Mental Health Advice? Cymbalta effects and coming off benzos

kace

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
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679
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UK
I thought things were getting better, but I don't know now. I've been trying to taper off diazepam for a while now. From the start of trying to get off them- cold turkey, a seizure, put on 30mgs (jump from 80mgs which I was taking), attempted suicide and constant suicidal thoughts. I tried tapering still but what the doctor was prescribing was simply not enough. I managed to self medicate off the other benzos and have been sticking to the doctors orders without anything else since May.

I'm currently on 17mgs a day plus 90mgs of cymbalta.

I just feel empty and numb inside, with no emotion. I'm pretty sure it's to do with the SNRI medication I've been put on. My pet died and I didnt really feel anything. I've done stupid and reckless things to try and get some kind of emotion out of myself since then, I don't have the flight or fight response, no fear, no happiness, no sadness, no love. I feel like a fucking robot or psychopath. :/

On Tuesday I woke up at about 5am, sat around and waited for my friend sleeping over to leave, then took an overdose of betablockers and sleeping pills. I just remember being impatient for them to work, then being so fucked up I couldn't even put my underwear on. I woke up in the evening, stayed up till my routine doctors appointment in the morning. He could tell something was up, I admitted to what I took the day before. He took my vitals and found my pulse was dangerously low, so I was taken despite my wishes to A&E.

Pulse remained very low, going from 39- 44. I stayed for about 6 hours, had a shrink appointment. I was told I'd get a senior doctor to check my vitals, but luckily he never showed up and I got released really quickly despite my pulse still being shit. I couldn't sleep for another 2 days and have been pretty out of it. I saw my G.P the following two days as they thought I was released too fast. I was in a lot of pain physically, which has eased off. I've got a low heart rate, numb hands, cold/hot sweats, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea and random pains physically.

Mentally before and after I feel emotionally dead. Is that just the depression? I'm confused. So confused.

To add: diagnosed with depression, anxiety, bulimia and PTSD by the doctors. I think there is something else though, I don't feel right. The snris have numbed my brain, so I don't feel depressed or anxious. The bulimia has turned into almost anorexia, if I lose a few more lbs. Losing weight is the best copying mechanism/ distraction for me now.

I stood on the edge of a roof the other night and felt nothing. I just don't know what to do, I feel nothing other than numb hands.

Suicide seems like a good solution, especially in knowing that this time, given my bodies feebleness, I could succeed. It doesn't scare me at all, and I suck at living.

I don't know where I'm going with this. Any advice from anyone who has tapered off benzos and/ or has tried cymbalta?
 
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I've never tried Cymbalta but I struggled with a horrible benzo habit for a few years, it's been about a year now since I took any.

I tapered 3 times in all and relapsed twice, the Ashton method worked for me, a really good resource

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

Tapering is hard because it takes so long and fairly soon you don't feel much benefit from what you do take, I was way in the 100mgs of valium a day so expected the worst.

Benzos and alcohol were doing me no good at all, self medication was what it was about and I was truly awful at it
 
I'm on effexor 37.5 and since it's a very low dose I guess I'm not feeling what your feeling but...There is always hope...I mean our troubles right now will seem like nothing compared to the good times we will have when we get better. Maybe that drug isn't for you. And it maybe very hard to come off that. I have tried to come off my benzo but I can't. I can't even make it 3 day's with klonopin. I have just accepted this crappy life. Mental disorders are real. Even tho we think something else is wrong with us. We have to trust the doc's that they know what there doing even tho sometimes I think they have no clue.....You posting this for some kind of exit. and you still have some emotion due to the fact that you know suicide is a all solution to a tempory problem. Just hang in there and just talk to your doc about the way your feeling.
 
Thanks for your replies :) Allein, yeah Im very familiar with the manual, I showed it to my g.p as he had never had a patient trying to taper off them and thought coming off them as fast as possible was the best idea. I hate tapering, I hate benzos and being physically addicted. It's such a long ass journey to come off them, and Im not even close to 0. Congrats on managing to come off them!

Sonic, yeah I think you're right in the drug isn't for me. I'm scared to come off it now as when I couldn't pick up my prescription I became insanely suicidal. The drug stops my appetite, which helps me stop binging but is helping me lose a lot of weight, restricting and fasting. I can't give it up as I'm worried I will go back to being bulimic. I feel the same about benzos, I hate them, they don't benefit me at all and have really messed my memory and head up but its so hard and long coming off them. They frustrate the hell out of me.

Yeah I half trust what the doctors are saying, some are clueless but some understand. I guess I do have some kind of emotion, I've been trying to sleep but just feel this horrible empty feeling in my gut. I just don't know what to do with myself. I try and sleep but suicidal thoughts won't leave me alone. I just want to take the rest of my pills and jump off a roof. Plan B is to starve myself to death. I've fucked up so much there doesn't seem to be much to live for anymore.
Sorry I hate writing depressing posts :/
 
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Ahhh I thought as much kace but its a useful link for others, my valium addiction came solely from illicit sources and started when I was in the grips of alcohol abuse.
I tend to abuse substances and benzos are no exception, but by using the Ashton information I've drawn up taper plans and successfully come off, I very much doubt a doctor would have prescribed 100mg + of valium a day anyway.
Certainly for me benzos do not really help with my health issues, my depression is made worse and in the longer term my insomnia is as much of a problem as ever, like alcohol I've added benzo to the list of things I just do not want to be taking at all, that included those useless Z drugs as well.
12 months down the line from the last time I tapered I don't miss them at all, hang on in there
 
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