Can effexor permanently change your personality?

I'm just wondering if others have noticed permanent changes in themselves after going off of effexor. I was on effexor for a number of years and have just weaned myself off of it a couple of months ago (yeh!) While I was on effexor to help deal with anxiety, I noticed some changes in my personality -- it made me a lot more extroverted, more impulsive, and also removed the social anxiety I used to feel when I had to do any public speaking. When discontinuing effexor, I was looking forward to becoming a little less impulsive (and more thoughtful before speaking, the way I used to be) but I was not looking forward to the return of my anxiety in public speaking. Surprisingly to me, nothing has gone back to the way I was previously -- except perhaps for worrying a little more than when I was on effexor (although not as much as I used to do). While some of these effects are good and some bad, this type of permanent change seems kind of disturbing to me and makes me question what else the drug might have been doing. Anyone experience anything similar?

I think the drug changed some things but hopefully not for ever. You did live all those years you were on the drug and you have changed be it good or bad you have learned some new skill and are using them. Nothing wrong with that and nothing to say you would not have learned them without the drug maybe who knows. I find I am less impulsive and do not interupt people like I use to when I was taking effexor.
It will be interesting to see what other people have to say about this.
Congrats on being drug free.

Hi Beth - have been on effexor for a number of years - I have been very impulsive / slightly grandiose - part of me wishes I never touched the stuff - looking forward to coming off the stuff and getting back to the person I used to be !!

Beth wrote:

I'm just wondering if others have noticed permanent changes in themselves after going off of effexor. I was on effexor for a number of years and have just weaned myself off of it a couple of months ago (yeh!) While I was on effexor to help deal with anxiety, I noticed some changes in my personality -- it made me a lot more extroverted, more impulsive, and also removed the social anxiety I used to feel when I had to do any public speaking. When discontinuing effexor, I was looking forward to becoming a little less impulsive (and more thoughtful before speaking, the way I used to be) but I was not looking forward to the return of my anxiety in public speaking. Surprisingly to me, nothing has gone back to the way I was previously -- except perhaps for worrying a little more than when I was on effexor (although not as much as I used to do). While some of these effects are good and some bad, this type of permanent change seems kind of disturbing to me and makes me question what else the drug might have been doing. Anyone experience anything similar?

btdt wrote:

I think the drug changed some things but hopefully not for ever. You did live all those years you were on the drug and you have changed be it good or bad you have learned some new skill and are using them. Nothing wrong with that and nothing to say you would not have learned them without the drug maybe who knows. I find I am less impulsive and do not interupt people like I use to when I was taking effexor.
It will be interesting to see what other people have to say about this.
Congrats on being drug free.

I have a second thought on this.. it is not only the personality change while taking Effexor that is a bad run it is the horror of withdrawal... the after effects of both these things are difficult to put in the past especially if your withdrawal is protracted like many of us. I have heard people speak of post withdrawal symptoms like they have been left with a trauma akin to post traumatic stress as an after effect of being on and withdrawing from Effexor I think this is the rule. Living thru withdrawal is a trauma to our bodies minds and social understandings... it was for me. I will never again see the world as I did. I for one am forever changed.
I do believe part of it is the damage done to me by effexor that does not seem to heal it is more than 4 years now I am losing hope of a full recovery. It all adds up cumulative and collateral damage.. thanks for nothing Wyeth!

btd wrote:

<quoted text>
I have a second thought on this.. it is not only the personality change while taking Effexor that is a bad run it is the horror of withdrawal... the after effects of both these things are difficult to put in the past especially if your withdrawal is protracted like many of us. I have heard people speak of post withdrawal symptoms like they have been left with a trauma akin to post traumatic stress as an after effect of being on and withdrawing from Effexor I think this is the rule. Living thru withdrawal is a trauma to our bodies minds and social understandings... it was for me. I will never again see the world as I did. I for one am forever changed.
I do believe part of it is the damage done to me by effexor that does not seem to heal it is more than 4 years now I am losing hope of a full recovery. It all adds up cumulative and collateral damage.. thanks for nothing Wyeth!

