by No Single Name

Created on: April 18, 2009

Effexor XR is one of the most commonly-prescribed antidepressants in the United States; used for treating anxiety and, of course, depression, it carries with it a hefty list of side effects and a hit-or-miss chance at working. It is also one of the most frightening medications on the market today, right up next to Prozac. This is mostly due to its potential for adverse effects, particularly in teenagers; having recently come off of Effexor XR, I have first-hand experience with its dangers.

For those who don't have a real understanding of how antidepressants work, imagine emotions like a heart monitor; for a regular person, experiencing a healthy range of emotions, the line on the monitor will stay high and dip down only occasionally. For those with depression or anxiety, it is often the exact opposite; even to the extreme of forgetting what happiness felt like. It is this reason why people are prescribed drugs like Effexor XR, especially in cases of anxiety where emotions can be severe and misplaced.

The common purpose of antidepressants is to flatline the emotional heart monitor, making it theoretically possible to stop oneself from sinking into depression and gaining a greater control over the range of emotions. What people don't realize is when your emotions are flatlined, you are drawn into a great, sometimes frustrating quagmire of apathy and quiet sadness; like throwing a blanket over a lamp, antidepressants sometimes do little more than muffle the problem.

This quagmire poses a great threat to mental and physical health, especially with Effexor XR. It can cause change in behavior patterns, severe mood swings, hostility, psychosis, and, most prominently, suicidal urges. The medication has been shown in studies to increase the risk of suicide as much as 1.6 times, and in children and teenagers the risk can skyrocket up to five times.

It is entirely possible to go onto Effexor XR without any suicidal idealizations, and come off of it haunted by the specter of a death so close you can almost taste it. Depending on the person, it can be difficult to recognize suicidal behavior; sometimes it begins just a few weeks after first taking the drug, and other times it slowly creeps into the back of the victim's mind. But it is of absolute importance to pay attention to such urges, transient, serious, or otherwise, if you or someone you know is taking any antidepressant, let alone Effexor XR. The final nail in the coffin is the withdrawal symptoms associated with the drug; they are powerful and include fatigue, nausea, vertigo, headaches, and dysphoria.

It is important to remember that antidepressants of all brands, not just Effexor XR, are frightening; it was not so long ago that Prozac was investigated and its creator, sued for its link to suicidal and homicidal behavior. But Effexor XR is certainly a prevalent case, and a drug to be used only with the utmost caution.

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