Posted 18 June 2008 - 10:49 PM
Oh honey, hang on tight, take a deep breath, and keep looking at what you have that is positive. That can feel like a lifeline when coming off of this demon drug. No, you are not crazy, your body and mind are trying to find their balance, and it is a rocky road to travel for awhile.
There are posts here about things to help you with this. Omega supplements are good to take, eating foods rich in Omega 3 is good too. Avoid or limit caffeine for awhile, as you may find that you are going to feel very sensitive to it. If you are feeling nauseous, some people have had good luck with dramamine.
You were right about the every other day method of weaning, it just throws you in and out of withdrawal. You didnt say how long you have been off of this, but a couple of things came to mind. If it hasn't been too many days, you may want to take 30 mg again, and then slowly wean yourself down from there. If you don't want to take it again, and I understand that, you may want to talk to your doctor about using another med to help you. Some have used Celexa, or there is the method of taking 1 dose of prozac. This works for some because it has a long half life in your system, and gets you through some of the worst of the withdrawal. I'll see if I can find the link and post it here or message you with it.
I don't want to throw a ton of information at you right away, because you are likely feeling pretty overwhelmed right now, but a few things are pretty important; make sure that your parents are aware that you are doing this. Since you live together, it will be important for them to know how you are feeling, and what you may experience for awhile. Maybe have them read some posts here. It is helpful when you feel overwhelmed to just have someone to sit with you.
Second, turn off TV, or be sure to watch very lighthearted programs, nothing stressful. Listen to soft music, eat good healthy foods, and stay hydrated. During the day, get outside and just enjoy nature.
Third, I don't know how large of a company that you work for, but there are FMLA guidelines that may cover your absence. Plus, if you have a note from your doctor, I would think that they would not question it. You also don't owe them much detail; illness is private, so you don't have to divulge too much information.
Last, (sorry this is long) you must take care of you. Your emotions have been deadened from Cymbalta, and now that you are feeling again, they will likely be extreme. When you feel like that, just repeat "it is not me, it is the drug". Jeff is one of the success stories here, and that is is famous line, and I know we have all used it.
I won't keep going for now, but do know that we have all been where you are, some are still there, but many of us have come out the other side, even though there were times we didn't think we would.
Read some of the posts, vent and ask as many questions as you need to, someone will always be here to get back to you. You can do this, and you are not alone.
Babby
) I allowed myself to feel weak and didn't want to be a burden on him and against his advice began taking cymbalta. I refused to go back on lexapro after the hell it put me through and the effects that it still to this day has caused (I used to compete in UIL math competitions... I can't add simple numbers in my head now... it's just one small example...) so instead i took up cymbalta since my mother takes it and my doctor (who was my employer at the time) seemed to think it the next best thing to lexapro. I am an idiot- just reading that back i feel like such a doof... anyway. I was rocking along doing okay other than feeling guilty about being on a med that I promised myself I would never be on again... until I started having other problems (abdominal pain, "Aunt Flow" was being a witch, and such) and ended up having a colonoscopy (all clear) and then a laporoscopy which showed lovely endometriosis. It all made sense then. I don't need the seritonin meds... i need my hormones straightened out... I had tried once before to take ortho evera low dose to help with acne back when I was on prozac i think... it was a long time ago, but i remember it was not good. so when I learned I now have endometriosis i thought great. Birth control is the usual and best way to keep it at bay. So I started tapering off the cymbalta and began preparing for some mild withdrawal symptoms thinking surely it would be nothing compared to the cold turkey stop of lexapro. I started using Nuva Ring about the same time I was down from 120mg cymbalta daily to 60mg every other day... and I noticed that it was like withdrawals every other day so I just stopped... and welcome to hell. Now over the past two weeks I had gone from 60mg daily to nothing, recovered from a laporoscopy, started using Nuva ring, and worked 100 hours as a security officer (most all my work is out doors in the heat and humidity of SE Texas or overnights)... Yesterday I finally went to the doctor because I was afraid I had developed a blood sugar problem (i am borderline diabetic)- my blood sugar was fine, but otherwise i was a wreck. My doc (my ex-employer and good friend) was worried about me. He told me to take some time off of work and let myself get over this and gave me vicodin, phenegran, and pro something to help with the stomach ickyness... nothing i could take and work at the same time. so i managed somehow between the shakes, severe depression, uncontrollable tears, and panic to make it to my office and turn in my work slip from the doctor's office to be off work for two days. My two days is up tomorrow... I have to call and tell them If I can come back to work tomorrow afternoon. I don't think I can. If I don't I most likely won't have a job. what is worse is that I just had a huge tiff with my fiance on the phone- and we rarely ever have even "discussions". This freaking drug is ruining my life. I am close to loosing my job, close to harming relationships, and completely falling apart. I haven't felt this low in a looooong loooong time. I just don't know what to do. Nothing seems worth fighting for except my fiance and my parents (and yeah they are my roommates- free rent until my wedding 
