[tomitsu]

I have been on Cymbalta 60mg for 5 years and have always felt hot and it's hard for me to cool down. At the gym I would be soaking wet. Also at gym I would feel muscle fatigue quicker than normal. I was pretty fit 5 years ago.

Other side affects for me in last 5 years:
Constipation
Zero Sex drive
Headaches
Sinus issues/post nasal drip
Coughing
Dry Skin
Vision changes
Vertigo
Insomnia
Fatigue-some days felt paralyzed and could not get out of bed... This started this year.

I am starting the weaning process tomorrow night. Wish me luck. I just cannot handle the constant hot flashes, the vision problems and the fatigue.

I want my life back!!

[Jenni]

Hello
Yes, I went from being someone who was always freezing to being incredibly sweaty. I have to wear lots of thin layers so I can strip off in public without frightening people! Now struggling to keep warm (on day 15 or so of no meds after a lengthy weaning from 90mg). Also, very tired/drowsy and zero sex drive. When I challenged my psychiatrist about it, he said that it sounded like depression (I never asked what I was doing on meds which didn't work!).

My skin has also been very dry. It has been much worse during the weaning phase so it might be worth going out and buying some high quality moisturiser as a little bit of pampering during the process. I was already using some decent skincare but it couldn't keep up with the dehydration. New moisturiser makes me look(and feel) a lot better.

I was told at a migraine clinic that antidepressants should actually help keep headaches at bay as low serotonin can be a factor in migraine. As you will see on this forum, many people have very bad headaches through the weaning/acclimitisation process. Be prepared....

Best of luck

[Amber0401]

Hey Tom I too was on 60mg for five years. Now I'm at day 6 no cymbalta and I'm not going to sugar coat it.....it's hell. My symptoms have been changing overtime but ild say the worst part for me is the vision issues. I feel blind at times and the headaches just keep coming. It's like Santa has played a really terrible trick on me. Everyday I wake up and find a new present for me. First it was insomnia, nightmares, paranoia, then joint pain, and now I have hot flashes and headaches Lol. I know it's gloom and doom but I think it's better to know the truth so you can be ready for it. My advice.....sleep as much as u can lol.

[jlb]

Amber, I can totally relate. I've been off Cymbalta for 8 days and I am experiencing every symptom you are describing and many, many more. I have a lot of nightmares and paranoia, and also the muscle pain, hot and cold flashes. I have to wear next to nothing to bed and lay next to a fan, but 10 minutes later I'm turning off that fan, piling clothes on, and burying myself under covers. This "brain buzzing" is a perfect description for it...I didn't know how to describe it, but that term fits perfectly. I have sinus headaches, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and general lethargy. I want to go out and do things, but how can I do that when I can hardly stand in the shower? The worst part is the rage and emotions. I've had several arguments with my husband since going off of this, and I've almost felt violent at times. I cry a lot, but can go from crying to laughing in seconds. Is this weird or what...it's never happened to me before. These symptoms are scaring me and I want to know how long they will last. No one around here really understands, because they've never been on it. They think it's all "in my head". I thought so too, until I thought about many summers ago when I was taken off of Paxil cold turkey, and was miserable the whole summer. That was a walk in the park compared to this! At least that was only headache, stomachache, and nausea...this is a whole new system. I'm trying to get a lot of sleep but my days off (which I had due to scheduling) are going to end soon and I need to get back to work! I am hoping a couple of more days will get me over the hump. I will pray that everyone else starts feeling some relief, too.

[Amber0401]

Hey jlb today is day 9 for me no and I've gotten all the way to 7pm before crashing and feeling like shot again. Hang in there!

[jlb]

Glad to hear that Amber! I'm on day 10, and keep getting new symptoms every day. The newest one: feeling like someone is stabbing me in my right eye. Doesn't do well for my nausea or trying to stay up longer. I believe it will get better but I don't know when....

[Amber0401]

Day 12 for me and still feelin like crap after 7ish.... Hardest part seems to be controlling the rage. Sometimes I can't even tell if I'm angry. It's more like tons of energy inside me that I can't get rid of so I become frustrated. The insomnia is horrible and trying to maintain a good work performance is nearly impossible at my job. I just want this to be over so I can go back to a normal me.

[tomitsu]

I'm on day 15 now so far of the weaning process and I went from 60 mg to 30 mg. so far I am surprisingly okay...not 100%.

First day: I felt so good. No headaches but a little foggy minded. I work 12+ hour days running biz with hubby. First night at around 9:30pm  before bed I took my cymbalta and was out fast asleep. THIS hasnt happened in months. I have had insomnia for 8 months - which is why I am ridding myself cymbalta!

Second day: I woke up at 5:30 am with soooo much energy. I felt upbeat. This hasn't happened either for months. For the past year I have been so lethargic and unmotivated to get out of bed. I would lay in bed unable to wake up. again worked a long day and went to bed early.

Third day: I woke up without any effort...felt happy and looked fwd to the day. Had a little bit of lower back pain. Also felt muscles were a bit stiff. 

Days 4 thru today have been mixed bag of

Diarrhea 
Headache 
Insomnia
Some muscle zaps

Otherwise I am okay considering I went from 60 to 30. I thought I might feel depressed or overly emotional. I am starting to feel again. I feel less like a robot. Hard to explain. Any thoughts?

[Risenbeauty]

The first time I got off Cymbalta I felt like I was born again (literally, not religiously). I felt emotions I forgot existed. I thought I was happy while on Cymbalta but it turned out what I thought was happy was like a tone-deaf person thinking they are singing in tune.

I ended up back on Cymbalta because I got SO happy, I got scared I was TOO happy. Considering my family history of bipolar, it was a legitimate concern, except for the fact that usually a manic person doesn't recognize their own mania...

Anyway, I am getting off this sadistic drug yet again, this time forcefully (no $$ to pay for it). The point of all this rambling was that what you're going through is perfectly normal. You will have some off days, some bury-your-head-in-sand days, but expect to discover that the world has a lot more emotion to offer than you've been feeling. It can be scary, but you're not going crazy. In fact, you're becoming normal again.

tomitsu, on 16 February 2012 - 03:21 AM, said:

I'm on day 15 now so far of the weaning process and I went from 60 mg to 30 mg. so far I am surprisingly okay...not 100%.

First day: I felt so good. No headaches but a little foggy minded. I work 12+ hour days running biz with hubby. First night at around 9:30pm  before bed I took my cymbalta and was out fast asleep. THIS hasnt happened in months. I have had insomnia for 8 months - which is why I am ridding myself cymbalta!

Second day: I woke up at 5:30 am with soooo much energy. I felt upbeat. This hasn't happened either for months. For the past year I have been so lethargic and unmotivated to get out of bed. I would lay in bed unable to wake up. again worked a long day and went to bed early.

Third day: I woke up without any effort...felt happy and looked fwd to the day. Had a little bit of lower back pain. Also felt muscles were a bit stiff. 

Days 4 thru today have been mixed bag of

Diarrhea 
Headache 
Insomnia
Some muscle zaps

Otherwise I am okay considering I went from 60 to 30. I thought I might feel depressed or overly emotional. I am starting to feel again. I feel less like a robot. Hard to explain. Any thoughts?