IBS Tales Home
Header Image

IBS Tales Home > Treatment Reviews > IBS Medications > Effexor

effexor

Rated 4/5 based on 1 reviews

Effexor (venlafaxine) is an anti-depressant medication which can also be used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. The drug helps to increase the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. It is known as a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

For IBS patients, there may be a number of reasons that Effexor can help. Firstly, if your symptoms are triggered by anxiety or panic disorder then an anti-depressant can relive this symptoms and therefore relieve the IBS too. Secondly, a low dose of anti-depressant can act as a painkiller. Finally, drugs such as Effexor can sometimes cause bowel-related side effects such as constipation or diarrhea which may actually be helpful if you are suffering from the opposite problem.

Effexor is available in tablet form and also as an extended-release capsule. It can take up to six to eight weeks for the full effect of the drug to be felt.

REVIEWS OF EFFEXOR

Review by Efrat

I'm 28 and from israel. As others have written in the past years, this website is an important project and it offered me a great deal of comfort many years ago. I wanted to add a review of the drug Viepax (venlafaxine, also called Effexor). I've been taking it for the past three years at a very low dosage I must say (37.5mg a day) and it has made my IBS symptoms less severe. It did not make them go away completely but in the overall picture I can feel an improvement. One side effect that is causing me some trouble is some feeling of sickness about half an hour after taking the pill. My IBS alternates between constipation and diarrhea. I've had it since a young age.

Do you suffer from IBS? Have you tried effexor? Please contact Sophie to send in your review.