"the side effects are not worth dealing with! i&#039;ve tried this medication twice and while it was the only drug i tried that helped my depression/anxiety, the side effects were killing me. i would feel sick for 3 hours  after every dose, whether i would eat with it or not. it made me constantly hungry during the day. it caused me to be so exhausted and even angry. i finally weened off of this medicine after gaining almost 100 lbs in 5 years (3 years on, 1 year off, 1 year on, now off). i only went back on because i thought the weight gain was my fault and after losing so much of it, swore i&#039;d never gain it back. back on effexor, back came the weight. i feel so much better off this medicine now and wouldn&#039;t recommend this drug to my worst enemy"