libido as well and I slept all the time.

However when I first became seriously depressed it was massively helpful, I would just not advise anyone to stay on it more than the recommended 8 months.
 

Retired

Member
I would just not advise anyone to stay on it more than the recommended 8 months.

According to the U.S. and Canadian product monographs for Effexor, the official prescribing and usage documents approved by the FDA and Health Canada respectively, there is no restriction, or recommendation to cease the medication after 8 months.

To my knowledge no such recommendation appears in the medical literature.
 

W00BY

MVP, Forum Supporter
MVP
In the uk it's procedure to rotate antidepressants every 8 months due to problems with break through depression

It's not adhered to religiously due to some people not wanting to change or others having very limited options due to health complications but it is the recommended protocol when prescribing in the uk.

However with effexor I would encourage anyone not to be on it too long due to lasting side effects

I have a few from the years I was on it that have never went away
 

Retired

Member
In the uk it's procedure to rotate antidepressants every 8 months due to problems with break through depression

I cannot imagine what the rationale of a protocol like that would be since individuals usually respond best to selected compounds within the SSRI, SNRI class of medications. When a positive response is found, most physicians will stick to what works.

SSRI's are not generally known to produce tolerance nor habituation, and unless a person is not doing well with a particular compound or is not experiencing symptom relief, I believe most physicians, at least in North america, tend to maintain their patients on the compound that works.

with effexor I would encourage anyone not to be on it too long due to lasting side effects

Your own experience may not have been positive with Effexor, but comparative studies indicate Effexor (venlafaxine) is very well tolerated. In fact it has been adopted as the standard studies, as Effexor is one of the most prescribed antidepressants in the world.

In any case, the decision to discontinue or change medication must be made in consultation with one's physician, and there has to be a rational reason for making any change.

I have a few from the years I was on it that have never went away

What lasting effects have you experienced that can be directly attributed to Effexor?
 

W00BY

MVP, Forum Supporter
MVP
Intestinal issues

Eye problems, neuropathic pain (hands and feet) the wooshing sensation that i wake up to everyday which started during missed doses of venlafaxine, vertigo and balance issues.

It is one of the most prescribed... but interestingly there is a war between the makers of velanfaxine and people who have experienced what I have and worse happening online.

The company that make it have actually employed people to trawl the internet arguing against experiences like mine and as far as I am aware there are actually class actions regarding venlafaxine going through the courts in the US, though it has been a few years since I actively followed these issues.

There is no doubt this treatment is a life saver, it was in my case (for a while)

as for prescription protocol every lecturer I have had in my studies has referred to and made me write about anti depressant rotation and the preferred length of time which is where I got the 8 month time line from.
 

making_art

Member
Thanks Wooby, it's good to get peoples experiences. It is extended release and it is my daughter who started this about 3 mths ago. She did not feel well when first starting this (nauseated) and then missed a dose and became really emotional and scared by the effects and went back to her GP who was angry with her for coming back to see her about not feeling well. She was scared about what she was experiencing so wanted to be sure she was ok and stated this to the GP who said ..."well I told you you would have some of these symptoms and to not come back to see me about them". Well, she did not tell her about the effects of missing a single dose!

She is now trying to get an appointment with a psychiatrist to see if this is the best med for her and has been experiencing more palpitations then earlier and is afraid to go back to the GP. Sheesh!

I have not taken this med so was not sure what was just medication starting symptoms that will fade or something she should be worried about.

Anyway, I know that folks on here can't give medication advise so I just called her again to remind her to get the psychiatrist appt. She is studying a very intense program and the med has stabalized her mood so she can get through school.
 
I hope she can get a psychiatrist appointment. I don't like how she was treated by the doctor. That wouldn't make it easy to be open and honest about what's going on with her. :(
 

making_art

Member
Thanks, Cat Dancer! I was really surprised that this doctor would behave like that myself....don't quite understand why...I have never had an experience like this with any GP who have been the prescribers of all of my meds....strange.
 

David Baxter PhD

Late Founder
The described side-effects are by no means universal with Effexor but they are very common as discontinuation effects. And yes - a single missed dose can produce those discontinuation effects. My guess is that some people metabolize the drug more quickly than others and as a result experience "early discontinuation", sometimes even with the extended release form.

