###Human: Is Effexor safe for chronic anxiety? ###Assistant: Hi. Effexor (Venlafaxine) is SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) class of drug that is used to treat depression, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. This drug is helpful in managing your problem but as you mentioned it has few side effects but usually go away with time and when you try to stop it, you need to slowly taper its dose and then stop. If you stop it suddenly without tapering the doses it causes the discontinuation symptoms as mentioned by you. A similar drug called Desvenlafaxine or drug from SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class like Paroxetine or Escitalopram are also good alternatives for you. So discuss side effects of these and then decide which drug suits you better, as the efficacy of these drugs is almost equal but side effects are different, so based on side effects profile you need to choose your drug. Hope this clarifies your concern. For more information consult a psychiatrist online -->