Generic Name: Venlafaxine for Fibromyalgia (venlafaxine)
Venlafaxine for Fibromyalgia Reviews
"I've been taking antidepressants for about 15 years, due to panic attacks, general anxiety, and situational depression, and they have worked well. Additionally, for 10 years I have had very severe leg pain, seeming to be sciatica/nerve pain and muscle pain, from hips to feet. I was told by two orthopedists, 'You're just old (59) so live with it.' It's been only a month since I changed to SNRIs—namely Venlafaxine—and since the very first day, I have been pain-free. I can walk again with long strides and quickly. I can stand for long periods. I can take hikes. I hadn't been able to do that for 10 years. My life is no longer dictated by how much pain I can endure. I don't know how it works, but I wish I'd known about it years ago."
"Was given this for depression and had no idea it would transform my life. After taking for just 1 day, I noticed my pain was almost gone after suffering for years. I can't believe that only the day before I started venlafaxine I had to use crutches to go shopping because the pain in my legs and back when walking was excruciating. I've noticed I feel so much more relaxed than I have in years, my mood has improved, I feel almost excited that I can now get my life back. I am 45, have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and fibromyalgia, and wish I had known about venlafaxine years ago."
"After years of chronic arthritic pain, I was prescribed Venlafaxine by a pain specialist doctor at a leading Brisbane (Australia) hospital. The results are remarkable. It works. No pain. Dosage 75mg daily for 4 weeks, increase to 150mg if required. I have only taken this drug for 3 weeks! No side effects."
"I suffer from chronic pain from degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and depression. Doctor put me on this for my fibromyalgia. I found it has done wonders for my depression (got off Prozac), PMDD, and fibromyalgia pain. I'm only 42 yrs old and suffer every day of my life. This has given me some of my life back. As an added benefit I lost some weight."
"I have had fibromyalgia since I was 10 years old. I have been on every medication doctors can think of. I am now in my 40s and my fibromyalgia has gotten worse over time. I was on Cymbalta for years but it stopped working, so yesterday my doctor prescribed Effexor XR. I took it and this morning I was not stiff, not moody, and slept well last night. I am hoping this will help me in the long term."
"I’m 25 and have newly diagnosed fibromyalgia and depression. Diagnosed from a very young age (about 6 y.o). I have always felt a stabbing, “zinging” radiating/pulsating pain in more than 8 parts of my body. I know that with depression and anxiety (which I also have), it comes with the crappiness of muscle pains, general malaise, and weakness. Due to kind of “holding myself together” (mentally and physically) on a daily basis, I’ve developed poor posture. Daily habits of clenching my body or hunching to dull certain pains and finding ways to sit that are moderately comfortable have made me feel like a prisoner in my own body. After a week on these meds, I wake up feeling rested and alive! My body works how it SHOULD, and the pains are gone!"
"I started out on 37.5mg and moved up to 75mg. I feel great! I have gone back to work and I'm enjoying life again. I went from barely being able to move or being touched to almost normal. Minor flares but it is tolerable."
"I was so surprised...within 4-5 days the major discomfort from fibromyalgia was nearly gone. I could sleep more comfortably and did not feel like the princess and the pea when I laid down. I hope it continues."
"Took this medicine for depression. I didn't have a clue that it would take away my pain. I would guess it has taken away 90% of the pain. This has been the first antidepressant that I have been able to tolerate in 30 years. I thought I tried everything in the book, but when my doctor was going over a list of antidepressants, I said I have never tried one that started with a 'V' before. I hit the jackpot!"
"I have had fibromyalgia symptoms for over 2 years now, muscle cramps that stay in a locked position for days. I am in constant pain. I have only been on venlafaxine for not quite a week and have to admit it has controlled the pain to a dull ache instead of the throbbing pain before. My doctor started me out on 37.5 mg and after 4 days we increased it to 75 mg. I seem to tolerate this dosage well. I am happy with the benefit of helping my anxiety level. I see hope at the end of the pain tunnel."
"Been on this medicine for fibromyalgia for 4 days, and it has made a lot of difference already. I am on a very low dose at the moment, 37.5mg, and am titrating up to 75mg after the first week. I feel sick in the morning before I eat (which I don't usually do until lunchtime), but after a coffee, this feeling subsides enough to manage. I have tried about 6 other medicines over the past 12 months, and the side effects of them all were intolerable. However, if I can take this medicine with the effect it has already had, then I will be happy."
"I have had fibro for 18 years and have been on many medications. Being put on Effexor XR over a year ago, I have tolerated it well. I have maintained a healthy weight, and it takes the pain from a 10 down to 2-3. My only complaint is that I have always had a sharp mind, and I notice that I feel lost sometimes in what I'm doing, even in my own home. Very loopy. I'm 43 years old and take this along with 50 mg x2 of Tramadol every day. I would recommend it if you have fibromyalgia. It's worked better than all other SNRIs or SSRIs out there."
