4 replies to this topic

[perpetualfatigue]

Maureen & Junior I'm in Melbourne Aus I know you guys are Aussies as well so was wondering if your doctors have been supportive over your withdrawal process or not & if you know any doctors in Melbourne who are familiar & open to Cymbalta withdrawal? I've been under my pshychiatrist for 15 years but he has become very apathetic & definitely downplays the severity of withdrawal effects & needing to taper very slowly (this is my second AD "bad withdrawal" the first was Effexor xr which I was on for 7 years, it took 4 months to come off that & he wanted me to come off much quicker then too, Cymbalta is definitely much worse). I so just wish I could find a supportive doctor coz I'm struggling so much right now.

[MaureenV]

Maureen & Junior I'm in Melbourne Aus I know you guys are Aussies as well so was wondering if your doctors have been supportive over your withdrawal process or not & if you know any doctors in Melbourne who are familiar & open to Cymbalta withdrawal? I've been under my pshychiatrist for 15 years but he has become very apathetic & definitely downplays the severity of withdrawal effects & needing to taper very slowly (this is my second AD "bad withdrawal" the first was Effexor xr which I was on for 7 years, it took 4 months to come off that & he wanted me to come off much quicker then too, Cymbalta is definitely much worse). I so just wish I could find a supportive doctor coz I'm struggling so much right now.

Gosh, Cymbalta IS popular in Melbourne.

My GP is fabulous; it may partly be due to my 15 year history with her, and the fact that I've been through the mill a few times with other (non mental-health related) issues, one of which was quite 'depressing' without actually getting depressed.

I think there are doctors out there who see a chronically depressed person and tend to list any problems they may have as being the result of being depressed in the first place, and luckily for me that aspect was missing, so perhaps that helped, I don't know.

I live in Camberwell, and my GP is in Surrey Hills. Whereabouts are you?

I don't see a psychiatrist, but I did have several sessions with the psychologist attached to that clinic.

Maureen.

[perpetualfatigue]

Thanks for your reply Maureen, I'm in Pakenham (which is part of the problem of finding a good doctor) my pdoc is in Richmond so I travel an hour or more depending on traffic to go see him.

[MaureenV]

Good Morning,


Happy Daylight Saving!!

Junior is closer to you, so may have information that may help.


I think it really is crucial to speak to someone (even if just initially, while you get this withdrawal under control) who actually believes what you're going through is down to Cymbalta.

My GP has absolutely no doubt, and I can't honestly imagine coping if she disbelieved me.

I've had a couple of major physical health disorders in my 15 years with her (still have one of them) both of which are rare, and one of which is extremely rare (most GPs would never see anyone with it) so she's been ready to listen to me about those things rather than assume she knows what's good for me.

For example: I could tolerate 30mg Cymbalta, but 60mg made my mouth so dry that it was impossible. I have a dodgy hypothalamus, as a result of encephalitis as 13. I need to take an anti-diuretic to make up for what my pituitary doesn't produce; it means I can't just drink what I want, when I want. My kidneys DON"T just get rid of the excess water, this (brilliant) drug controls all of that, and if I drank what I wanted when Cymbalta made my mouth dry I would end up in emergency faster than any Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms would take me there.

Many doctors I've seen haven't been quite so humble, and have told me to do things which are just unworkable with that particular drug; sometimes I just have to ignore them and do it my own way; many have been brilliant and want to learn about it from me, which is so empowering, and interestingly they're usually the ones who have much better 'bedside manner'.

So, if you feel your doctor/s are not WITH you, I've no doubt there are very many in your area who are.

take care, Maureen.

