is this a common occurrence?

[Ghishlain]

You are correct. I do not have leeches yet to remove the poison stacks so i pretty much have to spam physik the whole fight. I've done it successfully about a dozen times since that awful experience however, so I'm feeling more confident again lol.

It's actually possible to have the poison effect expire but requires you to time an Adlo to block all the damage from the spit he uses to refresh the stack. This can be a bit tricky as it's instantly cast, so you'll need to use instinct and experience to determine "when" he's about to use it.. It might not be worth the trouble but just some food for thought for you.