[copperx]

Another Effexor success story here. After spending most of my life suffering through mood changes for no reason (e.g., sometimes I got sad after seeing a color, or the way that something was arranged -- I've called this "emotional synesthesia"), Effexor has made me a normal person again. I've been taking the lowest dose for 7 years now, with no side effects besides dulling of emotions (interestingly, it makes decision making hard -- for me, it now requires me to write a pro/con list when facing a decision because there are few emotions involved, even when buying something that should be slightly exciting, like a new car). As someone who had a great childhood and no major traumas, it makes me wonder if I'm one of the people who have a legitimate "chemical imbalance".

[iamnothere]

> (interestingly, it makes decision making hard -- for me, it now requires me to write a pro/con list when facing a decision because there are few emotions involved, even when buying something that should be slightly exciting, like a new car)

This is actually a known phenomenon! Emotions are key to the decision-making process, and when they are impaired for whatever reason then you are more likely to make suboptimal decisions. I recommend Antonio Damasio's book Descartes' Error for a good picture of how this works.

[copperx]

Thanks for the book suggestion. I'm now wondering whether an overactive emotion circuitry makes one an even better decision maker or does it impair it? Perhaps the book will provide some insight.