Successfully Coming Off Cymbalta

Hi people thought i would update things (one Yr OFF Cymbalta) I still have depression , not any worse 

but in a somewhat better position mentally than when i was on Cymbalta .

I am an emotional person , so after 30 years of near no emotion i

guess im finding my " Ground " of who i really am .

So im a guy that feels , thats me .

Still in contact with my Psychiatrist who has " Encouraged " me to go back on " Something "

I told and tell him " I was depressed taking antidepressants , i still have a certain amount of depression 

but now a bit more emotional , so na , dont want to go back on that bandwagon "

In a nutshell its been a fairly ok yr as far as that go's , Corona hey ?

Ive got to know myself again , i am the guy who feels the pain

i see others carry , im ok with that and am so over " Doctors " trying to mask pain with medication it really

isnt the best option in the long run . Grief and sadness is a part of life . Masking pain with medication can

cause long term dependance thats a certainty .

As ive said previously " Their is no escape plan , only a dependance " I made the right choice and am now 1 yr

off anti-depressants , i have no intention of ever taking them again .

I will feel whatever life throws at me good and bad , i will not let this medical system get me to be barely functional.

Please to the people that are taking anti-depressants , if they are helping im happy for you but just listen to your body

dont take as FACT what the mental health ppl say is best for you because in my case it wasnt .

My only regret is that i didnt do this 2 decades ago , they do make it hard to come off , why is that ?

God bless you all .

Good to hear from you johnbouy. It sounds like you have your head on straight and that makes me pleased. Research says that it takes a full 2 years for the neurotransmitters to stabilize after withdrawal so don't give up on feeling better. Please keep us posted as that is how we all learn. Keep up the good fight and let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Yes i believe after around 30 years it will take some time , i am over the worst of it ,

and am now grounded .

I told this to my Physiatrist

" Why would i go back on when i am over the worst of it ? " 

Yes i will keep you guys updated .

Blessing to each and every one of you .

Hi Johnbouy,

My apologies for my late comments on the above - I have had to take a mini sabbatical due to personal circumstances. As Hat has said, it sounds like you have got things straight and you are right, AD's can certainly dull a lot of faculties in the head - not just emotions. I honestly think you will find that you will improve over time and don' t discredit the use of natural remedies for assisting your recovery - a year off these things after so long is still in recovery, so expect improvement still my friend - and my heartiest congratulations to making that decision.

God Bless 

Hi people thought i would check back in as ive been OFF AD since Nov 2019 , so essentially a year and half .

I feel so much better than i did a year ago , infact i continue to get better , AD were imho keeping me down and depressed .

My emotions have levelled out a fair bit now , i will shed a tear during a war movie for example but its ok for men to cry right ?

So nothing out of the ordinary , im soooo much better now , someone here said it takes 2 years for my brain chemistry

to rectify itself so , im good now tbh .

I saw my Psychiatrist the last time about 4 months ago as i kept in contact as i was coming off , so 4 months ago i told

him this is my last visit and you can now take me off your books .

Funny i didnt see the victory on his face 

I do feel as tho i have ripped the claws out of my back one at a time tbh (Big pharma) and have cut my medication down

by 2/3rds , was using Lyrica etc for nerve pain , same thing with that , stopped it and the pain stopped   

So imo friends every year or two look at what your taking , if its non essential like Lyrica stop for a few weeks and see

how your tracking because hey they will keep writing scripts if you "Think" you need them .

My Chemist asked me if i was alright as they dont see as much of me and i told them what i was doing , they were happy

and commended me for taking baby steps .

My niece , ugh , she is going through the roundabout of trying different meds , diagnosed  psychotic , i hardly see her as 

psychotic i see her being led down the same road as so many others .

I have told her i feel so much better now and that AD were keeping me depressed .

I guess we all have our own journey , my faith has tho indeed helped me through mine .

God bless you all .

Fantastic post JB. You should be so proud of yourself. What an acheivement.