I am getting confused the more and more I read. I was taking Lexapro for anxiety. It was amazing. I've never felt so good. Stopped my dwelling on things, getting worked up or frazzled eaily etc. Physician suggestion to get off Premarin. Spaced dosage out my last two weeks so it was not abrupt. Noticed it was becoming hard to focus mentally, I'd daydream frequently. Effexor is a dual purpose antidepressant released by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories and approved by the FDA in October 1997. Effexor boosts serotonin levels in the synapse in similar fashion to other SSRI's. User Reviews for Effexor XR. The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care. Paxil was the first SSRI I tried (in 1998) and it worked beautifully for me. Unfortunately, it also made me gain 30 lbs. and I was too sedated, so I was switched to Prozac after a year. I'm not so sure about how SSRI meds like Zoloft might effect the elderly, but this behavior sound serious and I would contact her doctor immidiatly. I have been on effexor for about 2 years now and the same thing happened to me when my insurance was cancelled and I tried to quit suddenly but my symptoms got so bad at one point that I ended up caving and spending the 300+ dollars to have my prescription refilled. I took effexor and buspar together worst time of my life!! I'm 33 year old female was rushed to the ER due to serotonin syndrome never will I take effexor again. Effexor side effects (and this would include other antidepressants as well as Effexor) may cause permanent brain damage. Psychologist Gary Greenberg expressed his concern, citing studies that showed high doses of these drugs cause changes in neurons. I have been on prestiq now for about 8-9 months. Yes, it has helped me tremondously. I have been on so many different med's for depression that I couldn't count them on both hands.