Hello JennyRN70. Welcome back. I certainly do remember you. Sorry to hear that you have to change meds, that's always a pain in the butt.
Effexor can be hard to come off of. For some it's really difficult and for others it's a snap. I hope that you are one of the lucky ones.
Antidepressants certainly can be toxic for some people with bipolar. For me, they cause me to rapid cycle and when they aren't doing that they cause mixed states in me.
Other people who have bipolar, like my son, have no problem with antidepressants. I would say that some people are luckier than others when it comes to antidepressants, but in reality no one with bipolar is lucky. Good Luck with your switch over. Take Care. paul m