"people either love effexor or hate it.  i am on the side of adoration. i am 18 years old and have been taking effexor for 4 years and the change i experienced was amazing.  i have a long family history of depression and a generalized anxiety disorder, and it doesn&#039;t help when you&#039;re trying to go through puberty and are constantly being told that everybody your age is going through the same thing.  the side effects are not pleasant, i used to get headaches, my blood pressure increased (but with exercise it can be managed), and get lightheaded and faint more often.  even with these, i still am happy and am grateful for effexor."