That's interesting, ladylollipop! It's my neurologist who has prescribed the venlafaxine for me. We have discovered that i'm having migraine activity daily. My reaction to the 25mcg patch and then increase to the 50mcg hasn't been good again! I had an intense migraine aura that lasted nearly 2 days over the weekend, so I'm just off the phone from him and he has asked me to wean down off the patches very slowly.
The fluctuations are what has been causing it - which proves my previous experiences with HRT!
My neuro. has also booked me in for a SPECT DAT scan to measure my dopamine levels - i'm just waiting for the appointment date. I wonder if your neuro. friend knows anything about these? Apparently, the world of neurology is pretty small so your friend might have heard of my Consultant. He's Dr Johann Selverajah and is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at our University here.
Sending hugs from my country to yours! xxxx