• N&PD Moderators: Skorpio | thegreenhand

Efexor (effexor, veniafaxine) - full on phenethylamine

I was on 150mg of Effexor a day, to treat panic disorder.
It sort of put me into a manic-depressive state, and I began getting into self-harm.
I became the biggest asshole to everyone, I couldn't ever get to sleep, and barely remember any of the time that I was on it.
Seriously, a 2 month blank hole is in my life. I wouldn't doubt that I was almost living in a drug-induced psychosis.

I was also doing MANY other drugs at the time: Dextromethorphan (I can't imagine that this is good for you when taking a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor!!), Opiates galore, and a VAST quantity of benzodiazepines and sedatives.

I think possibly that the norepinephrine effects of the drug come into effect sooner than the serotonin effects, as insomnia was the first noted side effect I experienced that continued for the duration of my use of the drug.
 
After a course of venlafaxine for my SAD, I vowed I'd never take it again as with it's help it's the only time I've ever had a hypomanic episode (normally handlable) progress to full mania. That pressure of thought was very unpleasant - that was my last encounter with a 5HT reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, I'll stick to tricyclics in future
 
Nothing wrong with eating things from the pavement. Once I'd licked the dog crap off the blister pack it was fine. I still have 3 left, so it is most certainly not addictive...

Off topic, sort of, but what is known of the various isomers of 'napthylene' isopropylamine? i.e. napthyl-amphetamine...

indanylamphetamine I know about.

All the best.
 
ah... I don't think this is the place to admit to licking dog crap. At least not as a green lighter. Something you might want to have a bit of a reputation to ruin instead of going instantly negative over. ;)
 
^On the contrary, I am now intrigued by said poster and will likely read/stalk them if they continue posting. A shit-licker is but a kindred spirit to me. :)
 
swilow said:
A shit-licker is but a kindred spirit to me. :)

You're not into Jenkum are you?

Back (vaguely) to topic. Robbie Williams (the fat one from Take That, not the hairy knuckled comic) was quoted in a paper recently saying that taking Effexor was "just like coming up on a pill". I guess for some people the effects are much more dramatic.
 
superponce said:
Yo,

I hope this is the right forum, it was either here or 'other drugs', but I am more interested in the pharmacology than anything else...

A few weeks ago, on the pavement, I found four (and took one) venlafaxine HCl pills (37.5mg), and I have to say it was quite similar to taking a pill without every fully coming up. All in all pretty intense to the point of lying down and breathing hard for some of it. An enormous variety of drugs have passed through my system, but none in the last 6 months and hardly any for a year, so I'm a pretty clean guinea pig. I had had one beer...

Is it just me who has ever had this rather profound effect from this stuff? I could as much imagine taking this daily as eating 80mg of MDMA daily... Can't be good for people.

On looking at the structure, there are (possible) elements of desoxypipradol and pma here, I wonder what desoxyvenlafaxine would be like? As in without the alcohol group??

I have no intention of using it for depression, but once in a blue moon I may take one and go out on the town...


i started on effexor XR 75mg yesterday (that's right, yesterday).. felt action of drug few hours after taking it and approx 6-8 hours later experienced the feeling you are talking about.

like an e, but no 'beaming' euphoria. Right down to the sweaty palms and occasional grin that can't be helped.

.. however, i wouldnt mark this as a drug to go out on. That's not its purpose. You shouldnt take anti-d's if you aren't in need of them. Screw the 'e-like' effect. I'm just glad that some hope of feeling better has presented itself.

I'm sure that these initial 'e-like' effects will pass and the drug will do its job more subtly. One of the things i always hated about antidepressants was being able to feel that i was on them.

I've read a lot of mixed reports on effexor, and it is evident that the drug effects each individual quite differently.

I can also see that, given the action of the drug, tapering very gradually when coming off it is a must.
 
I currently take Effexor for pain relief and was astonished to learn they actually had a street price! A recent article stated:

"classed as “selective seratonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors”, or SSNRIs. The added “N” is what makes them special. Unlike Prozac and other SSRIs, these drugs do not simply increase levels of seratonin, the brain chemical that makes us feel more sociable and relaxed. They also boost adrenaline, making us more energetic and sometimes slightly manic."

"Efexor is less common but more controversial than Prozac ....."

And Robbie Williams "compared the feeling of taking it to “coming up on an E” (ecstasy tablet), and spoke glowingly to George Michael about its energising effect on his live performances – both of which endorsements were reported in Chris Heath’s biography of the star, Feel."

"Efexor, which has been around for a decade, has become a cause for concern since an online petition was started in America in 2001. It now contains over 15,000 aggrieved signatories. There are complaints that doctors gave no indication, or flatly denied, that the drug carried any significant side effects or risk of dependency. For its part, the drug’s manufacturer, Wyeth, acknowledges that Efexor may cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea, insomnia and raised blood pressure in a small number of cases – its data suggest around 10%. The online complaints about the withdrawal symptoms go further, listing raging headaches, panic attacks, night sweats and vomiting. One petitioner writes: “I have lived my life saying ‘no’ to drugs. Now I’m having withdrawals from something my doctor gave me. This is a crime.”

