Withdrawal Symptoms

I have been on effexor for 4 years now. If I miss taking them by as little as 4 hours, I begin to get shakes, and heart palpatations. I feel like a drug addict in detox if I don't take them exactly on time. I hate that feeling, as sometimes, life gets in the way and I cannot simply get to my pills at exactly the same time everyday. I asked my previous family physician to take me off of the them, but apparently it was too much trouble to monitor me in my slow lowering of doses. Luckily I have a new family doctor, and he seems a little more reasonable, and will take me off of them. Even if I have to go on another anti-depressant. I know that I am not the same person I was when I started taking them, but sadly, I cannot function without them. I find it funny that in the pharmacist handout it specifically says that you cannot become addicted to SSNRI's...then why do I get these strange symptoms if I do not take it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!