Hi there Halo,
I found this old thread that you might find interesting. I'm not sure how helpful it will be, but it might give you little more insight and other's perspectives.
I've taken Effexor XR @ 225mg for YEARS now... I tried to wean myself off last year- a self-initiated 'I don't wanna be on meds all my life kind of thing'- and I didn't do so hot. Going from 225mg down to 150mg (I only have the 75mg capsules) left me with headaches, extreme bitchiness/anger, and very intense feelings overall. I also hit a rough patch in therapy mid-wean, and once I was considering cutting again, I decided that now might NOT be the time to randomly self-wean!!! I will try again though, maybe this summer, but with the aid of some 37.5mg pills to make my weaning more incremental!!!
Sorry I don't have anything else to offer... I don't know how long this stuff might last?!? I hope the transition gets easier for you. Good luck and lemme know how it goes.

-CT

Halo,
Yuck. Sorry you are feeling so badly.

I was on Effexor for about 9 mos then weaned off. The side effects for me were dizziness, nausea similar to motion sickness or morning sickness in pregnancy. Also had brain zaps (don't know how else to describe them, hopefully you know what I'm talking about), and I remember feeling more anger and irritability. The worst of it lasted 2-3 weeks and they were completely gone by around 6 weeks. I did not switch to another med, so not sure how that affects the transition.

I hope you are feeling better soon - it is not fun.