Hi, I'm Kimi MUU

Hi @Kimi MUU, welcome! I'm tapering Effexor XR too. Unfortunately, most doctors will give this "tapering" advice. They think that since 37.5 mg is the "lowest" dose that it's okay to stop there. However, that is harmful advice. We do not recommend that people cold-turkey off any psychiatric drug. You were on Effexor for a very long time and your brain has adapted to this drug. Look at the SERT Occupancy for Effexor. Even at 2 mg, the serotonin receptors are still being affected by the drug at 22%. Venlafaxine (Effexor) | 75 mg → 83% | 37.5 mg → 78% | 18.75 mg → 68% | 9.4 mg → 55% | 4.7 mg → 40% | 2 mg → 22% Now, I must add that not everyone experiences severe withdrawal in a situation like yours. However, more people than not will have a degree of difficulty stopping a drug cold turkey. And withdrawal symptoms can hit months down the road and hit people like a brick wall. We can only suggest that the safest route for you to take would be to reinstate the 37.5 mg and then do a slow Hyperbolic taper until you reach 0. It's up to you what you want to do. The sooner you reinstate the better. Please let us know what you decide after taking in this information. We're here anytime you need to reach out! Catina 💕

Thanks so much for your message Catina. I didn't realise there was a lower dosage than 37.5mg... that's my own fault for not doing my own research. The brain zaps are not nice at all. I will definitely speak to my doctor again.

"I didn't realise there was a lower dosage than 37.5mg" — @Kimi MUU

There isn't as far as the prescription goes. You would need to open the capsules and count the beads inside, depending on what your capsules consist of. That's the only way to taper safely. Don't expect your doctor to understand this. They normally insist it's safe to stop at 37.5 mg. https://taper.community/thread/dbb2cdbb-bb3d-4bb9-93ab-b33de4a3fd0b https://taper.community/resources/blog/how-to-talk-to-your-doctor-about-tapering