Venlafaxine for Migraine User Reviews

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2019

"I am a 39-year-old man who was diagnosed with chronic migraine for 4 years. I've been taking all kinds of medications for my migraine, the only medication that helped for a while was amitriptyline 25-50 mg once a day and Botox every 10 weeks, but it had lots of side effects. I gained 30 more pounds, no matter what I ate, I would gain weight. It also increased my blood sugar. So after 2 years, my doctor substituted it with venlafaxine XR tablet 37.5 mg. It was weird for a couple of days, but after that, it really helped my migraine. It also helped my IBS-D and anxiety, and I lost 20 pounds, and now I'm not overweight anymore. I really love this medication. The only side effect is it lowers my libido and sexual desire."

• T L...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 12, 2018

"I have been using Effexor XR 75 mg for over 1 year. I suffer from migraines, hot flashes, and anxiety. It has helped with all of these issues. It dulls the pain of the migraines and has made it to where I can function pretty close to normal. Hot flashes are less. It is the best med I have ever used for anxiety as well. And I have lost 25 lbs. I love this medication. It has changed my life!"

• 732...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2020

"On Effexor XR recently for off-label use for chronic headaches. Good news, no more daily headache. It does affect my appetite, I’m feeling not hungry and my lust for any food is gone. I’m losing weight. But I’ll trade it for the no headache. A bit drowsy the first few days, but it’s getting better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 8, 2014

"While taking this medication, it has helped with my chronic migraines. I would have migraines 3-4 days a week. After starting Effexor XR, I only have one every week or two. I think overall it worked well for me as a preventative measure. Topamax, Maxalt, Zoloft, and Imitrex. Only the Effexor XR and occasional use of the DHE protocol have worked so far for my migraines."

• Gof...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2020

"Have had a continuous headache for almost 4 months. This medication, venlafaxine, is totally relieving it. Just concerned how long I may continue to take it. It does interfere with sleep and some blurry vision. Still worth it."

• Cat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 24, 2021

"Has been amazing - but gave me muscle jerks and had some breakthrough migraines - so have tried Ajovy. The venlafaxine did a much better job. Be warned, coming off it - even small doses of 37.5 is tough."

• Vel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2021

"Please be very careful before you take this drug. I had severe side effects from the lowest doses, and it got worse and worse! Burning, itching, heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and my headaches got even worse! I had to come off it as fast as I could. I know it works wonders for some people, but not for me! I never write reviews, but I felt like I should share! Good luck to everyone."

• Ven...
• June 18, 2021

"Venlafaxine ruined my life. It turned my brain into salad and took all creativity and joy away. I don't have feelings. I don't have energy. I sleep 15 hours and wake up tired. I sweat, always. Can't think, can't talk. Old friends don't recognize me, family looks at me like I've gone mad. And now, 3 years after withdrawal, I still feel lost and can't remember the person I once was. The person Venlafaxine created is empty and doesn't care. Migraine? If I could go back, I would just take the pain relievers and pray. It did not help. I'm slow and tardy. The depression I experienced from this drug was extreme, intense, soul-crushing. I am incapable of feeling motivated as of now. The annoying side effects are gone now, but the life-changing ones remain. Still slow, confused, uninspired, and unable to have intelligent conversations. I vaguely remember the fun, outgoing, active person I once was. I loved life. It will never be me again, and the realization breaks my heart a little bit every time."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 1, 2021

"I was asked to be put on this medication for vestibular migraines. I took one 37.5 mg tablet, and I got every side effect from it, plus made my vestibular problems go into overdrive. Bedbound for 3 days. Never again."

• Joy...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 21, 2017

"I was aware of the side effects, however, when you have 15 years of constant pain, you will try anything! I have recently started Botox for my migraines. My neurosurgeon had said last year that he was going to take me off the medicine. By reading the reviews, I know brain zaps and other conditions would be a struggle. I was only taking 150 mg in the morning of Effexor. I just started taking 1 in the morning, and I've done fine since. One day I did forget to take the 1 dose, and by 8 PM, I was feeling brain zaps. So I looked up other reviews, and they stated to take a Xanax in place. I'm going to alternate 75 mg one day and Xanax the other. Eventually, the side effects will go away. Be careful getting off this medicine! It works, but is hell, lol."

• Vik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 23, 2023

"It took me over a year to find a medication that worked to prevent my migraines. My mood has also benefited greatly and I don't feel altered in any way, just like myself. This medication gave me my life back. I take 75mg in the AM and my only side effect has been vivid dreams."

• Lah...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2017

"I have chronic migraines. I was prescribed this as a preventive. One of my migraine triggers is sleep. I cannot take naps in the daytime nor oversleep in the morning or else I will get a migraine. This drug makes me drowsy as all hell, such that it actually causes more migraines. In addition to constantly being sleepy, I of course have little energy for exercise and lost productivity at work, and in the end, I still end up needing a prescription-strength painkiller to deal with the migraines. Useless drug."

