Are the benefits worth the side effects and withdraws? Are there alternatives?

Currently I am on 300 mg of effexor xr, I took it before but at I believe 150 mg gradually increasesd to 225mg with relatively no troubles except severe withdraw when I would forget for more than a day to take it, severe enough to find myself in the emergency room swearing whatever was wrong was going tot kill me. I went off for a period, but as my life went haywire with divorce, surviving a sexual assault at work, a major relocation with a career move that turned out not to be what was presented I was put back on it and at the current dose of 300mg. Basically it has made me a more tolerable person to others, but I have gained 80 pounds, fatigue, and have become unable to work any longer do to the severe muscle pain and fatigue. I've lost all labido as well. I also have very severe effects if I miss even a dose now, headaches, severe nausia, dizziness, brain shivers, extreme weakness. Does anyone else out there relate? Is it me or the medicine? Are there better alternatives to try?

I really hated Effexor for the same reasons. Especially if I forgot to take the med. It made me so sick!!!!!! So, I have started taking Prozac, and it doesn't do me that way at all!!!! I have even lost some weight. Get with your doctor and see if there is something else that you can take. Believe me, there is something else that you can take. Good luck!

It isn'tworth it. I don't know any alternatives.

sounds like u re addicted to it and need a rehab clinic. sounds u won't be able to stop by yourself and all what happened to u is just the reason to justify your taking the medicine. nothing terrible happened to u - it happens to everybody. i can tell u about my life - a living nightmare in the past, i didn't get hooked on any drug. even untidepressant. u have to contact your doctor and discuss how u can go off this drug

When i used it, I felt really good. But yes if you miss taking it it can give you the side effects that you are talking about. You should talk to the doctor about the way it is infecting your life, and the weight gain, and the headaches. When ever you go off of an medication like that you should go off of it a little at a time, every three days. Then you will not have that kind of effects . Plus just going off of it , without tapering off, you will increase your depression, by 3-4 times that it was before. So you really need to talk to your doctor, this may not be the medication for you,

this med is good for depression however bad on sex drive and zapping your brian, i know this first hand. if you want off this med you will have to be weaed off it, no cold turkey