I don’t believe I experienced any severe withdrawal symptoms when I decreased from 75 to 37.5.
If I did I probably didn’t realize what was causing them because I honestly didn’t realize the side effects/withdrawal symptoms that was possible until I had completely weaned off.
When I was put on Effexor I it was by my radiation oncologist, when I decided I wanted to go off of it I was no longer seeing him so I discussed it with my regular oncologist. Honestly, in hindsight, he must not be very familiar with the drug because at that point I was down to 37.5/day and he told me I didn’t have to wean off that I could just stop. So I did. Big mistake. The withdrawals were horrible and it took me a week or so to figure out what was causing it because it had never been explained to me.

Frances 007, Hi. Regarding dropping down from 75mg EFFEXOR XR to 37.5 mg. This was done with ease * over 3 months or so. Compared with what was to follow. * I had no noticeable reactions, barring a short term (1 week) "step down" withdrawal jolts to my system, each time I dropped down to 37.5 . These reactions were short lived. The REAL issues, (as is commonly experienced by others), come when titrating down from 37.5 to zero. In fact, I was eventually **diluting individual beads from a 37.5 MG slow release capsule (3x beads in each) so, 3,2,1 beads. Then** syringing down in a diluted pot @ 10ml degradations , every 2 months 3,2,1 beads. This took 24 months. BUT, as someone else here has said. The withdrawal effects DO NOT STOP @ zero pill taking! No one knows , as it on a individual basis, as to how long the final , (after pill taking), withdrawal / side-effects issues will last. I have identified 3 to 5 years ! Also , the effects go away & come back over this period. Recent info I have secured , indicates about 50% of people have NO issues with EFFEXOR withdrawal and can even stop quite abruptly. But the rest are all over the place. Critically, as has been commented on here, it is the PACE of titration off that is key to mitigating these severe issues in the most sensitive of people. To stop @ 37.5 is not recommended.

I was on 75mg per day for hot flashes. It was not a problem for me to drop to 37.5mg per day. If you want to be cautious, I recommend a slow process, such as alternating capsules for a week to see how you respond on days of 37.5mg. If no reaction, then you should be okay to go to 37.5mg per day. On rare days that I forgot to take a pill, I would begin to feel nauseous--a reminder that I missed it--and take it immediately, and be ok. It is more difficult to discontinue the lowest dosage, in my experience. I weaned myself off by adding more hours between 37.5mg capsules, then a day between pills, until I was taking so few that I figured I could do without.
I've been off them for about two months, and am feeling extreme anxiety now, after feeling ok after stopping the drug. During withdrawal period, I had occasional nightmares (without realizing they were the result of withdrawal). I am no longer constipated and have less of an appetite for food, so I've lost weight since stopping the drug. With this degree of anxiety, I am not sure I can stay off the 37.5mg per day, but I am trying to alleviate the anxiety by other means--exercise, deep breathing, etc. My doctor suspects that I need the drug now to control anxiety; I would prefer to be off the drug, due to its side effects and difficulty of withdrawal. (No change in hot flashes; I still have them with and without Effexor. It was a mistake to prescribe this drug for hot flashes.)