• Han...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 30, 2021

"It wasn't the best experience. I started on the lowest dose to help prevent daily migraines. It didn't stay effective long, and I had to keep going up in doses. After being on the highest dose and it not working, I decided to stop taking it. My doctor and I discussed how best to slowly stop it in the least harmful way. To my surprise, it was triggering rebound headaches. The plan was to take a week, then go down a dose until I was down to 37.5 mg and after a week develop an every other day dose system. After spending a month lowering my dose consistently, I am now doing the every other day system, and I am miserable. The first day I woke up after not taking the dose was horrible. I had a giant migraine, and despite having a great day, I kept crying and breaking down. My brain thought I was miserable even though I knew I wasn't. It's like all the serotonin was sucked out. I can't imagine how someone who takes it for depression would feel if they missed a dose, and I am so sorry for them."

• Den...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2022

"This is the worst drug I’ve ever taken. I was on the 37.5 mg slow-release capsule. The side effects started after 3 hours. They were burning from my throat all the way to my bladder, extreme nausea, dizziness, electric zaps, eyes were vibrating, couldn’t sleep, anxiety attacks, and then my neck and jaw locked up. The main reason I went on this drug was to help with migraines from a stiff neck and anxiety. After 2 days, I stopped the drug. 2 days later, I’m still shaking, my blood pressure shot up to 160/110, and I’m now scared to be alone. Hopefully, this will pass. I can still hardly move my neck. I hope other people have a better experience. I know what works for one person doesn’t work for another."

• Ire...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 9, 2021

"Reading through the reviews, I was wondering why I sweat so much in bed and think I've found the reason. I have been on venlafaxine 75 mg for 5 months now for chronic hemiplegic and vestibular migraine, with no change whatsoever. I have tried a lot of other preventatives with no joy. My speech and thinking straight aren't as good anyway, so it's hard to know if it's from the medication, but at least I don't pass out on this one like the others."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 25, 2021

"I took this medication for migraines, and it helped tremendously. I had to take name brand, as generic did not work. Unfortunately, my insurance refuses to cover name brand, and after years of battling to get it, I have given up. I am reduced to living with migraines because pencil-pushing insurance people will not let me have my medication."

• Gol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2021

"I have been on the venlafaxine medication for a few weeks for my migraines, and it seems to help... but, I enjoy doing meditation, and now when I try to meditate, nothing is there... no matter how hard I try..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 22, 2023

"I am a 70-year-old woman and have suffered from migraines since I was 10 years old. They stopped briefly when pregnant and breastfeeding but then returned. After going through menopause, the nausea and pain reduced. However, recently the pain has become frequent and severe. I was prescribed venlafaxine and candesartan at the hospital headache clinic. I have found the two new drugs to be effective, and migraines are far less frequent and respond to triptans. I had tried preventatives propranolol, amitriptyline, and topiramate in the past, which worked but had severe side effects."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 18, 2017

"Two and a half months ago I was prescribed Venlafaxine to help prevent chronic migraines. It did help the migraines (reduced them by almost half), but with it came a host of side effects that were far worse than the problem I was trying to get rid of. After initial euphoria during the first 48 hours when anxiety evaporated, I started feeling very sleepy all the time. Then the night sweats began, making me so sleep deprived that I lived in permanent exhaustion. Brain fog set in - my writer's worst enemy. I spent days so braindead that staring at walls was challenging. My vocabulary whittled down to basics: "Mmm" for yes, a clipped "Mm" for no, "Okay," "Really?", "That sucks." I stuck with Venlafaxine for six weeks, hoping side effects would wear off. I could barely write, speak, or communicate - not normal for a usually outgoing extrovert. I saw family and friends but constantly forgot what was going on, becoming the butt of jokes about my consistent uselessness. Someone even compared me to Lenny from Of Mice And Men. Venlafaxine trapped me inside my head - while simultaneously emptying it of anything worth remembering. I couldn't recall names of people I'd known for years. This contributed to the worst feeling of loneliness I've ever experienced. After six weeks of hell, my doctor and I agreed to taper off. The process lasted a month and was mostly side effect free until I reached 18.25mg a day. Then I suddenly wanted to kill myself, literally out of nowhere. I ended up in A&E where the doctor suggested I not only go back on Venlafaxine but try a higher dose. Since stopping, my migraines have returned but changed - I recently experienced a hemiplegic migraine with stroke-like symptoms requiring hospitalization. My intelligence has plummeted to the point of being humiliating. The only thing helping me fight withdrawal is understanding "emotional reasoning" - assuming that because you feel bad, things must actually be bad. The emotional and physical rollercoaster of Venlafaxine is utterly exhausting. Your brain unintentionally filters out all good stuff, remembering only the darkest things, attaching apparently logical arguments that you and your life are awful. Having now come off this stuff, I would not recommend anyone ever use Venlafaxine unless they suffer from extreme, suicidal depression. I mean extreme in the most emphatic sense of the word. If you consider yourself social, creative, and curious, DO NOT TAKE EVEN ONE DOSE OF VENLAFAXINE."

• Cat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 9, 2024

"This drug has reduced my HM massively. I can’t imagine life without it."

• Dog...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 30, 2020

"10 out of 10 would never do again. If I could sue the doctor for putting me on this medication and ruining my life, I would."

• pra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2022

"Excellent medication for migraines. It has some side effects on sexual life, but it helps more to stop migraines that ruined my daily life and thinking power."