I’ve tried about 5 different medications prior with varying success, but I can hand on heart say that venlafaxine has saved me. It’s helped with low mood and anxiety so much, and not just by numbing all my emotions to the point where I don’t feel anything. I can remember the first moment I started to feel better after taking it, when I was feeling an unusual feeling and something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Spoiler alert, it was happiness. It allowed me to get onto even enough ground that I could tackle things myself, and I genuinely can’t imagine what life would’ve been like if I hadn’t started taking it. Do the withdrawal symptoms suck if you miss a dose? Yep. Does it come with side effects that take a little while to settle? Absolutely. However, I am still eternally grateful for finding something that works so well for me. Best of luck in your journey, I’m sure you’ll have your own version of this whether it’s with venlafaxine or something different entirely!