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Venlafaxine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of venlafaxine include nausea, fatigue, and headache, based on 147,186 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 6.8% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

#1 Reported: NauseaAll side effects ↓Top Co-Medication: Quetiapine-fumarateDrug interactions ↓72% of Reports Are AdultDemographics ↓

Venlafaxine side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for venlafaxine.

1
Drug Ineffective6.8%10,067
2
Nausea5.1%7,494
3
Fatigue5.0%7,411
4
Headache4.4%6,523
5
Off Label Use4.1%6,061
6
Dizziness3.7%5,404
7
Anxiety3.4%4,977
8
Depression3.4%4,939
9
Pain3.2%4,739
10
Diarrhoea3.2%4,687
11
Toxicity To Various Agents3.2%4,682
12
Fall2.8%4,138
13
Malaise2.8%4,119
14
Vomiting2.7%4,016
15
Dyspnoea2.7%3,951

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that venlafaxine caused these reactions.

Report severity

73.2%Serious107,710 reports
31.2%Hospitalizations45,882 reports
10.1%Fatal14,930 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Venlafaxine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside venlafaxine. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Quetiapine-fumarate5.6%8,232
2
Sodium-oxybate3.6%5,310
3
Acetaminophen3.1%4,584
4
Adalimumab3.0%4,403
5
Gabapentin2.6%3,820
6
Olanzapine2.6%3,765
7
Mirtazapine2.5%3,741
8
Bupropion2.5%3,717
9
Pregabalin2.3%3,430
10
Aripiprazole2.3%3,382
11
Lamotrigine2.1%3,129
12
Sertraline-hydrochloride2.0%2,878
13
Alprazolam1.9%2,829
14
Omeprazole1.8%2,638
15
Tramadol-hydrochloride1.8%2,582

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen10.6%15,592
2
Levothyroxine-sodium9.9%14,590
3
Ergocalciferol8.2%12,063
4
Gabapentin7.9%11,624
5
Omeprazole7.6%11,198
6
Aspirin7.6%11,171
7
Atorvastatin-calcium6.5%9,616
8
Albuterol5.9%8,728
9
Metformin5.7%8,329
10
Clonazepam5.6%8,310
11
Pantoprazole-sodium5.3%7,866
12
Trazodone-hydrochloride5.2%7,644
13
Alprazolam5.2%7,634
14
Lorazepam4.9%7,238
15
Lisinopril4.9%7,175

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports venlafaxine side effects

65.9% of venlafaxine adverse event reports involve female patients and 26.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 72%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female65.9%
Male26.2%
Unknown7.8%

Age group

< 21.6%
2–110.2%
12–171.2%
18–6472.5%
65+24.5%

What is venlafaxine used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking venlafaxine when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbnormal BehaviourAbnormal DreamsAbuliaAccidental ExposureAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Exposure To Product By ChildAccidental OverdoseActivities Of Daily Living ImpairedAcute PsychosisAcute SinusitisAcute Stress DisorderAdjustment DisorderAdjustment Disorder With Anxiety

Showing 15 of 1,103 indications

Venlafaxine brand names and reporting trend

Venlafaxine is sold under the brand name Effexor.

Brand names

Effexor30

Quarterly reports (2004–2025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking venlafaxine with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.

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