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Strange venlafaxine experience...?

I started this yesterday, took my first 37.5mg tablet at 9pm, half hour later I went hyperactive & felt like dancing around everywhere and basically felt really happy for 13 hours (i think it may have been hypomania), but anyway i only slept 2 and a half hours, got up at 7.30 which is literally unheard of for me and made my 9-5 lectures which i haven't managed since november. Despite the small amount of sleep and that it's been about 21 hours since taking my first tablet I still feel much more energetic than normal and am still up for going out tonight for something i am invited for which again, is unheard of for me.

Normally I feel very lethargic and sleep 10-12 hours a day and miss all my lectures through lack of motivation whereas today i couldn't wait to get out of the door. So i'm wondering how the hell a 37.5mg tablet has done this to me? Apart from the sleep it's been a pretty dam good experience, the best day i have had in a very very long time. Hoping that switching my dose to morning will help with the sleep.

I had booked an appt today with my tutor to discuss deferring the year because of depression and lack of motivation, but of course with this new found energy and motivation that didn't happen, instead we discussed how to go about getting exam deferrals for summer.

Has anyone else had an experience like this with venlafaxine or any other anti depressant? It feels like i'm on speed. And will this effect wear off as the course continues (i hope not) or will i become tolerant to it? :frown:
(edited 12 years ago)

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Reply 1
Honestly, I've never heard about that regarding Venlafaxine. Personally i take 150mg in the morning and have never felt like that. If anything, SSRI's/SNRI's generally sedate you a little.

However, I have taken other medications in the past that have had similar effects. I took Methocarbamol which is a skeletal relaxant for my lower back pain and it sent me doolally, similar to you. Very hyper, twitchy and just felt high as a kite. Gabapentin (epilepsy drug) does the same to me too, makes me feel completely out of touch of reality and I don't fully understand what I'm doing.

I can assure you that the effects you are feeling are not how Venlafaxine is supposed to work. Although it is an anti-depressant it should not make you feel 'high/happy/hyper' in the sense that you're talking about. Personally, if you can, I'd carry on for a few more days and see whether the effects settle. If not, go back to your GP as this is not normal.

Hope this helps - feel free to bug me with any queries.
Reply 2
Original post by Rybee
Honestly, I've never heard about that regarding Venlafaxine. Personally i take 150mg in the morning and have never felt like that. If anything, SSRI's/SNRI's generally sedate you a little.

However, I have taken other medications in the past that have had similar effects. I took Methocarbamol which is a skeletal relaxant for my lower back pain and it sent me doolally, similar to you. Very hyper, twitchy and just felt high as a kite. Gabapentin (epilepsy drug) does the same to me too, makes me feel completely out of touch of reality and I don't fully understand what I'm doing.

I can assure you that the effects you are feeling are not how Venlafaxine is supposed to work. Although it is an anti-depressant it should not make you feel 'high/happy/hyper' in the sense that you're talking about. Personally, if you can, I'd carry on for a few more days and see whether the effects settle. If not, go back to your GP as this is not normal.

Hope this helps - feel free to bug me with any queries.


I feel nice and mellow now, not taking my next dose til tomorrow morning, but i see no reason to tell my GP if it's making me 20x more productive than i normally am? :eek:
Reply 3
I'd be telling your GP because that's not how the drug is supposed to work and you're obviously having an adverse reaction to it that isn't normal. It could be affecting a lot of stuff in your body including your blood pressure, heart, chemical levels in the brain. I'm not saying you will, but just as an example it could be having a terrible impact on your heart that yore not aware of and putting it into overdrive and you could drop dead tomorrow.

This isn't how the drug is supposed to work, just take it easy and perhaps stop for a day before you take another dose.
Reply 4
Strange mine doesn't do that.
150mg of that did not help me, but when i went to 225mg I experienced what you are experiencing. however, within a very short time I entered an extremely serious psychotic episode which lasted well over a month even when the venlafaxine was stopped and i had been admitted to hospital and put on 20mg of olanzapine. my advice is throw your venlafaxine in the sea just incase something similar happens to you.
Reply 6
See your GP. SSRIs and SNRIs make me manic. Even on the smallest dose.
I am bipolar but it can cause mania in those who are not bipolar.
It is not that uncommon for valavaxine to cause elevated mood.

If your are experiencing hypomania as a result of this medication it can be dangerous, even though it feels good right now.

This is a serious side effect and you need to tell your GP before you start to become dellutional or psychotic.
Reply 7
I've only taken 1 tablet and the 'high' feeling only lasted for 13 hours, so can't rule anything out yet, but if it does become problematic then I will tell my GP. Anyway thanks for the replies, I didn't realise this 'awesome' feeling could lead to something so serious, I will be very vigilant after tomorrow's dose, but surely 37.5mg can't cause anything serious? (like as described by anonymous #1)
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by Lewk
I've only taken 1 tablet and the 'high' feeling only lasted for 13 hours, so can't rule anything out yet, but if it does become problematic then I will tell my GP. Anyway thanks for the replies, I didn't realise this 'awesome' feeling could lead to something so serious, I will be very vigilant after tomorrow's dose, but surely 37.5mg can't cause anything serious? (like as described by anonymous #1)


Some people are very sensitive to some types of medication (this one being your sensitivity). Even a tiny dose can cause bad effects. I was on a tiny dose of Prozac but after 24hours of taking it I was totally manic.
Yes this good mood is excellent but at some point you will have to crash and you don't know when that will be... If could be day before an exam or assignment hand in... So it could jepudise your study more than you think. Also sleeping only a few hour a night is no good for your body. You will most likely get hallucinations if you don't sleep. Even without high mood poor sleep alone can cause some crazy mind altering thoughts.

