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[QueenTimely]

I agree. More than you know. What can I say. When I'm stable again, and back home in Australia, I'm planning to write an article about this. I've already started. But with our move back to Australia, my reduction, coping with living in Italy, it's just going to have to wait.

That is the point. "DOCTORS" lower your dosage based off the PDR and/or the 'available' dosings to bring you down. Here's something to enlighten you all; I took Zoloft for about a year, about a decade ago. I'm here to say that it took me about 3 YEARS to ween off of it. 3 years! Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, the people making the drugs, no one knows how it will affect a person. Everyones system is different, no clinical trial goes over how an individual comes off the drugs, only how they are on them. I think they should start having 30 day detox programs for people to get off any of the anti-depression medicines. Why should we, people who are trying to be healthy, have to suffer getting off of medications? Why is it that crack heads and heroine addicts get to detox in a place where someone can provide them with the help they need? What is with that?? If you have to "ween" off of anything doesn't that say something? Shouldn't that say something? Why is this disease still treated the way it is? It disgusts me the lack of concern that the entire world seems to have in regards to the damage that these things do to a body (I was always 100-115 pounds until I hit 30, then from 30-35 I stayed at 135 pounds no matter what I ate or how much I worked out. Then welcome aging and the 'new fangled' anti-depressants and I'm up to 155). Never mind that my cholesterol is through the roof. I tried Seroquel, you know, since it's the hot new thing to give us guinea pigs, and I honestly don't know how I am still standing here today. Exceedingly suicidal coming off of it, and my lovely psychiatrist says, "Well what would you like me to do?" I don't know, how about kill yourself instead? My point after all of this is this, DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOUR BODY!! If you cannot start something at 10mg because it's too much, go slower, if you can't go off something from 40 to 30, go slower. YOU are the only one who knows how you feel and frankly, it seems we are the only ones who care how it effects us. Also, VITAMIN B, LOTS, 5-HTP, find all of the things that are supposed to help with moods that are natural vitamins and minerals and take them. It may not cure a thing, but it will at least help a little. And a little help is better than a lot of fat and a lot of disease.

[cookie]

Dear Kitty:
Totally agree. In my town doctors lower dosage based on available dosings, (from 60 to 30mg. They do not talk about withdrawal symptoms at all. You are right clinical trials goes over how individuals are on them, not withdrawal. Actually the real trial is being done now with tons of cymbalta users ("guinea pigs" as you call them). You know what I feel? the more effective are the antidepressants, the more lazy becomes the brain, so when one comes out from the drug, the brain doesn´t know how to function without the drug. Actually I don´t think they know the long term effects of the drugs. I´ve seen detox programs for antidepressants on the internet, however they are not made by the same companies that make antidepressants. I also think Depression should be paid special attention, because it is an illness worldwide. I went from 110lbs to 162lbs. I developed insulin resistance (no having family history of diabetes) and now I´m taking a pill for diabetics to control insulin usage and glucose. It is a shock to hear what your psychiatrist said "Well what would you like me to do?" I don't know, how about kill yourself instead?". At the end, the best psychiatrist that one can have is oneself. I´ve learned to "DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR MY BODY". We are all different, medicines affect us differently, supplements work on us differently. Kitty, the real bad thing about this has been the LACK OF COMMUNICATION by companies and psychiatrists. If cymbalta package or my shrink have had told me the effects (weight gain, insulin resistance, insomnia, etc) at least I would have had the choice to take or not cymbalta. To decide wether it was better to live with my severe depression or go through the side and withdrawal effects. I agree with your concern
regards
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