Withdrawal caused horrific anxiety, once it struck. The first time it happened, I didn't realize that it was withdrawal because my mother had died and my husband was being tested for a serious condition (which turned out not to be). I was in such a state that I called my doctor and asked for a prescription renewal because I couldn't cope (though I was put on Effexor for hot flashes). Of course, withdrawal symptoms ended and I had sought grief counseling, so that was that. Then, a few years later, I decided to get off Effexor again. I did the same thing--decreased my dosage from 75 mg to nothing over a period of months. Was fine for about two months, then BAM. Literally. Woke up in a panic that was hell for days--nightmares, if I could sleep at all, not wanting to get out of bed, too terrified to leave the house, wanting to cry, shaky, unable to eat. After some time, it struck me that I had felt this way before: after my first effort to end Effexor. When my doctor was no help, I turned to online research and found this post, as well as other valuable online resources, mostly from other patients! including Mark Horowitz's story. The evidence continues to pile up that this is a major issue for individuals who were prescribed an antidepressant without an end date, and without being warned about possible dependency and the difficulty of stopping the drug. See the December edition of Outro dot com's newsletter, Outro Health, which includes this link: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/coming-off-antidepressants.
In the meantime, I had to learn to deal with my anxiety--mostly through physical movement of any kind (because sitting and dwelling on it was detrimental), as well as strenuous exercise and deep breathing. Talking about it also helped. Withdrawal symptoms went away when I resumed Effexor up to 50mg immediate release tablets.
Now, more than a year after my second extreme withdrawal episode, I have started my third and final discontinuation of Effexor. I am optimistic because I have an independent pharmacist who is happy to help, and my doctor is willing to prescribe whatever it is I need to end my dependency on this drug. My pharmacist provided an equivalent liquid solution which I can easily decrease by 10% per month. (He used the guidance provided in The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines.) That is my plan, and if I need to adjust it, I can. I can even count beads in my leftover capsules and decrease them by 10% if that's what it takes. I know it will take time for my brain to adjust to a reduced amount of this drug, but I am ready to do whatever it takes.