effexor dosage and OCD

does anyone have experience with effexor and OCD or obsessive thoughts? What was an effective dosage? when did effectiveness kick in?

The effective dose varies from 37.5 mg to as high as 300 mg/day. Usually this drug kicks in fairly quickly, but everyone's body chemistry is a bit different. Some people see great results after only a week or two, others it may take a couple of months to fine tune the dosage.

Please do some research on this drug as it can cause alot of side effects, and it has a pretty severe withdrawal for many people.

Good luck

i've had ocd for 14 years. A few months ago I started to feel depresed. My doc added Effexor XR 75mg/day for the depression. The side effects were horrible - migraines, high blood pressure, insomnia -- I told him I want off the drug and started to wean off it...I'm totally off it now for 1 week - but now my OCD has come screaming back for the first time in 2 years..

Now I don't know what's worse -- go back on the Effexor or live with this OCD...those who have it know what i'm talking about...

just wondering wrote:

does anyone have experience with effexor and OCD or obsessive thoughts? What was an effective dosage? when did effectiveness kick in?

For me it was almost immediate (37.5 mg initially), but I also suffer slightly from anxiety and this took well over two months to calm down. I've now been at 150 mg for quite a while, and I must say the effect is astounding with regards to OCD (and now also anxiety)! Only side effects that remain is severe sweating when mildly active, close to no sexual desires, and slightly emotionless. However, that's a cheap price to pay for what I no longer have.

I might also add that I've been subscribed Cipralex (SSRI-class anti-depressant) but these did nothing but make me worse. Efexor (an SNRI) had pretty much the same side effects, but contrary to Cipralex, these actually did something useful. The side effects can be horrible, but they usually go away after a few weeks (until you increase your dosage again, that is).

Just be patient. Good luck.

i have taken effexor 2 separate times and actually get ocd side effects from it. i become totally obsessed with things or people that i don't normally. very strange.