[ksmike]

i started taking cymbalta to fight depression, anger issues, anxiety, etc, etc. probably the same reasons most of you started taking it i guess. the thing is i really feel better when i take it so going off of the med really scares me to think that i might slip back into my former self

i see a lot of oposts where people have gotten off the drug, fought the withdrawal and now are happy yet i wonder why they started taking it in the first place? did it help? why quit if it helped?

my reasoning for wanting to quit is simple (and sad), ive lost my health insurance and i simply cant afford it

im scared of both the withdrawal ive read so much about and the future without meds

my experience with going off the meds so far doesnt seem too bad but im wondering if it gets worse. right now ive gone 3 days without taking any pills and the only side effect i can say ive encountered is a weird feeling in my head when i move my eyes and turn my head and a feeling of irritablilty (which i had pre-med)

im prescribed 60mg and after going the 3 days i took 30 mg and the weird feelings went away and i was back to normal. ive now gone an additional 2 days without taking it and i feel fine. i figure ill go as many days as i can now without taking the meds and see what happens


anyways i guess what im needing is if anyone has successfully went off cymbalta with little to no withdrawal symptoms like im experiencing or is what i see just the beginning?

[ksmike]

thanks greybeard for your detailed reply, it helps a lot.

without insurance i cant afford to see my doctor so im kind of on my own for the time being and in the past ive discussed other meds with him and he pretty much said that none would work, except cymbalta. i have the feeling hes kind of a quack if you know what i mean. either that or eli lilly pays him more then the other drug companies :roll:

anyways the good news is i should have insurance again in about 60 days (new job) but the bad news is my pills will run out long before that. i can possibly get my doctor to give me samples to get me by until then but after reading all the horror stories maybe i am better off without cymbalta in the first place

i havent tried any other drugs so i have nothing to compare it to but maybe it would be worth a try getting on something different (cheaper)?

[rjwade]

Being in a vaguely similar situation, all I can do is encourage you to be cognizant of where you are at all times and hang on with both hands. I'm at a 60 mg maintenance dosage in conjunction with 100mg of strattera. The combination works for me- but it ain't cheap.

For some reason, our physicians are now prohibited from accepting samples from the pharmaceutical companies. This is unfortunate as I'm sure I'm not the only individual that depended on the availability of samples to help with the periodic "lean" times. Attempting to absorb/budget fluctuating fuel costs is tough on the digestion when commuting is a necessity. It can also mean having to go up to a week before being able to refill prescriptions when things don't come together properly.

Please be very careful! I know that my family begins noticing pronounced behavioral changes, predominately anxiety and severe depression, after 4-5 days. Being that I'm fundamentally nonviolent in nature, these symptoms cause concern for my safety rather than the safety of those around me. When switching to cymbalta/strattera initially, I went through what was diagnosed as "serotonin re-uptake syndrome" and that won me an altercation with a sheriff's deputy and a long weekend strapped in a bed at the local hospital. The thought of ever revisiting *that* scares me.

Exercising to exhaustion seems to help when I find myself between. I am learning Korean swordsmanship (Kumdo) and sparring practice, until it's all I can do to walk off the mat, is a tremendous stress reliever, excellent distraction, and a solid physical workout.

[iliao93]

You can find this info from the Cymbalta.com home page, at the bottom of the page under Patient Assistance Program.
Here it is in part:
Direct Patient Assistance
The health care needs of people throughout the world are diverse - from those of societies seeking to increase the effectiveness of health care through sophisticated, innovative technology to the needs of communities concerned with securing basic health care to help keep people alive. In 2006, we donated over $314 million in products to patients and agencies throughout the world.

Lilly Cares™
LillyMedicareAnswers - Important Update
Lilly Oncology
Xigris Treatment Support
Humatrope
Partnership for Prescription Assistance, PPARx

Lilly Cares™
Lilly Cares is a patient assistance program provided by Lilly through the Lilly Cares Foundation. As part of the company's efforts to provide access to our products for legal U.S. residents regardless of their ability to pay, we created a program to offer free medication, through physicians, to patients who are otherwise unable to obtain our products. Lilly Cares assists patients who are uninsured and whose income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2006, the Lilly Cares Foundation, Inc. program responded to over 162,000 patients, valued at more than $161,000,000, for Lilly products. Most Lilly products are available through the program.

Eligibility is based on the patient's inability to pay and lack of third-party drug payment assistance, including insurance, Medicaid and government, community, or private programs and cannot be eligible for Medicare. Applications are available to anyone and must be completed and signed by the patient and the physician. Patients can download a blank application from the Lilly Cares website or applications can be faxed to you by calling 1-800-545-6962.

The link for this page : http://www.lilly.com/products/access/di ... tient.html


I know most of here are doing everything we can to get off this but no one should suffer needlessly just for the lack of funds!
Please use the info here to get your meds, they are proffiting plenty from all of us on here and can sure afford to give some to those who deserve help.
Bobbie

[iliao93]

DivineChemical said:

Sounds more like a tax deduction than an act of generosity.

I wouldn't be a bit supprised, however if it helps some of the people here who have lost thier insurance and are in danger because they will have to run out suddenly then it serves some good.
I'm not saying anything good about Lilly, I think they are evil incarnate :twisted: but you use the resources where you find them.