I read this with disbelief. Does Robbie Williams have such a shit supply of E that he actually compares venlafaxine to it? Perhaps I was being prescribed a goldmine if I increased the dose. I took several 75mg tablets in one go and did feel more alert, happy and yeah ..... a bit like has been described. But since then, and certainly with sustained release, I haven't been able to replicate the feeling. In any case, there are better stimulants. And I can choose to take them properly and benefit from the effect it has on making methadone more effective or I can use the month's supply in a few days and get quite nice feelings. On balance, I'll probably just use them as prescribed.
 
I'm going back on 150mg effexor shortly (hopefully sometime later this week)

For me, effexor was so effective at alleviating social inhibitions and social anxiety that I would compare it to better than alcohol or even some less-potent stimulants (methylphenidate)

It has been almost a year since the developement of my panic disorder and anxiety disorder, and I can say that most of my anxiety is somehow connected to socialability, and that effexor is a very effective treatment option for me.

The reason I went off of it, is because for most of the duration that I was on it I was in a hypomanic/borderline-manic state. If that is the case this time around, I hopefully will be prescribed some anti-manic type drug to combat this.
 
swilow said:
^On the contrary, I am now intrigued by said poster and will likely read/stalk them if they continue posting. A shit-licker is but a kindred spirit to me. :)

LOL. Poor superponce
 
im sorry, but robbie williams is bullshitting. heh. i took effexor once, and it felt like another crappy AD... i immediately desided to discontinue use because of lack of any worthwile therapeutical potential been felt. 25 mgs of amitryptiline resembles me more of a roll or speed than that shit. (of course it has no any similar effects as well.)
 
I've been on effexo XR (225mg/day) for at least 6-7 years. I don't even remember what was it like before started taking ADs. Celexa didn't agree with me (60mg/day). It made me feel like lived inside a bubble and i got switched to effexor.

I think my depresession is nowadays manageble. Of course i get very dark episodes after i have been binging stimulants (meth/amphetamine) but I can only blame myself for that. But IMHO venlafaxine makes comedown from amphetamines easier to handle.

I start withdrawing if i forget to take the effexor for two days in a row.-
 
There are too many reports of the stimulating effects of venlafaxine and the potential for addiction to dismiss the idea altogether. I don't think I would suffer at the prescribed dose, ie 75mg bd, but if I took a lot, frequently, then it would be a different story.
 
LivingOnValium said:
I've been on effexo XR (225mg/day) for at least 6-7 years. I don't even remember what was it like before started taking ADs. Celexa didn't agree with me (60mg/day). It made me feel like lived inside a bubble and i got switched to effexor.

I think my depresession is nowadays manageble. Of course i get very dark episodes after i have been binging stimulants (meth/amphetamine) but I can only blame myself for that. But IMHO venlafaxine makes comedown from amphetamines easier to handle.

I start withdrawing if i forget to take the effexor for two days in a row.-
oh come on

why are you supporting pharmaceutical companies. I must myself stop using 225 mg Efexor a day.

I don't like the drug, it doesn't even work with me anymore. All is just fucked up mess, I don't like my brains can't function normally.
 
Looks like you're shit out of luck already man, brains can't function normally as-is!
 
Effexor induced hypoglycemic episodes

I am getting these quite frequently. Anyone else?

I can't go far from my home, I need to check that I get food every 3 hours.

If I use drugs that makes hunger feeling go away, I might get really fucked up from bad hypoglycemia.

225 mgs daily
 
Madmike said:
I am getting these quite frequently. Anyone else?

I can't go far from my home, I need to check that I get food every 3 hours.

If I use drugs that makes hunger feeling go away, I might get really fucked up from bad hypoglycemia.

225 mgs daily
Is this a doctor diagnosis or your self-diagnosis?
Because usually hypoglycemia is not common unless there is an overdose of insulin. And hypoglycemia is easily reversible if experienced, just eat a piece of chocolate or drink some juice.

My guess is you are probably experiencing anxiety and have just self diagnosed yourself with hypoglycemia.
 
SpunkySkunk347 said:
Is this a doctor diagnosis or your self-diagnosis?
Because usually hypoglycemia is not common unless there is an overdose of insulin. And hypoglycemia is easily reversible if experienced, just eat a piece of chocolate or drink some juice.

My guess is you are probably experiencing anxiety and have just self diagnosed yourself with hypoglycemia.
Self-diagnosis.

Yeah the anxiety get's whole lot worse when I don't take care that I eat regularly.

I feel that sometimes I can't do anything right.
 
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