Effexor caused problems for me. I was given my first dose while inpatient. Within an hour, my anxiety started ramping up. I told the docs, and they insisted it couldn't be related to the Effexor. For the last 3 years, I've been a diligent, compliant patient and taken it every morning. And every day for 3 years, I have experienced increasing anxiety and hypervigilance within an hour of taking it. I've saw 4 different p-docs, and told all of them, and they all said the same thing: "Effexor HELPS anxiety and hypervigilance, it doesn't increase it." I just started seeing a doc who was the director of an inpatient trauma unit for quite a few years. He says that in the psych world, a lot of docs call it "Side-Effexor" as it has so many side effects. And that for some people, taking Effexor is akin to taking high doses of speed. He feels that given the pattern, a lot of my anxiety and the insane insomnia are due to my body's reaction to the Effexor. I'm in the process of tapering off. So far, I'm not noticing any effects from the taper, but we're doing it over 3 weeks so it's fairly gradual. My doc described the brain zaps, and said that along with those I can expect increased anxiety, depression, self-destructive urges and thoughts, and flu-like symptoms. I wasn't depressed or intensely emotional before they started me on the Effexor, and I never noticed any positive difference from it. I wish I would have done a better job advocating for myself when they first started me on it.
As with all meds, personal experiences will very HUGELY from person to person. Some meds will work, some won't. Feeling like your emotions are a bit more stable is a good sign - maybe this medication will be a good fit for you. Stay in contact with your doc, and communicate openly and honestly with him/her. I hope you are able to find the best fit for you (and that might very well be the Effexor).
