Venlafaxine
Your safety is our first priority. Learn more about key medication details, side effects, and other important info about your treatment.
Common Side effects
Nausea
Headaches
Diarrhea
Important safety information
The information below includes important safety information about venlafaxine ER, which is the generic version of the brand name drug Effexor XL. Read this information before you begin taking venlafaxine ER. You must notify your healthcare provider if you start or stop taking venlafaxine ER.
Venlafaxine ER is a prescription medicine used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia. Extended release tablets should be swallowed whole. Do not break, crush or chew it. Extended release capsules: swallow whole or sprinkle onto food, such as applesauce or pudding and eat immediately.
WARNING: SUICIDALITY AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS Venlafaxine ER and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions, especially in some people 24 years of age and younger within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 to be connected with help, or go to your nearest hospital emergency department. Pay particular attention to such changes when venlafaxine ER is started or when the dose is changed.
Do not take venlafaxine if you:
are allergic to venlafaxine, or any of the ingredients in venlafaxine ER
Take any medication for Parkinson’s Disease or depression called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), or if you have stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days as they may cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure. MAOIs include, but are not limited to: isocarboxazid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine
Take St John’s Wort or 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
are drinking large amounts of alcohol
are using or abusing recreation drugs or prescription medications
Venlafaxine ER can cause serious side effects. Rarely reported side effects include:
increased heart rate, low blood pressure
increased salivation
irregular menstrual cycle
increased frequency of urination, difficulty urinating
changes in taste
low sodium (symptoms of low sodium levels may include headache, weakness, difficulty concentrating and remembering)
teeth grinding
angle closure glaucoma (symptoms of angle closure glaucoma may include eye pain, changes in vision, swelling or redness in or around eye)
serotonin syndrome (symptoms may include shivering, diarrhea, confusion, severe muscle tightness, fever, seizures, and death)
increased risk of bleeding events when combined with use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen), warfarin, and other anticoagulants
Before you take venlafaxine ER, tell your healthcare provider if you:
have thoughts of suicide or harming yourself
have a history of psychiatric or medical problems, including bipolar disorder
have taken any medication in the past for your condition, whether effective or not
have suffered adverse or side effects from previous medication therapies
drink alcohol or use/abuse recreational or prescription drugs
are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal supplements, and recreational drugs.
Venlafaxine ER may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect the way venlafaxine ER works, causing side effects. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take any of the following:
Any other serotonergic medications including: trazodone, migraine medications (triptans), pain medications (tramadol), antibiotic linezolid, amphetamines
Aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, diclofenac)
Warfarin or other anticoagulants
During treatment with this medication, the side effects of this medication may go away over the first one to two weeks your body adjusts to the medication. The most common side effects of venlafaxine include: headache, dizziness, shakiness, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, gas, upset stomach, dry mouth, weight loss, loss of appetite, increased sweating, feeling nervous, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, yawning, unusual dreams, sleepiness or having trouble sleeping (insomnia). Sexual side effects, such as problems with orgasm or ejaculatory delay, or increased blood pressure often do not improve over time.
If you miss a dose of venlafaxine ER, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Discuss this with your healthcare provider. Do not double your next dose or take more than what is prescribed.
Do not stop taking venlafaxine ER abruptly, even when you feel better. Abruptly stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms including: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin).
Sleep, energy, or appetite may show some improvement within the first 1-2 weeks. Improvement in these physical symptoms can be an important early signal that the medication is working. Depressed mood and lack of interest in activities may need up to 6-8 weeks to fully improve.
Patients, their families, and caregivers should be alert to the emergence of anxiety, restlessness, irritability, aggressiveness and insomnia. If these symptoms emerge, they should be reported to the patient’s prescriber or healthcare professional. All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should watch for and notify their healthcare provider for worsening symptoms, suicidality and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the first few months of treatment.
If you no longer need your medication, the best way to dispose of most types of old, unused, unwanted, or expired medicines (both prescription and over the counter) is to drop off the medicine at a drug take back site, location, or program immediately. You can use the DEA DIVERSION CONTROL DIVISION LOOKUP to find your nearest drug disposal site.
If no drug take back sites, locations, or programs are available in your area, and there are no specific disposal instructions (such as flushing) in the medication guide or package insert, you can follow these simple steps to dispose of most medicines in your trash at home:
Mix medicines (liquid or pills; do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unappealing substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds;
Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag;
Throw away the container in your trash at home; and
Delete all personal information on the prescription label of empty medicine bottles or medicine packaging, then trash or recycle the empty bottle or packaging.