I've finally taken the plunge, and am stopping Cymbalta. My psychiatrist told me to stop taking it cold turkey! As I've read that withdrawing from Cymbalta can rival the misery of stopping Effexor, I fought with him for the honor of tapering off the drug to reduce side effects.

Today is my third day on the lowest dose, and next Saturday will be my first day without Cymbalta. I have a headache that is making it very difficult to read and think clearly. I hope this isn't just the beginning of the "fun".

You know, I have gone through some horrible depressing things since Thanksgiving that I never thought I would go through.

Some well meaning friends from my local support group have told me they put me on their prayer lists, which lead to getting visits from different faiths, all trying to comfort me with bible verse and other prostelizying. I tell them I am not interested, and they gete all upset.

Honestly, being bipolar one, and suffereing the things I have in my short life, hospitalizations from hell, etc, I have come to the conclusion that my faith in God would best be defined as a Bright. But tell that to anyone, in my support group, in AA - and I am shunned aside like I am beyond a leper.

These are educated people, I live in a town where most adults over 30 have a Master's or higher. You think they would feel differently.

I saw that article a few days ago. I think the author is on to something.

Thank you

I wasn't going to comment about the New Yorker mag article until I read it for myself: BUT--I read this 'take' on the childhood bp dx thing and am just outraged even more, that my daughter was dx Childhood Bipolar Disorder BASED on an adverse reaction to Impramine for bed wetting for camp at age 11.

I almost WISH she had behavior issues, or a broken home to blame the misdiagnosis on!

This just makes her dx of childhood bp even more outrageous, reckless and disgusting.

I want to take that damn Bipolar Book--you know, the "bible" and hurl it across the room. But I think I threw it away already. I can't find it.
Damn shit.
Sorry for the rant. I wonder if ANY other parent had a kid dx Childhood Bipolar in such a reckess abandon way. Then to have docs tell me "face reality" and "if she goes off meds she will kill herself by age 18".
Maybe meds help some, but fucking hell they don't help ALL. I feel like I am existing in someone else's wake up call and I answered the damn door.

-Stephany

Thanks Philip for the link to my posts.

Stephany, I recently pissed the bed during while going off Zoloft cold turkey, which is something I haven't done since I was three (piss the bed, that is - they didn't get their claws into me that early). So thanks for shedding some light on that one - I was wondering if it was serotonin-related - like so many other physiological processes!

I've ordered that "damn Bipolar Book" from Amazon - yes, I'm adding to their royalties, but curiosity (and other excessive and pleasurable goal-directed activity) has gotten the better of me. I'll deface the jacket photo for you.

Speaking of jacket photos, the one of the Papoloses on the back flap is immediately preceded by the statement "Janice Papolos is the author of three books, all recognised as definitive in their field." Further investigation revealed the following:

"The Virgin Homeowner: The Essential Guide to Owning, Maintaining, and Surviving Your Home"

"The Performing Artist's Handbook"

"Can this marriage be saved?: Interpersonal and organizational guidelines for ensembles" (Huh?)

If even owning your own home apparently puts you at risk of some serious psychopathology, then I'm glad I stopped answering the door a long time ago.

Keep on ranting...

My nightmare with Cymbalta happened when I tried to stop the drug cold. I was yanked off of it after it was suspected to have caused a nasty manic episode. I experience vertigo and a serious anxiety attack in the grocery store.

Ruth,

I think I shall place my house up for sale. Damn doorbell from hell. Are you serious? Now I want to start a book burning of all of Janice's books. This reminds me of Martha Hellendar, co-founder of CABF being an author of a garden history book.

I'm damn sure that Eli Lilly was testing Cymbalta for incontinence for a reason: they caught on that bed wetting is an issue; and wanted to find a way to make a buck off of it.

[you told me to keep ranting]

Damn the day my daughter wanted to go to camp dry. Her teacher woke her up 3 times a night[bless that woman]and I sent along 2 extra sleeping bags.
I wish to hell I never took her to the PCP for help. Some days, I feel like a fucking idiot.

Susan brings up another topic for a rant.
Lord have mercy Philip should just ban me from posting:

-My mother has placed me on a world-wide prayer list, and said she cannot place my daughter on it "due to privacy laws". WTF, I have faith, and this is not an anti-religion rant--this is a "My mom is a triple degree and beyond, teacher, pastor, Professor, and once my daughter went into the abyss from hell at psych wards,dropped off of the planet. Just last week, I was told that I was not Godly enough[thus my "problems!"]I received a book in the mail from her "Fallng in Love with the Bible." --I officially hate my mailbox.
I buried the book in my stack [in case I need to refer to lying about reading it at the MRI appts or somewhere]underneath John Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", "Without a Doubt", by Marcia Clark, and "A Year in Provence", by Mayle.

Sorry for the rants here--this stuff is just over the top.
PS- and I believe in medical weed use.

Ruth,
I just have to get back to that book list of Janice's.

She is a virginal homeowner who performs guidelines for ensembles.

THIS is where I just need to shut my mouth. God, maybe she wears leather panties too.