I suppose I shouldn't complain but... I started taking Effexor again in January after having been off of it (& in succession tried Remeron and Paxil) since fall 2001. I recently switched from 225mg XR to 125mg IR 2 times/day. The highest dose I took back in 2001 was 112.5 or 150 mg IR once a day. On the positive side, I have less side effects: I can take my morning dose without food, which I couldn't do before without feeling headachey and a little queasy. On the down side, I find it much less effective in controlling my depression. I do okay (not great) most days, but weekends especially before and during my period are very bad. I spent much of Saturday and part of Sunday morning crying. I have spoken to my doc about the differences & he said that the lack of side effects was due to my body handling it better. I find it weird that I'm taking twice as much as I did then and getting less results in my depressive symptoms. Anyone have similar experiences?