((((((Dorrie)))))),

I never saw your original post or I would have answered.

Effexor, Cymbalta, and Paxil are NOTORIOUS for causing horrible withdrawal symptoms that can last for months:

http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/

When you're coming off these drugs, you have to ramp-down very-very-very slowly. You need to be under the supervision of your doctor. You can read about many variations of tapering here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=effex...g&start=0&sa=N

From the reading that I've done (I have no experience with a taper 'cause I'm still taking the drug), every two weeks you decrease the dosage very slowly until you're down to taking 10 mg a day -- then you can start every other day, every third day, until you're off of it.

I know from my own experience that if I miss 7 days of taking the pills (I'm taking 150 mg a day) that I go into unbelievable withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes during the winter, I have trouble getting to the pharmacy because of the weather. I've since learned to take a cab instead of waiting until I can use the scooter.

I've also read that you can switch over to Prozac and then go off of the Prozac. I did go cold-turkey off of Prozac and ended up with chronic skin-picking (it's an obsessive-compulsive 'thingie'; never had that problem before). So, probably, you'd still have to taper Prozac. I gather, though, that tapering Prozac is not as hard or as long as tapering Effexor.

Dorrie, read the links that I gave you, so you can understand how this whole process works. Then, talk with you doctor about arranging a good taper to get off it.

Hugs.

Barb