Effexor XR and dizziness

Oh boy! Side effects to coming off this med! UGH! I am going through them as I type! It is the most horrible way to feel! I have tried in the past on several occasions to get off this med...but never had accomplished the feat as it is nearly impossible to get through the day! At my highest dose I was taking 300 mg daily... the Dr. weaned me down slowly and now am trying just to get off of 75mg daily! I am on day 4 without Effexor xr... needless to say the side effects are getting worse instead of better!
I am experiencing: dizziness, tingly feeling in my whole body, night sweats, almost hard to do anything because I feel as if I have the flu!!!!
To anyone who is given the choice to take this med...DON"T!! Getting off of it is the hardest thing to do! In hindsight... when I am on it fully it is a great med. It helped me regain my life without panic, anxiety, depression etc... Idk... people don't understand the hell we go through with all these meds. My poor husband can't take my complaining anymore! Although either can I! I feel like going and getting a pill right now just to feel better!

I am going on day 4 of stopping my Effexor cold turkey. I was on 300 mg and taking 20 mg of Pexeva. I am stopping cold turkey after being on this medication for three years. The withdrawals are terrible, I don't know why any doctor in their right mind would ever prescribe this medication for anyone. I have those wonderful brain zaps every ten seconds, the only thing that momentarily makes me sane is food, as if the 30 pounds this medication has gained me aren't enough, stopping it is going to pack on another 30. I am a bundle of anger and rage directed at anyone within distance. I am at the toilet every night waiting and praying that I can just throw up. When I finally can fall asleep I am jolted awake in a puddle of sweat having just had yet another nightmare. And when I say nightmare, I mean the kind that have me screaming out loud in terror waking my husband. Minor daily tasks are ignored due to the fact that putting one foot in front of the other is too much to handle. I can't stand this feeling and only pray for the day that it will stop.

I was a completely different person on this medication - different temperament, different likes and dislikes, but the worst part was not having any emotions! When I reported still being depressed to my Dr, she just upped the dosage (from 75 to 150mg) and I hardly remember anything from the time I was taking the high dosage. Coming off of this medicine, I would almost have cravings for it, severe dizziness, the "brain zaps" others have mentioned, and rage like I have never felt before or since. So glad I got off of this stuff!

While on Effexor XR: aggressive disposition

Withdrawals: severe dizziness, vivid and unpleasant dreams, sometimes nightmares which were unrelated to anything going on in my life. The dizziness was the worst. I sometimes felt as though I was seeing double, and could barely walk straight if I hadn't taken my high 300 mg dose in one or two days. God forbid I lose a bottle of pills or have insurance company complications.