I took my last dose of Effexor XR 37.5mg on Wednesday of last week. I had been on 150mg from about 2006 to 2016, then did a taper in 2016 but got stuck at 37.5 because I was too scared to go any further. After taking time off work and getting scared in January, I decided this long weekend was the one, I booked Friday and Tuesday off work to give me 5 days off and just went for it. Naturally I got a brutal cold and then threw my back out from coughing too much so it definitely hasn't been easy, but I really wanted to stick with it. My doctor and my pharmacist are on board with my plan but didn't have super great tips other than take tylenol, rest, be nice to myself and keep some effexor around in case things get too terrible (i can also go back to my doctor if I need to). Things were going really well until today when I got hit with super bad aches, pains and sensitive skin, even the inside of my bladder feels more sensitive somehow. Advil and Clonazepam seem to have taken some of the edge off, but I don't want to now get hooked on a benzo. Any tips for getting through the next couple days?

Also, does anyone have any success stories for getting off Effexor? A few people have really scared me that I'm destroying my brain by taking this step and I'd love to hear from anyone who has successfully done this. I have faith that I can do it.