Just a word of warning. Different people react differently to different medications. Whilst Effexor (Venlafaxine) may be really helpful for some people others might find it unhelpful. My personal experience of Venlafaxine was that I couldn't cope with the side effects after 6 months but experienced nightmare withdrawal symptoms. There are some scary stories out there about these withdrawal symptoms but I think they are overdone; although bad they do go after a couple of weeks. BUT we should be careful about recommending meds. without the benefit of medical advice.