I left the house like four or five times a week at the most as a 16 year old. Effexor has destroyed my life. Honestly shame on some doctors) I was underage so I didn’t have much of a say, until I moved out of home and had a drastic lifestyle/surrounding change. His medicine was reduced to 75mg capsules without a tapering schedule or doctor monitoring. I'm on Effexor and depakote and a bunch of other stuff. I began having visual problems last week and had an MRI which should a lesion on my right optic nerve. I miss the person I was before I ever got on this death sentence.My life is falling apart so I decided to stop taking Venlafaxine 150 xr. Take literally anything else – I heard the newer medication Pristiq is similar to Effexor without all the debilitating side effects.Hi….ive been on Effexor for 22 yrs now. I am unable to feel happiness, creativity, passion or motivation. I get major withdrawal symptoms like extreme dizziness, headaches. Can’t remember giving birth to my 2son’s either, what sort of mother does that? I wish I would have known there was help back then but at that age you cannot explain it to someone. So didn't expect much from Effexor, but within days of starting daily 37.5 dose, my hot flashes all but disappeared. I’m now trying to quit/wean off the Effexor with the help of my General physician. I think these drugs are bullshit and a way to control the population. Also jaw popping like I was grinding the heck out of my teeth for a few nights. Select one or more newsletters to continue. I could never get down lower than 37.5mg because I couldn’t function without it. This is exactly what happened to me – I was prescribed Effexor for mild depression (all of it situational), was on it for 2 1/2 years, during which time I developed a drinking problem (no issues with alcohol prior, was drinking alcoholically within 3 months of starting the drug), experienced significant cognitive decline and developed major depression. My anxiety went away but I also felt like I just didn’t care about anything. Am incapacitated by severe ongoing vertigo. That said, I am commenting because I, like quite a few others that have posted was diagnosed with ADD, inattentive type at age 20. The doctors seem very reluctant to wean me off it saying that there’s no harm in staying on it. I was told I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and put on Effexor…then Zoloft…..then Paxil…then Wellbutrin…the list goes on and ended with taking Pristiq foir 6 yrs when I did research and determine I needed off of it. I sweat more, sleep less, and have no sex drive, but those are all things I can live with in exchange for the positive effects I get. It makes me sad that I’ve lost memories of travel and milestones.” I’m terrified and excited all at once about it. I have tried several times to wean off it but the withdrawal effects were too horrendous. I had tried to get of many times before but gave up after a few days or so due to the terrible withdrawl symptoms! Held on for my children’s sake. Prozac interfered in my sleep and made me antsy…couldn’t sit still for long. If a doc attempts to prescribe this for you, I would suggest you refuse it.I have been taking venlafaxine for years now and it has done nothing but help me with no brain loss side effects. I didn’t have a good sleep in a decade. My doctor thinks I should stay on it. My issues right now seem to be related to aging. If your gut bacteria is out of whack, so will your serotonin production. “I have been taking Effexor XR (Venlafanxine) at the 150-225mg per day level for 17 years. During those two months I noticed I couldn’t grasp onto words or the names of people. They had no idea why I was feeling the way I was. Both are extended release stimulants that help by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine. I no longer need to take any Xanax.” The worst thing about Venlafexadine is that you just can't quit it. “I’ve been taking Effexor XR for about 8 weeks now and have noticed a pretty great improvement with my general anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks and depression. So many unwanted thoughts and confusion I can’t control and depression. My psychiatrist keep trying drugs for 2 years to make it stop. I can watch a movie and one month later I will have no recollection of having watched that movie.