I took venlafaxine for
Mood in bipolar.
I am confident with people
So don't struggle with any anxiety.
Only public speaking,
Standing in front of a crowd,
Would make me nervous.
I will just give you a heads up,
That venlafaxine is
A very difficult one
To discontinue.
And your anxiety will
Come back tenfold if
You have to stop it
Without replacing it with
An alternative medication.
And I had to stop
Taking venlafaxine
Because I got
Fever dreams , waking up in sweats
And then I felt
Like I had fireworks going
Off in my brain for weeks.
So switched to Sertraline.
Sorry I know its all negative.
I don't want to be
The bearer of bad news.
I was on venlafaxine for years
But I wish I had been
Offered an anti-d
With less side effects.
Seriously the night sweats
Were the worst.
Disrupted sleep really knocks
Someone out of kilter.
I don't know which medications
Are good for anxiety
But I thought I would
Tell you that the venlafaxine
Horror stories are
Not to be ignored or scoffed at
As just one off bad reactions.
That being said
I was on a dose higher than
What is recommended in the BNF.