Can Effexor make you jittery?
By
Dr Milena Locci de Oliveira (PhD)
Author bio
Dr Milena Locci de Oliveira is a Pharmacist and Doctor of Philosophy in Sciences from the University of São Paulo (USP). She has experience in microbiology, analytical toxicology, and clinical pharmacokinetics. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Milena’s Highlights:
-PhD in Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2019.
-University College London (UCL) – Semester of remote collaboration in the areas of Pharmacometrics and Population Pharmacokinetics, 2018.
-Bachelor in Biochemical Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2013.
“Science can be translated, and it is essential that everyone has access to quality information to make informed decisions” – Dr Milena Oliveira, PhD.
Professional Experience:
With a decade-long career as a researcher, Dr Milena has amassed extensive experience in conducting research projects in microbiology, analytical toxicology, and clinical pharmacokinetics.
Her expertise also extends to the preparation of technical and scientific reports, literature reviews, data analysis, and scientific communication, both oral and written.
Dr Milena has served as a Clinical Pharmacist, providing expert supervision and guidance to teams during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the ICUs of two reference hospitals for patient hospitalization.
In her most recent role, Dr Milena worked on the implementation of the deliberatives of the São Paulo State Government Pharmaceutical Assistance Coordination. These decisions were aimed at ensuring medication access within the Unified Health System.
A widely multidisciplinary background enabled Dr Milena to become a professional capable of integrating scientific knowledge into private initiatives, education, and healthcare, delivering consistent services in patient safety and population health.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations:
Dr Milena Oliveira is a member of the Regional Council of Pharmacy of the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
Education:
-PhD in Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2019.
-University College London (UCL) – Semester of remote collaboration, 2018.
-Bachelor in Biochemical Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Brazil, 2013.
Relevant Published Work & Citations:
Oliveira ML de, Rocha A, Nardotto GHB, Pippa LF, Simões BP, Lanchote VL. Analysis of daunorubicin and its metabolite daunorubicinol in plasma and urine with application in the evaluation of total, renal and metabolic formation clearances in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. Nov 2020. 191:113-124.
Abstracts. CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology. 2020 Nov; 9 (S1).
Pippa LF, Oliveira ML de, Rocha A, de Andrade JM, Lanchote VL. Total, renal and hepatic clearances of doxorubicin and formation clearance of doxorubicinol in patients with breast cancer: Estimation of doxorubicin hepatic extraction ratio. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2020 Jun 5; 185:113-231.
Godoy ALPC, De Jesus C, De Oliveira ML, Rocha A, Pereira MPM, Larangeira DF, Lanchote VL, Barrouin-Melo SM. Determination of Allopurinol and Oxypurinol in Dogs Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with an Ultraviolet Detector: Application for Pharmacokinetic Studies. J Chromatogr Sep Tech. 2017; 8 (4).
Clímaco EC, Oliveira ML de, Pitondo-Silva A, Oliveira MG, Medeiros M, Lincopan N, et al. Clonal complexes 104, 109 and 113 playing a major role in the dissemination of OXA-carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in Southeast Brazil. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 2013 Oct;19:127–33.
Conference Papers:
Oliveira, M. L.; NARDOTTO, G. H. B.; PIPPA, L. F.; ROCHA, A.; SIMOES, B. P.; LANCHOTE, V. L. . Daunorubicin metabolism and urinary excretion in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. In: 84th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT) and the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of the Clinical Pharmacology Germany (VKliPha), 2018, Göttingen. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol, 2018. v. 391. p. S76-S76.
Oliveira, M. L.; NARDOTTO, G. H. B. ; ROCHA, A. ; SIMOES, B. P. ; LANCHOTE, V. L. . The low contribution of urinary excretion in the elimination of daunorubicin and its metabolite daunorubicinol in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. In: 49th Brazilian Congress of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics., 2017, Ribeirão Preto. Livro de Resumos, 2017. p. 64-64.
Oliveira, M. L.; PIPPA, L. F. ; ROCHA, A. ; SIMOES, B. P. ; LANCHOTE, V. L. . Quantification of daunorubicin and its metabolite daunorubicinol in human plasma by LC-MS/MS. In: I International Meeting of Environmental Health and Toxicology (IMEHTOX), 2016, Ribeirão Preto. Livro de Resumos, 2016.
Oliveira, M. L.; Clímaco, E.C. ; OLIVEIRA, M. G. ; Lincopan, N. ; Darini A.L.C. . PFGE typing of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from different University Hospitals. In: V International Postgraduate and Research Symposium, 2012.
