| Author | Message | ||
     Dave Hodgson |
My pHD wife was prescribed 300mg of Effexor by her psychiatrist for depression. She takes it once a day for depression. No observable side effects. This medication replaced the prozac she had been taking when the prozac stopped working for her. | ||
| Tammie Holderfield |
My pHD husband was taking 300mg of Effexor by his psychiatrist for depression. It seemed like he was resting too much. The DR told him to take 150mg for four days, and then stop taking any. He did this and became very ancious. He was almost obsessive about any and everything. The DR was out of town. Robby was without any sleep for a week. We called his partner and was given a sleeping pill. We independently put him back on 150mg a day. He is calm, he is able to rest, and relax. We saw the DR yesterday and it was decided to continue with the 150mg of Effexor | ||
| Jean Miller |
Venlafaxine Brand name: Effexor, Effexor XR Category-Antidepressant; Anti-anxiety agent Description - Venlafaxine (ven-la-FAX-een) is used to treat mental depression. It is also used to treat certain anxiety disorders or to relieve the symptoms of anxiety. However, it usually is not used for anxiety or tension caused by the stress of everyday life. Also see: http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-e02.html For the symptomatic relief of depressive illness. The effectiveness of venlafaxine in long-term use (i.e., for more than 4 to 6 weeks) has not been systematically evaluated in controlled trials. Therefore, the physician who elects to use venlafaxine for extended periods should periodically reevaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient. Children: Safety and efficacy in children below the age of 18 have not been established. Oral Extended-release capsules (U.S. and Canada) Tablets (U.S. and Canada) Other medicines (per MedlinePlus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/venlafaxinesystemic202764.html) Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking venlafaxine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking the following: Buspirone (e.g., BuSpar) or Bromocriptine (e.g., Parlodel) or Certain tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline [e.g., Elavil], clomipramine [e.g., Anafranil], or imipramine [e.g., Tofranil]) or Dextromethorphan (cough medicine) or Levodopa (e.g., Sinemet) or Lithium (e.g., Eskalith) or Meperidine (e.g., Demerol) or Nefazodone (e.g., Serzone) or Pentazocine (e.g., Talwin) or Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine [e.g., Prozac], fluvoxamine [e.g., Luvox], paroxetine [e.g., Paxil], sertraline [e.g., Zoloft]) or Street drugs (LSD, MDMA [e.g., ecstasy], marijuana) or Sumatriptan (e.g., Imitrex) or Tramadol (e.g., Ultram) or Trazodone (e.g., Desyrel) or Tryptophan--Using these medicines with venlafaxine may increase the chance of developing a rare, but very serious, unwanted effect known as the serotonin syndrome; symptoms of this syndrome include confusion, diarrhea, fever, poor coordination, restlessness, shivering, sweating, talking or acting with excitement you cannot control, trembling or shaking, or twitching; if you experience these symptoms contact your doctor as soon as possible Moclobemide (e.g., Manerex)--Taking moclobemide and venlafaxine together or less than 3 days apart may increase the chance of developing serious unwanted effects, including the serotonin syndrome, and is not recommended Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (furazolidone [e.g., Furoxone], phenelzine [e.g., Nardil], isocarboxazid [e.g., Marplan] procarbazine [e.g., Matulane], selegiline [e.g., Eldepryl], tranylcypromine [e.g., Parnate])-- Do not take venlafaxine while you are taking or within 2 weeks of taking an MAO inhibitor ; if you do, you may develop confusion, agitation, restlessness, stomach or intestinal symptoms, sudden high body temperature, extremely high blood pressure, and severe convulsions; at least 14 days should be allowed between stopping treatment with an MAO inhibitor and starting treatment with venlafaxine, and at least 7 days should be allowed between stopping treatment with venlafaxine and starting treatment with an MAO inhibitor Other medical problems The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of venlafaxine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially: Brain disease or damage, or mental retardation or Seizures (history of)--The risk of seizures may be increased Heart disease or High or low blood pressure--Venlafaxine may make these conditions worse Kidney disease or Liver disease--Higher blood levels of venlafaxine may occur, increasing the chance of side effects; your doctor may need to adjust your venlafaxine dose Mania (history of)--The risk of developing mania may be increased Weight loss--Venlafaxine may cause weight loss; this weight loss is usually small, but if a large weight loss occurs, it may be harmful in some patients Side Effects of This Medicine More common-Changes in vision, such as blurred vision; decrease in sexual desire or ability; headache Less common-Chest pain; fast or irregular heartbeat; mood or mental changes; ringing or buzzing in ears Rare-Convulsions (seizures); itching or skin rash; lightheadedness or fainting, especially when getting up suddenly from a sitting or lying position; lockjaw; menstrual changes; problems in urinating or in