Hello. I was on antidepressants and stimulants for nearly 30 years. I chose to discontinue Cymbalta last August based on the lack of evidence of its effectiveness for long term use or how it affects the aging brain. Looking back, I still experienced many bouts of severe depression even while taking it and other antidepressants. The withdrawals were horrific even with tapering, but I got through it. Then in February, the nationwide Adderall shortage led me to quickly taper off of that med. Again I suffered through the withdrawals. I also quit Trazodone.
I also recently retired due to burnout from high stress careers.
Some days are okay and maybe I will have two weeks of okay days before depression overwhelms me again. My primary care doctor suggested I go on Wellbutrin or Straterra, but I no longer believe these types of medications are safe due to the withdrawals I experienced previously.
My question is, will my brain recover and start producing more Dopamine and Norepinephrine or relearn not to prevent its fast depletion?
I feel no joy. I don't feel optimistic or look forward to anything. I have no desire or energy for hobbies. I have little if any social contact and no desire to find it.
I am a logical thinker and am not spiritual. I am hoping someone out there has been down this road and can report that I progress past this state of sadness over time.
Thanks for reading this far.
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RoanyMule
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I applaud you for choosing to yourself...I assume you already know the process in the brain known as down regulation... no matter what the brain seeks to equilibrium...I've told my Dr that I thought Cymbalta has given me a permanent depression and she just Dismissed it..ive been on it 9 years now and I'm too afraid to come of it...I haven't dealt with emotions for 9 years now and I miss them.?it was the source of imagination and guidance muse..I have other issues That prevent me lowering the dose mostly the fear of accidentally hurting myself ( not suicide just other issues). It has beven a dulll8ng drug...but it may take years and it may never be the brain of your youth again but they are learning more at the remarkable plasticity of brain to heal itself
Thanks for replying. If you do discontinue Cymbalta, do so very slowly. Some people resort to counting the beads within each capsule, but I didn't do that. Perhaps slowly switching to another interim med while withdrawing from Cymbalta would ease the symptoms. There is lots of information online, both good and bad, but it's worth the time to read some of it.
Unfortunately doctors only know how to do one thing, which is to prescribe meds. With so many meds on the market, they mostly only know what the drug reps have told them or perhaps what the label insert might say. But what is clear to me is that the drug manufacturers do not offer any sort of guidance on how to safely discontinue these meds and what to expect.
I bought into the chemical imbalance theory for many many years, but seems like research doesn't really back that up. And now I'm left with a brain which has been dependent on these mind-altering substances. I am very impatient as well as I guess I thought my brain would just adjust in a couple of months, but it is taking a very long time.
I am not the same person without these meds. I am confronted with the aftermath of a trauma-filled life starting in childhood. I can return to meds and numb or escape that, but to what end? I no longer want to be at the mercy of pharmaceuticals and the supply chain. I may not last long like this, but I am trying. I am in talk therapy again at least, but that too is a slow process.
One thing that is really affecting my mood is the weather. Climate change with extreme weather events makes it very hard for me to look for to the future.
Thank you again for your reply. It means a lot to me.
Currently I'm focused on the Buspar I take.?I'm sticking with the the dose I'm on now for 5 to six weeks.?my friends say they have never see anyone react to the way I do and like most my mess I don't really 2ant off them just I have a psychos and have made peace the fact ill have to take Zyprexa for the rest of my life...and who isn't aff3cted by that..,.if you aren't anxious about that you must be a Martian
I was on Buspar years ago for a while and at the time it really helped me. Presently just on an occasional Ativan. Am in remission for depression thanks to TMS!
I've gone through horrible withdrawals and I m at a point now where I've been on three meds for 5 wks that could have withdrawal and I'm tapering off of them because I don't want to be physically dependent on them.I got back on 5-HTP for depression. I doubled the dose yesterday and got the ringing in my ears and insomnia so I'll back down to one and a half a day I guess. There's no withdrawal from 5-HTP or St John's Wort and they're good natural antidepressants. Exercising for 20 minutes a day is a good natural antidepressant too. It's as good as meds.
Best of luck I'm right there with you I don't want to be physically dependent on anything ever again. After going through three horrendous withdrawals.
