Effexor is well known for having nasty withdrawl side effects, so any attempt to go off of it should be done with a Dr's supervision and tapered very slowly. I'm usually ok if I miss a dose for a day or two, but any longer than that and i feel really crappy.

Other med options. I also take Celexa and it seems to help a bit with anxiety, Effexor for me works great on controlling my depression but does nothing for my anxiety.

For anxiety, I take a benzo - clonazapam. I know there a kind of controversial class of drugs because they are highly addictive, but I find it works wonders for me. And I take it regularly throughout the day as prescribed by my dr.

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