[Nat19]

Hi everyone, never written on a forum or even read them for that matter but after getting on this site and reading about other people's experiences on and off Cymbalta, I wanted to share my story, in case it may help someone.

Firstly I would like to say thank you to all of those who have shared so far, I find it to be a big step to share these details with others and admitting that you have or have had depression or anxiety and are or have been on these meds.

I have been on Cymbalta for approx 5months now and boy has it been an experience. After being on alot of other different meds for post natal depression after both my babies my GP put me onto this and let me tell you I wish she hadn't. Since being on them, I have had NO sex drive, no energy, mood swings, headaches, insomnia to name a few...so I had been asking my doctor can I go off them she insisted that I give it 6 months but last week I just had enough and decided to go cold turkey and let me tell you the side effects above are nothing to what I have gone through in the last 10 days, today is the first day I have started to feel human again!!!

Now I really do hope there are people reading these forums BEFORE they decide to do what I did and try and make an informed decision. I read these forums and peoples stories after I started getting withdrawals and it was pretty tough to take in!. All I basically wanted to say is that ultimately its your decision which way you go, cold turkey or weaning but if you are going cold turkey you are going to need a fantastic support system like I had, husband/wife, partner, friend or family member because for the first 5-7 days I was bascially asleep or lying around and that was all i could manage. My symptoms included but are not limited to, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, hot n cold sweats, dizzy spells (fell over in front of my 5 year old she was terrifed), brain zaps (which by the way I didn't have a clue what they were until I read up on here), nausea, vertigo and this may sound weird but it was like an out of body experience, it didn't feel like my body. Crying at the smallest things and yelling at my husband and kids over nothing. It has just been horrible but in saying all of that its Day 10 and I am starting to feel normal again already (appart from the insomnia which still appears to be affecting me as it is now 1.33am). Please keep in mind that I was only on the drug for a short period of time as this seems to affect the withdrawals, but I have been on other anti depressents and I have never had side effects or withdrawals as severe as these were.

I am really not sure if this post will help anyone, but it has helped me to tell 'someone' how I am now feeling and how I have felt. I am still not 100% but I am really looking fwd to the day when I can start to feel really good again and get back into life and living it! I actually dont remember what life was like before I started anti depressants, it seems I have been walking around like a zombie..so give me another week and I think I will be bouncing around like a kangaroo ready for lifes new challenges!!

thank you for reading and thank you all for your posts, they really helped me through this difficult time, I just hope I can help at least one person! And OMG the crying is still happening, just re read my post and now I am crying..but they are happy tears to have got through it all!! Good luck with what ever road you take! oxox

[cookie]

Dear Nat:
Thank you for sharing your story. Of course it is helpful.

My doctor also insisted I give the medication some time, and it´s been 5 ½ years since I started cymbalta.

When you say that the first days you were asleep or lying around, was it because you were sleepy or tired? Or because of the nausea and other symptoms. I ask you this because I am extremely exhausted, have no energy at all, it is hard to breath, have the energy to exercise, and think. How frequent are your brain zaps? I´ve also had the nausea, dizziness and crying.

I believe you on the –out of body experience- thing. I´ve had the weirdest symptoms, symptoms that I never had prior to the medication.

I am so glad that you are starting to feel better. I tapered slowly for a year, and the last month has been horrible, I do not see any improvement.

What other antidepressants did you take? Are there any on the market with less withdrawal symptoms?

I was initially diagnosed as Depressed (before medication). Since I started weaning, I´ve had mood swings, and now I am told I am Bipolar which I don´t believe, since my mood had always been stable and low before the medication. Could it be that the medication changed my brain chemistry? Or this is withdrawal and will go away? I see that you also had mood swings.

[Nat19]

Hi ya Cookie

It was a bit of both, lying around sleeping..mentally I didn't think I was up to doing anything and I was extremely tired and I wanted to sleep it off, feel better quicker!! I found that I had no energy when I was on Cymbalta at all..no libido, no drive or enthusiasm to do anything at all really!!! The brain zaps felt like they were all the time, especially when you are laying down but they didn't last the whole week. Unfortunately the nausea and dizziness/ mood swings did!!

