Effexor backfired on me in a really scary way. I was switched to Lamictal and have been depression-free for a full year now. I went from lifelong cyclic depression that Effexor never really worked for, into severe depression that both I and my doctor concluded was being driven by the Effexor itself (a rare but documented reaction). Since Lamictal requires a stepping up period and my severe depression quickly ebbed after stopping the Effexor, I can't really determine how much of my recovery was due to removing the drug driving it and how much is owed to Lamictal. But because cyclical depression had been my norm and that's cleared up as well, I plan on remaining on Lamictal for the foreseeable future because I've been in such a good place for so long now.