Effexor needs to be taken at the exact same time every day. It has a short half life, and can cause a side effect known commonly as "brain zaps" if not taken exactly on time daily. Brain zaps are 100% harmless, but extremely uncomfortable. The side effects of this medication aren't the best, and ended up outweighing the pros for me, so I tapered off the medication after being on it for two years. That's another thing, if you don't taper off this medication, you get major withdrawals. Even with me tapering, I still got zaps for weeks after being off the medication. I don't get them anymore thankfully. Its been a few months since I made it off the medication. It really just is a medication you need to be strict about taking, in order to notice any of the benefits.