I've been on the highest dose of this for over a year and although it's helped it hasn't been as helpful as we were hoping, despite having a mood stabilizer added in six months ago.
So my psychiatrist is switching me onto lofepramine instead (tryciclic antidepressant). I was told to reduce the duloxetine by half for two weeks and then stop altogether while gradually increasing the lofepramine.
I had my last dose of duloxetine on Saturday morning.
Since then my mood has gone from ridiculously hyper to extremely suicidal. I've spent the last 20 hours crying - how can someone cry for that long??? I've been awake now for 66 hours non stop.
This afternoon the brain zaps started and the penny dropped - duloxetine withdrawal.
I feel like I'm dying, or going mad, or both. I can't even walk across the room without holding on to the furniture because I'm so dizzy. Running hot and cold, nauseous, upset stomach, thumping headache and buzzing in my ears. I feel totally out of control with suicidal thoughts (although I'm confident of not acting on them). My chest feels like there's a brick burried in it.
I can't get a doctor's appointment until Monday. I've still got some duloxetine in the cupboard. What do I do? Do I go back on them until I can see the doctor? Or do I persevere seeing as I'm on day 4?
Has anyone come off of this successfully? Is two weeks to quick?
Help?
So my psychiatrist is switching me onto lofepramine instead (tryciclic antidepressant). I was told to reduce the duloxetine by half for two weeks and then stop altogether while gradually increasing the lofepramine.
I had my last dose of duloxetine on Saturday morning.
Since then my mood has gone from ridiculously hyper to extremely suicidal. I've spent the last 20 hours crying - how can someone cry for that long??? I've been awake now for 66 hours non stop.
This afternoon the brain zaps started and the penny dropped - duloxetine withdrawal.
I feel like I'm dying, or going mad, or both. I can't even walk across the room without holding on to the furniture because I'm so dizzy. Running hot and cold, nauseous, upset stomach, thumping headache and buzzing in my ears. I feel totally out of control with suicidal thoughts (although I'm confident of not acting on them). My chest feels like there's a brick burried in it.
I can't get a doctor's appointment until Monday. I've still got some duloxetine in the cupboard. What do I do? Do I go back on them until I can see the doctor? Or do I persevere seeing as I'm on day 4?
Has anyone come off of this successfully? Is two weeks to quick?
Help?