I have found the discussions here very helpful. I am tapering from Venlafaxine 75 mg. after taking it for over 18 years. I tried once before cold turkey but the withdrawal was so difficult I went back on it. Fortunately a new psychiatrist is helping me taper and she put me on Wellbutrin 150 mg XR to help with the transition. I have begun by halving the Venlafaxine tablets (I am not on the XR med). I am going to try to taper over 3 weeks, but if it is too difficult I will take longer. I hope to then go to 18.5 (one quarter of my current tablet) for another 3 weeks before stopping. I am in week 2, and I have had some issues but no brain zaps yet. After reading a lot of medical literature about this drug, I really regret that my GP put me on this years ago. It has probably contributed to my hypertension and a few other health issues over the years. My heart goes out to all of you who are having a lot of trouble discontinuing. It is hard enough to deal with depression and anxiety without the added problems of discontinuation syndrome. Best to all of you