"i had a nervous breakdown when i was 38, i literally felt as if i was going out of my mind. i had gotten pregnant when i was 21 and had terminated the pregnancy. i had a few years of depression with no meds . i left my husband and two children and went and stayed with my sister. she promptly took me to a psychiatrist that put me on effexor xr 75 mg twice a day. he also gave me xanax to help me with the breakdown. effexor and my dr.  saved my life. i have been on effexor for 22 years. i sometimes feel the depression coming back and i now still have lots of anxiety. but i take my xanax and it helps. i have switched to prozac, brintellix, lexapro . none of them work. i always go back to effexor. i pray daily that god will heal me ."