I must say today I feel fantastic, I cant remember feeling this good in a long time, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Some of the other meds I was on, are Pristiq, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro, I never had any of the withdrawals I exprienced this week but then again I did wean off those ones. I would question the Bipolar, of course you are going to have mood swings coming off a brain chemistry altering drug (in my opinion). You know what, like I said in my other post, I dont even know if I have depression any more because I cant remember life before meds, everyone has bad days and gets frustrated and I think thats all it is for me, I have two young girls, a husband, stress and life in general thats frustrating enough sometimes!! thats why I was a so keen to get off these drugs so I can see what normal felt like again and to get rid of the side effects I had whilst on them!!

I hope this has helped somewhat and keep going with your tappering it will get better soon!!

cookie, on 02 June 2011 - 03:40 PM, said:

Dear Nat:
Thank you for sharing your story. Of course it is helpful.

My doctor also insisted I give the medication some time, and it´s been 5 ½ years since I started cymbalta.

When you say that the first days you were asleep or lying around, was it because you were sleepy or tired? Or because of the nausea and other symptoms. I ask you this because I am extremely exhausted, have no energy at all, it is hard to breath, have the energy to exercise, and think. How frequent are your brain zaps? I´ve also had the nausea, dizziness and crying.

I believe you on the –out of body experience- thing. I´ve had the weirdest symptoms, symptoms that I never had prior to the medication.

I am so glad that you are starting to feel better. I tapered slowly for a year, and the last month has been horrible, I do not see any improvement.

What other antidepressants did you take? Are there any on the market with less withdrawal symptoms?

I was initially diagnosed as Depressed (before medication). Since I started weaning, I´ve had mood swings, and now I am told I am Bipolar which I don´t believe, since my mood had always been stable and low before the medication. Could it be that the medication changed my brain chemistry? Or this is withdrawal and will go away? I see that you also had mood swings.

[cookie]

Thank you for your response. I am glad you are feeling better
Among the other medicines you mentioned ( Pristiq, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro ) which one worked better for you?

[Nat19]

None of these drugs worked for me, thats why the doctor kept trying me on different ones and how I ended up on cymbalta!! Good luck with finding something that works for you!!

cookie, on 04 June 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

Thank you for your response. I am glad you are feeling better
Among the other medicines you mentioned ( Pristiq, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro ) which one worked better for you?

[JRDN]

Nat19, on 05 June 2011 - 01:43 AM, said:

None of these drugs worked for me, thats why the doctor kept trying me on different ones and how I ended up on cymbalta!! Good luck with finding something that works for you!!

so after going cold turkey, how many days did it take to be 100% normal?

[jana]

Last sunday I started getting the hives for some unknown reason. I know well enough that when on medications one can develope an elergic reaction to meds at any time and to stop whatever you are taking. I was diagnosed with MS in 2005 and have been on Copaxone injections nightly and been on Cymbalta for about a year now. I immediatly stopped taking my meds and vitamins. I have been in the ER 2x because the hives were so severe and my esophagus is continually having spasms. I have had iv steroids, oral steroids, antihistamines etc...nothing is helping and I am on day 7 of no meds. I am having the symptoms all of you on here have talked about and am so close to giving in. I have my bottle of Cymbalta sitting here ready to pop one in but I want off of it no matter what and don't know if I can take anymore of this disasterous situation. I can't sleep and am itching. I haven't been able to do my job like I need too. The Drs don't have any answers as to what I am reacting to, nothing had changed prior to this either. Please someone tell me I can get thru this cuz I'm ready to jump off the nearest bridge! O ya and when you can't afford to pay $1000 a month for health insurance the Drs aren't so willing to have you come into the office and the ER wants their money b4 you can even be seen. I would love to have Mr Obama go through this crap and see what he does about our health care system!!