"i have had some level of depression for decades.  also have some form of anxiety i have never understood as to why, pg calls it social anxiety. after being prescribed a series of anti-depressants for years i landed on venlafaxine and have been taking it for 20 years 150 mg by gp  tried to stop gradually as gp required but found i must need it due to a chemical imbalance rather than a life situation.  only one minor side effect is dizziness. can avoid this by eating something and drinking a full glass of water when taking it.  drink minimum 6-8 glasses of water a day, more if needed as this will also alleviate dizziness.  i don&#039;t know how helpful it would be if my life fell apart completely.  but it has worked fine for me all these years."