Yes my personality has changed and I am off the stuff, have been for 21 months. No empathy, sympathy, foresight, concern, guilt, creative abilities, spontaneity, the person I used to be is not who I am now. I literally have none of my previous personalty. I am still suffering protracted withdrawal as I have come to accept it is called, although I would like to call it brain damage. I have lost my higher consciousness and can no longer feel anything, no emotions whatsoever. I don't know if this is permanent, but it is so far fetched to even comtemplate losing all these things that I can no longer rule out that possibility. Hope this answers your question.

Chrissy wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes my personality has changed and I am off the stuff, have been for 21 months. No empathy, sympathy, foresight, concern, guilt, creative abilities, spontaneity, the person I used to be is not who I am now. I literally have none of my previous personalty. I am still suffering protracted withdrawal as I have come to accept it is called, although I would like to call it brain damage. I have lost my higher consciousness and can no longer feel anything, no emotions whatsoever. I don't know if this is permanent, but it is so far fetched to even comtemplate losing all these things that I can no longer rule out that possibility. Hope this answers your question.

Brain damage was my first idea too. The term "protracted withdawal" I first heard at paxilprogress.org I am not sure where they got it. I do wonder what is truly going on and I don't think we really know yet but we have to call it something I guess. So while it may not be accurate as a definition of what is scientifically happening it is a term we can use to define symptoms of post Effexor use. Again it was at paxilprogress.org I learned it was not permanent but who knows as that site does not entertain the idea that it is permanent and discourages conversations that slide that way. Many people who have had symptoms longer than the 2 or so years they say withdrawal takes say they do not feel "welcome" to discuss their ongoing symptom and people there tend to just tell them they are experiencing symptoms from whatever was originally wrong with them. It does not seem to matter that the person was not originally put on antidepressants for a psych issue and that there current complaints are psych issues.. this does not make sense to me and I don't know why they do it. When I say this is a good site for tapering information but I don't agree with all they have to say this is one of those things I don't agree with.

Chrissy I know exactly where your at, my higher consciouness was badly done by the ven stuff, it has been gradually coming back, but very slowly. Some months are better than others

btd wrote:

<quoted text>
Brain damage was my first idea too. The term "protracted withdawal" I first heard at paxilprogress.org I am not sure where they got it. I do wonder what is truly going on and I don't think we really know yet but we have to call it something I guess. So while it may not be accurate as a definition of what is scientifically happening it is a term we can use to define symptoms of post Effexor use. Again it was at paxilprogress.org I learned it was not permanent but who knows as that site does not entertain the idea that it is permanent and discourages conversations that slide that way. Many people who have had symptoms longer than the 2 or so years they say withdrawal takes say they do not feel "welcome" to discuss their ongoing symptom and people there tend to just tell them they are experiencing symptoms from whatever was originally wrong with them. It does not seem to matter that the person was not originally put on antidepressants for a psych issue and that there current complaints are psych issues.. this does not make sense to me and I don't know why they do it. When I say this is a good site for tapering information but I don't agree with all they have to say this is one of those things I don't agree with.

Oddly enough at lot of the changes at the end of the day are things I would attribute to the soul like E shut down my soul... I was a shell of skin and bones. Zombie... drone .... stone
You are so not alone in this.

Protracted withdrawal is another euphimism to distance itself from illicit drugs and alcohol. The well recognised term is Post Acute withdrawal syndrome or PAWS. The symptoms of PAWS are the same often for street drugs as well as SSRIs.
They do not use the term PAWS, the same way as they came up with the same BS euphimism "discontinuation syndrome".

ps like this, if you ever wish you could force feed your doctor or shrink effexor for a year, and hear them try and convince themselves about mild withdrawals and non-addictiveness.

Glad your seeing thru things Ben, you are indeed correct, they do like to use a different terminology for problems with 'their' drugs

ben wrote:

Protracted withdrawal is another euphimism to distance itself from illicit drugs and alcohol. The well recognised term is Post Acute withdrawal syndrome or PAWS. The symptoms of PAWS are the same often for street drugs as well as SSRIs.
They do not use the term PAWS, the same way as they came up with the same BS euphimism "discontinuation syndrome".
ps like this, if you ever wish you could force feed your doctor or shrink effexor for a year, and hear them try and convince themselves about mild withdrawals and non-addictiveness.