I used to take wellbutrin... in the 1990's. It gave me energy in my legs. I was in depression but also physically exhausted cause I was the single parent of an undiagnosed autistic child... always in crisis. I worked part-time. I took it in the morning. If I didn't take it, I got to the bench at the bus stop and felt like I couldn't go one. My doc just shrugged his shoulders. Now, it is documented that it gives you leg energy. Everytime I forgot to take it, I had less energy in my legs. When I got to the point that I was at the bus stop and I had forgotten to take it and I had enough energy to continue, I quit taking it. It didn't help with depression. Doc told me that I would 10 pounds when I started taking. I did. When I stopped taking it, I gained the 10 pounds back. No withdrawal.
The whole reason most people are prescribed these meds in the first place is that, for some reason, some people's brains have an imbalance in their brain chemicals. I know I do. In some cases, that gets better on its own. In some cases, it doesn't.
While I totally understand wanting to get off of the meds (I am currently weaning off of lexapro), I also caution you from taking a hard stance against all antidepressants. I am NOT planning to go off of my mirtazapine, because I went on it for severe, scary depression. The lexapro, however, was added on for anxiety - and I think it has made that worse, not better, as all of these meds may also do. Finding the right meds can take time and is highly individualized, as our brain chemistries are highly individualized.
If you can be HAPPY off all meds, great. But, if you still feel horrible after you have been off of all meds for months... you may just want to reconsider. I know how horrible withdrawal can be, but if you are miserable, why stay that way just to avoid a POSSIBLE problem in the future? I am mitigating my withdrawal symptoms right now by going three times as slowly as the doctor recommended, so my body and brain have plenty of time to adjust.
The best psychiatrist I ever had told me, "So what if you have to take meds for the rest of your life? If you are happier and your quality of life is better, isn't it worth it?" That totally changed my attitude. Of course, this is just my opinion and personal experience.
There IS another route if you are bound and determined to avoid prescription drugs. The same psychiatrist I mentioned prescribed me NAC 12 years ago, after the first research study linked it to helping depression. I'm still on it. And there are other research-backed supplements that may also help. But keep in mind that side effects are still possible, and again, results are highly individualized. I would recommend discussing it with your doctor to see which ones they feel are most likely to help in your specific case. Good luck!
Unfortunately, without being able to test which chemicals, if any, are lacking, I no longer subscribe to the chemical imbalance theory. Psychiatrists use trial and error to find a med that seems to work, but it's all based on self-reporting by patients.
If you look at the reseach, the antidepressants don't do much better than placebo in double blind trials.
If there were definitive labs that could identify the cause of my depression, I would have those done and address any deficiencies with proper proven pharmaceuticals.
Depression is not a simple medical condition that responds to pharmaceuticals alone. Psychiatry has changed over the years. A psychiatrist used to engage in on-going talk therapy in conjunction with medication management. It's not like that here in the state's anymore. Insurance companies only pay them to administer meds, not to really get behind the other aspects of life which may be causing emotional pain. For that you need yet another mental health professional.
I came here for peer support and understanding, not to debate. Yet, your reply compelled me to write back. I am glad you have found something that works for you. The problem with the "so what“ part is that it is unknown what negative effects lie ahead after long term use of these medications. The drug manufacturers don't even offer guidance on how to properly taper off these meds and why should they? They make money so long as people buy into their dubious claims.
There's a test for the Mthfr gene mutation that can cause depression in a lot of people from lack of absorption of folate. You can just take the l-methylfolite mthf
Yes and perhaps autoimmune disorder. I am particularly interested in this theory since I have two autoimmune disorders already. It makes me wonder if my depression is at least partly do to an autoimmune response in my brain. I have been reading about how other areas of the body are also involved in the production of Serotonin, particularly in the gut.
It makes sense to me that I need to address my body as a whole to understand what triggers episodes of depression. I am convinced there is more to it than mere brain chemistry. There are likely hormones at play like Estrogen. Estrogen and Serotonin have a relationship with carbohydrates as well. Everything we ingest causes all sorts of chemical and hormonal changes. I don't think Science has this all figured out yet, but I think it will eventually.
Still, there are more aspects which can affect moods such as financial stress, lack of safe housing, social and societal issues, and quite frankly, extreme weather events. In sum, being human is tough and getting tougher every day. It's hard not to let stuff get you down.
And there are many of us that developed depression (with and without anxiety) due to issues related to childhood trauma, I am one of them. Meds worked great for years and after decades on them I became treatment resistant. TMS has done wonders for me.
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Meds 
Over My Head
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