The ultimate guide to Effexor: Expert insights revealed

Everybody.
Welcome to another episode

The Anxious Resistance.

Today I am going to be talking
about Effexor,

also known by its 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 United States

with 15 million prescriptions.

So, this is a very common medication.

So, let's talk a little bit about
the history of Effexor.

So, Effexor was approved for use
in the United States in 1993.

So, it's been around for 30 years now.

How does Effexor work?

Effexor, or Venlafaxine, is a serotonin
norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

So, it 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 of

asthenia, headache, somnolence,

dizziness, nervousness, insomnia,

anxiety, tremor, abnormal dreams, pain

Paresthesia, agitation, weakness, syncope,

taste alteration, apathy, confusion,

hypertension, hypotension, tachycardia,

Vasod… Okay, there's a lot, y'all.

There's a lot of side effects
to this medication.

A lot of these can be only experienced

at really high doses.

A lot of these you may get initially,

and then will go away

So really, there's a lot of side effects.

It's like one of those medications like,

where they blabber on the gibberish for,

five minutes of side effects.

Chances of you getting most of these,
is very slim

So, there's a few that maybe you'll get,

maybe you'll get some dizziness,

maybe you'll get some tiredness.

Definitely with all these kinds of
SSRI, SNRI medications

you may have difficulty with your libido,

may have difficulty reaching orgasm,
that kind of thing.

You need to be aware of a couple specific,

like, dangerous things

when it comes to these medications,

the first being serotonin syndrome.

So, drugs that work on serotonin

like venlafaxine, increase someone's risk

of developing serotonin syndrome.

It happens when there's too much serotonin

and the symptoms include
a high heart rate, sweating, headache,

agitation, restlessness, anxiety,

goosebumps and rigid muscles.

There are some severe symptoms,

if this gets really bad, which includes

a high fever, seizures,
irregular heart rhythm

and loss of consciousness.

If you suspect that
you're having serotonin syndrome,

you should go to the hospital

or be checked out by your provider.

So again, you should especially be careful

with serotonin syndrome
if you're on multiple medications

that increase levels of Serotonin

like other SSRI/SNRI medications,
buspirone, hydroxyzine,

other antidepressants, antipsychotics.

There's quite a few, so be careful.

But again, this is an effective medication

and it's been used for a long time

to treat anxiety, to treat depression,

to treat those conditions,
I mentioned before.

So don't be dissuaded by the side effects.

These are possible, not guaranteed.

So also, with Effexor there is also a bit
of a withdrawal syndrome.

Antidepressant medications
like Venlafaxine*

need to be tapered off in order

to avoid or mitigate withdrawal.

Symptoms of withdrawal include

dizziness, aches, chills and headaches.

So, 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

and especially if you're at 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

it may be 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 obey over time.

Positives or pros of venlafaxine

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 negative or cons

of Venlafaxine?

Like other antidepressants,
can cause sexual dysfunction,

it can also make suicidal ideation
or depression worse

and this more likely in young adults
and children.

So, overall.
What’s our in-venlafaxine use?

Venlafaxine is a well- 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 SSRIS first

and you go to SNRIS:

Effexor, like Pristiq, like um Cymbalta,

there are a couple others out there,

depending on what country you live in.

Good medication.

If you enjoy this video,

if you learned something about
Effexor or Venlafaxine,

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and overcome your mental health condition.

Thank you so much for watching.