Effexor XR

Effexor (Venlafaxine) is an oral antidepressant medication. Effexor belongs to potent inhibitors and is considered to play an important part in the pathophysiology of depression, because it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine-two neurotransmitters. The medication corrects the imbalanced quantity of the two chemicals and helps in relieving symptoms of depression.

How Taken

Effexor is a capsule taken orally. As a rule it is taken daily with some food. You should swallowed the whole capsule with fluid without dividing, crushing, chewing or placing it in water. If the doctor recommends you, it may be taken after opening the capsule and emptying its entire contents into a spoonful of applesauce. Swallow the drug or food mixture immediately and washed it down with a glass of water to make sure you swallowed the pellet completely.

Drug Class and Mechanism

Venlafaxine belongs to a new class of anti-depressant medicines affecting chemical messengers in human brain. These chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, are serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. All neurotransmitters are produced and released by our nerve cells. The neurotransmitters effect the nearby nerve cells and result in increasing or decreasing their activity. A lot of experts state that neurotransmitter imbalance causes depression and also may cause anxiety. Venlafaxine works by slowing down the neurotransmitter release and averting its effect. Venlafaxine is also available as Effexor XR – an extended release formulation.