• EFFEXOR XR (venlafaxine HCl) is a prescription antidepressant proven to treat the symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder⁷

Find out more about EFFEXOR XR indications and usage in the Prescribing Information.

• Efficacy
  • In a pooled analysis, nearly 75% of patients who achieved remission of symptoms with EFFEXOR/EFFEXOR XR did so at dosages of 75 to 150 mg/day⁶*
  • In a separate pooled analysis, patients achieved remission of symptoms with EFFEXOR XR beginning at week 2^6†
• Dual reuptake inhibition across the effective dose range (75 to 225 mg/day)¹¹
• Flexibility
  • Patients not responding to the initial dose of 75 mg/day may benefit from increases to a maximum of approximately 225 mg/day⁶
  • When increasing the dosage, incremental increases of up to 75 mg/day should be made at intervals of no less than 4 days⁶
  • Experience with EFFEXOR XR doses higher than 225 mg/day is very limited⁶

Convenient Dosing for Depression

Find out more about dosing in the Prescribing Information.

• *Remission was defined as minimal or no symptoms (HAM-D₁₇ score ≤7). A pooled analysis of 8 randomized, double-blind studies of patients with DSM-III-R™ major depression or DSM-IV® major depressive disorder. Four of the studies were active-controlled, and 4 were both active- and placebo-controlled. Doses ranged from 75 to 375 mg/day for EFFEXOR and 75 to 225 mg/day for EFFEXOR XR. Last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) analysis.
• †A pooled analysis of 8 short-term, placebo-controlled clinical studies of EFFEXOR XR adult outpatients with MDD. Remission was defined as HAM-D₁₇ ≤7. Last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) analysis.

In trials for major depressive disorder, EFFEXOR XR was associated with a low incidence of treatment-emergent weight gain, decreased libido, and agitation.

Low incidence of treatment-emergent weight gain, decreased libido, and agitation^6,7

The most common adverse events reported in EFFEXOR XR short-term, placebo-controlled major depressive disorder trials, generalized anxiety disorder trials, social anxiety disorder trials, and/or panic disorder trials (incidence ≥10% and ≥2 times that of placebo) were anorexia, asthenia, constipation, dizziness, dry mouth, ejaculation problems, impotence, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, somnolence, and sweating.

Incidence of Elevated Blood Pressure

• In clinical studies, dropout rates due to elevated blood pressure across all indications were <1.4%⁷
• Three percent of EFFEXOR XR patients in MDD studies (doses of 75 to 375 mg/day), 0.5% in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) studies (doses of 37.5 to 225 mg/day), 0.6% in social anxiety disorder (SAD) studies (doses of 75 to 225 mg/day), and 0.9% in panic disorder (PD) studies (doses of 75 to 225 mg/day) had sustained blood pressure elevations⁷
• It is recommended that patients receiving EFFEXOR XR have regular monitoring of blood pressure. Immediate treatment should be considered in cases of significantly elevated blood pressure⁷

Find out more about EFFEXOR XR adverse events in the Prescribing Information.

EFFEXOR has little or no impact on cytochrome P450⁷

0 = minimal or zero inhibition.
+ = weak inhibition.

• EFFEXOR XR is minimally protein bound (27%)⁷
• Potential exists for a drug interaction between EFFEXOR XR and drugs that inhibit cytochrome P450⁷
• Caution is advised should a patient’s therapy include venlafaxine and any agent(s) that produces simultaneous inhibition of the CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 enzyme systems⁷
• Concomitant use of EFFEXOR XR in patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is contraindicated⁷
• Patients should be advised to inform their physicians if they are taking, or plan to take, any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, including migraine headache medication, herbal preparations, and nutritional supplements, since there is a potential for interactions⁷
• Patients should be cautioned about the risk of serotonin syndrome with the concomitant use of EFFEXOR XR and triptans, tryptophan supplements, or other serotonergic agents⁷

Find out more about EFFEXOR XR drug interactions in the Prescribing Information.

• Abrupt discontinuation or dose reduction of EFFEXOR XR at various doses has been found to be associated with the appearance of new symptoms, the frequency of which increased with increased dose level and with longer duration of treatment⁷
• Discontinuation symptoms include agitation, anorexia, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, sensory disturbances, somnolence, and sweating⁷
• Patients should be monitored for these symptoms when discontinuing treatment with EFFEXOR XR⁷
• A gradual reduction in the dose rather than abrupt cessation is recommended whenever possible⁷
• In clinical trials, tapering was achieved by reducing the daily dose by 75 mg at 1-week intervals. Individualization of tapering may be necessary⁷
• Physical symptoms, changes in mood, or sensory disturbances may occur even after skipping only a few doses⁷

Find out more about discontinuation of EFFEXOR XR in the Precautions and the Dosage and Administration sections of the Prescribing Information.