"i was on the lowest dose of effexor xr and loved how i felt -- it just took the edge off of everything and made me less irritable and more easygoing.  what i didn&#039;t like is the 40lb weight gain and increased blood pressure that came with it.  my blood pressure went back to normal when i quit taking it, but getting the weight off is a real struggle.  i&#039;m doing weight watchers and working with a trainer twice a week (plus doing cardio on other days) and the weight is coming off slowly.  before effexor, i could easily drop 10lbs doing weight watchers only.  so, yeah, i think it killed my metabolism.  although i really liked how i felt and functioned, i wouldn&#039;t have taken it if i&#039;d known about the [seemingly permanent] weight gain."