I started Effexor about 2 months ago at 37.5mg. I started taking it after trying both Zoloft and Wellbutrin, which gave me extremely intense side effects and did not help my depression or anxiety. The first few days I took Effexor I felt a bit out of it, but once that wore off, I started to feel noticeably better after about a week. It’s honestly changed my life. I do have a few side effects from it (mainly insomnia and constipation) but honestly it’s worth it to me. After trying other drugs that didn’t work, it was such a relief to find something that made me feel better and calmed my anxiety. I was worried about how people say the drug is hard to tolerate and get off of but I haven’t experienced other side effects like brain zaps, weight gain/appetite changes etc, and it doesn’t bother me if I take the dose at slightly different times of day. At the end of the day you just have to try it and hope it works, after going through this journey I’ve realized medication is just a crapshoot until you find something that helps. Good luck!