[cookie]

Dear Basketball:

What dosage were you taking initially??? How did you stop (cold turkey or weaning)

??? For how long will you taking the medication???

Since I started weaning I´ve noticed severe mood swings. Like you one day I feel energetic, hungry and then the next day I feel no emotions and feel exhausted.



-The medication is not stuck in your system. It is out of your system already, but your body is trying to adjust to the lack of it.

-I do not know a diet to “flush it out”. But I´ve realized that keeping a healthy balanced diet helps me feeling better. (fruits, veggies, fish, soy milk, flaxseed, etc). Stay away from coffee, it only makes things worse, since it gives you a sudden feeling of energy but then gives you a low. Caffeine also increases anxiety. So it´s better if you take herbal teas like linden, chamomile, mint.

-I am not a doctor, but from my experience during weaning I can say that emotions do come back. I hope they do for you too.

[Lundeliz]

Hi Basketball,

I don't feel qualified to give advice, I'm just another person weaning off Cymbalta. But

I do want to assure you that not everyone suffers the extreme emotions, because I haven't.

Like you, I have had extreme exhaustion and I have often said I feel drugged. I haven't

had the anger or crying spells like many. I have had some irritability and some anxiety at

times, but mostly severe fatigue and feeling like my eyes just won't stay open. And it doesn't

feel like a natural sleepiness. Hope this gives you a little reassurance.

[EskieMom]

Lundeliz, on 28 November 2010 - 09:48 PM, said:

Hi Basketball,

I don't feel qualified to give advice, I'm just another person weaning off Cymbalta. But

I do want to assure you that not everyone suffers the extreme emotions, because I haven't.

Like you, I have had extreme exhaustion and I have often said I feel drugged. I haven't

had the anger or crying spells like many. I have had some irritability and some anxiety at

times, but mostly severe fatigue and feeling like my eyes just won't stay open. And it doesn't

feel like a natural sleepiness. Hope this gives you a little reassurance.

This sounds exactly like the way I feel right now. I am so tired I don't know how I am getting through my days at work. I used to get right out of bed when my alarm went off, now I am hitting the snooze button and getting out of bed feeling hungover every morning. I was hoping this would get better as my body adjusted to a lower dose, but I have been weaning off slowly for 2 months now (starting from 90 mg, down to 20 mg now) and still feel drugged and exhausted.

I am really losing my patience. I want to feel like myself again. I just keep telling myself it will get better eventually.

[cookie]

Basketball1212, on 16 December 2010 - 04:39 PM, said:

Hi Everyone, it's me again.

Unfortunately I am still not experiencing withdrawal symptoms and I've been off Cymbalta over a month now. I am terrified because I am getting sicker and sicker everyday. My symptoms are all of the serious side effects of Cymbalta: bloating, weight gain, blurry vision, feeling like I'm in a "drug coma", zombieness, no emotion, numbness in some body parts.

My concerns are:
1. Could I have serotonin syndrome?
2. Could Methotrexate and Humira be interacting with the drug getting out of my body?
3. How bad do my symptoms need to be before I go to the hospital?
4. Am I going to be a zombie forever?

Thank you for everyone's help. I'll try to help anyone else that is in the same boat.

Dear Basketball:
I am not a doctor.....This is just my opinion.
1. I do not think you have serotonin syndrome. (on the other hand you could have lack of serotonin now that you are off the antidepressant)
2. I do not know anything about those 2 medicines. I do not think they are interacting with the drug getting out of the body. What could be happening is that the body/brain are trying to adjust to the lack of antidepressant.
3. Only you know how bad you feel and when you consider is necessary to go to the hospital.
4. I do not think you will be a zombie forever.

[cookie]

Basketball1212, on 20 December 2010 - 09:14 PM, said:

Thank you for getting back to me. I think what happened is that I never needed this poison in the first place, and once I got to a high level of it, it started shutting down my body. Do you think that since I had such a severe reaction to the medicine it will take MONTHS for this garbage to get out of me? This posion drug caused me to go from a Type A++ completely anal about everything person to a type B zombie. I hate it. I cannot function. Has anyone else experienced symptoms that just DO NOT GO AWAY even after the drug is out? I am in hell.

Dear Basketball:
Every person is different. And people overcome symptoms in different timing. It is important that you understand that the drug is already out of your symptom, and what you are experiencing is consequence of the lack of the drug. I´ve had many symptoms, however they do not seem to be as severe as yours since I weaned very slowly. I cannot imagine what it would´ve been like if I had dropped cold turkey.

[cookie]

Basketball1212, on 22 December 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

Thank you for getting back to me. So is there anything I can do to get my energy back? I just don't understand why caffeine used to make me bounce off the walls and now cups and cups of it don't do a thing. I have no idea what to do. What did you do and how long did it take to feel like yourself again? What were your symptoms and how severe were they?

Dear Basketball:
One of the things I did was to quit caffeine, caffeine increases my anxiety. I am drinking chamomile instead. Yes, it gives sudden energy, but it is followed by an instant drop. Besides, people usually take coffee with sugar. Sugar is also something I do not take anymore.
I am still on cymb. weaning slowly. You can read my topics, where I posted the list of symptoms I´ve had. My symptoms have been tough, but they seem to be lighter than those from the people who have gone cold turkey. The only thing I am doing, is being super healthy concerning exercise and nutrition.

[cookie]

Basketball1212, on 03 January 2011 - 11:29 AM, said:

I'm still not having withdrawal symptoms. I don't get it. Why am I still bloated? Still gaining weight? Still a zombie? Still caffeine no effect? Still Type B personality and I used to be an A? Still no appetite. Still no withdrawal symptoms. I don't even no what a "brain zap" is! I have not felt an emotion in a year. I have been off 50 days. What is wrong with me that I cannot experience withdrawal?

Dear Basketball:
Withdrawal symptoms can be very awful. You are lucky you are not having them, specially brain zaps.
Have you talk to your doctor?? ask him why are you still bloated, a zombie, no appetite???

[Lundeliz]

Just wanted to say I'm REALLY glad you are finally feeling better! That's

fantastic. Congratulations, hope it's all just a memory now.

[pamela]

Basketball1212, on 23 January 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

Well, just kidding. I'm feeling horrible again. Super bloated, Type B personality, still gaining weight. Fuck cymbalta. Don't anyone ever take it.. it will ruin your life.

It's just a bad day. Tomorrow will be better. It sounds like you have had a couple of really good days lately.

BUT......I do agree with you...F**k Cymbalta.

[sparky]

long time since that post Basketball, but pls let us know if you are better. I am where you were, and its today. Vomiting, crying, mad, etc.