@lisa0878
Last we heard you were going to drop from 37.5mg to zero, rather than taper down to zero. Tapering may not eliminate withdrawal symptoms, but it sure can minimize them. You don't say what the ER did for you. Did the doc put you on a "bridging" medication, or at least suggest OTC stuff? Reinstating Effexor is also an option--you go back to the dose where you didn’t have withdrawal symptoms, stay there for some weeks before tapering again by much smaller increments (reduce only 5–10%, or even less) and allowing 2–6 weeks before tapering again. It may seem like you're going backwards, but you're able to function AND you're still heading toward that goal of getting off Effexor.

Hopefully you'll be better soomn!!

First off, best of luck to you keep in mind how nice it will be to not be beholden to this junk! Second, interesting to hear you mention the BP and heart rate issues, same thing has been happening to me after trying to go to 75 from 150 a few weeks ago - so far symptoms are only piling on vs. getting better and latest has been a small 20%ish increase in diastolic BP and a huge jump in resting heart rate (64 normally, climbing over the last week, now 115-130 as of tonight) . trying to decide at what point I should head to the doctor - 140? 150? went from depressed the first several weeks to somewhat manic the last week - and that is not an issue I ever had prior to Effexor - just hoping the damage this stuff has done isn't permanent. Best of luck to you al and hang in there!