# Undisgested Effexor XR?



## Catastrophizer (Aug 23, 2010)

...


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## MindOverMood (Dec 12, 2009)

I'm not disgusted at all, probably because I'm weird like that..

This does sound quite strange, your best bet would be to ask your Doctor/Pharmacist. I'm sure they have heard it all. If not it's not being digested, it's a total waste of the medication.


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

I actually have that problem with a lot of pills all of a sudden. I've started grinding most of them because my digestive tract is completely inefficient and I'm actually seeing another specialist about that. However it is more likely for someone to be passing the filler ingredients to a pill which is often undigestible but if you are having withdrawal symptoms and taking insane doses of stuff with no effect like I've been it's possible you are not digesting the pill at all. I'm switching to dissolving oral tablets of everything possible but unfortunately the antipsychotics I am willing to take only come in plain tablet and I found out that when ground seroquel numbs every tissue it touches so my whole mouth and even throat go numb for about 30mins. Kind of concerns me sometimes since I have trouble swallowing. Lately I've been taking my 100mg in tablets, waiting to see if it does anything, and then the 50mg that I always take 30-60mins later I either grind or take the whole tablet depending how much effect I get. It used to be just 25-50mg of seroquel would cause side effects and help me sleep until I started having these weird digestive tract problems. Now half the time I get none of my nightly side effects (breathing problems) from my seroquel and I'm having to take 5 or 6 medications with it to get any good effects. Doctors keep asking me how I'm walking around on everything I'm taking and I've decided after comparing the dosages that used to work I'm not digesting 3/4ths of it.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

I've seen in the information papers that I've gotten with some of the XR medication I've taken that it says you may see the tablet shell in your stool. I was on generic Effexor XR before, I can't remember if something was written about that in there. I know for sure it was mentioned for Wellbutrin, although I never actually seen this happen to me. 

Did your generic brand change at all? I'm pretty sure the info they give you is generic to the drug, and perhaps this happens with certain release mechanisms and not others, as they usually are different between brand and generic, and generic to generic.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Do you eat anything when you swallow it ?


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

If the capsule shells the problem, you can open the capsule up and sprinkle the beads out and take them. It's the white beads inside the Effexor-XR capsules which are time released and not the capsule shell itself so it's ok to do this.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

Yeah I used to get the little white beeds in the toilet too. It just happens.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

NoSocialButterfly said:


> These aren't white beads, it's the entire pill. And they aren't capsules with the medicine in them, they are whole, solid pills. It's so strange.


Never heard of/seen that formulation of Effexor XR before. Wish I could be more of help. Sorry.. Soon I should be back to work in a pharmacy and I'll see all the latest pills and what they look like whether they be brand name or generic, woot!


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## Sick Boy Rick (Sep 11, 2012)

I know this thread is a couple years old but I came across it while doing my own research on this embarassing subject. A little history on me. Ive taken Effexor, Cymbalta, etc. I was changed to the generic Effexor XR 225mg about six months ago. Up until a couple weeks ago I was doing fairly well for me. I started having some pretty nasty mood swings, headaches, and feeling like I had been hit by a bus. Yesterday afternoon I happened to look in the toilet after flushing. I noticed a round, semi-white round object. I thought, this is strange! So, here comes the really gross part, I pulled it out and inspected it. It turned out to be one of my generic Effexor pills still in tact. I have seen an opened capsule or two when I was on the name brand. But this one was in tact. I started to mess with it and i got it opened. And just like No Social Butterfly, it was filled with little white beads. I was wondering if I was nuts or what the hell was going on. I typically take my med at night before bedtime, as my MD has advised. I tend to not drink a lot of water or diet soda before crashing since I dont wanna be up peeing all night. I am going to try drinking a little more water and taking it a little earlier than usual to see if this clears it up. No Social Butterfly, you are not alone and I am in the same boat as you.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

I've never thought of this until I read this thread but yeah, When I was on the 225 mg generic Venlafaxine XR pills I noticed that a few times too. The Generic 225 mg XR tablets are very hard pills. They must just have difficult for people to digest under some circumstances.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

I think it's because they are time release medications. 
Can't say I am one who looks at my poop after extraction but I was reading earlier in a pristiq thread and someone was complaining of the same thing. Time release medications stay in your system undissolved but it's still doing it's job


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## ragnarok (Jun 10, 2012)

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but this was the best place I could find on the topic through google and since I have an account here anyway...

So last night I found a completely un-digested 150mg venlafaxine pill in my ****. It wasn't just the shell, it was the complete hard, round pill. I broke it in half and it was still filled completely. How come I didn't digest it? I'm worried this might happen in the future (or has happened in the past and I didn't know) and will effect the treatment (as it actually seems to be having a measurable effect) 

They're venlafaxine extended release pills, should I crush them up and then swallow the powder, since my stomach seems unable to eat away at them all of a sudden? I'm going to bring it up with my doctor on saturday when I see him anyway, but wanted to see if I could find an answer sooner.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Possibly some fault in the generic company's extended release formulation, they can't copy effexor xrs extended release bead technology even though effexor xrs gone generic.
The same issue will occur with concerta once it goes generic, some controlled release mechanisms are patent protected independently from the drug itself.


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## ragnarok (Jun 10, 2012)

jim_morrison said:


> Possibly some fault in the generic company's extended release formulation, they can't copy effexor xrs extended release bead technology even though effexor xrs gone generic.
> The same issue will occur with concerta once it goes generic, some controlled release mechanisms are patent protected independently from the drug itself.


