Hi there,

I've been on Effexor xr for about ten years. Over that time. the dosage has been increased a few times and I now take 225mg a day. It works really well for me most of the time and I've had no side effects from taking it. The only problem I've had with it is if I've run out and haven't been able to take it for a few days. The physical withdrawals from the drug are horrible to go through, and gradually get worse the longer you are off it. They are called "brain shivers" which is a really good description because that's exactly what it feels like. You won't read about them though on the information sheet you get in the packet. They do get better once you start taking it again and the chemical imbalance is back in order. I've found too that, under severe times of stress or anxiety, the drug will wear off early and brain shivers will set in, so I take the next dose early.

I hope this helps, take care,