Symptoms: Insomnia, severe anxiety/panic
I started taking venlafaxine for depression and anxiety, but after around the 6 month mark I started to get panic attacks and they gradually got worse and worse. I've explored with a psychologist and primary care what could be the cause and nothing could be found. After cutting off the medication cold, it stopped being medication-induced panic but then became debilitating in my day to day life.
After about 6 months I could handle some social interaction, and work was my only safe spot due to the routine always being the same. Panic attacks didn't truly start getting better until a year afterwards, and after 2 years of being off medication I'm still not fully back to my normal self and don't think I ever will be.
Had I known how destructive this type of medication was, I never would have taken it. It stopped me from leaving the house or going on vacation. I couldn't even go to a friend's house to hang out without a panic attack. I had to stop drinking coffee for fear of a panic attack even at work. Nothing was normal for me. I couldn't even hang out with my own mother without panicking.
I'm still more sensitive to everything happening around me and can't process extra stimuli. Crowded environments used to be a cakewalk and I loved maneuvering through crowds, but now I can barely keep my brain from being overwhelmed. A clean diet with no preservatives and all organic foods has been a massive help, and if I switch away for just a moment I start to feel the repercussions of it mentally.
I don't wish this on anyone and heavily advocate against medication for people after my experience.