I don't do well in general with any extended release medications. I seem to metabolize them just the same as non-extended release versions. In the case of allergy medications which are supposed to last 12 hours or 24 hours, all that happens is I get spacy and strange and then 6 hours later need another dose of something for my allergies anyway. The only exception I've found so far is Reactine.

All this said, there are thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of people who have taken Effexor over the years with no side effects at all. I know some of them personally and have had many clients who have done well on this medication.

As with any medication, if you are one of the exceptions, the remedy is as always to talk to your doctor and change to a different medication in the SSRI or SNRI family. If your doctor refuses to listen to you, find another doctor who will be more professional.
 

W00BY

MVP, Forum Supporter
MVP
The worse issue I find with effexor and this nothing to do with my own experiences merely the way the drug works and it was certainly what hastened me to get off of it in the end was a fear that set in about missing a dose because of the side effects

It has a very short half life and as a result withdrawal starts incredibly quickly so you knew if you missed a dose and with me it was within an hour of missing it I am not sure if this is universal or common but it was very marked for myself.

I do know now through both research and talking to my psychiatrist things like prozac build up in the system therefore this is less of an issue, there are so many out there that if it is a case of not tolerating effexor well (which could have been the case with me I am really not sure) she will be able to try something else.
 

Retired

Member
The worse issue I find with effexor and this nothing to do with my own experiences merely the way the drug works

The pharmacodynamics of venlafaxine are much more complex than simply ststing the relatively short half life causes discontinuation symptoms.

The corollary to potential discontinuation symptoms, which, incidentally can be overcome by following the doctor's tapering instructions on discontinuation, is that venlafaxine achieves a rapid steady state.

The benefit to rapid steady state is that the medication dose is stabilized within a few days of changing the dose, allowing the patient to know if the new dose is being tolerated, and the doctor can manage the dose more effectively.

Additionally venlafaxine does not interact with other medications at the ctyochome p-450 level (liver enzyme) precluding adverse reactions with such common medications like cough and cold preparations, many benzodiazepines and oral contraceptives, to name just a few.

There are other pharmacological and clinical reasons venlafaxine is used so widely, not to mention this medication targets two of the neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine) currently thought to be responsible for the illness of depression.

The way the drug works is the very reason for its widespread acceptance by doctors.

Other SSRI's and SNRI's have features and benefits that may be different from venlafaxine, and there are good reasons why physicians choose them, but the point is there is no sound medical or scientific basis to indict a medication that has proven to be beneficial for so many for so many years.

As Dr. Baxter has mentioned, statistically the majority of people taking this medication have benefited from it, but, like all medications, some people experience adverse reactions. When a medication is used to the extent this has been prescribed worldwide for so many years, by virtue of the numbers, a small percentage equals a large number.

The internet tends to attract negative reports rather than success stories.
 

David Baxter PhD

Late Founder
The internet tends to attract negative reports rather than success stories.

I wanted to highlight this part of Steve's comments. This is unquestionably true. In statistical terms, there is a huge problem with sampling error, which makes much of the information about any medication on the internet suspect. If you do want to use the 'net for information about side-effects, etc., make sure it's a reputable site that includes data from individuals with the same mental health condition(s) who were in a double-blind placebo group. Otherwise, the data is meaningless.

See Making sense of medication side-effects for more information on how to read data on potential side-effects.
 
I am taking 150mg. a day and have been taking this for over a year now w/o those side effects. Perhaps the only heart palpitation I get is from drinking too much caffeine.
 
If she's under a lot of stress, anxiety could cause heart palpitations. I really think she should find another doctor who will let her talk and will listen without judgement.
 

making_art

Member
Thank you, Steve and Dr. Baxter.

Thanks, BeenThereDoneThat....she gets palpitations with coffee too.

Cat Dancer...yes, you are right about the stress and she is going to get a new GP.
 

Retired

Member
.she gets palpitations with coffee too.

I would recommend removing caffeine from her diet, and if necessary use a good quality decaf coffee. I don't mean something like Sanka, a product I've found useful to degrease my engine, but one of the good brand name decaf offerings.

See the attached :acrobat: article on caffeine related tachycardia.
 

Attachments

  • Tachycardia & Caffeine _ LIVESTRONG.pdf
    1 MB · Views: 0
Replying is not possible. This forum is only available as an archive.
Top