need opinions (please)
context: i started effexor as my first antidepressant in august 2025. i started at 37.5mg and slowly increased to 112.5 mg while adding 150mg wellbutrin.
i started an antidepressant for a plethora of reasons including depression, anxiety, social anxiety, and panic attacks. the reason my prescriber chose effexor over other meds is because my most bothersome symptoms were physical anxiety symptoms, and effexor is supposedly really good at treating those. effexor has worked insanely well for my anxiety, and the only reason we added wellbutrin because i wasn’t seeing much improvement in my depression and needed a little motivation boost.
the only downsides i’ve experienced this far are side effects. i only have two really bothersome ones which are night sweats and high blood pressure, and i can’t pinpoint which med is causing what.
fast forward to january, i started experiencing a bunch of personal circumstances, and they just kept coming, and coming, and coming, and my mood really took a hit from this. since then i’ve been feeling more depressed and extremely unmotivated. i started seeing a different practitioner within the same practice (only because she specializes in psych) and at my first appointment yesterday, she immediately suggested that i taper off effexor and start lexapro. i agreed, because i’m not really one to argue with my doctors, but now i’m really second-guessing this decision.
it’s not even the withdrawal process that i’m terrified of. i’m just terrified of starting over and losing my progress. effexor has literally been a miracle drug for me, prior to starting medications i didn’t know it was possible to feel as good and anxiety-free as i do. like i said, the only downsides have been the side effects and lingering depression. in regards to my personal circumstances, things are looking up for me in the next month or so, and i feel like this combined with starting a little therapy and replacing my wellbutrin could make a significant improvement to my mood. i just feel like since i’ve found something that treats 3/4 of my conditions, i should leave it alone and just focus on treating the side effects and depression.
i need thoughts and opinions because i have no one in my life who knows enough about these meds to talk to. feel free to ask any questions if i left anything important out. TIA 🫶🏻