Hi,
About a year and a half ago i weaned myself down from 90mg to 60mg using the bead counting method. I then stabilised at 60 for a year or so. I then went to the doctor (general doctor) last october to see about coming down further and he got me to quickly come down from 60 to 40 within about a month or so....i then became extremely depressed and suicidal.
At that time i took some time off work and stayed at 40mg, my mood improved slightly and i started to wean myself down via the bead counting method again. I was actually feeling fine but when i got down to 30mg i started to feel low again so have stabilised on 30g while i adjust. I have been having quite a lot of suicidal thoughts, although they are just thoughts and not serious plans to kill myself.
In some ways i feel like i need to stay on 30mg for a while and then slowly wean myself further down using the bead method. I would then keep slowly bringing myself down until i am off it altogether. Today i went to see a mental health doctor (after waiting for 3 months). This doctor initially told me that as 30mg is not a therapeutic dose that i should come down to 20mg for two weeks and then take 20mg every other day of two weeks, and then stop completely. I was a little dubious about this, however was planning to give it a go. About two hours later the doctor rang me back as she has spoken to the main consultant in her department and this consultant (who hasn't seen me and based his opinion on the relaying of information given to him by the doctor i had seen) says it sounds like i have relapsed into depression and should go back up to the dose that was originally working for me (which was 90mg). They think it is definitely a relapse into depression rather than the impact of cymbalta withdrawal. I now really don't know what to do as if i go back up to 90mg then i will be back to square one, and i will then start the process of wanting to come off again. I have been on cymbalta for about 4.5 years now and prior to that had been on seroxat (peroxetine) for about 7 or 8 years.
They also suggested maybe trying some other medication instead (one of them being agomelatine). Apparently this can lead to issues with your liver which id rather avoid if i can. I really don't know what to do...a big part of me wants to stick to my guns and continue to come off the cymbalta and see how i adjust to life medication free. If anyone has experience or advice that would be much appreciated.
Thanks,