Well, I am not only a past Effexor user, I also work in the mantal health field. I used Effexor for over three years, mainly becuase I did not want to go off due to the side effect of stopping. I am now on about 50 days of not taking the med and I still have vertigo and spaciness daily. However, I have heard form clients and the verdict I ahve found is that other than Effexor and PAxil, the others have little or no side effects. So, try something else that has been around a while and side effects are known !