FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

EFFEXOR XR may cause serious side effects, including:

• Increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions. EFFEXOR XR and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts and actions in some children, adolescents, and young adults, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. EFFEXOR XR is not for use in children.
• Depression or other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions.

How can I watch for and try to prevent suicidal thoughts and actions in myself or a family member?

• Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when an antidepressant medicine is started or when the dose is changed.
• Call your healthcare provider right away to report new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings.
• Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you have concerns about symptoms.

Call your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you or a family member have any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:

• attempts to commit suicide
• acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
• new or worse depression
• panic attacks
• new or worse irritability
• an extreme increase in activity or talking (mania)
• thoughts about suicide or dying
• acting on dangerous impulses
• new or worse anxiety
• feeling very agitated or restless
• trouble sleeping
• other unusual changes in behavior or mood

Here are 3 suggested tips to help make sure you receive brand-name EFFEXOR XR and not a generic:

1. At your doctor’s office: Ask your doctor to prescribe brand-name EFFEXOR XR and to indicate “DAW” (Dispense As Written)—or the language used in your state—on all of your EFFEXOR XR prescriptions.
2. At your pharmacy’s drop-off: Tell the pharmacist that you want brand-name EFFEXOR XR—and be sure to use the EFFEXOR XR Savings Card. The EFFEXOR XR Savings Card can only be used with brand-name EFFEXOR XR.
3. At your pharmacy’s pick-up: Check your pills to be sure they’re brand-name EFFEXOR XR—not the generic—and also check that you’ve saved on your prescription.

Talk to your doctor and/or your pharmacist to ask if you should be getting brand-name EFFEXOR XR. For tips on having that conversation, download the Pharmacy Tip Sheet.

Check your pills for the distinctive shape and markings of brand-name EFFEXOR XR.

The EFFEXOR XR Savings Card allows eligible patients to pay as little as $4 every time they get a 30-day fill of brand-name EFFEXOR XR—and could save up to $1,800 a year. If you have a prescription for brand-name EFFEXOR XR, you can use the card for every fill through December 31, 2023.*

*Terms and conditions apply.

There are 2 ways to use the card immediately. Once you’ve activated your Savings Card, you can either:

• Bring a printed copy of it to the pharmacy
• Show it to your pharmacist on your phone

You can keep this card with you and continue to save on each fill for EFFEXOR XR through December 31, 2023.

To be eligible to use an EFFEXOR XR Savings Card, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Not be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or any other federal or state healthcare programs

To learn the full details of who is eligible, please see the full Terms and Conditions.

To get a Savings Card, register here and then download your card or have it sent to you via mail, email, or text.

You can activate your Savings Card here.

Yes. We’ll reimburse you for the cost of your prescription over and above your eligible cost up to the maximum savings amount set forth in the Savings Card Terms and Conditions. Simply pay for your EFFEXOR XR prescription and mail a copy of your original pharmacy receipt (cash register receipt NOT valid) with product name, date, and amount circled to:

EFFEXOR XR Savings Offer
2250 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 300
Morrisville, NC 27560

Please be sure to include a copy of the front of your EFFEXOR XR Savings Card, your name, and your mailing address. All rebate submissions will be processed within 10 to 14 business days of the date we receive your information.

EFFEXOR XR should be taken exactly as prescribed. Your doctor may need to adjust your dosage of EFFEXOR XR until it is the right dose for you; do not change your dose or stop taking EFFEXOR XR without consulting your physician.

• Take a single dose of EFFEXOR XR with food at about the same time every day, in the morning or in the evening
• The capsule should be swallowed whole with fluid; it should not be divided, crushed, chewed, or placed in water
• It can also be administered by carefully opening the capsule and sprinkling its contents onto a spoonful of applesauce. This mixture should be swallowed immediately, without chewing, and followed by a glass of water
• If you take too much EFFEXOR XR, call healthcare provider or poison control center at 1-800-222-1222 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

If you have questions about taking your medication, adjusting your daily dose, or discontinuing treatment with EFFEXOR XR, speak with your doctor.

If you take too much EFFEXOR XR, call your doctor or poison control center or seek emergency treatment immediately.

Suddenly stopping EFFEXOR XR may cause you to have serious side effects. Your healthcare provider may want to decrease your dose slowly. Symptoms may include:

• dizziness
• irritability and agitation
• anxiety
• sweating
• seizures
• ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
• nausea
• problems sleeping
• tiredness
• confusion
• electric shock sensation (paresthesia)
• headache
• diarrhea
• abnormal dreams
• changes in your mood
• hypomania

Do not start or stop any other medicines during treatment with EFFEXOR XR without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping EFFEXOR XR suddenly may cause you to have serious side effects. See, “What are the possible side effects of EFFEXOR XR?”

