I was on it for five years from 2005 to 2010 and I know only too well how hard it is to come off. The withdrawal regimen my doctor suggested was way too fast and I had all the nasty side effects. I had to taper off using the liquid form for months which was hard to get hold of in Britain. At the time there was a lot of denial in the medical profession about how insidious the drug is.
I've had reasonable success with it. I'm still depressed but my extreme highs and lows have been removed. I feel very flat and lethargic but I've never had to deal with the prospect of a life changing illness and be stuck in a limbo of not knowing at the behest of the British healthcare system before. I can't afford to go private and I don't agree in principle. A free, on demand healthcare system available to all, paid for by everyone's taxes, is one of this country's most enlightened institutions. (I don't want to stir up a hornet's nest about Obamacare!)

The reason I'm taking it again is because my doctor thinks my body already knows it and it would therefore kick in quicker. At the time I was in favour of duloxitine bacause I had already read about it's pain relieving use in diabetic neuropathy. I thought I woud kill two birds with one stone so to speak, the pain and depression. I was a bit concerned about the dose of 60mg though as I thought it was a bit high (I'm on 20mg Paxil). I've since found out that dosages of different SSRI's are not necessarily comparable.

Anyway, on a different point, another problem I have at the moment is my voice. For the last month or so, I have struggled to talk in my usual low register, my voice keeps breaking. It's worse in the morning and on days when I hardly talk (easily done living on my own and being off work at the moment).
I mentioned it to my choir leader last week and she gave me some vocal exercises to do and said she thought it was nothing to be concerned about. I have also mentioned it to my therapist. She thinks it's stress related.
Predictably I've looked it up and started panicking when I saw nerve related conditions. I don't have a sore throat, I have no problems swallowing and I mentioned it to my doctor a couple of weeks ago. He looked at it and seemed perplexed by the symptoms but offered no diagnosis. I'll go again this week I think.

Karen

So, here's the weird deal...

Parasthesia in little finger, gone.
Parasthesia in big toe, gone.
Parasthesia that was between two toes for a week or so that went a couple of weeks ago, is back.
Pain in big toe when walking, is back.
Shooting pains in feet at night, is back (quite mild).

Is this the usual coming/going of PN symptoms?
Can anyone identify with any of this?


Karen
PS
Getting a lot of headaches.
Legs feel heavy and aching.

Throat/voice problem update..

Referred to cancer ENT clinic 6 Nov. Apparantly, symptoms lasting this long are a red flag...

Karen

Gosh, I sure hope it is not THAT! do you smoke?

No. I never smoked in my life. My parents were chain smokers though and pubs/bars didn't ban smoking until quite recently here, so I've passively smoked unfortunately.

As soon as the C word was mentioned I started to panic, but he said he had to go down this route because of the way our referral system is set up. He thinks it's more likely to be stress related and I think nerve related.

He also gave me copies of all my recent blood tests which I have been pouring over with the internet to guide me for the last hour or so. I have a low platelet count (136, range 150 - 410) and a slightly out of range red blood cell distribution width ( 14.1, range 11.6 - 14 ).
Low platelet count is linked to headaches and I've had loads recently! I have always bled a lot too, so it makes sense.

I'm going to Italy for a week on Sunday, I have no idea how I'm going to enjoy it with all this going on. I booked it months ago. I really can't face the thought of it at the moment. The Seroxat is making me lethargic and everything is an effort. I'm sure I'll be glad when I get there..

Karen

Low platelets can sometimes accompany autoimmune diseases, like lupus.

And larger red cells... can indicate low B12 status.

Have a good time on your trip. Try not to drink too much wine.
But food in Italy can be very healthy...so enjoy yourself!