Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips

Venlafaxine-induced dizziness

From: Paul Gerstein MD <sprint@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Venlafaxine-induced dizziness
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 16:54:32 -0500

A patient in her 40s with depression had only a partial response to Prozac. She was switched to Effexor and had a robust response to 37.5 mg tid after about 5 weeks of gradual titration. Unfortunately, she began, at this dose, to experience very distressing dizziness described as feeling as if she were on a moving elevator, brought on by movement and absent at rest.

From: RMRich1@aol.com (Roberta M. Richardson, M.D.)
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 21:49:40 -0500
Subject: Venlafaxine-induced dizziness

I have had two patients describe something similar although neither was too distressed by it and the symptom did disappear with time.

Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 23:18:56 -0800
From: jgmd@mindlink.bc.ca (Jane Garland)
Subject: Venlafaxine-induced dizziness

I have had one patient, a young woman, who had a very good response to venlafaxine at 75 mg/d. But as she began to relapse after 2 months and her dose was increased to 112.5 mg/d, she complained of recurrent dizziness. She had a history of dramatic postural hypotension with marked dizziness on nortriptyline, but described this symptom as different. It usually occurred on physical activity and was not vertiginous. Her BP was unremarkable, her pulse normal. Ultimately, after about a week of symptom and no improvement in depression, she relapsed very badly and was switched to bupropion, on which she is doing well with no such side-effect.

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