People's Pharmacy

Effexor

Generic Name:venlafaxine

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Special Precautions

Some depressed people experience anxiety and insomnia as part of the symptoms of their condition. Effexor may exacerbate these problems in some patients.

The drug may also worsen the manic phase for some manic-depressive individuals and not be appropriate for continued treatment.

Any medicine affecting the brain may have the potential to slow reflexes or impair judgment.

Such problems did not appear significant in clinical trials, but patients are best advised not to drive or use hazardous machinery until they can determine (preferably through an objective assessment) that they are not adversely affected by Effexor.

As of this writing, Effexor is a new drug with relatively little data available. Studies have not established that it is effective for long-term use of more than six weeks.

It is advisable for doctor and patient to reevaluate this therapy periodically to make sure that it continues to be appropriate.