Hi, I'm Monmon

Hi Monmom: whoa Duloxetine is a strong med. I, too, have Fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed 30 years ago. I spent many years taking opioids for the pain. Luckily, I did not become addicted to them, though I admit that I really liked them at the time I was working full-time then and it was hard taking opioids and working, but I managed it. I started a group for other women with fibromyalgia, and when we began comparing stories, we began trying to find ways that we could cope with it without taking medication. It turns out for many of us that we hadn’t even thought about the possibility of coping with fibromyalgia without taking medication in fact, most of us didn’t have any idea how to take care of ourselves or our bodies beyond opioids. After many years of experimenting, I finally came to the realization that for me good long sleep is what keeps me from having a flare. Right now because I’m withdrawing from duloxetine, I am experiencing a lot of issues. Many of them don’t involve pain that is physical pain. A lot of what I’m experiencing is emotional and psychological pain. Interestingly, for me, Phibro has not reared her ugly head. Please feel free to come back. We’d love to talk to you.

Thanks Peggy for your post. It's nice to know I am not alone. It's been a rough long haul and I keep getting more and more doctors and specialist that keep given me more and more meds. I can't tell if I am getting worse or if I am have multiple side effects from all the meds. I just want to function and get through a day but it's getting harder and harder. I thi k the meds have made me worse and looking into tapering and hopefully stopping them. I was diagnosed with RA, Raynaud's, CFS, TMJ, emphysema, extraction tube dysfunction, all in the last 2 yrs. And now I am being tested for Sjgroens. The amount of money and time I have spent on these medical issues is overwhelming in addition to the pain, and extreme exhaustion. It's just snowballing and I feel like I have to take control before I can't. So I am hoping this is a good group. Thanks again and looking forward to hearing from you all and how to get through these medical nightmares.

@Monmon one of the things that this recovery is teaching me is the importance of research and relying on myself and not completely on my doctors. I’ve decided that I’m going to stop holding onto diagnoses. Who was I before I gathered all those diagnoses? That’s who I wanna get back to, so I’ve decided to see myself as a person without all the labels that the doctors have put on me all these years. I decided to do my best to get off the medications that I can, slowly and with patience. I have come to believe that over the years I have bought in completely to the myth that the medical community sells us about who we are as people. I am not a label and I refuse to be labeled any longer.. I don’t know where you are on your coming off drugs journey, but I do want to support you and whatever you decide to do. Let us know what it is that you need.

Hi @Monmon, welcome to Taper Community! You're in good hands with Peggy. She's a gem with lots of experience and wisdom. When you get a chance, can you edit your Drug History Signature to include all the drugs you are currently taking? You can do this in Settings, which is at the bottom of the left sidebar underneath your profile name & picture. Make sure to "Save" it when you're done. It will then appear at the bottom of all your posts. See mine as an example. Thanks so much! When dealing with multiple drugs, it's best to taper only one at a time. We recommend Hyperbolic tapering here at Taper Community - monthly reductions of no more than 10% of the previous month's dose. The reductions will therefore get smaller and smaller as time goes on. The greatest changes in receptor occupancy happen at very low doses, so tapering this way is safer and easier on the brain. Some members can only taper by 5% or even less. Everyone is different in what their own body can handle. They key is to listen to your body and adjust your taper accordingly. If you go to the Tapering Protocols, Symptoms & Self-Care, and I Need Support sections of the forum and click on the Guides tab, you'll find lots of helpful advice and tips. The Resources section also has lots of helpful information. We look forward to supporting you on your tapering and healing journey! Catina 💜