Belonging to a family of drugs known as selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, Effexor is an antidepressant that helps restore balance to chemicals in the brain, thus improving depressive disorders. According to Drugs.com, Effexor not only treats depression, it may also help those with anxiety and panic disorders as well. Despite its many benefits, Effexor also carries a risk of side effects.
Insomnia
PDRHealth says insomnia is one of the most common side effects of Effexor, occurring in approximately 22 percent of patients taking the drug during clinical trials. The symptoms of insomnia include an inability to fall asleep, waking up earlier than usual and waking up in the middle of the night with an inability to fall back asleep.
Exercising no later than six hours prior to bedtime may help, as can avoiding drinks with caffeine. Patients who are unable to fall asleep 20 minutes before a set bedtime may want to do a quiet activity such as reading a book. When taking a nap, they should not sleep beyond 3 p.m. so as not to jeopardize night-time sleepiness.
Dry Mouth
Yet another common side effect, a dry mouth can cause patients to feel uncomfortable if it persists. Nineteen percent of patients taking Effexor during clinical trials reported suffering from this, according to eMedTV. While this side effect should subside once the body adjusts, patients can try a number of things to make life easier. Sipping water through the day may help, as can sucking on hard, sugarless candy; this increases the flow of saliva. Products containing caffeine make a dry mouth worse, as do tobacco and alcohol. For this reason, patients experiencing this side effect should avoid these products altogether.
Sexual Side Effects
Some patients may experience unpleasant sexual side effects when taking Effexor. These include problems with ejaculations, impotence--also known as erectile dysfunction--and a decrease in sex drive.
Men who take this drug may have the greatest problems, as problems ejaculating and impotence affect them solely. Ejaculation problems may cause a man to experience a delay in ejaculation, or completely lose the inability to ejaculate. EMedTV points out that this side effect is less likely to occur when lower doses are given.
Erectile dysfunction results in the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection long enough to please himself or his partner during sexual intercourse. This can lead to a number of psychological and relationship issues for him, all of which he should address with his doctor if the problem continues. Other medications may be available to help improve his depressive disorder.
Loss of sexual desire can occur in either gender, and is more common in patients taking higher doses of this medication. While common side effects typically last for a short period of time, patients should report them to their doctor if they do not improve or become worse.
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