lost_but_not_hopeless replied: "All of these drugs were rushed through testing and approval by the FDA to maximize drug company profits.. No.. that is not a conspiracy theory.. As soon as it was determined that they could potentially reduce the effects of whatever they were being prescribed for.. they were approved. There is no cure for any type of mental illness, because there is no known cause for it.. and all the theories in the world will not change that fact. Adding chemicals to your brain offsets the chemicals that are naturally there that facilitate the thoughts, moods, feelings, and emotions that we have. For some there is a positive change, and for some there is not. This means that you may need to try several different medications to find the one that works for you.. or you may have a mental chemical composition that does not react well with any types of medications. I am one of these people. I have tried probably close to 40 different combinations of prescriptions and dosages to get my afflictions somewhat under control over the past 10 years. Some medications simply do far more harm than good for some people. Personal experience tells me, that when a doctor starts prescribing different medications on top of original medications to counteract side effects, it is time to reevaluate your situation and your treatment options. Nobody knows you better than you. If you have no confidence in the medications ability to help, or you are having side effects that are unacceptable to you, it is time to try a something different. Just like it sometimes can take a month for a prescription to start working, the opposite is true.. it can take a month for some to get out of your system as well. Once they are out, the chemicals in the brain will (hopefully) return to back to where they were before any treatment was started and you can try again with a different medication. I am certainly not a doctor.. but I don't know why they can't seem to understand this.. they just keep filling us up with different drugs.. the medications need time to work and time to stop working.. and to hurry that process majorly complicates things. To answer your question, I have had withdrawal symptoms from a few different medications. Mostly because I lost confidence in them and stopped taking them. I read up on the medical recommendations and weaned myself off of them, went back to the doctor and said I wasn't happy with it. Doctors don't like patients that don't listen. I don't like doctors that aren't looking out for my best interest. I am finally down to one medication that has worked very well for me in the past 3 years. For a while, I was on as many as 4 or 5 at a time. Don't allow yourself to become a science project. When you are being weaned off of medications, symptoms will almost always dramatically lessen over a period of a couple days to a couple weeks.. The withdrawal usually starts strong and fades as time progresses and your natural body chemistry re-emerges from the fog of whatever chemicals were influencing you. (this can be a positive or negative change.. this is relative to your condition). Your brain and body will return to normal, and from there you can start over."

Tanya968 replied: "You should never stop taking an SSRI (this class of antidepressant drug) suddenly. Although Cymbalta is newer drug, every SSRI needs to be titrated down before stopping - i.e., slowly tapered off! Only exception should be some if there is a life-threatening side effect! Always check with the doctor who prescribed the drug if you want to change, or stop it. Sadly, many primary care (general) doctors prescibe these meds and are not familiar with the precautions and possible problems. Here is a link; although not quite up to date on newer meds, it does give "tables" on effects, side effects, possible problems with other conditions, etc. General med info, check here for any questions on your meds, or ask your pharmacist esp if complex question! Re: Zoloft Any time changing from one SSRI to another - or to another medication for depression (compulsion, whatever) experts advise tapering off the current med, and being off for a week or two, before starting another SSRI. Reason is: they don't all act the same way - and behavior can be erratic if you start another while first med is still in your bloodstream: very emotional, ups and downs. Zoloft is not so bad to come off of, when tapered. Paxil is notorious for strange side effects, anxiety attacks and panic, plus physical symptoms during withddrawal, even when tapering off. The side effects of discontinuing Cymbalta, or any SSRI can be irritating, make your moods unstable, or affect your body with strange sensations (hyper episodes, or pain or jumpiness!).... but once you have it out of bloodstream you should be ok. With most, this takes 14 days. **** Addition if you are having swelling, esp if medicine has been stopped, talk to doctor about it and you probably need to see doc again. haven't heard of swelling from these types of drugs, but that can be a serious side effect of many medications. please read;"