Okay, so I've been taking 90mgs of Cymbalta everyday for the past 2 years. I was put on it when I was 16 while I was in a psychiactric hospital for depression. I am now 18 years old.
I have been trying to come off it many tries for a while now. Mainly because for the past 2 years it just makes me so tired and drowsy and made me emotionally numb. It even said cymbalata isn't approved for people under 18, and I was 16 when I was put on Cymbalta. I am now 18 years old.
everytime i try to come off cymbalta i experience the notorious withdrawel symptoms which are absolutely unbearable. and I can't go more than a few days without giving up due to the extent of how sick I get.
My current psychiatrist really wants me to start decreasing my cymbalta for good and go through with it. becuase i always stop after day 2 because i get so sick and can't function.
I also take a couple of other medications. Seroquel 100mgs every evening. and I take 40mgs of Ritalin LA every morning. and occasional valium for anxiety. My psychatrist is expecting me to begin decreasing my dose within the next few days. he prescribed me xanax to take 3 times a day for the first 3 days while going from 90 to 60.
But I feel so much pressure to do this, from my family and my doctor. but I am scared of the withdrawel. and how much it will interfere with my life. I won't be able to function, or really do anything. expect lay in bed, medicated on xanax and all my other meds, while experiencing this terrible withdrawel.
I'm also worried that I may end up needing serious medical attention.
I already take 90mgs cymbalta, 100mgs seroquel, and 40mgs ritalin and 5mgs valium
now once i start the decrease from 90 to 60. I will be taking 1mg xanax 3 times a day for 3 days. as well as valium when needed. and also pain killers, anti-nausea medications. I'm concerned that my medications may interact, which a lot of them already do. and the effects of the interactions would be worse due to my body being in a state of severe physichal withdrawel. and i already have a history of health problems. Including heart problems, I was always having palpatations and flutters and irregulaur heart rate and everytime i stand up my heart rate goes really high. I have to get ECG's every month. and I also have an incredibly low iron level. My iron level is 12 when a normal one is at least 128.
Basically I'm just terrified of what's going to happen. I tried getting into hospital to to do this withdrawel because of the severity of it. But no where would accept me because they don't specialise in that. My main fear is the physichal side of things. and i know it's going to be hell.
basically if i don't take my 90mgs in the morning, by 5pm the withdrawel kicks in.
so everytime i have tried just taking 60mgs every morning, towards the evening i start to feel the withdrawel.
I can't sleep, I can't eat, drenched in cold sweat, rapid temperature changes, nausea, muscle aches and pains, headache, my whole head hurts (brain zaps) my eyes hurt, open or closed, my heart beats rapidly, increase blood pressure, dioreaha, vomiting, my whole body from head to toe is in pain. everything, including my eyes. severe shaking. and then mentally i just feel like shit because of the physichal stuff. and i feel unstable and almost manic.
I don't know if I can go through that again.. it seems easier to just stay on 90mgs for the rest of my life. at least then i won't have to go through that. and i would much rather do it in a hospital. because then if something bad happens, considering im going to be taking cymbalta, seroquel, ritalin, valium, xanax, codiene, and maxalon altogether which certainly doesn't seem safe but my doctor doesn't care. clearly based on the amount of medication I'll be taking, along with possible interactions, along with severe DANGEROUS withdrawel, when I already have a history of heart problems. This is just a recipe for disaster. I'm pretty sure I'll end up having a seizure or something becuase that nearly happened last time.
I am so angry at the health system. i can't believe i was put on this medication at such a young age and told nothing of the withdrawel. I can't believe my current psychiatrist is just giving me medication cocktails and telling me to suck it up and do it ALONE in my own house.
sigh. i can't believe hospitals are not equipped to deal with this sort of thing. No drug detox will accept me because anti-depressants is a whole nother league that not many detoxification facilities are familiar with.
