Heartburn and something to take along side Effexor?
Question posted by JHood624 on 4 days ago
Last updated on 24 September 2024
I have been taking Effexor 150mg for a few years and after talking to my doctor, she feels that I should up my dosage. I started taking the 150mg and 37.5mg together. Ever since I made the adjustment (approx 3 weeks ago) I've been experiencing heart burn daily. I don't usually get heartburn so I'm assuming it's due to the increase of effexor?
Also, is there another drug that I could talk to my doctor about taking along side my effexor? (kinda like a little booster? haha). I've taken Wellbutrin in the past and I'm allergic to it so that is not an option.
Thank you in advance for any information that you might be able to offer
Hi, JHood! You're right about the heartburn and Effexor (venlafaxine)... it's a potential side effect. Little surprising since you been on the medication and that's not a huge increase. Side effects generally resolve within a week or two so you might want to let you're doctor know that you're still having this problem. There really isn't much else besides Wellbutrin (bupropion) except Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Remeron (mirtazapine) that you could add but even they carry a moderate to major interaction alert with Effexor. There are a couple of antipsychotic medications... no you're not psychotic... that are often prescribed as a "booster". These are Abilify (aripiprazole) and Rexulti (brexpiperazole). Worth discussing the options with your doctor. I took Abilify for years with my antidepressant which was Wellbutrin and it worked very well but switched to another medication for a short while but couldn't afford the $$$. Now I'm back on the Abilify and it also works well enough. Hope some of this may be helpful but if you still have questions or concerns before you see your doctor feel free to post again. Kind regards, Wildcat
Votes: +0
JH
JHood624
2 days 13 hours ago
Thank you for your response. I was on a higher dose of Effexor years ago and ended up lowering the does to 150mg a day. I started thinking back and remembered that while I was on the higher dose of Effexor, my doctor also had me take a pill for my stomach because of heartburn. So my body must only be ok with the lower dose... haha. I will talk to my doctor about adding those stomach meds again. I will also talk to her about an antipsychotic med.
Thank you again for responding:o)
ME
messdeck
4 days ago
I'm not a doctor, physician, nor medical expert. I have NO knowledge of Effexor but assume that you're claiming it gives you heartburn. If that's true I've been using PPI medication for many years. PPI (proton pump inhibitor) medications help to shut down the excessive production of stomach acid in hyper acidic patients. Your medication may be triggering excess stomach acid. Talk to your prescribing doctor about this possibility. You might also investigate Effexor side effects here on the Drugs.com site. Prilosec (generic omeprazole) is one of a number of PPIs. A GI doctor would also be helpful and/or an Internist. Your PCP (primary care physician) should also be consulted. I hope this is helpful and your heartburn is solved very soon. Acid causing heartburn can damage your esophagus, stomach or intestine. But there are many solutions to heartburn. Don't allow it to remain a problem.
Votes: +0
JH
JHood624
2 days 13 hours ago
Thank you for responding.
It seems from past experience that when I am on the higher dosage, the heartburn occurs. Years ago I took a stomach pill with the higher dosage of Effexor but did not need it once I lowered it to 150mg. I will talk to my doctor about going back on it.
