I was on Effexor for a little over a year and my p-doc had to put me on it twice a day because I would get shaky and lightheaded if it wasnt in my system for even an hour. I gained about 20 pounds on it and it was REALLY hard to get off it. I had VERY bad withdrawal from it. But that was just my experience with it. Hope I helped a little. <font color="red"> </font>