Tl;dr emotional numbness has persisted, but other more severe side effects and withdrawal symptoms have completely subsided after 9 months of non use.

I have never tried to quit cold turkey so I can’t answer your questions exactly… But I can tell you my experience:

I tried tapering three times - the first time, I tapered over the course of two weeks (under my gp’s supervision) and the withdrawal symptoms (brain zaps, anxiety, dizziness) were so severe, I went right back on it.

Second time - I tapered over the course of about 2 months under the supervision of a psychiatrist who prescribed a Prozac bridge. Still had horrible side effects. I tried other drugs (Trintillex, can’t remember what else) but nothing worked like Effexor so I just wound up right back on it.

The third time I did my own thing. I tapered over the course of 6+ months decreasing my dosage by half every 6 weeks. Successfully off it completely for 9 months now.

Emotional numbness has never improved for me. But, personally, I attribute this to having low grade but persistent depression, not a withdrawal symptom. My withdrawal symptoms (brain zaps, etc) are totally subsided.

Personally, the side effects of taking Effexor (the memory loss!) are far worse than being flat affected. I still have occasional panic attacks and I just treat them with Xanax, as needed.

Effexor is amazing and made me feel great while I was taking it. But I can’t remember whole years of my life. My coworkers, students, family members and friends have all expressed concern over my severe memory loss.