[Junior]

Maureen & Junior I'm in Melbourne Aus I know you guys are Aussies as well so was wondering if your doctors have been supportive over your withdrawal process or not & if you know any doctors in Melbourne who are familiar & open to Cymbalta withdrawal? I've been under my pshychiatrist for 15 years but he has become very apathetic & definitely downplays the severity of withdrawal effects & needing to taper very slowly (this is my second AD "bad withdrawal" the first was Effexor xr which I was on for 7 years, it took 4 months to come off that & he wanted me to come off much quicker then too, Cymbalta is definitely much worse). I so just wish I could find a supportive doctor coz I'm struggling so much right now.

Hi Perpetual

I'm in Carrum Downs (Frankston area) so not all that far from you:) I've known my GP for @16 years and he is very good generally. He knows that I've just completed my Honours level in psychology and respects the fact that I have a lot of knowledge. But... I'm not really sure (yet) exactly what he knows about withdrawal from SSRIs and SNRIs. He has said in the past that Aropax (my main one) is one of the hardest to get off. I don't think he knows much about Cymbalta though.

I'll tell you my story so I can put you in the picture. I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I also come from a family where mental illness is rife - depression, bipolar and anxiety - so I believe it's in the genes. At least for me. I was originally put on Aropax in 1997 for anxious-depression. I came off it 6 months later with few problems. I was doing IVF at the time and didn't want to be on anything while going through a cycle. Unfortunately the cycle didn't work and I completely crash - for a whole host of reasons. So I went back on the Aropax. I also consulted with the psychologist on the IVF program (it was provided free of charge) and a psychiatrist who also does psychotherapy. They both helped me enormously and I was able to put myself and my life back together.

I could have come off Aropax years ago, once I had stabilised, but for the first time in 20 years I'd found relief for my anxiety disorder. A disorder that I didn't know had a name until I studied 'abnormal psych' at uni a few years later!! So, I elected to stay on it. I decided that it was better to accept that my body needs medication, in the same way that a diabetic needs insulin or others need BP or heart medication, than to live the way I had before. It wasn't a weakness. It was sensible. And I was happy to stay on it for the rest of my life.

But... late last year I started having difficulty sleeping. For no apparent reason. I now know that it was a side effect of being on the Aropax for so many years (over 10). I did some research and thought I was suffering 'poop out'. So I spoke to my GP and we decided to wean me off the Aropax and try Lexapro. Long story short, in the past few months I've gone from Aropax, to Lexapro, to Cymbalta, nothing for 5 weeks, then back onto the Aropax. It is a journey I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Over time Lexapro made me restless, impaired my concentration and short term memory, lowered my mood and eventually made me suicidal. Thankfully I was aware that an SSRI can have that effect so I knew to come off it. I then asked for a referral to a psychiatrist figuring that psychiatric medication is their area. My GP thought it was a good idea as well. I asked for someone young who was up to date with modern medications. He put me on Cymbalta. Straight on to 60mg. I knew no different so I took it. The only side effect he warned me about was nausea. I always do my own research before starting on a new drug too but still wasn't prepared for what happened. Straightaway I had GI distress, within a few days it disrupted my sleep pattern, and I started becoming restless again. After 19 days I stopped. Because I hadn't been on it for long I didn't expect any problems. WRONG! It took 2 weeks to get over the withdrawal. I said to my GP that I'd been put straight on to a fairly high dose (60mg) and he said that he thought the psychiatrist would know. He wasn't being sarcastic, just saying that it's his area. He agreed that I was right to come off it though.

I think I am educating HIM about all of this tbh.

Anyhow, I've now made an appt to see the psychiatrist / psychotherapist that I saw all those years ago. He's an older bloke and easy to talk to. I don't know how much he knows about SSRI/SNRI withdrawal so I still may need to work it out for myself but this whole thing has shaken my beliefs about medication. Not only from a personal perspective but also professionally. I need to work through that with someone.

Umm.. I haven't really answered your question have I? Sorry :-p
What I think you may find is that many Drs really don't know what goes on out there. I go to another forum and people constantly say that their Drs have no idea. So, all I can suggest at this stage is to stick with us and hopefully we can help you to go forward :)

Junior