I have been doing some research online and reading about the side effects of effexor. I have been taking 225 mg of effexor for over 2 years now. I have slowly put on 40-45 pounds in that time. I got so frustrated that I stopped taking the drugs about one and a half weeks ago. I have not noticed any side effects, and I thought for sure there would be some physical side effects after being on a high dosage for so long! Any ideas?