I too can't imagine a doctor telling a patient to go cold turkey off effexor. I had a friend decide on her own to do so and she had everything that your mother did - a very bad decision on her part. Actually no anti-depressant should be stopped cold turkey or even changed without tapering off the first one. I have been on meds for a number of years now and that is how my doctor has handled it when I needed to change.

And I have to agree with the others. You are more likely to hurt yourself than others when on meds. When you are off meds is when you want to harm others and why some of us stay on those meds. LOL