I am a 41 year old mother of 2 boys 7 and 8 and have suffered with depression for years. Over a year ago, after a big crisis in my life, I was put on an anti-depressant called Venlafaxine. I started on 150mg a day and although I suffered with tiredness,terrible dreams and feeling like my emotions had been taken away from me, I ticked along in life ok. I am an insulin dependant diabetic and whilst taking this drug that I know know (can give you high blood pressure). No doctor monitored my blood pressure whilst taking venlafaxine. After visiting my diabetic consultant just for a routine checkup, he took my blood pressure which he said was quite high for my age and dangerous for a diabetic. I was advised to go onto blood pressure tablets. I said no! He also asked me if I was on any medication so I told him I was taking Venlafaxine. He didn't say this could be the reason why I had high blood pressure. I decided to look up this drug in a drug book I had at home and then discovered that on high dose this on this drug, it could give you high blood pressure and that you must be monitered whist taking it. No one ever had! I had never had high blood pressure before this drug. I had to gradually come off Venlafaxine. I spoke to my Psychiatrist and he wanted me to stop taking straight away without cutting down. I knew I couldn't do this as just with taking the drug a few hours late, I began to get side effects. What I didn't know was how severe the withdrawal efects could get and for how long! I cut down to 75mg a day. That was a terrible shock to the system,I felt dizzy,sick,had diarrhoea where I had to be near a toilet around the first 2 hours of getting up! Electric shock sensations that happened every couple of minutes, feeling flu like and just wanting to go to bed, tiredness overwhelmed me. I thought I was going mad, until I found other people, going through same experiences coming off this drug. It's called Medication.Com I wasn't going mad! I eventually got down to taking 37.5mg after nearly 2 months and knew I had to go cold turkey the next day. I lasted 2 days! I'm now taking half of 37.5mg a day with withdrawal effects first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I don't think I will ever be able to come off this drug but I'm not going to give up trying! If I had known how hard and awful it was to go through these withdrawal effects, I would never have started to take Venlafaxine. Anyone out there, who would like to chat about this or even go on television to discuss this awful drug or someone with same experiences who would also like to take it futher - contact me please. on starskyloony@blueyonder.com.uk Thanks!