"i have been on effexor xr for about 3 months now (75mg), and it&#039;s done a great job of controlling my anxiety. for the first couple of days, my anxiety skyrocketed, but i supplemented with ativan to help with that. then on the third day, i woke up and felt totally normal. it does make me a bit tired, but i also sleep better - and i do have very vivid dreams at times (not scary, just vivid). also makes me a bit apathetic, but it&#039;s better than living in a constant state of anxiety.  i&#039;d had bad reactions to lexapro and zoloft, so i was happy to find something that worked. i hope to come off someday, but for now, it&#039;s giving me what i need."