Clímaco, E.C. ; SILVA, A. P. ; Oliveira, M. L. ; OLIVEIRA, M. G. ; Lincopan, N. ; Darini A.L.C. Relação clonal entre linhagens de Acinetobacter baumannii produtoras de carbapenemases da família OXA em quatro hospitais no Brasil. In: XXI Latin American Congress of Microbiology, 2012, Santos. XXI Latin American Congress of Microbiology, 2012.
Oliveira, M. L.; Clímaco, E.C. ; OLIVEIRA, M. G. ; Darini A.L.C. . Dissemintion of OXA carbapenemases genes in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in University Hospital of Juiz de Fora, MG. In: 8th CIFARP – International Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2011, Ribeirão Preto.
Clímaco, E.C. ; Oliveira, M. L. ; OLIVEIRA, M. G. ; Darini A.L.C. . Avaliação do sequenciamento parcial do gene rpoB e de seus flanqueadores para identificação de espécies de Acinetobacter na rotina laroratorial. In: 2° International Symposium on Clinical Microbiology, 2010, Florianópolis.
You can view some of Dr Milena’s work below and links to her professional profile.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dra-milena-locci-de-oliveira-28986042/?locale=en_US
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Milena-Oliveira-6
Escavador: https://www.escavador.com/sobre/5394254/milena-locci-de-oliveira
Lattes: https://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/busca.do
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57199779361
Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=pt-BR&user=1YUBDIQAAAAJ
Can Effexor make you jittery?
Effexor can make some people jittery, especially during the early course of their treatment. Jitteriness is not generally considered a common side effect, but it’s common enough to know that Effexor is causing it if you have started using this antidepressant lately.
People who are sensitive to the stimulation of neurotransmitters are more susceptible to this side effect, or those who are generally anxious and unable to relax.
Effexor and other antidepressants can also affect your sleep architecture in a number of ways, which can trigger jitteriness in some people. If you’re a new user and feel jittery, you will get better within a few weeks as your body adjusts to the medication.
What does research suggest?
There is limited research on jitteriness caused by Effexor, as the antidepressant is known to counteract such symptoms, let alone cause them. However, Effexor and related antidepressants can cause jitteriness in the early course of the treatment.
Antidepressants take time to adjust in your body when you start taking them for the very first time or if you switch from one antidepressant to another.
This is a common thing among antidepressant users and the majority of them experience some early side effects like jitteriness- which may or may not affect their treatment plan (1). Other classes of antidepressants, including SSRIs like Zoloft, Prozac, etc can also cause early anxiety or jitteriness.
However, Effexor is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the management and treatment of anxiety disorders which are commonly associated with jitteriness (2).
Research studies indicate that with time, Effexor balances the amount of two excitatory monoamine neurotransmitters – serotonin and norepinephrine – which start to counteract several symptoms of anxiety and depression and can improve the quality of life (3,4).
What to do if Effexor makes you jittery?
It’s best to reach out to your healthcare provider if you feel jittery after taking Effexor. As I discussed in the previous section, it could be an early side effect of this antidepressant and may fade away on its own.
However, antidepressants affect people differently; not everyone feels better about them. Effexor is generally well tolerated, but some people may fail to adjust to it or tolerate it.
This is why you should always discuss your side effects with your doctor to determine the future safety and efficacy of Effexor use. Some people just need a dose reduction and they start to do well on a lower dose – but this should be decided by your doctor.
Make sure you don’t stop using Effexor or change the dose without consulting your doctor first.
Was this helpful?
References
1.-
Braund TA, Tillman G, Palmer DM, Gordon E, Rush AJ, Harris AWF. Antidepressant side effects and their impact on treatment outcome in people with major depressive disorder: an iSPOT-D report. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 4;11(1):417. doi: 10.1038/s41398-021-01533-1. PMID: 34349116; PMCID: PMC8338944. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34349116/
2.-
Singh D, Saadabadi A. Venlafaxine. 2022 Oct 10. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan–. PMID: 30570984. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535363/
3.-
Katzman M. Venlafaxine in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Expert Rev Neurother. 2004 May;4(3):371-81. doi: 10.1586/14737175.4.3.371. PMID: 15853535. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15853535/
4.-
Roseboom PH, Kalin NH. Neuropharmacology of venlafaxine. Depress Anxiety. 2000;12 Suppl 1:20-9. doi: 10.1002/1520-6394(2000)12:1+<20::AID-DA3>3.0.CO;2-M. PMID: 11098411. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11098411/
Find a supportive therapist who can help with Depression.
Discover the convenience of BetterHelp, an online therapy platform connecting you with licensed and accredited therapists specialized in addressing issues such as depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Complete the assessment and find your ideal therapist within just 48 hours.
AskYourPharm is user-supported. We may earn a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp’s services after clicking through from this site
