The ultimate guide to Effexor

Hi everybody

and welcome to another episode
with The Anxious Resistance

Today I'm going to be talking about
Effexor

also known by it's generic name
of venlafaxine.

So Effexor is an antidepressant
of the SNRI class

It has been used to treat
multiple conditions

Such as major depressive disorder,
generalized anxiety disorder,

panic disorder, social anxiety disorder,

chronic pain and hot flashes

In 2020 it was the 43rd
most prescribed medication

in the USA with 15M prescriptions

so this is a very commonly
used medication.

So lets talk a little bit about
the history of effexor

Effexor was approved for use
in the USA in 1993,

so it's been around 30 years now.

How does Effexor work?

Effexor or venlafaxine

is a serotonin norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitor,

so it's selectively inhibits the
reuptake of both norepinephrine

and serotonin.

This increases the levels of these
neurotransmitters

in the synaptic cleft.

The higher levels of these
neurotransmitters

are linked to better mood and
less depression

What kind of side effects are there
when taking effexor?

So side effects may include

but are not limited to this list are

asplenium, headache, somnolence,

izziness, nerviousness, insomnia,

anxiety, tremor, abnormal dreams

paresthesia, agitation, weakness

syncope, taste alteration, apathy,

confusion, hypertension, hypotension,

tachycardia, vasodilation...

Ok, there is a lot y'all.

There's lot side effects this medication
lots of this can experienced really high

doses lots of these you get initially
they'll go away there's lots side effects,

it's one of those medications where
they just blabber the gibberish for

5 minutes side side effects chances
you getting most these is very slim.

There's a few maybe you'll get some
dizziness, you'll get some tiredness.

Definitely with these kind SSRI, SNRI
medications you may have difficulty

with your libido, may have difficulty
reaching orgasm, that kind of thing.

You need to be aware couple specific
dangerous things when it comes to these

medications, being serotonin syndrome.

Drugs work serotonin venlafaxine increase
someone risk develope serotonin syndrome.

Occurs when there's too much serotonin
symptoms high heart rate, sweating,

headache, agitation, restlessness,
anxiety, goosebumps and rigid muscles.

There are severe symptoms gets bad which
includes high fever, seizures, irregular

heart rhythm, loss consciousness.

You suspect that you're having serotonin
syndrome, you should go to hospital

or be checked out by your provider.

So again, you should specially be careful
with serotonin syndrome you're on multiple

medications, increase levels serotonin
like SSRI, SNRI medications, Buspirone,

hydroxyzine, other antidepressants,
antipsychotics, there's a few, careful.

This is effective medication it's used
long time treat anxiety, treat depression

to treat conditions I mentioned before.

Don't be dissuaded possible side effects.
These are possible, not guaranteed.

With Effexor, there's a bit withdrawal
syndrome into depression medications,

venlafaxine need to be tapered off
in order to avoid or mitigate withdrawal.

The symptoms of withdrawal includes
dizziness, aches,

chills, and headaches
You need to come off of this

slowly if you're coming off of it, especially
if you've been on it for a

while. Especially if you're on a high dose
So what are some positives of Venlafaxine?

You've heard some negatives, some
side effects. Again, if your doctor, and

you patient, and maybe way worth it to put up
with some of these side effects, which

likely you won't experience many, you'll
experience maybe a few, and a lot of them

will date over time, positive and pros of
Velafaxine is a very effective medication

for anxiety and depression, and it's been
around for several decades, so it's very

well researched and can be used to great
effect. So what are some negatives or

cons of venlafaxine? Like other
antidepressants it can cause sexual

dysfunction, it can also make suicidal
ideation or depression worse and, this is

more likely in young adults and children.

So overall, what's our take Venlafaxine
use? Is a well established treatment for

anxiety and depression as well as several
other conditions and it's considered a

second line treatment. So usually you go
to the SSI's first and then you go to SNRI

effects are like Prisyiq, like Cymbalta,
couple others out there depending on what

country you live in good medication. If
you enjoyed this video, if you learn something

about Effexor or Venlafaxine please
like the video, subscribe our

channel if you want more information about
any kind of mental heath treatment and

things that you can do to improve your
life and help you feel better and

overcome your mental health condition.
Thank you so much for watching.