[texas]

I have been taking 120mg of Cymbalta for several years (at least 4). I'm not exactly sure how many, because I've been very ill and somewhat mentally out-of-it (OK, completely out-of-it as I don't remember most of what happened in 2002, 03, 04, 05, and 06) with spinal issues and surgeries and other nasty drugs; fentynal for one.

I had expressed my desire to stop taking Cymbalta to my dr on many occasions. I have been told, though, that it not only provides anti-depression medication, but also helps with severe nerve pain, which I suffer with. I've always capitulated because I have cut my meds to the bare edge of tolerable pain and reasoned that dropping one may cause serious issues. Then, near the beginning of October, I told my dr I was stopping Cymbalta. He suggested getting off slowly and prescribed a regimen for cutting down.

I was taking two, 60mg capsules once a day. I began by cutting to two capsules one day, one tablet the next. I kept this up for three weeks. Then I went to one capsule a day for a couple weeks. Then I went to one capsule every other day until last week. I took my last 60mg Cymbalta the day before Thanksgiving. It took three days before I began to notice any symptoms, but they've only been some stomach nausea and weak legs. My spouse says that my temper has returned to flare on a few occasions. (These symptoms are nothing compared to going cold turkey (AMA) from wearing a couple 100mcg + a couple 50mcg patches of fentynal while downing 6 - 8 Actiq, 800mcg suckers a day. That was six month trip through hell.)

Side effects that I know of during my extended use of Cymbalta were: constant, mind-numbing tiredness, decreased brain power, sexual inabilities to perform at all and, to achieve a non-painful orgasm.

Biggest PITA? My dr refuses to respond to my many complaints about the side effects by quoting "there are no known issues of x, y, or z in any studies of Cymbalta".

Anyways, I'm off and, like quitting fentynal, I am extremely happy.

[pamela]

Glad to hear that you are off this toxin.....I for one am jealous of you. I want this crap out of my system.

So when you dropped you only had symptoms for a few days?

[texas]

pamela, on 29 November 2010 - 06:12 PM, said:

Glad to hear that you are off this toxin.....I for one am jealous of you. I want this crap out of my system.

So when you dropped you only had symptoms for a few days?

Well, I've had them for the last 3 days. I'm hoping they won't last for much longer. They certainly haven't been as severe as what many others on here have reported. BUT, I have a great tolerance for pain and I have spent years working with meditation and mental efforts to reduce pain. I can, for the most part, turn pain "off" very quickly, unless it is a sensation that I haven't experienced before. That happens very rarely, but my messed up spine and nervous system can still pull a fast one on me.