[schmb01]

Greybeard hit it right on the head, regarding making yourself get out there. I've found it easier to stay home and could easily find myself being isolated again, as I was when I was taking Cymbalta. Is it old depression returning? Apathy? My personality? I don't know, but I do know that if I just make myself get up and out, and interact with people, even if it is only for an hour or so, I generally feel better.

It is likely that another med would make this too go away, but unless it becomes unbearable, where you, or I, can't even make ourselves get up and out, then the preference is to give yourself some time, get some exersize, some sunshine and make yourself leave the house a bit each day. That may be the easiest, and healthiest way to attack it.

[Sarah J]

jocelyn said:

Now I've been off Cymbalta for about a month, I notice that I feel rather emotionally deadened towards others. I like/love people in theory, but I just don't feel the emotions anymore. I just feel generally miserable, and want to be left mostly alone. I find it difficult (or impossible) to explain how I am feeling to people that haven't had any experience with depression and medication withdrawal in the past. I don't enjoy going out spontaneously and end up sitting rather quietly for the entirety of whatever the experience may be. I don't know if this is a normal response to withdrawal or not...does this mean that I need to be re-medicated (as my boyfriend suggested...rather insensitively in my opinion)? Has anyone else had experience with this lack of connection during withdrawal, and does it go away??

Help,
j

As to whether or not you need medication, that is your individual choice. I know you aren't feeling well now, but you may consider trying talk therapy. I had no idea until recently, but most doctors will accept a diagnosis of a talk therapist if medications are necessary at all. Then you don't have to do double duty with a psychiatrist, who I always thought were supposed to provide medications and therapy, but really are there to give you meds.

The times when my husband would tell me to "just go take a pill" I would gently remind him that until he received his designation as a doctor, he wasn't qualified to make that determination.

Good luck, the talk therapy really does help. It's a pain in the ass, but sometimes you need an objective opinion.

[juju314]

Thank God I found this website. I am on my first week of no cymbalta after 5 years of taking it. This is horrible. I have been lying around wondering what's wrong with me. Have I got cancer? or what? Now that I have read all this I see why I am experiencing all these symptoms. I am so dizzy I have to lie down every few minutes. I can hardly finish a sentence. My body hurts from head to toe. If I move my eyes it feels like I am on a roller coaster.
The reason I am stopping Cymbalta is because we started going to an herbal dr. since no one else seemed to help me. He told me that I had to make a choice to do his herbs and stop taking other things or not come back to him and keep taking the synthetic stuff. Well, I decided to do as he said. He has totally changed my fiance's life. He had battles with depression, severe body aches, intestinal problems, etc. After 2 months of his program, his symptoms have disappeared. The only thing that is different about my fiance and I is that I was taking cymabalta. I am taking his herbs and teas, etc. I can't say I am feeling better because of the symptoms I am having from withdrawls but it makes me wonder how much worse I would be if I weren't taking the herbs? I do not feeling like I want to kill myself Thank God. I just want the dizziness, nausea, ringing in the ears, sweat and cold spells, body aches to go away.
If anybody wants to do a class action suite against the makers of Cymbalta or all the dr.s that have misled us, please let me know. I will do everything in my power to stand up for our rights......

[Attorney_Victim]

Juju314, check out my "Lawsuit" post on the Cymbalta In The News forum for info regarding any possible litigation. I am keeping everyone updated there on the possibilty of legal action.

[Ingrid99]

I was glad to read this post. My husband has been dealing with unbelievably severe and persistent withdrawal symptoms for several months now - practically everything described in this sight at one time or another. He can't work, he only minimally functions at home. I feel like the person I married is gone - our children (5, 7, and 9) no longer have a father. One of the most frustrating symptom from the family perspective is that he has completely lost his smile - he has no passion or emotion about anything. I just keep thinking that this will have to let up soon, but nothing seems to be changing. Because of the hypomanic type phases he went through during initial withdrawal, he is now trying medications for bipolar II, but the side effects are challenging, and nothing seems to alleviate the symptoms I attribute to the cymbalta withdrawal.

[Attorney_Victim]

Ingrid,

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's difficult situation. The best way to help him is to make sure he has the best medical care you can find. Many doctors, even psychiatrists, are not informed about the severity of Cymbalta problems. If you think one doc is not "getting it", then find a new one. Keep searching until you find a doc that understands.

Personally, I have had good luck with taking Prozac to help with the withdrawal symptoms. Others on here have also reported good luck with Lexapro during withdrawal. Many others on here report success with non-prescription remedies such as supplements and changes in diet. I'm not a doctor, and everyone is different. Just read as many posts as you can to educate yourself about the options that might help.

Good luck!