"i have been on venlafaxine xr for 8 years (first effexor xr then generic w/o problems). started at 150, then plateaued after about a year, went up to 225 and plateaued again. i have been on 300mg dose for over 5 years. i like this rx a lot. i haven&#039;t tried other antidepressants, i was started on this because it worked for other family members. i know it&#039;s a high dose n some people are shocked, but i find this offensive and more or less stigma about mental illness and meds. i started adderall about 4 years ago and that combination has been incredible for my depression (and adhd). my sex drive recovered 3 months into vfx. the only compliant is when i miss a dose, in which case i have a lot of complaints: migraines, dizzy, tremor, hypersomnia"