Took one extra venlafaxine by mistake. Do I need to worry?

December 4, 2018 9:08 AM

Accidentally took my med twice yesterday.

I take Venlafaxine XR, 75 mg once a day (which according to my doctor is the lowest clinical dose).

Yesterday, after mistakenly thinking I had forgotten to take it , I took it twice.
Now I'm experiencing a few weird symptoms like dry mouth, drowsiness, nausea and difficulty concentrating.

I've heard you're not supposed to take more than one XR per day.

My questions: is this something to worry about or do I just ride it out?
Also, should I take the pill again tonight at the normal time?

posted by winterportage to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Think about it this way: if you were increasing the dose to 150mg/day, you might well just double the dose (it's what happened when I was titrating up). Unless you have another health condition or something that means it would be acutely dangerous for you to be on over 150mg/day (not likely) I wouldn't worry about it. Definitely take your meds at the usual time today, though. Venlafaxine, even the XR variety, clears the system pretty fast and you don't want to be hit by withdrawal on top of everything else.
posted by Acheman at 9:12 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

You're experiencing the same thing people experience when their doctor deliberately raises their dosage — meaning, extra side effects at first, but nothing dangerous. You should just ride it out.

You should probably take the pill again at the normal time. That's what I've been told to do when I accidentally double-dosed with different meds. But you can call your doctor and ask if you're worried about it.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:12 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

There are some really easy and free "ask a nurse" locations on line. Here is one.

Talking to a medical professional may put you more at ease.
posted by blurker at 9:17 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You are probably fine and just experiencing some side effects. But just call your doctor or your pharmacy and ask! It'll take 5 minutes and set your mind at ease. You don't need to deal with being worried on top of the side effect symptoms you're experiencing. They get questions like this all the time and this is part of what they are there for.
posted by aka burlap at 9:18 AM on December 4, 2018 [11 favorites]

Venlafaxine is particularly difficult when changing doses, so I understand if you're having upsetting consequences. But one extra pill isn't going to hurt you, and the side effects will subside shortly. Do take the next pill at its normal time.
posted by ubiquity at 9:18 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Another option is to call your pharmacist - I've had pretty good luck with pharmacists on this sort of question.
posted by bunderful at 9:32 AM on December 4, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks for the help I was able to contact my local health care nurse. Seems like I will be fine unless my symptoms worsen outside the normal range.
posted by winterportage at 9:48 AM on December 4, 2018 [5 favorites]

I have done this exact thing at this exact dose though I took it in the mornings. I experienced lightheadedness, panicked (that was just me!) and then I was fine a few hours later. I talked to a nurse and she said taking my next dose on time would be fine.

Venlaflaxine missing/doubling a dose affected me very strongly. Hugs, I know it's scary.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 10:00 AM on December 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

You should also read this related question about stopping taking Effexor: https://ask.metafilter.com/325914/Tapering-weaning-off-Effexor-XR-Venlafaxine-Placebo-or-sensitivity

When I took this drug, I was not warned at all it might be difficult to stop taking it. I also had to count out the individual pellets in the capsule to very slowly taper off.
posted by xammerboy at 1:44 PM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Oh, yeah, extra SSRI? Unpleasant but fine. In general, it is pretty difficult to overdose on an SSRI by itself. However, the side effects (and as mentioned upthread, the withdrawal) do suck.
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:45 PM on December 4, 2018

fiercecupcake, Venlafaxine is an SNRI.
posted by ellieBOA at 2:16 PM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]