My doctor actually transitioned me to Prozac from Effexor to help with the withdrawal symptoms. After slowly reducing the Effexor dosage to 37.5 mg, I switched to Prozac for a couple of weeks then simply stopped. I still experienced some symptoms but nothing like my previous (failed) attempts to quit.

Aside from the dizziness and head fog, the most unsettling side-effect of Effexor withdrawal was the ease with which I would become very angry... I'm NOT an angry person. At all. Also the... I hesitate to say "suicidal" thoughts because I don't think that's what it was. It was more of an indifference towards whether I lived or died.

After a few months it became clear to me that I still needed something, though nothing as strong as Effexor. Now I'm on a very low dose (10 mg) Lexapro. Combined with regular exercise I seem to have struck the right balance.