Funny... I was completely opposite. Effexor helped with my anxiety but did little for my depression. My highest dosage was 150 mg for 8 weeks before my doctor wanted to try something else. Now I'm on Pristiq and Ativan which I'm getting to dislike more and more. Pristiq gives me headaches and Ativan makes me feel like a zombie. As far as other drugs go, I didn't feel like Cymbalta helped me at all and I liked Lexapro except for the unfortunate side effect of weight gain. I guess I'll just keep on trucking until I find something that works best with my brain chemistry.