I began taking 75mg of Effexor daily just over a year ago after another antidepressant was exacerbating the condition. Effexor has been a godsend to me. I did not realize how seriously depressed I was until the Effexor began working. For the first time in my life, I feel "normal" and function normally. It's almost as if I have awakened from a bad dream. Anxiety played a big role in my life, and it is now under control, practically non-existent. I have seen many of the comments about side effects, and frankly I have not experienced anything that would cause me to want to get off Effexor--the benefits are too great for me to consider not taking it. On two occasions I have missed my dose, and I became a little light-headed, but this went away within an hour of my taking the medicine again. It is unquestionably a powerful medication, and it might not be for everyone, but I would want to continue taking it even if I knew that it would shorten my life by ten years--that's how much the quality of my life has improved since I began using it!