[alameda_gal]

My doctor has been bouncing me around on several different drugs since I'm having problems trying to find one that will work for me like Prozac did for so many years (I finally had to discontinue it after my memory loss got so bad that I was scared of losing my job - which since then has happened due to the economy). I was only on cymbalta for 4 weeks, 1st week at 30mg, 2 weeks at 60mgs (insomnia was so bad I was brought down to 30 again) but since there were other bad side effects my doctor said to just stop it fully and cold turkey. My doctor said that since I was on the drug so short of a time and on such a low dose that there would be no problem. Is my doctor just uneducated or is this really unusual to be in such bad shape after so little use of the drug? Bad shape = incapacitating brain/body zaps, uncontrollable and unexpected crying, unreasonable hostility (even to my 2 y.o. daughter it is not right)...

So in short - was on it for 4 weeks and am now on day 5 of withdrawals and am a mess!!! The first 3 days were just fine... yesterday and today I can't leave the house or even move around the house. How am I suppose to function as a mother if I can't walk and talk, let alone drive a car?!
My question to the forum is "is this for real" is it possible to have such bad withdrawal symptoms after very little use? Has anyone else experienced this problem?
And my question to the company that makes this crap - how in good consciousness can you sell an anti-depressant drug that makes you want to kill yourself when you are getting off of it?

I'm waiting for my doctor to call me back to discuss what she said would be no problem getting off. She said that after a week of being off she wanted to start me on something else - I'm inclined to take a few months off of ALL drugs to detox my body and just hope that my depression doesn't get too out of control.

Lastly, thank you to all that pour out your hearts and lives to this forum. What a terrible experience this is for anyone and I know that finding commonality helps us all finds our strenght.

[haiku]

Your situation seems normal to me in both the Cymbalta withdrawal and the Dr. being clueless. Don't let her tell you this is unusual. Refer her to this site.

I spent about 15 years on Prozac because I had convulsions after eight months when I ran out of it in Chile. They did not have it in Chile yet and my doctor said Prozac could not do that. Right, dufus. Anyway, I realized that I would need substantial time without work in order to withdraw. That never happened but when Prozac caused tinnitus in one ear and made me think that my sister wanted me to commit suicide, I switched to Cymbalta. I had started Prozac when one of my two businesses folded and I was depressed. I never withdrew from Prozac as I was told to take Cymbalta the next day instead of Prozac. That was OK. Now I'm not working and have begun removing 10 balls from my 60mg. capsule each day because someone here suggested it. I'm sick and miserable but having been unable to stand the horrific and DANGEROUS withdrawal deleting 10 mg, I'm counting out 10 little balls and grateful to be able to walk across a room without falling. My problem is that this method will take 2 years as there are 540 balls per 60mg. capsule. Anyone have suggestions for me?

[Michelle Hinton]

alameda_gal, on 09 August 2010 - 12:11 PM, said:

My doctor has been bouncing me around on several different drugs since I'm having problems trying to find one that will work for me like Prozac did for so many years (I finally had to discontinue it after my memory loss got so bad that I was scared of losing my job - which since then has happened due to the economy). I was only on cymbalta for 4 weeks, 1st week at 30mg, 2 weeks at 60mgs (insomnia was so bad I was brought down to 30 again) but since there were other bad side effects my doctor said to just stop it fully and cold turkey. My doctor said that since I was on the drug so short of a time and on such a low dose that there would be no problem. Is my doctor just uneducated or is this really unusual to be in such bad shape after so little use of the drug? Bad shape = incapacitating brain/body zaps, uncontrollable and unexpected crying, unreasonable hostility (even to my 2 y.o. daughter it is not right)...

So in short - was on it for 4 weeks and am now on day 5 of withdrawals and am a mess!!! The first 3 days were just fine... yesterday and today I can't leave the house or even move around the house. How am I suppose to function as a mother if I can't walk and talk, let alone drive a car?!
My question to the forum is "is this for real" is it possible to have such bad withdrawal symptoms after very little use? Has anyone else experienced this problem?
And my question to the company that makes this crap - how in good consciousness can you sell an anti-depressant drug that makes you want to kill yourself when you are getting off of it?

I'm waiting for my doctor to call me back to discuss what she said would be no problem getting off. She said that after a week of being off she wanted to start me on something else - I'm inclined to take a few months off of ALL drugs to detox my body and just hope that my depression doesn't get too out of control.

Lastly, thank you to all that pour out your hearts and lives to this forum. What a terrible experience this is for anyone and I know that finding commonality helps us all finds our strenght.

i was on cymbalta for ONE WEEK and have had everything you described here and more. i also quit cold turkey thinking surely that would be ok. (got the drs ok too..) how wrong i was. that was three weeks ago. i still cant even concentrate properly to express the hell i have been through. my dr had never heard of cymbalta withdrawal. they were upset that i have gotten info off the 'internet'. i told them that there are so many ppl out there suffering the same as me, and some have been taking it for YEARS. the only thing they could tell me was that some ppl are more sensitive to the norepinephrine than others. i am in australia and it took longer for this drug to be approved here than the US. i FREAKED out when my dr told that they have prescribed this med to many patients now and that it is their 'new favourite' anti depressant.

i was given diazepam for the extreme agitation, it does give relief for that. also have been taking codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen, that has helped with headaches and the SEVERE muscle pain i have been getting for the past 4 days. i am SLOWLY feeling better, but then 4 days ago i woke and thought i had been hit by a truck. every muscle aching, and very weak, cant even walk around at a normal pace. still getting the head zaps (though are are slightly weaker in strength) and still very sensitive to light. the last few days i have had very scary hallucinations, waking up and thinking someone is standing behind me it is so scary!! i am so cranky about this, i still cant even drive and my family has been living with my hell also, so unfair to them after they've had to endure years of my depression and ptsd. i just want to feel better now!!!! and the ironic thing is.. I AM NOT DEPRESSED! and yet i was more depressed while on my previous medication, lexapro than i am now. this drug should be illegal. there are so many ppl suffering AND still having to pay for the drug while they are weaning off it!!! how unfair! i was 'lucky' to be given free samples of this drug to start on it so i have never had to pay eli lilly a damn cent THANK GOD. i hope someone with the power can do something about this soon, it is so unfair. i just feel so badly for everyone suffering because of this.

my email if anyone needs to talk. cymbalta.hell@gmail.com