[wyndhamheart]

I've been documenting what I've been going thru on my LJ, so I'll just take some snippits:

After two weeks on Cymbalta:
"No, seriously, can I say "fuck this"? My entire head feels like it's on pins and needles and now the pounding temple headache has gone from a "few hours at night time" thing to a "ALL FUCKING DAY" thing. ALL DAY. And last night the headache moved to my ear and now it is pounding and feeling like I was gushing blood. My pupils never stop dilating and I constantly look ike I'm high. I have to take painkillers ever 2 hours to keep it to a dull thud but I can't handle this for much longer. I didn't sleep at all last night.

FUCK THIS! OH MY GOD. FUCK. THIS.

And my violent nightmares are back. So when I do drift off I watch myself and anyone close to me die slowly. Oh, and don't forget the nausea."

A week off:
"Felt like vomiting all day.

Yesterday went to a party with matt. It was all good till like, 4 hours in then I went to go get a drink and this girl started talking to me. Dunno what the hell happen but all of a sudden sound got really weird and everything sounded really loud and reverb-y. She was WAAY too close to me and I had to get away. The lights were too bright and I felt like throwing up. Tried to sit in a chair but my entire body was telling me that everyone around me was a threat. Finally got matt and hid in the coat room till I felt like I could breathe again and my heart rate went back to relatively normal. When we got into the car, half my head felt like it had been cut off. Like I was bleeding, and had huge scratches and was going to die. It keeps on getting really hot then really cold then really hot. It actually started hurting so badly that I started thinking I was at girl scout camp and it was really hard for me to keep my eyes open. In fact, I lost all sense of where I was or what was going around around me.

Dunno when the fuck that is going to go away. It's been almost a week since I stopped taking cymbalta. Maybe I'll have it forever. That'd be great. God, my head hurts.

Also, I am now never hungry. I eat once a day if I remember, and I only remember when I start feeling lightheaded and get really nauseous. Then I force myself to eat something."


Now, it's been a week later, and I was wondering when the head pain thing will stop and when I'll start eating normally again. I'm just glad I'm here. This has been a hell for me and I just need somewhere where I can talk about it.

[darshaks]

i am very sorry and feeling sad for you . oh my god i m very scared as i have decreased my dosage from 60 mg to 40 mg for a week and increase my dosage of lexapro it is only day 3 for me eventhough i have started headache , migrain type , nausea and light electric sensation oh my god and i know when i will reduce it to 20 mg i will surely not tollerate this symptoms oh god i m very confused wheather to continue with horrible drug or live in hell of discontinuation and i have been taking cymbalta for 4 years that is most scaring for me because who has taken for only 3 months they also suffer for atleast 3 to 6 months it means i dont know up to what time i will suffer ?? and my liver sgpt are also high and there is liver warning in cymbalta i dont know i should wait for my liver damagin further or living hell of cymbalta for uncertain period may be for years no no no

my question to both of you guys is that dont u scared that all this brain zaps and other symptoms will damage your nerves or something else as this is not proven yet but who knows is it possible that if u tollrate such kind of hell symptoms than it may damage your brain further ?? so its a big call what to do ? please ask your neurologist or whatever can this brain zaps damage your mind ? than it will be big cost paid by us and let me know please

i will update my progress here and also cymbaltasurviver site

thanks awaiting your reply

[darshaks]

To Greybeard and houndi,

thank u very much for motivating me but i would like to mention that my previous dose was

lexapro 15 mg per day
cymbalta 60 mg per day
lamictal 50 mg per day

now my doctor had added 5 mg lexapro so total 20 mg so now i dont have any further choice to increase dose of lexapro as i was taking this mentioned above combination for last 4 years and what he does is he had starting bupropion (wellbutrin) 150 mg initial dose to replace cymbalta gradually but i fear when i will go to 20-0 mg of cymbalta there is no scope of further increase in lexapro and if i add prozac to this combination than there may be risk of multiple ssri or serotonin syndrom

my another question is i surely want to switch off cymbalta but is wellbutrin safer than cymbalta i dont know that becuase it is ndri so norpinephrine is also there in that

but according to u wellburine is fine or not ?

