Greetings from a new Poster who happened upon this thread and would like to add my experience of discontinuing Wellbutrin/Prozac after 20 years - and to ask a question about withdrawal experience. During the past 18 months, w/o these drugs, I experience extreme sadness with crying daily and sought psychiatric therapy and drug substitution (Cymbalta). I decided against Cymbalta due to stomach upset and I feel I missed a bullet after reading other's withdrawal experiences. Talk therapy was insufficient (or of poor quality) to ameliorate my sad mental state and I felt Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) was a better modality to suit my condition (poor mental thought process), but my medical plan wouldn't pay for CBT (outside of my HMO). So here I am, 18 months later, unmedicated, disappointed with the psychiatric profession, and at times, barely managing not to commit suicide. I think the disappointment with "outside" help motivated me to finally help myself - to read about what actions helped others in my condition and to follow their more expert advice. My Internist tried to refer me back to the Psychiatry Department---I think not! I'm doing much better on my own---having joined a few senior interest groups and my local Church---and have followed a walking program and starting Physical Therapy.
There remains a nagging question in my mind about all the intense sadness (and still experience) that I experienced and I think it has to do with unresolved life experience issues (I'm 79). Was the psychotropic Rx covering up, or not allowing normal amelioration of life's vicissitudes? I feel such a need for redemption for situations I didn't understand when in my youth or midlife. My question to you is for feedback on this end of life issue. Thank you.