Effexor and Zoloft

[sugarssweetpea]

I was just wondering if anyone had been on both effexor & zoloft (not at the same time of course) and what the differences between them are. I have a friend of mine who is on Zoloft, while my doctor had me start effexor today. Looking them up online, effexor seemed to have a lot more side effects. Wondering how the side effects compared to zoloft. Also, upon reading the other thread about getting off of effexor, was wondering what other side effects were had while taking the effexor other than the sexual ones. That is what I noticed most. Thanks. Any input & experiences are greatly appreciated.

[nandm]

I have not been on Effexor but have been on Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Cymbalta (currently on), Welbutrin, and one other one I can't think of right now that came out right before Cymbalta. You asked about sexual side effects all but Cymbalta significantly decreased my sex drive to nearly nothing.

[reader]

I have been on almost all ADs at one time or another and effexor is the only 1 that gave me zero side effects. I have been on it for about 5 years and plan to never go off it. As far as sexual side effects all other ad's except effexor affected this area of my life. I am a big fan of this med and it is worth a try. IMHO

[Astro]

The first two AD's I tried were Lexapro and Zoloft. Both made me feel dark and suicidal almost immediately. Paxil worked great but I was informed by a therapist that it can be addictive. EffexorXR is the only thing that worked well for me, but even that took months to grow accustomed to.

I think it's important to mention that everyone will have a different reaction to these meds, our body chemistry will give us all a different experience, so what works or doesn't work for someone else might not necessarily match your experience. You'll find the med and dosage that works right for you.

As far as sexual side effects, I was recently divorced so wasn't active. But the desire was definitely there. Thankfully I was more focused on my recovery than my sex drive.

[acon4726]

Hi Sugarsweetpea,

I have been on both of these medications. I, personally, had a lot more success with Zoloft. My problem was mostly with anxiety though.

Zoloft gave me very few side effects and helped a lot with my anxiety. I may have felt a little lethargic but it was nothing bad.

Effexor increased my anxiety a lot. I actually had to stop taking it because of the side effects. It was also extremely difficult to stop taking. I had some pretty bad withdrawals from it, and I swore I would never take it again.

So that is my experience with these two medicaitons. Remember though that everybody reacts differently.

[nandm]

Just a comment on medication side effects. They usually get better after 2-4 weeks, when you reach therapeutic levels in your system. Although some may hang on throughout the time you are taking it. For me dry mouth tends to hang on but the other side effects don't.

[tw33k]

i've been on efexor for about 13 years now and i have never noticed a single side effect (apart from the ones i get if i stop taking it for a while). i take 225mg in the morning and it works well.
i've been on zoloft and hated it. head aches, dizzy spells, nausea.
no probs at all with efexor (especially my sex drive...lol)

[madscientist]

I don't have experience with the Zoloft, but I'm currently on Effexor XR and it seems to be working pretty well. I had taken Lexapro for almost a year, and it never really did as much as I would have liked for the depression, but was fabulous for anxiety.

I've had some mild side effects with dose increases on the Effexor, but they seem to last a few weeks and get less as time goes on. The biggest side effects I've had are a bit of nausea, foggy brain and some memory issues. It's helping to level out the depression and has given me alot of physical energy back. The biggest downside is that it doesn't help much with anxiety for me. Doc is increasing the dose and I'm on a secondary med to try and address that.

Good luck!

[sugarssweetpea]

My husband is already noticing a difference in me and I am only on day 2. Is that really possible? I thought it took a month or so to start noticing changes. I feel them too. More calm. My chest is not as heavy with anxiety. I can physically breathe better. Little bit foggy headed, but cannot tell if it is much more than normal. I do not drink much caffeine anymore & am pretty tired most of the time which puts brain in a fog. I thank all of you for your experiences & welcome those to come.

[TiredMama]

I have been on both and I am currently on zoloft. I didn't like effexor because it made my blood pressure high and the withdrawals were horrible. Then again, I "tinkered" too much with my meds when I was taken effex.

[acon4726]

I forgot to add that Effexor is often used in treating depression that has been resisant to treatment with SSRIs (like Zoloft and most other major antidepressants). It is used as a second line (or last resort treatment) because it tends to have more side effects. It is certainly effective though in many people who SSRIs did not work for though. Have you ever been on SSRIs?

[sugarssweetpea]

No, I have not. My doctor said that it was his experience that was the one that he had the most success rate with out of all his patients. We shall see. So far, so good. Reflexes seem to be a little bit slower. Maybe just b/c I am not having anxiety over everything.