Hello OriginalMe: Your situation sounds so difficult! I've been on 120 mg. of Cymbalta for about 2 years now. (I switched over to the generic variety earlier this year.) Both the name brand med & the generic variety have been about the same for me. Neither is wonderful. But they do seem to have kept a floor underneath me. So even though I get low, I seem to bounce back before I hit bottom.

I don't know anything about how the health care system works in the U.K. It must be very frustrating to go through those assessments you mention & then have them tell you you're not ill enough to see a psychiatrist. All I can say is: hang in there & keep posting on PC. Hopefully it helps.