in reply to @jeffc16 Great Job! I was able to taper off of this awful drug using the tapering schedule found on this site, and it worked. Did I already mention that my pharmacist, who helped me, told me that not only was Effexor an awful drug, but harder to get off than heroin. Imagine that. I understand that anxiety post tapering, and someone offered me some CBD to "take the edge off," but I ended up using klonopin that I have on hand "just in case," which seems to be more "just in case" lately.
Christmas time is a very difficult time for many of us. On a personal level, my father died on 12/26. Boxing Day, in 1995, and it has never been the same. In fact ,I listened to the first holiday song this evening that I have listened to in years, and a line caught my attention: "I want everyone to come knocking at my door...." I did attend the children's service at my church this evening, and even though I cried during the entire service, the kids were so cute in their costumes and at the end of the service we were all given real candles, the lights went out and we all sang, "silent night," It was beautiful. And just because I am in the giving mood, I gave my driver (I use a public transportation service that sends a car out, $5 each way, all Muslims...) a gift(s) for him and his family, including something that I recently "found" shoved in a corner at my sister's house last week, something she had wanted to toss out, but could not. A great Sony walkman that the kids can use to listen to the radio. My sister will never know the difference, so I figured I would pass it along, saving her the time and grief of dealing with it...alone. Overall, I think this will be a good holiday. I have a lot to be grateful for, listening to music I used to listen to in college, dancing around my apartment and talking to my dead dog's olive tree that is lit up like a Christmas tree surrounded by cute stuffed bears. It works. "Ducky, look what I got for you.." LOL. Finally, I am at peace. I will see my demented friend tomorrow, feed her and then just "be." "Be" happier than my birth family as they are all so miserable even tho they have more money than god. Living a humble existence has taught me to appreciate what I do have, and not long for what I do not have. However, I am a bit nervous about my breast MRI on 12/27, given I just read the mammogram report and saw that my risk is 29 percent. Gee, I wish someone had explained that to me, but I am not worried. I have already faced my worse demons, and I can handle just about anything, alone with my "family" of friend and confidants who accept me, love me and appreciate my existence. I was pleasantly surprised to open a card my pharmacist gave me which contained a $100 gift card from Walmart. Wow. She is like a sister to me, and even tho "they" are not supposed to befriend customers, we keep it on the "lowdown" if you know what I mean. I wish you a very happy holiday. This week I made cards for winter solstice instead of christmas, and that made all the difference. Just think what a rich life you have lived, as you look at all those folks on Facebook. I imagine you are feeling better now that the worst part of the Effexor is over. Congratulations my friend. Happy new year