I did take Effexor XR for awhile and it helped me quite a bit. Unfortunately I could not continue to take it because my insurance did not cover non-generic meds and it was just way too expensive for me.

While the side effects were bothersome, they did level off or subsided completely. The worst was the sweating and sleeplessness. I had to make sure that I took the Effexor XR in the morning so I could hopefully get a decent night's rest. The headaches were also a problem but they were a problem for me before the Effexor XR so I couldn't blame the prescription entirely.