[velveeta]

Not sure where to post this, but am hoping for some responses. I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg) since the beginning of August. I went through the w/d symptoms from hell that everyone talks about but thought, but felt like after about a month I was through the brunt of it. Now, after 3 months, I feel like they're returning somewhat. Not so much the physical things like the brain zaps, stomach problems, etc, but the emotional. I'm so anxious and stressed out and weepy. Off the charts. I'm having a lot of trouble coping with every day life and if something out of the ordinary comes up I lose it. Could this be from the Cymbalta yet or am I just kidding myself and I'm just...well...crazy? How is a person supposed to know for sure? I was really hoping to try to avoid medications for a while and just try working through my depression with therapy, but I don't know. Now I feel like maybe my body does really need something. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks very much.

[mspat08]

Hi Velvetta. I think we more less stopped cymbalta 60 mg. about the same time.(I think I stopped on8/28?)I too have had the same symptoms as u.Last wk. my husband had hernia repair surgery and I was so worried and stressed.I had to take some Lorezapam to keep me from freaking out.But I'm standing by my decision to quit..I think the worst is over ( I hope.)I've had a couple of times when I was thinking should I start them again?But , somehow I get myself back on the right track.Plus, the hot flashes are getting worse..don't know if it's the withdrawal or menopause.Im 51.

[agrace]

Hi Velveeta - YES it could be the Cymbalta! And while I don't know you personally of course, I'm inclined to say it likely is. So many people have reported the same kind of thing, continuing long after their doctors say it should.

My husband has been done weaning from Cymbalta since the end of July. His weaning over 2 months included a whole host of withdrawal effects, including mood swings, flu symptoms, headaches, tremors, and the dreaded brain zaps. Then for about two weeks he said he felt better than he'd felt in two years (he was on Wellbutrin for about 2 yrs, followed by about six weeks of Effexor with terrible results and then Cymbalta plus Wellbutrin for two more months before we figured that the ADs, which were originally prescribed for anxiety, were actually CAUSING or PERPETUATING anxiety, agitation, akathisia, insomnia, racing thoughts, mania etc), and then the fun really started - his moods began to suffer greatly - he just got mean and testy - completely uncharacteristic.

Then it went from bad to worse - suddenly lots of neuro issues like loss of fine motor skills (ataxia), slurred speech, disequalibrium, lost time, tons of fatigue, with the occasional brain zap thrown in, and terrible mood swings, rages and crying jags, plus paranoia and suspicion - acted like I was against him and seemed to always want to pick a fight. This happened during the day, every day, for a couple weeks - agony for the family - he'd have a neuro episode that included all of the above and then crash for a couple hours, waking up and often not remembering a chunk of it. It was like a raging drunk without the alcohol!

Then over time, these episodes switched to just evenings, almost every single evening, and the more he pushed himself the worse they were, or the more stressed he was, the more the symptoms manifested themselves. I got really good at determining when he was "done" for the night. They occur to this day! And, sometimes, they include emotional outbursts like crying and despair. This from a guy whose glass was ALWAYS half full. He was never depressed, and NEVER diagnosed with depression. Oh and just yesterday, four months after his last pill (he stopped the Cymbalta before the Wellbutrin to ease the Cymbalta effects - a lot of good that did!), he called to tell me that he'd just had the mother of all brain zaps...while driving on the interstate. Thankfully he was in stop and go traffic at the time.

So don't assume the emotional stuff that's backing up on you is an indication that you need medication. These symptoms can go on for months to years (unfortunately). And drs often just don't know - my husband's dr said that withdrawal only lasts 2 weeks, tops, no way this stuff could be related, and sent him for blood work and a cat scan - and he had a brain zap sitting in the waiting room waiting for his workup! And drs don't WANT to know - his psych told him it was impossible for the ADs to be causing all the stuff we were sure they caused, and that withdrawal wouldn't happen, despite the fact we had tons of peer literature, FDA warnings and the like to back us up. He treated us like children daring to question Almighty God. My husband's brother's sister-in-law is a lawyer who says that she has seen a ton of lawsuits on the books for Effexor, and has read cases where people describe withdrawal continuing eight months or longer. And Effexor, in essence, is the same thing as Cymbalta.

I have a book called "The Antidepressant Solution" by a Dr. Glenmullen which devotes a whole chapter on determining whether a symptom is that of an actual illness or just withdrawal. It's very good, although I don't think he goes nearly far enough in discussing the long term implications of these symptoms, although he briefly mentions that they have been documented to continue past a year,and he has a chart of over fifty side effects that cover everything from physical to mental/emotional to neurological.

I am convinced that these drugs are ruining an entire generation of unsuspecting people. Currently they are the most prescribed class of drugs in the US and it is estimated that 10% of our total population is on an AD right now. And no one has any idea what they do long term. It's incredible.