If you and your doctor have made the decision to discontinue treatment, gradually reducing the dose is recommended rather than abruptly stopping your medication. To successfully taper you off treatment with EFFEXOR XR and avoid discontinuation symptoms, your physician should slowly decrease your daily dose and carefully monitor you for symptoms.

• See "What is the most important information I should know about EFFEXOR XR?"

EFFEXOR XR may cause serious side effects, including:

• Serotonin syndrome. Taking EFFEXOR XR can cause a potentially life-threatening problem called serotonin syndrome. The risk of developing serotonin syndrome is increased when EFFEXOR XR it taken with certain other medicines. See, "Do not take EFFEXOR XR if you:" Stop taking EFFEXOR XR and call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome:
  • agitation
  • confusion
  • fast heartbeat
  • dizziness
  • flushing
  • tremors, stiff muscles, or muscle twitching
  • seizures
  • seeing or hearing things that are not real (hallucinations)
  • coma
  • changes in blood pressure
  • sweating
  • high body temperature (hyperthermia)
  • loss of coordination
  • nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Increases in blood pressure. Your healthcare provider should check your blood pressure before starting treatment and regularly during treatment with EFFEXOR XR. If you have high blood pressure, it should be controlled before you start treatment with EFFEXOR XR.
• Increased risk of bleeding. Taking EFFEXOR XR with aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or blood thinners may add to this risk. Tell your healthcare provider right away about any unusual bleeding or bruising.
• Eye problems (angle-closure glaucoma). EFFEXOR XR may cause a certain type of eye problem called angle-closure glaucoma. You may want to undergo an eye examination to see if you are at risk and receive preventative treatment if you are. Call your healthcare provider if you have eye pain, changes in your vision, or swelling or redness in or around the eye.
• Manic episodes. Manic episodes may happen in people with bipolar disorder who take EFFEXOR XR. Symptoms may include:
  • greatly increased energy
  • racing thoughts
  • unusually grand ideas
  • talking more or faster than usual
  • severe trouble sleeping
  • reckless behavior
  • excessive happiness or irritability
• Discontinuation syndrome. Suddenly stopping EFFEXOR XR may cause you to have serious side effects. Your healthcare provider may want to decrease your dose slowly. Symptoms may include:
  • dizziness
  • irritability and agitation
  • anxiety
  • sweating
  • seizures
  • ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
  • nausea
  • problems sleeping
  • tiredness
  • confusion
  • electric shock sensation (paresthesia)
  • headache
  • diarrhea
  • abnormal dreams
  • changes in your mood
  • hypomania
• Seizures (convulsions).
• Low sodium levels in your blood (hyponatremia). Low sodium levels can happen during treatment with EFFEXOR XR. Low sodium levels in your blood may be serious and may cause death. Elderly people may be at greater risk for this. Signs and Symptoms of low sodium levels in your blood may include:
  • headache
  • difficulty concentrating
  • memory changes
  • confusion
  • weakness and unsteadiness on your feet which can lead to falls
In severe or more sudden cases, signs and symptoms include:
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real)
• fainting
• seizures
• coma
• respiratory arrest
• Lung problems. Some people who have taken the medicine venlafaxine which is the same kind of medicine as the medicine in EFFEXOR XR have had lung problems. Symptoms of lung problems include difficulty breathing, cough, or chest discomfort. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms.
• Sexual problems (dysfunction). Taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), including EFFEXOR XR, may cause sexual problems. Symptoms in males may include:
  • delayed ejaculation or inability to have an ejaculation
  • decreased sex drive
  • problems getting or keeping an erection
• Symptoms in females may include:
  • decreased sex drive
  • delayed orgasm or inability to have an orgasm

Talk to your healthcare provider if you develop any changes in your sexual function or if you have any questions or concerns about sexual problems during treatment with EFFEXOR XR. There may be treatments your healthcare provider can suggest.

Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking EFFEXOR XR if you develop serious side effects during treatment with EFFEXOR XR.

• nausea
• dry mouth
• male and female sexual problems
• loss of appetite (anorexia)
• sleepiness
• sweating
• constipation

These are not all the possible side effects of EFFEXOR XR.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at
1-800-FDA-1088.

It is important to be aware of the possible side effects when taking any medication. Be sure to tell your doctor if you experience any side effects.

The most common side effects of EFFEXOR XR include:

• nausea
• dry mouth
• male and female sexual problems
• loss of appetite (anorexia)
• sleepiness
• sweating
• constipation

These are not all the possible side effects of EFFEXOR XR. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.