"Prescribed medication withdrawal"

I telephoned the Health Centre one Friday in July 2021 and spoke to a receptionist and explained that I was scheduled to have elbow surgery and that I was going to have a general anaesthetic, and, that I would need to come off my venlafaxine medication before I could have my surgery. 

I asked if I could speak to my GP to discuss this, only to be told there were no telephone appointments available and that it would be a pharmacist rather than a doctor that I would be better speaking to.

 A telephone appointment was arranged for a pharmacist to call on the following Monday. The pharmacist duly phoned on that day and from my medical notes knew that I was on 150mg of venlafaxine per day. 75mg morning and evening. They advised me to take my  morning medication on alternate days for a week, then stop. I was to continue with my evening medication as normal while reducing my morning medication. I then had to reduce my evening medication in the same way, then stop.  

Not at any time during the conversation was I advised there could be side effects to stopping my medication.

Basically over a two week period I was completely off medication  that I had been taking for over three years,  resulting in severe withdrawal!!  I have been to hell and back suffering nausea, dizziness, insomnia headaches and aching all over.

This has resulted from a receptionist with no medical knowledge whatsoever, triaging patients to whom they think is the appropriate person to deal with patients. 

If this had been handled in the correct manner and all calls taken by receptionists are noted on file,  overseen by Clinicians before decisions are made, and not left up to receptionists to decide who can and who can't be seen by GPs, then maybe patients wouldn't suffer as I have.