Interesting, thanks for the info, although it doesn't help my current problem hehe

I've not heard of Concerta before, is it another strong SNRI like venla? I'm going to google it now anyway..

Edit: not really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate

Edit2: I just broke a pill in half and swallowed both halves, I figure that way at least the stuff inside is 'open' and free to be absorbed rather than stuck inside the hard shell of the pill.


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## boostinggtir (May 27, 2011)

I suspect many people have issues stemming from a disused an inflamed digestive tracts anyway, so it's not surprising to me when SOME of these garbage meds are thrown at them that the simply reiterate that fact.


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## wujekcity (Mar 16, 2015)

same problem!!! i recently switched over to the generic! I was in the bathroom finishing up and felt what I thought was some type of object .....I normally dont look closer but I felt this time it warranted it! I saw what was basically an entire pill!!!!!!! Is this normal? it seems that I am not the only one but it does seem rare! now I am going to have to monitor my poops to see if it is in my stool! I dont want to waste the meds!!!


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## ahanc (Mar 27, 2015)

*Generic Effexor / Venlafaxine not being digested*

I have been having the same issue. After reading this thread, I am going to report this to the FDA and encourage everyone to do the same.

I have been taking the generic effexor 150mg twice a day. I started to notice white dots in my stool several weeks ago. I didn't think too much about it, just figured a few of the 'beads' from the generic effexor capsule probably always make it through. But then i started paying more attention, and realized that there were 10-20 whole, white beads every time I had a bowel movement.

I finally called my doctor and asked to be switched from the extended release to normal pills. It has been 36 hours since I made the switch, and I am still seeing a few of the white beads coming through. I wonder how long it will take to flush all of those out of my system?

The good news, my depression has been pretty bad for months, but after just 3 days of taking the pill-form, I am starting to notice a difference. I have had 2 good nights of sleep, which I have had for months. I am also starting to feel a small 'tug' inside, telling me to go outside. I haven't left my house for months. I can't wait until the effexor pills take full effect.

btw, thank you for this site, just found it today by searching for 'effexor xr not being digested'.


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## SSRIManiac (Jun 14, 2014)

It gets worse! All of a sudden they started coming out with these ER Effexor tablets that aren't the same as the XR capsules. I don't know who came up with this idea, but it's quite disturbing the fact they're allowed to do this and keep playing with consumers health, plus they keep changing generic pharmaceuticals like every 6-12 months it's like popping a new pill each time you go to the pharmacy.

Effexor XR was designed as an extended release capsule NOT tablet, it's not Pristiq. I have read reports of people even crapping the tablets out..

The FDA is a joke in my opinion, but if you want to make a report then do it. Also you can request that your pharmacy gets a specific generic type of medication instead of paying brand which is too expensive.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Just got prescribed this generic effexor er


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## BluRose158 (Nov 12, 2016)

I notice that is post is a few years old, but I'm just recently having this type of problem and there is great feedback in this thread. My issue is that I've been taking Venlafaxine 237.something mgs for a few years now and haven't had this issue yet. Within the last week, it was upped another 37.something mgs and the last 2 days I've seen the little bead type things. I scared myself into thinking it was a parasite but then I saw that this is a thing that happens, so it could be the meds... But::why would it just start happening now? Because I'm taking more now? Or could it actually be something worse? 
Thanks in advance for any feedback you may have!


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## VickiS (May 11, 2017)

*Me too*

I have noticed the past few weeks occasions where there is a whole undigested tablet (generic) in my stools too. I wondered about it so fished it out and inspected it. The casing is super tough and once broken, the inside is powder so obvious to me that none of the meds actually got out and into my system. I found it very hard to break open so I can't imagine how my body would achieve this task.

I am going to mention it to my GP.


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## forever in flux (Nov 26, 2016)

I used to take venlafaxine and noticed the same thing. It was working fine though - well in my system but not doing much for my mood unfortunately.

Venlafaxine XR tablets are designed to slowly leak through a tiny whole in the tablet but the outer shell is undigested and is released into the towel bowl


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## watertouch (Nov 4, 2013)

What manufactor of the venlafaxine is it, and is it IR or XR?
Usually the venlafaxine capsuals (i have looked up 3different generics, and orgbrand Effexor) has a shell made of gelatine

usually
_Capsual shell:_ gelatin, red and yellow ironoxide (E172), titandioxid (E171)

It sounds really weird that its not been dissolved.


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## brealair (Aug 31, 2008)

So I'm not the only one lol. After wiping myself sometimes i see the beads. I figured it wasn't a big deal. Effexor does seem to be helping me and even got me to stop drinking.


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## gracesnanny71 (7 mo ago)

rustybob said:


> I've seen in the information papers that I've gotten with some of the XR medication I've taken that it says you may see the tablet shell in your stool. I was on generic Effexor XR before, I can't remember if something was written about that in there. I know for sure it was mentioned for Wellbutrin, although I never actually seen this happen to me.
> 
> Did your generic brand change at all? I'm pretty sure the info they give you is generic to the drug, and perhaps this happens with certain release mechanisms and not others, as they usually are different between brand and generic, and generic to generic.


I've been having the same problem,they say it's the empty shells in your poop,but disgusting as it sounds in my case they are not empty.


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