Efexor (Venlafaxine) is one of the newer style antidepressant medications and acts on both seratonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Efexor is available in Australia, and is also available in Australia as Efexor - XR, a slower releasing medication.

Side-effects
The side-effects of efexor are similar to those of the SSRIs and include dry mouth, drowsiness, sweating, blurred vision and constipation, although most of these should diminish over time.
You may experience some nausea and dizziness when you first start taking it, however these usually dissappear in a week or two. Taking it straight after meals should help.
A lowered sex drive is also a common side effect of this, as with most antidepressants. If you experience any unusual symptoms or are concerned about side effects in anyway, it is important that you discuss this with your doctor or consult a pharmacist for advice. Usually these will not be anything to worry about, but best to be sure.

Dosage
Usually 150mg although for severe depression, up to 600mg is the maximum prescribed.
Larger doses need to be regularly monitored by your prescribing healthcare professional.

Warning
While any change to medications should be done in consultation with your prescribing doctor, it is particularly important with efexor to ensure that when you are reducing the dosage, this is done very gradually to minimise side effects.

It is important that you let your doctor know about any other medication you are taking, or condition you may have, so that they can consider this when prescribing antidepressants for you.

"Yes To Life" Website
The Yes To Life Website is provided by Wyeth Australia, manufacturers of efexor and contains a range of information on depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder for the general public.
There is also a password protected section that provides information specifically for people who are taking efexor and you will find the password on the back of the information booklet within your efexor packet. To access this information, enter this password in the 'Login' box at: http://www.yestolife.com.au/

Research
Pharmacological effects of venlafaxine, a new antidepressant, given repeatedly, on the alpha 1-adrenergic, dopamine and seretonin systems.

Efficacy and tolerability of venlafaxine compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other antidepressants: a meta-analysis
A multi-center meta-analysis of 32 drug trials involving 5,562 patients comparing Effexor to other antidepressants suggests Effexor has greater efficacy than SSRIs and performs a little better than tricyclics. The drug was also found to be as well-tolerated as the SSRIs. None of the studies compared Effexor to non-SSRIs or non-tricyclics such as Remeron or Wellbutrin. Effexor blocks both norepinephrine and serotonin reputake. The meta-analysis was funded by Wyeth-Ayerst, makers of Effexor.

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