I want to die

[webbersue]

I went cold turkey off several meds like cymbalta, lyrica, amitryptyline, etc. over a week ago and I still feel awful.  When will I feel better?  Any idea?  

[Paxiled]

I'm particularly sensitive to withdrawal, because going off Paxil destroyed my life, and I tapered off, but for me it was too fast.  Because my psychiatrist was a quack, he didn't tell me what I was suffering, so I had to learn on my own, and it took me awhile and by then I was stuck with a whole new set of problems.  So I always urge caution.  If it were me, I'd go back on the meds, and taper off each one properly just to be safe, but most people do recover in time even with cold turkey.  I'm just hyper sensitive to the many who don't.  As for some of the physiological symptoms, I've heard that fish oil helps.

[allmymarbles]

The pill is the quick fix of medical practice. And so many physical ailments are attributed to emotional problems. This is especially true of those that are hard to diagnose.

[Ruthi_Backenroth]

Sorry that you are having a hard time with your quitting cold turkey. Congratulations on doing not-stop research to find answers for yourself.  That is a very empowering action.

You might want to look into EFT (emotional freedom techniques) which can be used with any other medication or treatment to get some relief from pain and stress.  The technique uses tapping on Chinese acu-points (on hands, face and body) while focusing on aspects of the pain.  The Chinese have been using these meridian points to get relief for over 5 thousand years.  

My best wishes to you.

[webbersue]

Yes, I have been keeping in contact with my psychiatrist, and of course she does not and did not agree with my decision to do what I did. And now that I went cold turkey, I would've never done it if I knew what I was gonna be sufferring like.  But, now we have a plan to try to fix the problem..I do want to say that I seriously feel so clear-headed now, and I am glad that I went off the medications.  I have been doing non-stop research to find answers for myself and I think I have come up with some of the ones I am looking for in my personal health.  I feel that antidepressants were pushed on me because the doctors wanted to treat the symptom not the cause.  I am not a depressed person and I tried telling them that but they wouldn't listen.  I just want everyone know to think long and hard before you take these and any other drugs.

[Paxiled]

While the above is interesting, let's get to your question.  You appear to know you shouldn't have gone off these meds cold turkey.  Even tapering down can be extremely difficult.  I'd go to your psychiatrist and do this right, which is to taper down slowly and more safely one at a time.  As to how long withdrawal lasts, that depends on the person and can't be generalized.  Some have an easy time, some don't.  Hopefully, you will, but you really should be more careful with these meds.  Good luck.

[gymdandee]

That I don't know!
Before doing what I recommend talk to your doctor first!

Make sure to have your fasting essential amino acids checked. Although not every clinically depressed individual has low essential amino acids, the majority do, so testing and
treatment for these key nutrients should never be omitted.
Your Rubidium level could be low. In 1996, researchers in Italy reported that 15 individuals hospitalized with depression were treated with 540 milligrams of rubidium chloride daily. They wrote: “Speedy therapeutic efficacy has been shown, with lack of side effects.
Unfortunately, there is no rubidium supplements available in any local natural food stores
Boosting your body’s own depression fighters
Your nerve cells and other cells use specialized enzymes to transform the essential amino acid phenylalanine and its derivative tyrosine into the neurotransmitters noradrenalin, adrenalin, and dopamine. These three neurotransmitters are part of a group
classified as catecholamines, and increasing levels of them in your brain has a well-known, significant antidepressant effect. But without enough phenylalanine and tyrosine, your body can’t make as much of these substances, and you could become depre s s e d .
Rubidium stimulates the enzymes that use phenylalanine and tyrosine to produce catecholamines. compounding pharmacist can make the Rubidium and take 500 milligrams daily with food.
B e f o re you consider rubidium for depression make sure to have your fasting essential amino acids checked. Although not every clinically depressed individual has low essential amino acids, the majority do, so testing and treatment for these key nutrients should never be omitted. While it’s very possible that using rubidium by itself without any of these other
nutrients would probably be effective, you might be overlooking deficiencies in essential amino acids as well as other essential nutrients that rubidium alone cannot replace. So your depression might go away, but other body functions would continue to decline, possibly permanently. Besides, rubidium is more likely to work when your body has all the
amino acids it needs. You can have your fasting essential amino acids checked with a blood test. if your essential amino acids are low, make sure to use a blend of all eight essential amino acids (including tryptophan) individualized for you. And, just as
importantly, make sure to look for the cause of your low levels. It probably won’t surprise
you to learn that, quite often, that cause turns out to be hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid. If that’s the case, then add injections of vitamin B12 with folic acid to your program.
Rubidium should not be used by individuals with bi-polar (manicdepressive)
illness, as it appears to increase the length of any manic phase of the illness, even though it decreases the extremes of mood. But most importantly, if you take rubidium, it’s important to take an equal or greater amount of potassium, since there’s more
potassium than rubidium naturally present in your body.
Information from Wright MD