holding urine; swelling; talking, feeling, and acting with excitement and activity you cannot control; trouble in breathing Warnings Sustained Hypertension:Treatment with venlafaxine was associated with modest but sustained increases in blood pressure during premarketing studies. Sustained hypertension, defined as treatment-emergent supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) >= 90 mm Hg and 10 mm Hg above baseline for 3 consecutive visits, showed the following incidence and dose-relationship in Table I. Precautions: Suicide Seizures Activation of Mania/Hypomania Hepatic and Renal Disease Occupational Hazards =============================== Venlafaxine Effexor, Efexor: how does it work Pharmacological effects of venlafaxine, a new antidepressant, given repeatedly, on the alpha 1-adrenergic, dopamine and serotonin systems http://www.biopsychiatry.com/venlafaxine.html SSRIs, Serotonin, Dopamine, Fluoxetine, Venlafaxine, Venlafaxine for GAD, Venlafaxine v mirtazapine, Venlafaxine plus buspirone, Venlafaxine plus bupropion, Venlafaxine versus fluoxetine, Venlafaxine and social phobia, Venlafaxine SR and major depression and Venlafaxine and headache prevention ================================ July 17, 2000 FDA Approval Given on Venlafaxine Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the pharmaceutical division of American Home Products Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new label change for its antidepressant EffexorŽ XR (venlafaxine HCl) Extended-Release Capsules for use as a long-term treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Effexor XR is the first and only antidepressant now indicated for short- and long-term benefits for people with GAD. The FDA reviewed data from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 595 patients in the United States, which showed that Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) provided significant improvements in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) for up to six months, compared with placebo. Effexor XR, a once-daily formulation, received FDA marketing clearance for the treatment of depression in 1997. Unlike the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa, which selectively inhibit the reuptake of only the neurotransmitter serotonin, Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) inhibits the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. The most common adverse events reported in Effexor XR placebo-controlled depression trials (incidence >10 percent and >2x that of placebo) were nausea, dizziness, somnolence, abnormal ejaculation, sweating, dry mouth, and nervousness; and in GAD trials were nausea, dry mouth, insomnia, abnormal ejaculation, anorexia, constipation, nervousness, and sweating. Effexor XR is contraindicated in patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Treatment with venlafaxine is associated with sustained increases in blood pressure (BP) in some patients. Three percent of Effexor XR patients in depression studies (doses of 75 to 375 mg/day), and 0.4 percent in GAD studies (doses of 75 to 255 mg/day), had sustained BP elevations. The incidence of sustained increases in BP at doses greater than 300 mg/day has not been fully evaluated. Less than 1 percent discontinued treatment because of elevated BP. Experience with immediate release venlafaxine in depression studies showed that sustained hypertension was dose related, increasing from 3 percent to 7 percent at doses of 100 to 300 mg/day, to 13 percent at doses above 300 mg/day. Regular BP monitoring is recommended. ======================================== Posted Jan 8, 2001 Venlafaxine and GAD First long-term treatment for GAD licensed The first serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) has been licensed for long-term use in the UK. Earlier studies have shown that GAD occurs in up to five per cent of the population at some point. Existing medical conditions can be exacerbated by GAD and the condition is often associated with depression and other disorders. Previously, treatment for GAD was limited to short (2-4 weeks) courses of benzodiazepines. The licensing of venlafaxine (Efexor XL), which is already available for the treatment of depression, for GAD marks an improvement in therapy options for patients with the condition. One of the many trials that revealed the efficacy of the drug was a placebo-controlled study at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Patients who received 75 and 150 mg of venlafaxine had significantly improved scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (total and psychic anxiety factor measures), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and the Clinical Global Impression - Improvement scale compared to placebo after 6 months. The researchers found that clinical improvement could be seen by the second week of treatment. Prof David Nutt, of the University of Bristol, commented, "Drugs which target serotonin and noradrenaline are generally preferred for the medium- to long-term management of all anxiety disorders and there may be some merits in using a mixed agent rather than a selective one." Dr Amanda Kirby, GP, added, "As the only long-term treatment for generalised anxiety disorder, [venlafaxine] is changing the face of anxiety management today." Source: Wyeth Laboratories Health Media Ltd 2001 http://www.health-secure.net |