I started the correct way to take effexor, one third of the 37.5 for a week etc.etc. Two weeks ago I didn’t know about that and I took a whole 37.5 generic and was so sick for days afterwards. Now, I think I know HOW to start effexor correctly, so I did and I feel awful, dizzy, sick, just not right and all I took was a little effexor in some applesauce. I dread having to do this again tomorrow and for another week, then take 2/3rds, then take all of the pill. I would think I would die taking a whole pill. I know it’s supposed to get better as you go, but some on this post have said it takes weeks or months for effexor to work.
I wonder if anybody out there thinks 180 verapamil is enough and taking effexor with it is enough to get rid of this MAV??? Maybe my verapamil isn’t strong enough. That made me dizzy, too. The only thing I like now is xanax. The only thing that helps me feel better, less dizzy and calm.
I see Dr. Hain March 23 and I was going to start the effexor before I saw him ( got the prescription from my Dr. ) so I could report to Dr. Hain if it was working or not. What do you DO, if the Verapamil and effexor don’t work? And how can you stand the real pain of how the effexor makes you feel.? I just don’t know if I should take it tomorrow or just not take any antidepressant at all. I am so down and depressed and scared that I will never be able to stand the side affects of these harsh drugs. Does anone think effexor really is worth the pain and agony of getting ON it?
Hi,
I took Effexor, generic, for two days. It made me bedridden. I’m glad you posted this bc I took my last one on Weds, today is Sat and I still feel sick. Do you think it’s from the Effexor? I’m nauseated and just feel crappy. Worse than usual. I took 37.5 mgs. I can’t imagine just two days at that dose can make me feel this bad?
FYI, I don’t know how you feel about Cymbalta but it’s much easier to get on. I have a couple of other things that I’m going to try but if they fail I’m going back to Cymbalta. I will never take Effexor again. It was like poison for me.
I’m sorry you are having such a hard time 
Also, I’ve been on Verp. 240mg’s for about 7 months and it has not been enough to kick the MAV. I still haven’t found the right med yet myself. I’ve had this for 9 horrific months now! Can you try to up the verap?
I felt awful on effexor, I tried to stick with it, but eventually came off it. It’s the worst symptom exacerbation I had on any drug. I took it alongside propranolol, which had worked fairly well, but wanted to try and cut down on the relapses I still had. It took a while after coming off it to get back to my baseline.
H
From what the Pharmacist told me, and from what I have read. The generic is brutal.
Pharmacist told me, NOT to take the generic, that is where all the horror stories come from, and to take Brand. She made the same mistake, and now
is doing great on the brand name. She said its a night/day difference. So maybe give the brand name a try. However I thought the brand name was
the only one you can actually split up, and you said you do that but called it generic…?
sorry your having a bad time. No matter what, I would probably stick it out for at least 3 or 4 days, or longer if you can, because then you will never have that terrible feeling or thougth “should I, what if”…
Kristina
I took 12.5mg of Effexor and had dry heaving for 48 hours. It did not make me any dizzier, and if anything, I think I actually felt less dizzy. So my reaction was a direct side effect of the Effexor, not from migraine.
I would quit it and not look back. There are tons of other AD’s that are cheaper and easier to tolerate!
— Begin quote from “elishat27”
Hi,
I took Effexor, generic, for two days. It made me bedridden. I’m glad you posted this bc I took my last one on Weds, today is Sat and I still feel sick. Do you think it’s from the Effexor? I’m nauseated and just feel crappy. Worse than usual. I took 37.5 mgs. I can’t imagine just two days at that dose can make me feel this bad?
FYI, I don’t know how you feel about Cymbalta but it’s much easier to get on. I have a couple of other things that I’m going to try but if they fail I’m going back to Cymbalta. I will never take Effexor again. It was like poison for me.
I’m sorry you are having such a hard time
— End quote
elishat27, I am so new to this forum and also NOT tech savy, so I don’t even know if you are going to get this. I need my engineer son here to help me figure this out. Anyway, I still feel sick after 2 days and I only took a THIRD of the regular effexor, not the generic, and did everything right, just like Dr. Hain said to do, and I feel horrible and poisoned. I wil not ever take that again, either. You look like you have a small child. I can’t imagine how you can take care of babies and yourself, too. Must be so hard on you. I am older and my dear husband takes care of me so I am lucky in that way Do you take anything like Verapamil? Is Cymbalta an antidepressant? like effexor? What are you going to try? Do you have a good Dr. ?
Just testing how to post replies, please ignore this
Hey Spinning Lady,
Having this and two young children is very, very tough. I am not the only one, I’ve talked to several other mom’s on here in the same boat. Lucky for me my parents are a tremendous help as my husband works all the time.
I will never try Effexor again, not even the brand. I’m not saying that’s what you should do but I know when something is just not for me.
Verap. did seem to calm my headaches a bit but has done nothing for the vertigo. I’ve been on the verap. for many months.
I may go back to Cymbatla. I’m actually looking into a few other options right now. I go to Duke in NC so I have several really good Dr.'s. I’m very lucky in that aspect. But they have yet to fix me!
Just like elishat27, I tried verapamil with no improvement. Verapamil works like a miracle for some MAV patients, but I think these patients are a little more rare. In my opinion, antidepressants are the best for MAV, all the top experts favor them as their first medication of choice. Simply look at it this way: migraine is caused by a malfunction in the brain, and there can be several different types of malfunctions to trigger this. Verapamil will clean up the MAV if you have a calcium channel problem, an antidepressant will clean up the MAV if you have a serotonin problem, etc… This information is not proven fact, but its my opinion, and it seems like a logical explanation. Here is a little info to back up this idea “Several neurotransmitters that are involved in the pathogenesis of migraine (calcitonin–gene-related peptide, serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine) also modulate the activity of central and peripheral vestibular neurons and may contribute to the pathogenesis of MAV”.
Taken from: mvertigo.org/articles/Migrainous_Vertigo.pdf