Misc The term "Discontinuation Syndrome" is bullshit

[LucidSDreamr]

I have never heard that term before. I have been taking duloxetine (cymbalta) an snri for about 7 years now. I take it for fibromyalgia. But it also helps with my depression, anxiety and pain. The first time I missed a few doses, I thought the world was coming to an end. I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach that something really bad was going to happen. I didn't realize at the time it was because I'd missed those few days of meds. Now if I miss a few doses it doesn't bother me like that anymore. I only take 60mg daily. I have tried to taper myself off, 20 mg at a time because I do not want to be on this forever. I couldn't do it. The side effects of not having that full 60 mg were awful. I've started with the brain zaps in the past year.
I currently have been out of meds for almost a week. I'm staying with a friend in the middle of nowhere and I do not have transportation. So it's been sitting at the pharmacy, waiting for me to get it. I feel like I'm spiralling right now. I am super emotional, I feel like I'm going to explode in anger and I'm someone who does not get angry very often. I'm really indecisive. I've been apologizing to everyone because I say something, then 5 minutes later change my mind. I feel like I've had a constant brain zap going on all day. Suicidal thoughts have returned. I was just hospitalized in May. I've been really good since I got out but now it's returned. The funny thing is, I've never had suicidal thoughts before. And I'm 48. They've only come on with this med. I hate it.
When I first started taking it, I thought it was great. It made me feel like an antidepressant is supposed to make you feel. It took away my fibromyalgia pain, which for me felt like getting hit by a truck and I'd be bedridden for days. I also couldn't stand light touches anywhere on my shoulders or back. My hips and thighs were the worst though. I guess back then the benefits were awesome. I was not aware of the negatives. No one ever told me it was very hard to come off of. I figured it out by reading forums.
I'm another one who will probably be on this for the rest of my life. That's a depressing thought.

I was prescribed duloxetine for chronic pain with the goal of getting off opioids and having the duloxetine lower the pain.

It did absolutely nothing for my pain or need for less narcotics to deal with pain

 

[Felonious Monk]

I was prescribed duloxetine for chronic pain with the goal of getting off opioids and having the duloxetine lower the pain.

It did absolutely nothing for my pain or need for less narcotics to deal with pain

They kept pushing that shit on me when I was in the hospital. I had to refuse it multiple multiple times. I just assume doctors are full of shit if they say SSRIs are going to do any kind of anything, especially if that thing isn't specifically anxiety or depression. Glad I went with my instinct.

 

[Jnowhere]

I’m one week off an SNRI right now.

Only been on it for 5 months though.

Brain zaps and electrical buzzing in my head but opioids and benzos take it away

But, what about withdrawal from them, seriously I have been on them too many years.( legally prescribed and justifiably so, I am 8 years past my expiration date), according to the doctors 9 years ago, this month, seriously.

 

[Jnowhere]

In 1998 I was only on Paxil for 2-3 weeks. I stopped taking it cold-turkey because it made me too tired, and had severe mood swings (plus night terrors, cold sweats, head zaps, etc.) for almost a month!!!

Wow, I knew anti depressants were bad, but not that bad. I avoid them, I would rather be depressed than in physical misery anyday, I do take a very low dose of Trazadone occasionally, to fall asleep.

I freaked when my doctor mentioned it for insomnia, he wasn't lying it is used is very small doses 'off label' for sleep.

Non addicting, no side effects that I can tell and too little and too mild to do anything like messing with my brain too much.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

They kept pushing that shit on me when I was in the hospital. I had to refuse it multiple multiple times. I just assume doctors are full of shit if they say SSRIs are going to do any kind of anything, especially if that thing isn't specifically anxiety or depression. Glad I went with my instinct.

It really did absolutely nothing at all for my mood either.

The only think it literally did is cause a withdrawal

 

[Jnowhere]

It really did absolutely nothing at all for my mood either.

The only think it literally did is cause a withdrawal

Ah, the worst of both worlds: non effective and misery, not good.

 

[Conky]

It's too bad informed consent only exists on paper unless you're wealthy and that applies even in socialised medicine

It's unethical as fuck and it happens everyday unless you have some kind of power/influence

Doctors especially shrinks hate it when when you know stuff about meds

It's also an issue with nurses, EMS, social workers, and even your own family

 

[Jnowhere]

It's too bad informed consent only exists on paper unless you're wealthy and that applies even in socialised medicine

It's unethical as fuck and it happens everyday unless you have some kind of power/influence

Doctors especially shrinks hate it when when you know stuff about meds

It's also an issue with nurses, EMS, social workers, and even your own family

This and Puff Daddy or whatever he is calling himself these adays. (Prisoner Number; 1 to the 8 to the 7 to the 5 to the 1 to the 5 to the 0).

Medical bs, pulled by doctors and politicians and also, puff daddy being scum, are 2 of the only things both sides of the American political isle, that both sides can agree on. Except those literally caught with their pants down.

Expect, 2025 to be either horrifically bad /great or a massive cover up, and disappointing.

 

[Conky]

This and Puff Daddy or whatever he is calling himself these adays. (Prisoner Number; 1 to the 8 to the 7 to the 5 to the 1 to the 5 to the 0).

Medical bs, pulled by doctors and politicians and also, puff daddy being scum, are 2 of the only things both sides of the American political isle, that both sides can agree on. Except those literally caught with their pants down.

