I am sorry you are having such a bad time. I took 450mg of venlafaxine daily for fifteen years. After very exhaustive research, I am only partially kidding when I say: you can blame venlafaxine for just about anything.

Venlafaxine has so many side effects, possible side effects and negative interactions with other drugs I do not know how (other than money) it was ever approved for use in mammals let alone humans.

Who ever thought it was a good idea to give those suffering from depression a drug that has a Black Box warning that states; “may cause suicidal thoughts or actions” must have received a great deal of funding from some pharmaceutical company.

Why not give people with lung cancer a pack of cigarettes. Okay, that’s a bit much, but just a bit.

Does it work for some people? Sure, but so do magic mushrooms and a host of other drugs and placebos.

I just completed a four month taper of venlafaxine by taking my last 37.5 mg yesterday. I feel like all my Christmas have come at once.

Now I just have to try to deal with the damage it has caused to my body.

Venlafaxine is a very powerfully drug that affects the entire body in different ways for each individual. In my opinion it should only be used in emergencies and for short periods of time while other interventions are given time to work.

If you have access to the internet I encourage you to Google the drug, its side effects and interactions with any other medications you take.

I classify my finds into three categories: does cause, may cause and is unlikely to cause. Then add in your other meds and the does cause, might cause when combined features and one can quickly come to the conclusion that if one runs out of gas on the way to the store the drug caused it, okay again a bit over the top.

My point is no one, I repeat no one, fully understands mental illness let alone the drugs we have been given. Why lithium works ( yeah the salt in batteries) the oldest and one of the most often prescribed drugs for mental illness is still a mystery.

I wont make everyone read my whole story again you can click on my post and review them if you would like to. In short I have come off of eleven of the fourteen drugs I was taking in June, to just three now. One psych med and two side effect meds are all that are left, those will be gone before the end of the year.

There is nothing special about me. I am pathetically average. I was simply desperate so I tried a different approach.

I my opinion psyche meds can save lives in an emergency and destroy lives over the longer term. I predict an avalanche of lawsuits coming over the next decade or so as the long term effects of these drugs become more widely understood.

So that was a bit of a rant!

Short answer, yeah the drug could be the problem. Do a little research the information is everywhere, you’ll be horrified. I was.

Question everything you put in your system.

I hope you find the peace you deserve.