I am actually a meaner, more irritatable person when I am on effexor. When i went tgrough withdrawal i felt terrible but my mood was better somehow, if that makes any sense. But the symptoms were so bad I reinstated and now im back to my hateful self, lol. So I'm wondering if this is due to the medication and not my true personality. All i know is that something needs to change and I'm running out of what little patience i have. I started my taper in sept 2018 and so its been over a year now that I'm dealing with it.