and yes i have already met with liver specialist he has given me liver tonics so my sgpt are now low he told it may be due to drug toxicity but not to worry but for safer side i want to switch off cymbalta as soon as possible becuases there is modification in cymbalta prescripton go to cymbalta site and download it it clearly mention person with liver dysfunction or jaundice , or elevated liver enzyms should not take cymbalta

please give your opinion i know you both are very good at research and i read all your post which is perfect according to me
awaiting reply thanx again

[darshaks]

HI

yes u perfectly understood . i have been taking lexapro and symbal togather for last 4 years as mentiond above

and my doctor is wellknown psych (MD) and i have been stick to this doctor for last 4 years as i was very fine with this doctor and as far as serotonin syndrom i have never experienced any symptoms of that I m seeing him every month regullarly and under his observation I think lexapro alone did not remove my depression as it was chronic so he added symbal and it greatly improved my depression U r right i know cocomittent use of ssri may cause serotonin syndrome as u told even i have read so many articles but as i needed more serotonin he gave me and i never experienced any symptom of it . I have synus problem also for last 10 years and skin problem called psoriasis hope u know about that so i took actually so many medicines in last couple of months so doctor said that with antidpressand togather use of all this antifungal medicines may elevate liver enzymes .

I dont have currently any syrotonin syndrom still according to u am i at risk of it even after 4 years use of this medicines togather ?

and as far as wellbutrin I m currently tappering symbal so i have to add something otherwise i will feel intollerable symptoms and now i can not stay on symbal for long as there is liver warning in it

BUt ya now i m going for second opinion in copule of days but i workout all possible option for me I dont have any other choice but you are absoultly right i have also not known anybody with this combnination of lexapro and cymbalta it is rare but may be my depression was that severe and doctor also i think didnt know when he prescribed me cymbalta about discontinuation symptoms as drug was latest at that time my bad luck ! But why u say that wellbutrin is not good idea as it is ndri as u know than i can take with lexarpro right ?????? is wellbutrin that bad drug than cymbalta ??

and suppose now for cymbalta withdrawal instead of wellbutrin i can add something is prozac or another ssri with lexapro so again risk of serotonin syndrom

Oh my god i m very confused can u throw some light on my above questions ? I know you are not doctor but i know u gone through so many articles and had personal experience also . Thanks very much for ur cooperation and spending your precious time for me and can I ask you one thing currently you are off all drugs and if not please tell me your combination just for my reference I m not goint to try it just asking as a friend . ok take careeeeeeeee

[darshaks]

Actually problem is that i m on multiple antideprssants lexapro , cymbatla and lamital togahter if it was only symbalta and lamital than it would easy for me to withdraw cymbalta by adding lexapro by 5 mg + 5 mg + 5 mg + 5mg and reduce cymbalta by that way U r right here in india it is symbal but content is same duloxatine hydrochride but may be slightly different It is here maufactured by Torrent pharmacuitcal

U are also right that it is available in tablet form not capsual form available in 10 mg , 20 mg , 30 mg but ya it is difficult to reduce by small percentage but i think I can break 10 mg capsule half right ??? but may be not in perfect ratio of 5 mg each I hope u understand what I am saying and it is not your problem of understanding as I m not good at english but still u have so far understood everything right ..

and one more question why u say that wellbutrin will not help withdrawal symptom it is also affecting mainly norpinephrine which cymbalta was and ya if there is no option for me last option is Effecxor another snri like cymbalta so it may easy for me to switch off but i know it is also not good drug but i think it has not so many liver damge reports . Lets see where I ended and please can you give your email if i dont found you in next couple of months so i can ask you as far as now i will surely post here and i have also created my account at cymbaltasurviver

