Effexor (generic name: venlafaxine) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) approved by the FDA for treatment of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The drug label from manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals contains nearly 63 pages of possible side effects, ranging from almost wholly predominant effects to extremely rare possibilities. Patients suffering from depression or anxiety should discuss side effects and benefits of any drug with their doctors before deciding on a course of treatment.
Suicide
In May 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed that all anti-depressant medications, including Effexor, be labeled with warnings about increased risks of suicidal tendencies in adults aged 18 to 24. That followed an increase in reported suicides of young people who were beginning treatment with antidepressants. On February 24, 2010, Congress held hearings on antidepressant-induced suicide in the military, which has increased rapidly in recent years. Effexor was a drug of concern, according to the FDA.
Birth Defects
In June 2009, the FDA and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals alerted healthcare professionals to the connection between Effexor use in the third trimester of pregnancy and the development of severe complications in infants requiring respiratory support and tube feeding. That complicates a February 2006 study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found women who stopped taking antidepressants during pregnancy were five times more likely to suffer relapses of depression while pregnant.
Anxiety and Insomnia
According to the Wyeth label, some 24 percent of patients taking Effexor report experiencing some kind of increased anxiety---either simple agitation or more extreme mania or hypomania---and/or insomnia (either trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night). The National Institute of Mental Health reports that those symptoms usually subside over time or after the dosage is reduced.
Sexual Dysfunction
Perhaps the most talked about side effect of any antidepressant is sexual dysfunction, and Effexor is no exception. Wyeth reports that approximately one in five users will experience some kind of reduced sex drive, abnormal ejaculation or orgasm disturbance. The problem usually persists with treatment.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: FDA Proposes New Warnings About Suicidal Thinking, Behavior in Young Adults Who Take Antidepressant Medications
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Effexor and Effexor XR
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Relapse of Major Depression During Pregnancy in Women Who Maintain or Discontinue Antidepressant; Lee S. Cohen; Lori L. Altshuler; Bernard L. Harlow; et al.; February 1, 2006
- Effexor: Revised Label 2004, Wyeth
- National Institute of Mental Health: How is Depression Detected and Treated?
Member Comments