depression
"Effexor is risky. The years that I took Effexor were fantastic, but the withdrawal symptoms are just as bad as everyone says. In fact, after about three years Effexor stopped working for me out of the blue. There was no controlled withdrawal. My symptoms were the "brain zaps" or an "electric shock" feeling in my head. My mind felt like a skipping record. I was severely depressed and cried all the time. That said, I am now starting to take it again after taking Prozac for several years. Prozac doesn't make me feel as good as Effexor did, so I'm taking it again. Hopefully I'll have another few good years on it before I have to push through withdrawal."