Switching to Venlafaxine Extended Release

[delphinen]

I have been on Venlafaxine (generic brand, known as Effexor) 50~75mg for 2 weeks, today my doctor without telling me absolutely nothing about it, changed my medication from "normal" 50mg Venlafaxine tablets to 150mg Venlafaxine XR tablets. I assume it thought it was time to up my dose, I guess that's fine.. but I am worried about the extended release thing. Besides feeling "happy", with more willpower again, and some weird analgesic effects I won't discuss here, I used to get a kind of high, mild euphoric feeling when doing 75mg Venlafaxine "normal" tablets, that alone was enough for me to not abuse other drugs- I read that Venlafaxine XR is not exactly the same as Venlafaxine (which sounds weird), I would like to get some advice on this. Also, for the record, I am one of the lucky persons with a very fast CYP2D6 metabolism (Codeine, and specially Tramadol worked pretty much instantaneously on me, and got me super high, more than other "real" opiates), how does this would affect the rate Venlafaxine works on me?

Thanks in advance

 

[d1nach]

Venlafaxine xr is the same chemical as venlafaxine. The only difference is the rate you absorb venlafaxine xr is slower because of the way it is made. I take venlafaxine and it makes amphetamine stronger i my opinion prob via cyp2d6 inhibition but its much weaker then say prozac at inhibiting this enzyme. I doubt effexor alone would make you high and perhaps that mild euphoria is called not having cripplying depression haha and not having cripplying depression makes it much easier to say no to drugs

 

[Will miss Tram :(]

Aside from the bigger price, there's really not much difference between the two.

If the XR however ruins the placebo "high" effect for you, one can proceed like this:

Open the capsule,
crush the granules,
repack,
ingest.

problem solved!

 

[Mmp85]

I would call the doctors and ask what's up.
My doctor accidently wrote in XR on a normal script once and I called the office and they fixed it.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I have been on Venlafaxine (generic brand, known as Effexor) 50~75mg for 2 weeks, today my doctor without telling me absolutely nothing about it, changed my medication from "normal" 50mg Venlafaxine tablets to 150mg Venlafaxine XR tablets. I assume it thought it was time to up my dose, I guess that's fine.. but I am worried about the extended release thing. Besides feeling "happy", with more willpower again, and some weird analgesic effects I won't discuss here, I used to get a kind of high, mild euphoric feeling when doing 75mg Venlafaxine "normal" tablets, that alone was enough for me to not abuse other drugs- I read that Venlafaxine XR is not exactly the same as Venlafaxine (which sounds weird), I would like to get some advice on this. Also, for the record, I am one of the lucky persons with a very fast CYP2D6 metabolism (Codeine, and specially Tramadol worked pretty much instantaneously on me, and got me super high, more than other "real" opiates), how does this would affect the rate Venlafaxine works on me?

Thanks in advance

I'm assuming your ethnic Japanese and not just living there, but correct me if I'm wrong. East Asians are, I believe, the most likely to be ultra-rapid metabolizers through enzyme activity. Caucasians are, on the other hands, more likely to be poor metabolizers and experience less effect from drugs like Codeine.

As far as the Venlafaxine (Effexor) goes, I don't think you should experience much of a difference in the course of your therapy. They should both be essentially identical aside from the time-release mechanism. With a drug like, for instance, Amphetamines, switching to an Extended Release form from and Instant Release form could produce some noticeably different effects in terms of peaks and troughs. With an antidepressant like Venlafaxine, I really don't foresee the change being that noticeable.

 

[delphinen]

Thank you for your answers. I also have noticed some insomnia on XR (also higher dose), when I would sleep like a baby on 75mg IR Venlafaxine.
And the night sweats... I get cold at night and at the same time my head is hot and full of sweat. I can barely stay at any place with closed windows because I start to sweat like a pig badly and people look me funny, I get nervous, it gets worse, etc.. This also wasn't AS BAD before. I'm also not as happy as before, not saying it's not working, just saying for me, IR and XR have been almost like being on 2 different drugs.
I can write now because I have behind me the air conditioner and a fan to my face. I think I'm gonna ask my doctors to give me the IR even if the dose is a lot lower.

 

[Mmp85]

Don't take it at night, take it as early as you can.!

 

[d1nach]

That is very common to feel worse after increasing your antidepressant dose. However, that doesnt mean it is less effective. When you increase your reuptake inhibition of seritonin in the short term it causes anxiety, nausea, erectile dysfunction, reduced pleasure, pupil dialation, sweats ect. However, over many weeks the increased serotonin in the synaptic cleft continually activate 5 ht2a/c receptors causing them to downregulate causing eventual opposite effects decreased anxiety, increased ability to feel pleasure to rewards, and a improvement in mood.

 

[delphinen]

Well, for better or worse I was switched to immediate release 50mg Venlafaxine again. 150mg was overkill, and being XR didn't help, I had problems sleeping, too much body temperature, fountains of sweating.
Yesterday I couldn't sleep at all, and today after getting my meds, and therefore, taking my 50mg Venlafaxine IM dose, 150mg Pregabalin, 2,5mg Lorazepam, bam!, I passed away on the bed while waiting for a HUGE migraine in the frontal part of my head (the eyes?) to go away -that did go away after sleeping. I was a lot better, plus I did take a large size Aspirine some hours ago to prevent more migraines.
Overall, 50mg Venlafaxine might be a little low for me and I might need to go again to the clinic before my next appointment for a refill (I plan to take 50-75mg per day), but already I feel so much better.
I wish I could find the site where it SPECIFIED that Venlafaxine IM and Venlafaxine XR were NOT exactly the same, and that even pharmacists couldn't sell you one instead of the other because of this reason. Also, why Venlafaxine IM is much more expensive??

 

[Keif' Richards]

^No they're actually exactly the same. Venlafaxine (Effexor) is the active compound in both the instant release and extended release products. Wherever you heard that appears to be supplying misinformation. It's not any different than any other extended release preparation of medication, although as you probably know, the mechanisms from one manufacturer to another will vary.