Effexor is demon drug

[panic_down_under]

I tried Effexor for 3 weeks and had to stop. It harms REM sleep quickly and I think it can cause brain damage. It almost killed me

to NMP,

Most antidepressants (ADs) can affect REM sleep, especially at the beginning (as may anxiety and depression). This is not a sign of brain damage. In fact ADs work by repairing the damage high brain stress hormone levels do to the hippocampal regions of the brain by stimulating the growth of new brain cells. see: Depression and the Birth and Death of Brain Cells (PDF) and How antidepressant drugs act.

Abilify also did not work for me, it caused my mind to slip.

Antipsychotics are contraindicated for most anxiety disorders, particularly GAD and Panic Disorder.

I'm taking Clonazepam now and doing much better. it works for me.

The benzodiazepines can be very effective anti anxiety meds in the short term, but in the slightly longer term they actually make things worse and also reduce the effectiveness of ADs. They have the same effect on hippocampal neurogenesis as stress hormones do, see: Boldrini M, 2014; Nochi R, 2013; Sun Y, 2013; Song J, 2012; Wu X, 2009; Stefovska VG, 2008.

Antidepressants are a much better option, however, SNRIs can produce both more severe initial side-effects and withdrawal when stopping them. Imo, the older serotonergic tricyclic class antidepressants (TCAs) are generally the better choice if both serotonin and noradrenaline, aka norepinephrine, reuptake inhibition is desired.