[Lauriem]

Hi,

I am happy to have found this forum.

I am not only off of cymbalta but am also done with wellbutrin and abilify.
Cannot even tell you the year I started meds for depression and pmdd but I'd say it's been at least 10 years.

Last week I was having a very bad time with depression. It felt as if nothing was working. My cousin is a nurse and she started abilify about a month before me. She said she hoped this med wouldn't "poop out" and it truly felt as if all my meds had pooped out.

Of course I do not advocate this for anybody as one should be under a doctor's care and taper off gradually. But for me, I am choosing to ride out the waves of dizziness and sleeplessness. It's been about a week and each day the dizziness lessens.

The day I stopped the meds- I called EAP and got myself a therapist who lives 5 miles away from me. She hasn't called back yet but I am choosing no drugs but more talk. Ideally I understand the plan of action is talk therapy plus antidepressants but alanon had been my "therapy." Ok, so no one in alanon is a therapist. I get this now and realize I need a real therapist.

Don't know how long I've felt "flat" but it felt like I needed to cry for the past hundred years and couldn't.
The other day I was in a Hallmark store, reading birthday cards for my daughter- and the tears started! Crazy. But it actually felt good.

Has anybody gone thru this cold turkey? Am wondering how long these effects will last....

laurieM

[cookie]

Hello Laurie:
Like you I wanted to get off the meds, but I feel I need an alternative plan to help with my depression. I´ve tried to get off cymbalta 2 times, but haven´t been able to do it.
After 6 years on antidepressants, somehow my brain doesn´t know how to function by itself.

For me only talk therapy doesn´t work. Because if it is a real chemical problem within the brain then talking does nothing. Of course talking and getting things off ones chest comforts me, but doesn´t solve the problem. It is like having a knee injury and thinking talking will solve the problem. Instead I like acupunture.

I also felt flat the 6 years I have taken antidepressants. But feel that the last year (since I started tapering) felt like crying, but it is not the -real me- who wants to cry but more of a withdrawal symptom everyone reports in this site.

So if you come up with an alternative treatment to treat depression let me know