1 reply to this topic

[MaureenV]

I have been weaing down from 60 mg and am now down to 15mg. I think when you wean slowly you spead the pain out over a longer period of time. Wean fast and its more pain for a lesser period. I certinly don't want more pain but I am tired of the pain and getting impatient.When I say pain I mean the typical withdrawl. I think my step downs have been just big enough to keep me in a cycle of one good week and one bad week. If my doses were more gradually reduced I would probably feel better. Been going down about 5 mg every two weeks or so. A bit two fast in hind site.

My question is this:
Do you think no matter which route you take to get off of this stuff, the end result will be the same? Will recovery land you in the same place eventually? Or do you think a gentler arrival( to being Cymbalta free) is better for a better over all outcome?

I realize the answer is going to be different with different people but I still wonder. Fast VS slow, that is the question.

Having posted here since August, I can only say that I've seen several anecdotal examples of people who went cold turkey have a recurrance of symptoms, that doesn't seem to happen for those who wean slowly. I haven't seen anyone who's weaned really slowly have the rebound affect, apart from one, who in my opinion weaned too fast anyway.

I guess it depends on your personal situation; being self employed I was stuffing up my work, and my moods were affecting the people I live with. If I'd had the option of locking myself away for a few weeks, who knows whether or not I'd have taken that route.


regards, Maureen.

[Junior]

Hi Tommy

There is little understanding of the problems many people have in getting off ALL modern anti-depressants. I have been on this and another forum since August 09 and keep hearing the same stories, from different people, over and over again. The bottom line is that drug companies fund the research and therefore will only fund / publish studies that are going to put their drugs in a good light. They don't fund studies relating to long term withdrawal effects. Drug reps also give treating Drs all sorts of incentives (electronic goods, trips, etc) to prescribe their drugs. It's almost like a conspiracy on a massive scale.

Having said that, most GP's (primary docs)are well meaning and act according to their knowledge. It's just a shame that they are being manipulated like this. It also bothers me that western society is so driven by the results of science, that before anything is going to be believed, it has to be demonstrated in studies.

One thing that I have learned in the past 9 months is that a slow wean far outweighs a fast or cold turkey one. Again, the bottom line is that it is not about getting the drug out of your system (so called discontinuation syndrome) but about the brain healing / getting back to its pre-medication way of functioning. For many, this can take a long time. There are people who have gone cold turkey and been fine initially, only to suffer massive problems 6-7 months down the track. I've also read of people who weaned fast and found that it didn't work. They had to go back on the drug and wean more slowly. The recommended wean at the other site is 10% of your current dose, every 3-6 weeks. That is what they have collectively arrived at after some years. Some people can go faster, some have to go slower, but overall it seems to achieve a far better success rate.

Regards
Junior