PsychologyAugust 4, 2026

venlafaxine

ven-la-FAK-seen

Definition

A type of medication known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat conditions like social anxiety disorder.

Etymology

The name is a pharmaceutical trademark, derived from the chemical components and structural features of the drug molecule, typical of naming conventions for newer synthetic medications.

In the news

The article mentions venlafaxine as an SNRI medication, noting that experts often view it as less desirable than SSRIs due to inconsistent clinical study results.

Social anxiety disorder: first-line therapy, medication, and comorbid disorders.

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Psychology Today

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