Expect, 2025 to be either horrifically bad /great or a massive cover up, and disappointing.

Even those can be like cockroaches. The pharmacuetical companies remain operational after being caught and fined publicly for doing things like suppression of research/studies and harmful off label marketing of brand name psychiatric drugs. Of course their reps make obvious false claims about those meds causing short and minor withdrawals in less than 1% of consumers. Their reputation seems to survive these things.

 

[Jnowhere]

Even those can be like cockroaches. The pharmacuetical companies remain operational after being caught and fined publicly for doing things like suppression of research/studies and harmful off label marketing of brand name psychiatric drugs. Of course their reps make obvious false claims about those meds causing short and minor withdrawals in less than 1% of consumers. Their reputation seems to survive these things.

Lobbyists and bribes. A 150 million dollar fine to a company that makes billions? Really?

I am not against pharmaceutical companies per se. I am against, lying, cheating, deceiving and merciless greed. These companies on the one hand do make Drugs that help people.
On the other hand all the lies, deciet, bs, greed and suppression of the truth.

They should be upfront about these, more than worse than usual side effects; horrible withdrawals that goes on for months or longer in some cases. Especially, from my understanding about, anti depressants, anti psychotics, mood stabilizers, benzodiazpines, gaba drugs, ect....

The governments are complicit in this many times. The politicians are getting bribes in the form of luxery vacations to quote ' informative seminars' to great 4 or 5 star hotels, free gourmet meals, 1st class travel, huge political donations, and who knows what else ect...

The doctors, although they have banned most of the 'gifts' to them; there are other bigger issues.

The doctors especially shrinks and general practitioners don't know or really care, don't tell or down play the side effects. Better yet they try to give these horrible side effects names that totally diminishes the truth and reality.

Many don't care and have no real idea because they don't use them and just listen to the bs fed to them by the pharmaceutical companies and the government. They hide the awful side effects or down play it to the point it is like, nothing too worry about. Better yet they accept and parrot the stupid little hugely downplayed names given to horrific and many times catastrophic side effect and are just down right deceitful about the side effects and down play and are dismissive about patients complaints.

Far far too many; look down at any one without Dr. in front of their name and MD at the end of their name. They have never or would ever use these medications. That doesn't stop them from handing them out like candy.

Most people know the side effects of pain killers and they turned people into addicts but then cut them off, because of the governmentmental over reach.

Then people turned to the streets. Heroin was and pills a bit pricey. Now fentanyl, traq dope and fake pills with lethal amounts of super strong opiods that kill with one pill made by dumbasses without any oversight or concern for peoples safety.

I could gone on, but rant over.

 

[rentedbythehour]

I was prescribed duloxetine for chronic pain with the goal of getting off opioids and having the duloxetine lower the pain.

It did absolutely nothing for my pain or need for less narcotics to deal with pain

Funnily enough, stopping oxy helped my day to day pain go away. I don't have nearly as much pain as I did when I'm was taking that.

 

[paranoid android]

I had discontinuation syndrome from effexor. Personaly fentanyl withdrawal sucked less. Discontinuation syndrome is likely a term made up by big pharma

 

[LucidSDreamr]

Funnily enough, stopping oxy helped my day to day pain go away. I don't have nearly as much pain as I did when I'm was taking that.

I’ve experienced that too once.

Did you have a specific chronic pain condition or just different random pains?

But fuck I can’t seem to get off again to try it again.

i keep waiting for a window of no pain to do it….but the windows are too short.

The only way might be just to force it and go through weeks or months of pain first being off it

But it seems I always end up with chronic pain again. I did go 1.5 years without it when I was off opioids.

 

[rentedbythehour]

I’ve experienced that too once.

Did you have a specific chronic pain condition or just different random pains?

But fuck I can’t seem to get off again to try it again.

i keep waiting for a window of no pain to do it….but the windows are too short.

The only way might be just to force it and go through weeks or months of pain first being off it

But it seems I always end up with chronic pain again. I did go 1.5 years without it when I was off opioids.

I have chronic migraines, fibromyalgia. I have had migraines for so long the only treatment used to be Demerol in the emergency room. I was started on percs, moved to oxy. I would get migraines often enough that I would never have enough migraine medication to make it thru a month. I would get the oxy to offset that. So every month I had 2 weeks of migraine meds, 2 weeks of oxy. I didn't feel any effects from doing it that way for years. Maybe the last 5 years or so I would start to get withdrawal symptoms. Towards the time I told my Dr I wanted to stop them, I was going thru withdrawals every month. It was insane what I was doing to myself. I could also really feel the brain chemistry changing. I would get depressed, not get out of bed, pretty much do nothing at all without oxy. The days I had them were my productive days. I just got to the point where I had to change something. And I asked my Dr to stop prescribing them. I didn't taper off or anything. I just finished the script I had and that was it.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

whenever I discuss drugs with my doctors and we talk about antidepressants I straight up call it withdrawal even in the context of talking about opioids and antidepressants also.

Just lay it out there that this bullshit that doesn’t work is just as addictive as heroin when you’re hooked on it.

I don’t get any weird reactions…on the contrary I think they see that when I call it a withdrawal that I’m onto their bullshit and I know that these antidepressants cause dependency every bit as bad or worse than heroin