Effexor wasn't fun to come off of, but I did it cold turkey. Took it for a couple of years, gained 60 pounds withing the first three months, went on to sleep 12 hours a day and still be tired. Then I started having weird brain zaps when I blinked. Took about 4 or 5 days to get off it, felt like I was in a drunken stooper for that period then I was fine. Effexor works well for some people and can pull them out of some dark shit, but there are always trade offs. Good luck fren