I have experienced depression and anxiety - mostly social anxiety since my late teens. At the age of 30 I read the ads for Paxil and thought it sounded exactly like what I needed. I took Paxil for close to 2 yrs - it definitely helped my depression and anxiety - I felt so much better, happier, more self confident, more expecting of myself. The only side effect (and this is major) is that I gained 50 lbs. I'm not exaggerating - 50 lbs.
So after gaining all this weight, I told my Doctor I'd like to try another anti-depressant that wasn't associated with weight gain. He switched me to Effexor. Effexor is wonderful. I love the way it makes me feel. I am able to focus on what is important in life and let all those usual worries and negative thoughts 'go.' I have not lost the 50 lbs, nor have I gained any more weight. I increased the dosage of Effexor up to 150 after taking it for about 1 year.
For about 2 months I was in a literal state of Euphoria. I was almost manic-ly happy. My libido/sex drive increased dramatically - which was a great thing for a change ,-) I didn't mind it at all. After the initial 2 months this state of Euphoria levels off and I'm feeling fine. The side effects are mild, strange dreams, the 'jolties' and mild dizziness -- but all of these side effects are only in the beginning -- they all went away for me. I have no plans of going off of it - I don't see a reason to do so.
