Each person's situation is different (age, weight, reason for being on Effexor, dosage on, length of time on the drug, other drugs on, how you metabolize the drug, etc.). Some folks have been able to discontinue Effexor easily. Many of us on the "Tips on ..." thread encountered difficulty. Doing a slow taper (small drops in dosage and staying at each drop level until stabilized) has been a successful strategy for many on the "Tips on ..." thread.