just started effexor- weight and sexual side efx questions

[Wendy88]

hi all!
i havent been here for a long time. I hope everyone is doing ok.
i just started effexor yesterday for my anxiety. besides it making me feel a little sleepy an hour after i take it, i feel nothing... well, except that it's 11:35 pm and i've taken 2 1mg ativans and they arent making me tired at all...hmm. I wonder if that could be a side effect....
anyhow - ive been on many different antidepressants before for anxiety and i ALWAYS suffer from sexual side effects. has ANYONE out there not had that happen with this med? its not just loss of desire... its not being able to have "one" at all. im trying not to expect it this time. but its hard to do.
my doctor also told me and we even looked it up AND i looked it up in the side effects booklet (of course!) and it listed weight loss as a more common side effect that gain. have most of your found this to be true? I read some of you put on weight with this med, something I was hoping to avoid. anyhow - i just wanted to check and see what you guys had to saw about effexor. im sure its a great drug, but if it gives me the sexual side effects, i'll have to go off. something about these drugs do not agree with me! I've tried prozac, serzone, remeron, anafranil, lexapro.... and had that side effect with them all. it's so frustrating. i need my anxiety to go away, but i cant have my sex life vanish either. hmm....
ok- thanks!!

[Dora3]

Hi Wendy

I took effexor for about 8 months and am tapering off of it.

It was my first AD and I really thought it worked good for me. I was pleased by the results.

I too got VERY sleepy about an hour after taking it, but combated that issue by drinking my morning diet Mt. Dew! I even lost about 8 lbs in the beginning, I think due to a horrible taste in my mouth.

However, I noticed that at about month 5 I started picking up a bit of weight. (5-10 lbs) Also, I have NO sex drive at all. None! So I asked my doctor to switch me to Wellbutrin about 2 weeks ago.

The withdrawl from stopping effexor is another long story, but I suggust you read about it. Unfortunatly for me....the withdrawl was as bad as everybody says

[delldays]

been on effexor for six weeks side effects not that bad , one bonus for me sex has always been two quick for me, so now i can last much longer ,plus i seem more horny

[Wendy88]

thanks for the replies! im almost past the first week... i double up starting on saturday...
the only side effects i have had is not being as hungry (which is fine ), extra energy (sometimes its hard to sleep.... or i find myself a little more nervous - this side effect has been the worst of it but i have ativan for that) and i think maybe the sexual side effects. but i guess its too soon to know. i hope not. i dont want to have to go off this.

do you get an increase in your side effects as you up your dose??