John, not seeing you any more here will cause me stress!!! You have contributed such wonderful articles about your experiences with depression. I recently started following your Storied Mind blog and find it very interesting and so down-to-earth. Yeah, there are no easy answers or fixes. I think Mindfulness may offer a good pathway for many people who are in a place to receive it. It's kind of ironic, in a way, that stress can undo us, yet the challenges of dealing with the stress can teach us so much and help us grow. Balance is such a delicate thing. No stress would be a very boring life, indeed. As long as there are individuals, there will be conflicts, I guess - we have to be okay with ourselves, no matter what someone or something else brings.
Thanks so much for everything you've brought here. I won't say good-bye because I plan on still "reading" you on your blogs.
Hi, Judy -
Well, hope I don't add to your stress load! I'm glad my posts here have been helpful, and I definitely look forward to your visits to Storied Mind and Recover Life from Depression. You've been so active on this site, one of its pillars, and I've found wonderful wisdom in everything you've contributed.
It's odd about stress. It is a killer, and most people know that. At the same time, a lot of us feel that you can't be doing much if you're not insanely "busy" i.e. stressed out completely. As much as we swear to cut back or get a different life, so many thrive on that feeling in a work setting. At home is a different matter.
John
Hey John
I can't lie. I am very sad that you are leaving us here. You are a remarkable writer and you give so much. You are an inspiration to anyone who is battling depression and wants to know that you can beat this and emerge whole. Your honesty, integrity and resilience show through with everything you write.
I really hope that you come to visit us here once in awhile.
The site is not going to be the same without you. You will be very missed.
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Checking in; have done fairly well w/depression. I am trying to wean off of
Cymbalta. This is for me a lengthy process. Cymbalta was almost a miracle
drug regarding my pain. Some days my emotions were out of control.
Recently, I decided that I had taken it too long. Last spring I went from 90 mg to 60 mg without any serious discomfort. Now I am trying to go from 60 to 30mg and this step has been very challenging. I am in my second week of this amount. My mood seems fairly stable, my pain has definitely increased since weaning..I started on Cymbalta when it first was produced.
Namaste
lotus lady
Hi -
I'm glad to hear you're doing well with depression. Just curious about your decision to wean off Cymbalta. When you say you'd been on it too long, do you mean it was less effective or gave you bad side effects. Or was it that you felt uncomfortable taking a drug for so long. Antidepressants are often prescribed for pain - in fact, most people with depression who first go to their primary care physicians are only aware of pain as the problem. There is a connection, apparently, between the neurotransmitter pathways linked to depression and those linked to pain.
If the pain and/or depression come back, is there another type of therapy besides medication that you might try. I'd be interested to know what that might be.
Thanks -- John