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[MIS71MUM]

Oh dear - so it nearly took as long to come off them as you were on them. I'll bear that in mind.

I'm taking them for anxiety and depression so need to give them a good shot as really need to find the old me and soon.

I've tried Citalopram and Sertraline and had to give them both up due to the side effects. So just need to push through and hope for the best.

[Briony]

I was ultra cautious, after what my neighbour (psychiatric nurse) said. Doc agreed it wasn't one you should withdrawn slowly. They even warn of that in the pack.

They didn't really affect my mood, though it is hard to say as I was taking them for nerve pain. Interesting you've been prescribed them as an AD as they seem to often be given for fibromyalgia pain and nerve issues. When I used to get them, chemist had to order the 20 mg especially.

Have you tried any hormonal treatments, if that's the source of your problems? For me, it helped more than the other things I'd been given x

[MIS71MUM]

I think I've been prescribed it due to the Sertraline and Citalopram not being good for me side effect wise. I think they call it 2nd line of treatment.

Yes I have restarted Femoston 1/10 and am approximately 6 weeks in. Hoping that in a month or two, I'll be back to my old self or getting there!

My main menopausal symptom has been anxiety, nervousness and mood swings.  However, my latest sick note says I have significant mental health issues, upsettingly!

[Briony]

Hope you dont mind me asking, but how old are you? If you're a 1971 babe (I'm a 72) then you may well need something stronger than Femeston 1/10 if your issues are hormonal. At our age, our bodies require a lot more estrogen than we would in our 50s or 60s. That's why I switched from  hrt to a bio identical BCP and it has definitely stopped the fluctuations and mood issues. Have you seen a specialist ? How supportive is your GP? If you think your mental health issues are hormonal, then push to see a specialist or a more supportive GP. Took me two years to do it, but am soooo glad I did!  x

[MIS71MUM]

Hi - no not at all. I was 44 in June.  I've had the diagnosis of peri-menopausal for 3 years and been going down hill ever since! I think my FSH levels were around the mid 30's if I remember correctly.

In terms of my GP being supportive, the answer is a definite no! All GP's and nurses at my surgery have pushed me down the AD route and don't seem at all interested that I think my anxiety is meno related.  When I actually put my foot down and said I wanted to try HRT, they advised me against it. In the end I requested Femoston as I heard it was a good one to start off with.

I keep thinking of going private for a 2nd opinion - I'm banging my head against a brick wall with my GP in terms of menopause.

Did you get a NHS referral? How did you go about seeing a specialist?

[Briony]

I really feel for you as you are in the situation I was a few years ago. At 44, it's not surprising the Femeston 1/10 isnt doing much as it's a low dose.

Once I realised my GP was not on board and had basically written me off as a hypochondriac time-waster:

- I emailed Dr Currie on here (£25)
- Found a new female GP  in her 40s with an interest in ladies' issues (DRCOG qualified). The process of switching was so easy
- Saw a local specialist (Annie Evans costs around £180 I think for the first appointment and is well regarded)
- Later moved from HRT which just tops you up (so I still had big fluctuations) to the pill which is more controlling (since it actually suppresses ovulation). I take Qlaira which is twice as strong as the tablet you take, but it's still bio identical. Unlike Femeston,  Qlaira has progesterone in it most of the month, so I feel less up ad down than when I was on sequential treatment
- Initially I was uneasy about the pill - especially as I have a raised risk -  and a bit naive (I thought HRT was more powerful) but now I am happy with the choice Ive made. I dont 'want' to take it, but its worth it for quality of life.   

Dont give up and dont let your GP write you off. If you know in your heart of hearts it's hormonal, then fight xx

PS If your GP isn't helpful and you're considering something stronger, remember you can always get the pill via your FPC.

I'd be lying to say I always feel 100%, but emotionally and physically, I feel so much better now with more estrogen than I did struggling along with Duloxotine.

[CLKD]

Don't try to get 'back' to where you were though  - it isn't called The Change for nowt!  Medication isn't a cure, very often we need to accept that although we can feel better we may not be the same!

It can take 3-4 months before ADs kick in and 6-8 months before the sufferer realises that they feel better 

[MIS71MUM]

Thanks to Briony and CKLD for your replies. Been struggling with the Duloxetine!

Anyway I have now completed 14 days...and feel no different, in fact, worse. I feel very down and low and have anxiety surges.  I take my 20mg every morning at 8 - feel wobbly, numb and down till about 6 pm when I come round. Feel awful feeling like this when I am around the kids. Just can't seem to shake the flatness. This is the longest I've taken an AD for this time around and I know it's early days but how do you know if it's going to work or not.

If I do decide to pack in, how do I do it with this med? Then I suppose that I'd have to try something else. Just can't seem to find anything positive to say about this last fortnight. The first week seemed better when I took it at night, but then I moved it to the morning and it seems worse.

I went back to see my GP and she said that she wouldn't increase my dose even though 30/60 mg is the therapeutic dose for anxiety.

Any advice would be most welcome.

[Briony]

I didnt want to say this before, but it's notorious for side effects and known to be one of the worst to come off if you've been on it for a long time (hence the reason it has websites dedicated to this!). I took other ADs for pain relief too, but none was like this.

The good news is that you've taken it for such a short time and you're on a very low dose (the lowest). I had to drop from 90 to 60 to 30 first, but you've saved yourself that.

You have two options - one is to miss one day this week, two next week and so on (lots do it this way).

The other is to split the capsules in half, and have 20mg one day, 10 the next and so on. That's how I did it. After a fortnight, I then had 10mg for two days, 20mg for one day and so on. I didnt count the beads, as the websites recommend, but I did it by guessing which worked ok.

Anyone reading this who'd not taken this drug would think what I am suggesting is ridiculously over cautious, but there were too many people telling me otherwise for me to take any chances!


http://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com/forum

[MIS71MUM]

Hi Briony

Thanks for the reply. How did you get on with this method? Were you okay with it? The side effects haven't been too bad apart from the down/lowness. But not sure if I was heading towards being depressed anyway.

Just worry about never coming out of all this!

[CLKD]

Escitalopram suits me so far

[Briony]

Escitalopram suits me so far

Know two people on this, both of whom are also very happy.

[Briony]

Hi Briony

Thanks for the reply. How did you get on with this method? Were you okay with it? The side effects haven't been too bad apart from the down/lowness. But not sure if I was heading towards being depressed anyway.

Just worry about never coming out of all this!

I was really worried about it, but took it sooooo slowly that I can honestly say it was not a problem. From what I remember, a little nausea for a couple of days when I dropped from 60 to 30, but that was it. Both my doctor and the pharmacist said taking it slowly will avoid the brain zaps others have. The main reason I stopped was because it did nothing for me - physically or emotionally - except make me tired. Was diagnosed with hormonal issues at the same time, so it made more sense to come off it and switch to a hormonal treatment, which is what I did. x

[CLKD]

I get brain zaps ……… fritt me to death the first time  kind of used to them now.  It's enough to go 'oh' and the sensation is gone.  I take 5mg at night and 5mg in the morning having been told I have to take a low maintenance dose of AD for Life.  If I find my mood low for more than 4 mornings I up the dosage to 10mg at night for 5/6 days. 

[MIS71MUM]

Hi Briony

So if I understand your concept correctly, then it would take about 10 weeks to do that process from 20 mg. Was hoping I could do it a bit quicker especially if I've only been on it 2 weeks. I will need to start on something to lift my depression soon.

Going to give my dose a miss today just to see how I feel.