I was given Venlafaxine after a forced withdrawal from Ativan by a shrink, both caused me to attempt suicide and I was hospitalised . On my release I fired them in the first sewer drain I found. If you are off Venlafaxine then 5HTP is a good cover med, its not strong but help,s with withdrawal but don't take it while still on VEN. The withdrawal was so bad for most that a web site , venlafaxine .org was set up to help people in trouble but that's defunked now but im still in touch with the founder. It was famed for the biggest suicide side effect of any med at one time, and you were monitored by your GP weekly till things were deemed safe. NOT a front line AD anymore used more if ssri,s don't work. In fact the nurse in the hospital that gave out meds said , its a long time since i gave these to a patient and that was 6 years ago , still use though.