I just looked this up and it says DECADES!!!EEEKKKK
I am already so pissed with pharma and doctors I did not think it possible for it to deepen it just got deeper.
wiki
Post-acute-withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)(also sometimes referred to as post-withdrawal syndrome or protracted withdrawal syndrome) is a set of persistent impairments that occur after withdrawal from alcohol, opiates, benzodiazepines and other substances.[1][2][3][4] Infants born to mothers who used substances of dependence during pregnancy may also experience a post acute withdrawal syndrome.[5][6] Post acute withdrawal syndrome affects many aspects of recovery and everyday life, including the ability to keep a job and interact with family and friends. Symptoms occur in over 90% of people withdrawing from a long-term opioid (such as heroin habit)[citation needed], three-quarters of persons recovering from long-term use of alcohol, methamphetamine, or benzodiazepines and to a lesser degree other psychotropic drugs. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome as a result of GABA-agonist (benzodiazepine, barbiturate, ethanol) dependence and opioid dependence can last from a year to several decades, or indefinitely, with the symptoms entering in to periods of relative remission between periods of instability. Symptoms include mood swings resembling an affective disorder, anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure from anything beyond use of the drug) insomnia, extreme drug craving and obsession, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide and general cognitive impairment.

Symptoms

Symptoms can sometimes come and go with wave like reoccurrences or fluctuations in severity of symptoms. Common symptoms include impaired cognition, irritability, depressed mood, and anxiety; all of which may reach severe levels which can lead to relapse.[12][13]
The protracted withdrawal syndrome from benzodiazepines can produce symptoms identical to generalised anxiety disorder as well as panic disorder. Due to the sometimes prolonged nature and severity of benzodiazepine withdrawal, abrupt withdrawal is not advised.[14]
Common symptoms of post acute withdrawal syndrome are:[15][16][17][18]
Psychosocial dysfunction
Anhedonia[19]
Depression
Impaired interpersonal skills
Obsessive-compulsive behaviour
Feelings of guilt
Autonomic disturbances
Pessimistic thoughts
Impaired concentration
Lack of initiative
Craving
Inability to think clearly
Memory problems
Emotional overreactions or numbness
Sleep disturbances
Physical coordination problems
Stress sensitivity
Increased sensitivity to pain
Panic disorder[14]
Generalised anxiety disorder[14]
Symptoms occur intermittently, but are not always present. They are made worse by stress or other triggers and may arise at unexpected times and for no apparent reason. They may last for a short while or longer. Any of the following may trigger a temporary return or worsening of the symptoms of post acute withdrawal syndrome:[citation needed]
Stressful and/or frustrating situations
Multitasking
Feelings of anxiety, fearfulness or anger
Social Conflicts
Unrealistic expectations of oneself
Too much on your to-do list

For me there is more to it than this
psych issues way more. to it.

http://www.priory.com/psych/panes.htm

I was looking for another things called P.A.N.E.S. I first heard of it at effexoractivist which appears to be offline at the moment.
Search found the link above is from a Dr Green in the year 2000 so it does show that withdrawal was studied 11 years ago and they suggest further research I wonder if they did any.. it does not look like anything has been done in 11 years.

Dr Ben Green, MRCPsych, ILTM
Consultant Psychiatrist, Halton Hospital, UK and Hon. Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool, UK These prolonged reactions were first described here in Spring 2000. No other reports are known of, although this condition may well be more widespread than is presently recognised.

2000 just happens to be the year I started Effexor he already knew and could have spared me.

Venlafaxine - Long Term Adverse Effects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-acute-withd...

Richard Lathe rlathe@ed.ac.uk


Sir - I write to report adverse effects of venlafaxine from observations on one subject and from a wider survey of the literature. One subject receiving venlafaxine (Efexor XL, 75 mg/day) for 6 months reported headaches and related symptoms of severity sufficient to preclude normal function. Discontinuation was found impossible, medication was recommenced according to a schedule for tapered removal.

