"i&#039;ve been taking venlafaxine xr (the generic version of effexor xr) for exactly one month now and i can honestly say that i haven&#039;t felt this normal in a long, long time. i started out taking 37.5 mg for seven days, and then my dose was increased to 75 mg where it has thus far remained.  upon start up i had no adverse side effects other than fatigue.  i take my pill every night with dinner, and although i do have trouble sleeping at times, it is not consistent.  i was also given a prescription for 0.5 mg lorazepam as a &quot;bridging&quot; medication to take only when needed.  overall i would recommend venlafaxine.  don&#039;t believe all the scary things you read about it. i was scared too but quite honestly i feel it has improved my life."