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[purplemusic]

Thank goodness for finding this site!!! My story (which is different than many others I have read):

Approximately 9-10 years ago, I became very depressed. For me, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I started seeing a psychologist and she suggested that I ask my doctor about getting on some meds. He put me on Cymbalta 30mg to start. I did start to feel better although I experienced feelings that would resemble having drank a few pots of coffee. Then my doctor increased my dosage to 60mg. I was totally wired!!!! I didn't sleep for 4 nights straight! I told my doctor and he prescribed Ambien 10mg to help me sleep (great, more drugs). It did help and I stayed on that path for many years. At that time, I watched a news special discussing mothers doing Meth. The feelings they described were exactly what I went through when I first started taking 60mg. I was wired, I lost a tremondous amount of weight and I felt invincable. After a while, my body and mind got used to the drug and I felt normal, except if I skipped a dose. I had been told that getting off would be a difficult process.
About 2 years ago, my youngest son started having health problems and we researched meds, foods, gluten, etc. We ended up taking him off of all his meds and I decided that I wanted to do the same. I am in a place in my life that I felt I didn't need my "happy pills" anymore. I have been seeing an allergy doctor who is a Natropathic doctor and tries to do help issues with vitamins and supplements and she has been trying to help me get off Cymbalta. She had me decrease my dosages by alternating days; 60mg/40mg. I did that for a month and did just fine. Didn't feel any thing different. The next month, I alternted days doing 40mg/20mg. I did that transition with no difficulties either. I began to think this would be easier than expected. My doctor told me the next step that she could see was to alternate 20mg one day and nothing the next. I have tried this for a little over a week now and I realize I'm experiencing withdrawals and I don't know what else to do. I'm dizzy, feel confused, VERY agitated, catMy husband sought help through an online forum when he got off of Paxil. His depression was more anxiety and his feelings were just opposite of mine. At the peak of his anxiety/depression, he was experincing severe anxiety attacks, could not sleep, could not keep food down (in fact he was vomiting several times a day) and he started to lose a lot of weight. The same doctor that put me on Cymbalta, put him on Paxil. It worked and did it's job to calm him down and let his body sleep and eat, but it ruined him. He becamed so relaxed that he had no desire or ambition to do anything (TOTALLY NOT HIM). It was an awful time for our family and has scarred us all. By the grace of God, we are stilled married and we are on the mends, but these drugs have taken a lot away from us. Anyway, he did get off of Paxil by weaning himself.
By reading here, I realize that skipping a day is not the way to go. I am going to try "bead counting." Thanks to all of you who have shared here. It's so good to have support!

[michbabe]

Like you I tried the skipping a day. I get very dizzy, sick to my stomach and light headed. I haven't found a way of getting off my Cybalta either I take 30mg daily. Had I know how difficult it was to quit I would probably never of started it. Someone told me to open the capsule and start by removing a few of the grains and increase slowly..A bunch of bologna to have to do that to get off a med..