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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sedona on June 30, 2005, at 13:16:50
Hi- It has now been 16 days since I stopped taking Cymbalta. I had a lot of the physical symptoms like dizziness, tingling etc., but they have finally stopped. But I have still been having crying spells and suicidal thoughts. I have read that even though a drug is out of a persons system it may take weeks for all the withdrawal effects to dissipate. My psychiatrist and I agreed to taper then stop the Cymbalta because it had lost its effectiveness (like every other antidepressant I have tried). I have tried 14 drugs and still take Adderall XR and Klonopin, but I have no plans to try more drugs. My psychologist is out of town for three weeks and my psychiatrist hasn't responded to my email or phone message, and I am feeling very desperate. I was depressed before I stopped the Cymbalta and now I feel even worse. I'm just trying to figure out if this is depression or withdrawal. Any thoughts??
Thank you
Posted by SLS on July 1, 2005, at 9:29:06
In reply to Withdrawal or relapse? PLEASE HELP, posted by sedona on June 30, 2005, at 13:16:50
> Hi- It has now been 16 days since I stopped taking Cymbalta. I had a lot of the physical symptoms like dizziness, tingling etc., but they have finally stopped. But I have still been having crying spells and suicidal thoughts. I have read that even though a drug is out of a persons system it may take weeks for all the withdrawal effects to dissipate. My psychiatrist and I agreed to taper then stop the Cymbalta because it had lost its effectiveness (like every other antidepressant I have tried). I have tried 14 drugs and still take Adderall XR and Klonopin, but I have no plans to try more drugs. My psychologist is out of town for three weeks and my psychiatrist hasn't responded to my email or phone message, and I am feeling very desperate. I was depressed before I stopped the Cymbalta and now I feel even worse. I'm just trying to figure out if this is depression or withdrawal. Any thoughts??
>
> Thank you
I wish I had the right guess to offer you. I'm just not sure. Try to be patient. If things continue to get worse instead of better over the next few days, I think the best guess is that Cymbalta was helping. If this is true, I would restart it and add another antidepressant like Wellbutrin.
- Scott
Posted by sedona on July 1, 2005, at 11:28:09
In reply to Re: Withdrawal or relapse? PLEASE HELP, posted by SLS on July 1, 2005, at 9:29:06
Thank you for your response. I actually have no intention on going back on Cymbalta. Like all the other antidepressants I have tried it made me tired, apathetic, and caused weight gain. Wellbutrin made me very suicidal. My psychiatrist finally called me after I wrote him an angry email. He also affirmed my suspicion that it could take a month or more for my receptors to return to their pre-antidepressant state or baseline. So, there is a chance that I will relapse, but I also think it would be a good idea to know what it is like to be off AD's. Antidepressants have never brought me out of depression, only lessened it a little. I'm just not sure if I think the side-effects are worth the mild response I get. I guess when I wrote the question I was confused and angry as to why I feel worse than I did before I started antidepressants.
Posted by SLS on July 2, 2005, at 10:04:15
In reply to RE: Withdrawal or relapse? PLEASE HELP » SLS, posted by sedona on July 1, 2005, at 11:28:09
Hi.
> Thank you for your response. I actually have no intention on going back on Cymbalta. Like all the other antidepressants I have tried it made me tired, apathetic, and caused weight gain.Good reasons!
> Wellbutrin made me very suicidal.
Wellbutrin makes my depression worse. I become very dysphoric and almost melancholic. I can see how it could make someone suicidal if anger and anxiety creep in - things that this drug is known to do.
> My psychiatrist finally called me after I wrote him an angry email. He also affirmed my suspicion that it could take a month or more for my receptors to return to their pre-antidepressant state or baseline.
This is true. Hopefully, much of what you have experience as depression currently is in large part rebound.
> So, there is a chance that I will relapse, but I also think it would be a good idea to know what it is like to be off AD's.
I agree with you.
> Antidepressants have never brought me out of depression, only lessened it a little.
Do you think a large part of your depression might be better treated using psychotherapy?
> I'm just not sure if I think the side-effects are worth the mild response I get.
I think you will be better able to evaluate your need for a biological intervention once you are better able to assess your baseline. If you become horrendously depressed and feel the need for medication, there are might be others you have yet to try that do not produce the side effects you are so averse to. You might have to make a trade off, though. The most effective drugs might carry with them one or more physical side effects like dry mouth, elevated heart rate, sweating, blurred vision, or constipation. Personally, I prefer the physical side effects of the tricyclics to the changes in congnition, apathy, and amotivation that the SRIs produce. MAOIs have their problems, but still, I prefer them to the SRIs. After being on these drugs for awhile, most of these side effects lessen to the point where they become mild and of little import. Even the anorgasmia produced by Nardil often resolves on its own within a few months. Unfortunately, psychopharmacology currently offers us drugs that are rather crude in their actions. They are working feverishly on trying to better understand the brain and producing drugs that are better directed toward increased efficacy and fewer side effects. We were probably born a bit to early.
- Scott
Posted by TJ3 on July 3, 2005, at 22:59:28
In reply to Withdrawal or relapse? PLEASE HELP, posted by sedona on June 30, 2005, at 13:16:50
I have not been having suicidal thoughts, but I am experiencing crying as withdrawal from Effexor XR. The truth is (In my opinion anyway), only you know for sure if your crying is a relapse or withdrawal. Go with your gut feeling on the situation! By the way, I normally cry a lot anyway, and I think that is just a part of who I am. My crying spells now also have the feeling of hopelessness with them, but even in the midst of it, I know it will pass.
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