"i started taking effexor xr about 10 years ago, for those last 10 years i have struggled with ibs-d. i would like to go off this drug but it has terrible withdrawal symptoms, and i&#039;ve read the withdrawal can last for years after getting off this drug. when i read that people were taking the medication i think is causing my ibs to treat their ibs i was shocked. i&#039;m glad if it works for them, but i wish i had never taken this drug."