I've been on many many many meds over the years, a lot of which were linked to addiction and withdrawal problems. I've smoked, I did for years every day. I never had a problem coming off a med and I never got addicted to smoking, I didn't crave a fag because I needed it, unless for stress reasons, I just wanted it and just one day stopped. Mainly because I moved home and my parents didnt approve, but I just stopped smoking, didnt withdraw or use patches or suffer any cravings or desires to have a fag or feel ill or anything. I just didnt do it. Same with meds like codeine. I just didnt take it anymore one day and took tramadol instead.

This all lead me to believe I just didnt have an addictive physiology. I know I can psychologically get addicted and obsessed, but I truly believed my body just didnt chemically get reliant on or addicted to anything.

But oh my god I'm suffering with this withdrawal.

So far it's taken 2.5 months to come down from 375mg venlafaxine to 225mg. I've suffered Dizziness, Sweating, involuntary muscle spasms, nightly vivid nightmares, Headaches, Shivering, Dry mouth, Random crying fits, Mood decrease, Increase in dissociation, severe eczema outbreaks due to stress… and today my GP told me the current pain I'm suffering in my neck, popping, cracking, the need to crack it etc is also caused by the withdrawal and I'm so tense all of my neck and shoulder area is locked tight and I may need physio.

This is all horrible, but the only way I can stop this is to go back up to full dose and go through it all again from the start or stay on a med that isn't helping me mentally and causing me awful side effects like weight gain, high cholesterol, fluctuating blood pressure, sleep problems, headaches, pins and needles and sinus problems.

Has anyone else had problems coming off this? Did anything help?

I don't understand why this is happening when I've never had a problem withdrawing from any of the meds I've been on in the past 15 years and I've been on ones that are supposed to cause issues like paroxetine and fluoxetine etc.