I've been on Effexor for 20+ years and without it< i'd probably already have CTB'd. If I miss a day or two in taking it, the sickness I feel is TERRIBLE, so I try to make sure I take it every morning.
I was on it for a little over a month. I forgot to take it one day and it was the most horrid day ever. I thought I was losing my mind. I had zero control over emotions - I was a wreck all day. Felt like a non stop panic attack all day long. I kept crying uncontrollably. It was just awful.
I switched psychiatrists in the midst of that and when I saw the new one she was so adamantly against Effexor. She said she could write a book on how much she hates that med. refuses to prescribe it.
I told her the way I felt when I missed a dose scared the shit out of me. My adhd brain is gonna forget sometimes especially if my routine is interrupted.
We made a plan to wean me off - cut my dose in half for a week while adding Prozac to try and alleviate some of the worst withdrawal symptoms.
Well long story short - she wrote the script wrong and the pharmacy wouldn't fill it without talking to her - but it was Friday evening. So I had a choice. Keep taking the higher dose until Monday - Tuesday (my pills were extended release so couldn't cut them) - or cold turkey it.
I chose to just stop. I warned everyone in my life it was gonna be a rough week. And it truly was. The first 5 days were absolutely awful. I felt like a total psycho. Rapid emotions- cycling through non stop with the maximum impact possible. Anger - sadness - happiness just rapid cycling between them all non stop.
The first day - I couldn't sleep at all. I was awake for 41 hours.
But by day 6 I felt much better.
When I went for my next appt and told her how I decided to cold turkey it she was so impressed lol. Even mentioned it against the end of the appointment.
Withdraw from that medicine is the worst things ever.