[darshaks]

truly speaking i m very confused as it seems i dont have choices as u know now i m taking lexapro hightest dose so there is no place for me to add another ssri instead of cymbalta to decrease severity of withdrawal symptoms. and in snri only two medicines cymbalta and effexor is available so if i switch to efffexor instead of cymbalta than as u told it will be like same . so now only medicine left is wellbutrin i think which is ndri

and there is anothere pure dopamine medicines available but they are not replacement for cymbalta

now klonopin is good for anxity my doctor prescribed me once instead of cymbalta at one time but i didnt take it that time and i klonopin is another class of drug called bazo but it is helpful also in restlessleg syndroms which i feel electric shock sensations in my legs . but it is i think not replacement of cymbalta if i will decrease cymbalta and add klonopin than combination of klonopin and lexapro will work for anxity but my cymbata withdrawal symptoms will be intollerable shit man no more choice . actually i was and am is very fine with my current combination of cymbalta , lexapro and lamictal but as my liver sgpt is high i want to quit cymbalta otherwise i dont have any other problem or side effects of cymbalta but i think liver problem is big issue in future so i want to wean cymbalta but not finding any option

but as u told i m going for other opinion in next week but i think other doctor will also not successful in my case as my current doctor is wellknown and goldmedalist phyc but it seems that eventhough he doesnt know about such severe withdrawal of cymbalta he told me there will not too much problem as i have added wellbutrin lets see

what is your personal opinion do u find any other drug ? so my withdrawal symptoms may be less as i m so scared as i have taken for 4 years

[darshaks]

Please view some medicines taken from wikipedia

List of SSRIs

Drugs in this class include (trade names in parentheses):
• citalopram (Celexa, Cipramil, Dalsan, Recital, Emocal, Sepram, Seropram, Citox)
• dapoxetine (no trade name yet; not yet approved by the FDA)
• escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex, Esertia)
• fluoxetine (Prozac, Fontex, Seromex, Seronil, Sarafem, Fluctin (EUR), Fluox (NZ), Depress (UZB), Lovan (AUS))
• fluvoxamine (Luvox, Fevarin, Faverin, Dumyrox, Favoxil, Movox)
• paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat, Sereupin, Aropax, Deroxat, Rexetin, Xetanor, Paroxat)
• sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral, Serlain)
• zimelidine (Zelmid, Normud)

List of SNRIs

Duloxetine cymbalta symbal
Effexor (venlafexine)

List of ndri

Wellbutrin (bupropion) bupron


[edit] Some dopamine reuptake inhibitors
• Amineptine (Maneon, Survector)
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban)
• Cocaine (a Tropane alkaloid)
• CFT (WIN-35428)
• Dextromethorphan (DXM)[citation needed] (disputed)
• Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
• Methamphetamine (Desoxyn) [3]
• Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Rubifen, Concerta)
• Phenmetrazine (Preludin)
• Troparil (CPT)
• Vanoxerine (GBR-12909)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor) (weakly

Anticonvulsants "Benzodiazepines"

• clobazam
• clonazepam
• clorazepate
• diazepam
• lorazepam
• midazolam
• Xanax alaprozam

Insomnia

• brotizolam
• estazolam
• flunitrazepam
• flurazepam
• loprazolam
• lormetazepam
• midazolam
• nimetazepam
• nitrazepam
• temazepam
• triazolam

now you see above list u will autometically find i dont have any choice
i can add "Benzodiazepines"called klonopin but it will not deal with my withdrawal symptoms now my possibility of taking cuymbalta is cancelled as i want to wean off and i dont want to switch to effexor. so only choice left is ndri wellbutrin or any of anticonvulsant drugs but it will not deal with my withdrawal symptoms oh shit ........ I dont think any doctor here in India will be able to swich off me from cymbalta and if i will keep taking cymbalta my liver will be damaged whats your personal opinion ?????

[darshaks]

you are right symbal is enteric coated and there is no cut to break the pill can u explain what is time released and extended release and what is the reason of overdose if i break symbal in half ?