Following complete discontinuation the headaches disappeared, but investigation revealed that the subject had experienced debilitating inertia for the period of the medication. Longer-term problems have also became apparent: 1 month later the subject still reports sudden episodes of nausea, temporary disconnection, palpitations, tremor, sweating, unsteadiness.

On investigation I find that this is not unusual. There is a volume of literature on the acute and chronic adverse effects of discontinuing Venlafaxine, including nausea, memory loss, tinnitis, altered sleep patterns, digestive disturbances, and tremor, termed the 'serotonin syndrome'(1). Indeed, the manufacturer (Wyeth) could face charges for failure to issue proper warnings (2). New guidance from the FDA recognises the adverse consequences of Venlafaxine discontinuation (4). It is notable that the information issued with Venlafaxine (Efexor XL) in November 2001 only speaks of transient adverse effects 'for a few days'(5).

In summary, the prominent side-effects (6) including debilitating inertia are clearly undesirable when comparable results can be obtained with other therapies(7). Further, the duration of medication here (8 months) is, as far as I can establish, longer than the maximum period of clinical trials 8): a strong argument can be made that the drug administration should be restricted to less than 6 months, with tapered discontinuation scheduled from inception.

Richard Lathe
Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, George Square,
Edinburgh EH8 9LS, UK (rlathe@ed.ac.uk)

References

1.http://www.effexorfx.freeuk. com/index.htm.
2.Guardian, Thursday September 6, 2001; Drug giant faces huge lawsuit.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/mentalhealth/st...
4.Food and Drug Administration, March 2000. Safety Related Drug Labelling Changes for Effexor and Effexor XR.
5.Information sheet, Efexor XL, November 2001 (Wyeth Laboratories, Taplow, Maidenhead, UK). "If Efexor XL is stopped suddenly some patients may experience symptoms ..... these symptoms are generally non-serious and disappear within a few
day".
6.http://www.athealth.com/Cons umer/mcabinet/EffexorXR.html#A dverseEvents
7. http://www.effexor.com/hcp/remission/data.jht... .
8. http://www.effexor.com/hcp/overview/efficacy-...

I use to be able to find all kinds of links to this including lists of symptoms today I cannot find a thing but these few links. I can't explain it. Apparently nothing has been done to find a cure if there is one.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2001/sep/06...
reference to withdrawal lawsuit it settled long ago was for paxil some people at paxilprogress.org got money from this case but have a gag order and are not allowed to talk about it some got 50,000 some got 5,000. That is what I read about it before most of the sites speaking about it were deleted. Not much money considering what the drug does to your life.

I did try to e mail professor Lathe, he's no longer at Edinburgh Uni, but I believe he is still in Edinburgh. I suspect that like myself he is a hill runner and tried contacting via that medium to see if Richard Lathe hill Runner is also the professor, no luck in that avenue as yet

Mr Sensible wrote:

I did try to e mail professor Lathe, he's no longer at Edinburgh Uni, but I believe he is still in Edinburgh. I suspect that like myself he is a hill runner and tried contacting via that medium to see if Richard Lathe hill Runner is also the professor, no luck in that avenue as yet

Many have tried including myself.
It is very odd how many pages I have watched go 404 since I started this. A LOT of pages have gone poof somebody is working hard.

Effexor changed my life from being a complete wreck GAD impatient monstrous lady to an easy person to deal with. As doom as I'm late in my dose though even an hour late, I start getting severe anxiety. Also my sweat suddenly smells weird.

i have quality effexor for sale. feel free to email for yours at maltinomorgan@hotmail.com

maltinomorgan wrote:

i have quality effexor for sale. feel free to email for yours at maltinomorgan@hotmail.com

Can you not read?? There are people reporting on this forum that their lives have been ruined by this drug. Can I suggest that you try some yourself and see what poison you are peddling. The words quality and effexor can never ever belong in the same sentence together.