Ronnie - I think that docs didn't warn those of us who have been on Effexor for a long time - simply because there wasn't enough clinical data out there to show that there are problems. Prescribers (many of whom are PCPs as opposed to psychiatrists/psychopharms) found that the SNRI's worked well in patients who didn't respond to the SSRIs....but there wasn't enough experience in patients coming off the drugs.

I remember back in '03 or so, issues with the atypical antipsychotics (high cholesterol, weight gain, hypertension, diabetes) had on many patients started to come together. The atypical antipsychotics - the ones that we now see lots of advertisements for under the banner of "when your antidepressant isn't working - add XYZ" - are a huge improvement over older antipsychotics - but now doctors know that these drugs are not without their downsides.