Hey, I didn't know quite where to put this, so I'll ask it here since the primary concern is my friend/roomie's mental health. She's been taking Cymbalta for depression and anxiety and I found one old archived thread about it but didn't see any info related to my question. She's running out and has no insurance and I've heard it can't be abruptly stopped. She can't afford to go have it stepped down, so is there anything affordable/natural/herbal you know of that can replace it until she gets a new doctor who can assess the situation? She also has a stomach disorder if that helps, in case there are certain things that mess with her and give her extra stomach problems. I'm keeping in mind that I know for a fact this is a simple forum and not a medical know-it-all resource, and I do appreciate your help and thank you in advance!
I'd like to add that I've just had to call 911 on her because she was trying to strangle herself and when I stopped her from that, she began throwing her cardboard moving boxes around and anything random she could grab, so the police have taken her to be admitted to the Mental Health office. She hasn't taken her Cymbalta in the past two days I've come to realize and she hasn't eaten much either except for a piece of toast and some fries and half the bun of a Burger King chicken sandwich. I'm real scared, so keep us both in your thoughts and prayers!
i dont quite know how to answer this.. but if shes been taken in by mental health, one would assume that they would make sure she's getting what's needed to help. maybe while shes they'll discuss her options with her.. the government gives money to people who are unable to work, so maybe in her case, the money could go towards her meds. good luck.. you're a good friend for caring about her.
yea she'll be taken care of as far as meds go, just relax..i know how scary it can be to see someone gooff theyre meds that way & totaly freak out hope everything works out for her
She's home now, but they told her just to go to a mental health clinic when she had the chance and said if she's already manually stopped taking her meds, let them detox out of her system and wait until she gets something new. We both don't have a lot of money, and paying for mental health care along with rent and groceries and utilities which we barely afford anyway is a challenge. We've been trying to research something more natural but everything I Google turns out to be some magic herbal supplement pill that costs an arm and a leg and probably doesn't even work.
hmm maybe look into bach flower remedies? but she should be eligible for some sorta medical assistance type thing, u should call the social worker at the hospitol she was just at & find out what sorta assistance she can get to goto the mental health dr if shes gonna detox off that..keep an eye on her...things can get crazy again before they get better & they may not get better if she really truly needs the medicatiomnn to keep her under control
You could try and contact NAMI at http://www.nami.org/. They are a national advocacy group for people in the mental health system and have local chapters in every state. While I completely disagree with NAMI’s positions on many issues that effect people in the mental health system such as IOC, ECT and forced medication, they will help you out with your friend. There are many resources out there for people in your friends situation and the people at NAMI can help you find those resources.
