need other options to cope with withdrawal

[flipinout]

to boogieman and heyjude - thanks for the info and advice; but i'm not goin' back.  i'm tired of being hostage to meds and docs.  boogiman - how did you get through it when you felt like you were losing your mind?  did you go back on the meds and taper?  how long did it take to feel "normal" again.  I'm sittin here typin and I should be asleep -- who can sleep?  I have to be at work in 3 hours.  last night i did a couple shots of cuervo and it took the edge off and i actually slept.  that's where i'm headed now and i'm just hoping this will all pass and be done soon, i don't know how much more of this ican take but i'm not goin to be a hostage to docs and their meds again.  any advice on how to get through without going back to the docs and meds would be appreciated thanks for listening. how long can this last, anybody have had long withdrawal from cymbalta or wellbutrin.  it might be easier if i have an idea of how long i need to hang in.

[therese83]

Take a bit of cymbalta.

That is what i did, i got off it, i also a few years previous got off effexor.

Just take a little bit, it will get you over

[flipinout]

hi, thanks.

today was a little better , I was quite chatty and hyper today but instead of being upset about it and letting it make me anxious (knowing that it isn't normal behavior) i just rolled with it and actually enjoyed it.  it felt good to be so interactive and free with my thoughts .  i've been depressed and anxious for about 5 years and on the meds for the last 3 years.  the meds helped ease the depression and anxiety, but they never really totally resolved it and i have always tended to isolate.  these past few years i have felt stable or still somewhat depressed, but not happy, it feels good to be so carefree and actually feel happy at times - i'm just rolling with it now.  i've laughed my *** off so hard at some of the most stupid stuff in the past 2 days -- i haven't laughed like that in forever.  i tell you if this could possibly turn out to be a bipolar condition instead of just withdrawal -- i may be one of those people that doesn't want to give up the mania part to more crappy meds that either make you feel like crap or have you feeling neutral.  i've been neutral or depressed  for so many years now -- this is awesome.  i'm just afraid something will happen and i will crash hard.  i'm crossing my fingers that I will make it through these tough withdrawals and that I will have a normal mood - where i do experience normal happiness.  the drinking has definitely helped take the edge off, this is my 3rd or 4th night using the cuervo.  i'm sure a doc would just love to tell me a thing or two about self medicating with alcohol.  oh well - it sure as hell can be better than medicating with crap like cymbalta that puts you through withdrawal hell when you don't want to do it anymore.  i'm trying to be careful with it and not take it to far though -- i used to do some heavy binge drinking in my 20s (in my 30's I didn't have the desire anymore - i had my kids)  and my dad is a recovering alcoholic , so I know the possible implications for me.  does it make any sense that yesterday i actually felt depressed and manic at the same time - is that even possible?  that's what happened to me though.  I'm just actually glad that I am having some intense fun and good emotions.  My irritability and anger and cursin up a storm at the smallest things isn't good.  the smallest thing can push my explode button.  this part is very bad.  but at least i'm feeling some good stuff.  ya know, on new year's eve and last month I tried to get drunk so that maybe I could feel buzzed and have a good time -- it didn't work.  I drank like a fish and it didn't do a darn thing - I didn't get buzzed and I still felt like a neutral blob of boring nothing.  How can that be - I thought "they" don't want you to mix alcohol with the SNRI because it can make you dangerously loopy (and it can really be bad for your liver).  I didn't care about either one --- I just wanted to feel an elevated mood for cryin out loud -- and it didn't work.  I think this is a big reason I up and stopped the meds - it has finally hit me that I haven't had a good mood in forever -- my moods on the meds are either still somewhat depressed or just neutral -- never good moods or happy moods.  I'm gettin an overdose now -- and I love it.  sorry - it just dawned on my i'm writing like a rambling fool  - it's a drug thing :-)  thanks again --- you hang in there too!  i get the feeling that checking out these forums and helping out all us "newbies" with your knowledge and experience is actually good therapy for you.  Keep it up.

[boogieman]

Hello. I ended up taking the effexor again after 4 days. Funny you should mention tequila as I have used alcohol in the past to avoid all kinds of withdrawal. Problem is, I'm also a recovering alcoholic, so that is no longer a viable option. Hope things improve quickly for you and keep us posted. Take care, GM

[Paxiled]

Actually, the companies do -- now.  The FDA finally forced them to.  All these companies have been sued into submission for this, especially regarding Paxil and Effexor.  I had the same problem, but mine was much worse, it was very unusual, but nobody ever told me Paxil could cause a withdrawal.  Not even the psychiatrist who took me off it, not even while I was going through it.  I had to find out on the internet.  What I've learned is that shrinks and pharma aren't to be trusted -- you know, listen, but verify.

[flipinout]

Thanks for the info.  What you have told me here I have not seen in a lot of the surfing I've been doing to try and get more info.  I currently do one fish cap a day for the heart healthy benefits and such; I'll try some more to see if it helps my current situation.  I don't even know what is normal for me; it's been such a long time since I have been there.  I was placed on the meds for MDD and GAD about 3 years ago and I was in a bad place with these two disorders for a long time before I ever broke down and finally went for help.  The MDD isn't an issue at the moment; but I'm definitely not "normal" - somewhat manic is more like it, and this is causing me some anxiety.  I am definitely worried about ending up where I was before; but I just need to see who I am now - med free - and I don't want to go to doctors anymore.  I honestly didn't know there could be repercussions like this.  So, if I can find some healthy ways (no meds) to deal with it and take it a day at a time with the knowledge that it is probably withdrawal and it will eventually get better; then I think I can cope.  It is definitely a struggle though; what I'm going through now is totally new territory for me.  Why in the world don't the drug companies say a little bit more in their info besides "don't stop using this medication without consulting your doctor?"  They should flat out let you know that you can experience withdrawal, what the possible symptoms are, and that it could have a long duration.  I'll definitely find out the possible consequences in the future and try not to make hasty decisions.  Thanks again, I'll give it a try.

[Paxiled]

Withdrawal can last months, years, minutes, not happen at all, and the average is about two weeks, but that's anecdotal.  Having the drug out of your system causes withdrawal, it doesn't eliminate it.  Once it's gone, the brain has to relearn how to function without it.  In particular, with Cymbalta, which affects norepinephrine and serotonin receptors, the ones that went dormant because they were no longer needed are reawakening.  Wellbutrin affects norepinphrine and dopamine, so the same process is happening there, though wellbutrin isn't known for the kind of withdrawals Cymbalta is.  Each person is different, and my guess is, if you're committed to not going back on the meds, you're doing okay.  What you can try is a hefty dose of fish oil every day, which is said to help with the brain zaps, and some St. John's Wort, which will ease the brain's adaptation back to a normal state of function.  Any immediate emotional stuff is probably withdrawal; it'll take a while for the original problem to resurface assuming it went away.  There are some internet sites that claim to know how to help with this, but I don't know if they work or not.  You can also try a liver cleanse, which will get those elements of the meds stored in your fatty tissues out.  But no guarantees, just ideas.

[RefractoryMan]

For me Cymbalta took about 7 weeks for the withdrawl symptoms to end. Then again I was on a pretty high dosage so perhaps that time will be less for you.

As for Welbutrin, I never really got bad withdrawl symptoms from it when I stopped it, but maybe that's because it never had any effect on me even when I was taking it for 6 months.

[heyjude1]

I'm no doctor but I would think your body should have the Cymbalta completely metabolized after 2 wks. at the most.   Please be careful and don't let depression creep back on you.  Best of luck to you.