On SSRIs and SNRIs since 2005 with no break
Benzo free since 2010
Trazodone 200mg since 2008 and recently tapered to 0mg in just over once month (December 2012)
Cymbalta 120mg since 2008
"Don't look back, you aren't going that way" "The miracle is this......The more we share, The more we have" Leonard Nimoy
On SSRIs and SNRIs since 2005 with no break
Benzo free since 2010
Trazodone 200mg since 2008 and recently tapered to 0mg in just over once month (December 2012)
Cymbalta 120mg since 2008
"Don't look back, you aren't going that way" "The miracle is this......The more we share, The more we have" Leonard Nimoy
Elizabeth, you're in the right place. Because the w/d is often difficult, IAWP is a godsend, as are other related boards. Here the experiences of others (trial and error) have been gathered together to form guidance since the medical establishment has really dropped the ball on this one. I learned about tapering here, and there are some logistical and technical tips for tapering that are just indispensable for this quite challenging experience. I love your don't look back quote.
"It is certain my conviction gains infinitely the moment another soul will believe in it." Novalis (quoted in Lord Jim)
On SSRIs and SNRIs since 2005 with no break
Benzo free since 2010
Trazodone 200mg since 2008 and recently tapered to 0mg in just over once month (December 2012)
Cymbalta 120mg since 2008
"Don't look back, you aren't going that way" "The miracle is this......The more we share, The more we have" Leonard Nimoy
Today I shared this forum with my family member who is supporting me. She is amazed by how many people have been harmed by these drugs. She can see the improvement in me. And I also have tapered completely off of Trazodone as of Sunday. I don't feel too bad but a little sad. Got some sad news today so it's not just the W/D.
Sheila, Luc you said to slow the taper down but I just couldn't bear putting anymore Traz in my system. I won't touch the Cymbalta for quite awhile! THAT I can promise. My family member agrees that I shouldn't see my shrink of 7 years again so I have another one lined up for Feb. Like I said, I don't expect "HELP" so much as getting lower doses of Cymbalta when the time comes to taper. I thinking that I should wait until Spring when the days are warmer and longer. Right now it is snow snow snow and just blah. Not conducive (sp?) to tackling a nasty drug like an SNRI! Getting out will be easier when the weather is warmer. <sigh>
On SSRIs and SNRIs since 2005 with no break
Benzo free since 2010
Trazodone 200mg since 2008 and recently tapered to 0mg in just over once month (December 2012)
Cymbalta 120mg since 2008
"Don't look back, you aren't going that way" "The miracle is this......The more we share, The more we have" Leonard Nimoy
you will be ok i think, because you take the cymbalta; but do not do it with cymbalta, your last med, because it can be very different
12 years paxil(9 years only 10 mg) - cold turkey(1,5 month) and switch celexa tapered 1 year 20 mg
62 years old - for GAD - 4 years 3 months meds free [since april 2009]
vegetables soup - orange (vit C) - curcuma - some meat or fish
That is great that you have a supportive family member who is willing to learn about this experience. I have been thinking about how hard it must be for people who have never gone through this, to comprehend. My rage at the official denial and stupid docs has been gradually shifting to empathy -- we're all only human after all. . .
"It is certain my conviction gains infinitely the moment another soul will believe in it." Novalis (quoted in Lord Jim)
Elizabeth -- Congratulations on finishing the Trazadone. And that’s great that you are showing IAWP to your new support person.
Waiting awhile to start the Cymbalta taper seems like a good idea. Keep listening to your body; don’t set a timeline. And I’m glad you’re moving on from this psychiatrist.
Meds free since June 2005.
"An initiation into shamanic healing means a devaluation of all values, an overturning of the profane world, a peeling away of inveterate handed-down notions of the world, liberation from everything preconceived. For that reason, shamanism is closely connected with suffering. One must suffer the disintegration of one's own system of thought in order to perceive a new world in the higher space."
-- Holger Kalweit
Annie -- That's really great. I always am humbled by the thought that I would *never* believe this if I had not experienced it myself. So, that limits how harshly I can judge other people. I even think there's a silver lining to it going on for so long for me, because, if it hadn't, I wouldn't have believed *that* was possible either, and consequently I would have done harm to others.
Meds free since June 2005.
"An initiation into shamanic healing means a devaluation of all values, an overturning of the profane world, a peeling away of inveterate handed-down notions of the world, liberation from everything preconceived. For that reason, shamanism is closely connected with suffering. One must suffer the disintegration of one's own system of thought in order to perceive a new world in the higher space."
-- Holger Kalweit