Don't kid yourself about how serious this could get. What you discribe is serious and yes it can happen from the dose you are taking. If you are still this high in a week, even if you don't have any other symptoms your should tell your GP.
I have have been hypo/manic a lot and every time I am I always think I know better. It feels so good how can it be bad? But When I crash out of it I realise how dellutional lack of sleep and crazy energy levels can make you. Mania can really mess with your judgement of situations too and the longer you leave it the hard it will become to help yourself.

Please see your GP. What you are experiencing is not normal or healthy.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 9
i've decided i just want to chill out today so decided to skip the 2nd dose, would it be wise to start it up again with half tablets instead? (they come with a score line)
Reply 10
possibly, do you know if they are slow release tablets?
Reply 11
Original post by Rybee
possibly, do you know if they are slow release tablets?


no they're not slow release
Reply 12
Then yeah just halve it through the score.
Yes me I was in hypomania for 4 days 5 day I crashed wanted to die cred myself to sleep at 7 pm didn't wake up till 10 am next day and couldn't move my whole body hurt from head to toe and I've had low mood ever since they uped my dose to 150mg and I've cried and wanted to kill myself they have referred me to a psychiatrist
(edited 6 years ago)
Hey,I started on Venlafaxine a couple of days ago and am experiencing the super-awake, manic feelings (which are an awesome change to how I've felt for the last year or so). As we've had the same experience I'd love to know if you find an anti-depressant that works for you. (I've tired Sertraline, Citalopram, Fluvoxamine and Mirtazapine - none have worked yet.)I really hope you're doing ok.Liz x
Hiya I've been on them 4 weeks nearly now and the hypomania died down after 4 days i crashed really badly I was up and down for a week n half but my mood has stayed up I was told to persevere i have to be carefull because i can go into hypomania again which may lead onto a full blown manic state but fingers crossed I don't see how you go if you are still high after a week on them speak to your gp they can induce mania if you are bi polar this is what i am being treat for I have tried the same antidepressants to no luck all sent me manic or mage my depression worse good luck
Original post by Lillibetj
Hey,I started on Venlafaxine a couple of days ago and am experiencing the super-awake, manic feelings (which are an awesome change to how I've felt for the last year or so). As we've had the same experience I'd love to know if you find an anti-depressant that works for you. (I've tired Sertraline, Citalopram, Fluvoxamine and Mirtazapine - none have worked yet.)I really hope you're doing ok.Liz x
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It's so good to find someone with the same experience. Yeah, the others either did nothing or made it all much darker! I'm glad your mood has stayed up, fingers crossed it'll stay that way. That will help me through the crash! I suspected I might be bipolar but never had mania really. Never been treated for it specifically. Thank you again. Let me know how you get on. Good luck.
Original post by Lewk
I started this yesterday, took my first 37.5mg tablet at 9pm, half hour later I went hyperactive & felt like dancing around everywhere and basically felt really happy for 13 hours (i think it may have been hypomania), but anyway i only slept 2 and a half hours, got up at 7.30 which is literally unheard of for me and made my 9-5 lectures which i haven't managed since november. Despite the small amount of sleep and that it's been about 21 hours since taking my first tablet I still feel much more energetic than normal and am still up for going out tonight for something i am invited for which again, is unheard of for me.

Normally I feel very lethargic and sleep 10-12 hours a day and miss all my lectures through lack of motivation whereas today i couldn't wait to get out of the door. So i'm wondering how the hell a 37.5mg tablet has done this to me? Apart from the sleep it's been a pretty dam good experience, the best day i have had in a very very long time. Hoping that switching my dose to morning will help with the sleep.

I had booked an appt today with my tutor to discuss deferring the year because of depression and lack of motivation, but of course with this new found energy and motivation that didn't happen, instead we discussed how to go about getting exam deferrals for summer.

Has anyone else had an experience like this with venlafaxine or any other anti depressant? It feels like i'm on speed. And will this effect wear off as the course continues (i hope not) or will i become tolerant to it? :frown:


I want some of that
No problem yeah I never suspected bipolar but apparently there is bipolar type 2 you don't have full blown manic episode's and more frequent depressive and your highs they are mild so can go Un noticed or mistaken for a very happy mood or hyperactivity it was only after being put on antidepressants they noticed me switching into hypomania now there wanting to put me on mood stabilisers
Original post by Lillibetj
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It's so good to find suspected I might be bipolar but never had mania really. Never been treated for it specifically. Thank you again. Let me know how you get on. Good luck.
Avoid psychiatry at all costs. 20 years of it and I'm paying the price now.

Google "monkeys antipsychotic" "Joanna Moncrief" "mental health recovery rates in the third world"

If this is your first experience with CMHT then run like f***. Find another way.

Don't expect psychs to ever be honest about your side effects. They simply won't give a damn.

Mental illness is real but psychiatry is an evil joke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV1S5zw096U
(edited 6 years ago)