Did you stop cold turkey?
Both times I've stopped taking meds I've been instructed to do it gradually.
It was also my doctor's advice to do it over 1 week, and I'd come off other tricyclics and NRIs before over the course of 1-2 weeks, so I really had no idea what was coming.
If I ever had to come off anything like this again, I'd absolutely do it over a longer period - but I won't; these kind of drugs haven't help me, and after what I went through I will never take another again.
It's weird that people are questioning your experience here, because what you describe is sadly a common experience.
Anti-depressant medication does save life, and hopefully doctors are becoming more aware of the withdrawal / discontinuation effects.