I saw attrocities in Desert Storm. In 1994 I was put on Prozac. Since then I have never been off my meds...just changed to different names, etc.
There were days here and there over past 3 decades when i would miss a dose...and man o man it was obvious.
This last week i have been helping my brother move from 800 miles away back to my home. We took the train, rented a car, and then packed boxes, and a uhaul. I forgot my meds...Its been 6 days since i took my last dose of Cymbalta and i have been through sucky physical withdrawals... There's one good thing though, i have slept so good...even on the floor (im 60 years old..thats not easy)
Yet, i have suffered.. so i looked up an answer just now to try to understand some of these withdrawal symptoms and this amazed me but shouldn't have. I DO have all my receipts bookmarked if anybody needs them.
Eccerpt from LinkedIn: "Neuroscience News 424,436 followers
Antidepressant Withdrawal Should Be Taken Seriously
It can take nine months or more for people who have used antidepressants for the long term to find relief from withdrawal symptoms. Researchers address the common symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal and steps to take to help improve symptoms."
Then I typed into my browser: "what vitamins help with cynbalta withdrawal "
WOW!!! I am now feeling really violated Look how much is done in our brains...synthetically... i mean ...crap, frens...
"Vitamin B12, along with Vitamins B3 and B9, not only helps lower homocysteine levels but helps convert it back to methionine. This is then converted into SAMe, which is best known as a methyl-donor. This can help restore and regulate neurotransmitter levels in the body and ease depression. Mar 26, 2023
This is just the tip of this particular rabbit hole for me. Just thought id better get this thread started just in case someone else is out there feeling as bewildered as i am right now...in between the bad withdrawals I'm dealing with in the bathroom ..both face first and the other way.... this sucks.
But...I am better... I don't want to take any more of ths med
We all appreciate your service, thank you. Sorry you’re going through this. I had the same sort of experience. They had me on SSRIs, Ambien for sleep and buspirone and Xanax not all at once but boy, the VA was eager to hand out the scary stuff like candy. Everything I was on made problems worse and it took me years to figure out that it’s all worthless. It took a year to get off of the SSRIs. I did a taper for a month but side effects lasted, mood swings etc and what helped a lot was going very low carb and gluten free. It helped the digestive issues, lost weight, slept better, felt better overall. I quit drinking beer- that also helped the congestion and headaches and obviously improved the mental health issues because I would go to the dark side. I can still drink but I’m a lot more selective. It’s the hops that seem to be a problem for me.
So those are things to consider. I’ve also been taking Propranolol which is a beta blocker but has proved to be beneficial for preventing migraines, panic and anxiety and TBI issues. A lot of vets have had success with it and the one med I would recommend if you still have ptsd symptoms. It evens out your mood and prevents that adrenaline dump you get when anxious. I think it’s a game changer. You don’t get many side effects. It doesn’t make you tired and you can take daily or just as needed/prn.
Give it time, I promise it will get so much better. You’ll look back and wonder why you took that toxic crap and let them screw up your life for so long. Last- I know a lot of ppl who use weed. I can’t but if it’s an option, I’ve heard it helps a lot with withdrawal symptoms. Hang in there.
I'm a lightweight when it comes to anything that helps others sleep or relax, like weed and benadryl.
....and, dang it...I also am an alcoholic..not recovering. That's one thing that helps me numb the pain of rejection, and childhood abuse.