Effexor

Hope everyone is doing well.

I have a question about this Effexor that a few of you have been talking about for hot flashs. Can you take this if you were er+ . What sort of drug is it? The hot flashs are the worst and when its ninty outside it really does not help.

Thanks

Donna

 

Hi Donna, here is what I know. I was ER+ and was switched to Effexor and taken off Prozac to see if it would help my hot flashes. (I was also on it as an antidepressant) It helped with the "regular" hot flashes, but with me it caused me to break out in a sweat on my head. I didn't have to be doing anything, and just like with hot flashes, bam! I literally would look like I just got out of the shower! This happened ALOT. My hair would be soaked! The rest of me would be ok though. I only took it for about 6 mo then said forget it! Put me back on Prozac! LOL
I don't think this happens to everyone on it for sure. I do know I have read about other people with this side effect, but , it is not the "norm". I am off tamoxifen (hit the 5 year mark in May '05) and still have some hot flashes, but not as many as when I was on the tamoxifen.

I took Effexor from original dx, Jan 96 until Jan 00. They changed it when my Mitchell passed away. When I read your post, Gail, I was stunned. I thought that I was the only person who had had the head sweats you describe. In fact, sometimes they would be so bad, I had to stand in the shower and lay down for a while. I thought they were from the diabetes because after I was dx'd with diabetes and put on meds, they stopped. Maybe there is a relationship but my heart goes out to anyone going through those sweats.

I am ER/PR+ and really couldn't tell between hot flashes because they were almost always followed by the sweats. I'm having hot flashes now, at my age, so go figure. My onc just said that Effexor was one of the drugs I had to take.

Jo-Ann