"I've only started this medication about 3 weeks ago. I take 75mg/day. I've noticed a big difference when I exercise now. Normally, a walk around the track or using my elliptical would have me in a ton of pain for the rest of the day. Now I can exercise without the all-day pain anymore."
Effexor (venlafaxine) "I've been on Effexor for approximately two years. I recently had the extremely unpleasant side effects from coming off the drug, as I could not get a refill on my prescription for six days. I ended up in the ER due to a panic attack (never had one in my life before). It did reveal, however, that the medicine was not really working for me, as my pain level was virtually the same whether I was on it or not. Please make sure you gradually go off this medicine under the care of a doctor."
"I was prescribed this antidepressant due to my long history with depression and having anxiety and fibromyalgia. I find this med has been the most effective at helping to contain things enough for me to also develop strategies such as getting enough sleep, even if it means 12 hours in bed when required. I never rely only on meds to 'cure' me. I use meds to contain things and then work on external things I can do to improve my lifestyle."
"You can treat Effexor (and Paxil) withdrawal by using one dose of a very long-acting SSRI such as Prozac. (Prozac is so long-lasting that one dose can be taken weekly.) Going through the electrical zapping sensations and disconnected head feeling is very disturbing and best avoided."
"I've had undiagnosed chronic pain for decades. I asked my psychiatrist if she would prescribe this for pain, and I started Effexor a week ago. It has already changed my life. I have about 80% to 95% relief of my symptoms. It is a huge difference. I used to not be able to walk normally getting out of bed, and felt awful most of the time, and had nearly daily headaches. All of that gone in a week. I have slept better, and don't notice any bad side effects. Generally, I'm especially sensitive to medications, but this has been a very positive week. Hoping it continues to work!"
"I actually take this for post-herpetic nerve pain from shingles. I came down with shingles in Dec 16 and suffered pain on the whole left side of my body. I am being treated with gabapentin and 75 mg of Effexor. I suffered from horrible pain from shingles, and as soon as I added Effexor, I felt much better, the nerve pain is now at a level where I can function throughout the day. I'm youngish, only 38 years old. It really provides great relief for pain. I have been taking it for about six months."
"Effexor XR has helped a lot, and I've stayed at 75 mg. But others may need more. Also, a few people have mentioned that they fear getting off of it because of withdrawal. Your doctor can help if you ever need to get off. I believe the technical term is 'Effexor - Prozac bridge.' In other words, you take the longer-acting medication (like Prozac) to counteract the short half-life of Effexor. A doctor could explain it better than I can, but hopefully, that will alleviate any concerns."
Effexor (venlafaxine) "I wouldn't try this or Lyrica again. I have had fibromyalgia since before the doctor knew what it was. No drug has been worth taking because of the side effects. They eventually lose some effectiveness, then the doctors want to up the dosage or give another. I've gained 100 pounds. I'm sick all of the time. The depression does not go away. I think the added weight is worse on my body than the original symptoms."
"My practitioner was not allowed by the HMO to diagnose or treat fibromyalgia. She had to wait until my pain, fatigue, and brain fog threatened my job and stressed me to the point of flunking the mental health quiz they give us. After the initial side effects, which I describe as 'itchy blood,' I was more mobile and clear-headed, sleeping and waking on a normal schedule. I've never done that before. The withdrawals are weird, so I keep the old bottle handy from when I switched to time-release. I didn't realize how much pain I had been trying to cope with until the first time I ran out."
"I love it. I get dizzy and almost black out when I hop up. So I learned to get up slow. My pain has turned dull now instead of sharp and menacing like it's been for almost 5 years. Taking this with Oxycodone and Robaxin helps me get through each day. Still not well enough where I can exercise due to horrible muscle inflammation. Started on the 25 mg... moved to 75 mg... now I'm taking the 150 mg XR and I can say that I think I should stay here."
"NO change to nerve pain with venlafaxine and still had daily muscle spasms. Flexeril helps for muscles but my nerve pain is still debilitating and the Flexeril makes me too downiness for day time use, therefore, I am left in extreme pain with no sympathy for how my life has been changed by pain."
"Venlafaxine extended release in combination with low-dose tramadol in the mornings has been extremely effective in controlling my symptoms. I'm glad to have found something that works! I get so much more work done each day, it's like a transformation."
Effexor XR (venlafaxine) "It worked on the fibromyalgia pain, but it caused my brain to malfunction. I couldn't think, I became forgetful, I got 'lost and confused' in my own house, my head felt as if it was full of cobwebs and I was walking in a fog all the time, I'd wake up as tired as I had been when I went to bed unless I drank a few beers or had a couple of glasses of wine. I am now in pain AND depressed. Trying to locate a natural [herb/spice] for fibromyalgia pain and subsequent depression."
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